Arts and Humanities Commons^™

News And Notes

Appalachia

Reflections on the December 18, 2023 flood caused a 6-inch rainstorm across northern Carroll and southern Coos Counties, New Hampshire. Appalachian Mountain Club trail builders create an All Persons Trail at AMC Cardigan Lodge in Alexandria, New Hampshire. Mountain author Mike Dickerman shares a photo memory of a bushwhack to Carrigain Pond in 1988.

Research

Appalachia

The seasonal snowpack’s decline is affecting plants and animals.

Alpina

Appalachia

Reports of mountaineering in the greater ranges in 2024 include a free climb of the central tower of the Torres del Paine in Patagonia, a first ascent of Hungchi in Nepal, toilet problems on Everest, a first ascent of Muchu Chhish in Pakistan, a difficult route on Wyoming’s Devils Tower, and a tribute to the late David Breashears, TM Herbert, and Lou Whittaker.

Accidents

Appalachia

Reports of rescues and accidents in the White Mountains of New Hampshire from the cold season of 2023-24. Thoughts on the Pemi Loop, the 31-mile passage around the Pemigewassett Wilderness. Hikers call for help but then hike out another way while rescuers search along Signal Ridge Trail. Chris Roma perishes while attempting a solo Pemi Loop in January. Skiers trigger an avalanche in the Great Gulf. Hypothermia puts one of a threesome in grave danger on Mount Monadnock. An ill-prepared hiker becomes dangerously cold after heading into frigid snow-blowing conditions on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. Sledding down Mount Avalon ends …

Letter

Appalachia

Patient privacy and accidents.

Skyline Sketches: A Journey Through The Boundary Waters, Derick Lugo

Appalachia

A man who has never canoed paddles through Minnesota’s Boundary Waters.

Skyline Sketches: Turning Around, Morgan Kennedy

Appalachia

A backpacker turns around after a late start up the lonely Watson Path.

Skyline Sketches: Survival Of The Timid, Jessica Kulynych

Appalachia

A mother and daughter retreat in bad weather, showing that timidity saves lives.

Waterman Fund Essay Winner: Old Friends In The Alpine: Field Scientists On Vermont's Highest Peak, Catherine Wessel

Appalachia

In this winning essay of the annual contest sponsored by the Waterman Fund, a young scientist meets Bill Howland, who studied the same vegetation in 1991, at their study site high on Vermont’s Mount Mansfield.

Poetry On The Mountain: Hiking Moosilauke In A Mood, Elissa Ely

Appalachia

Near the summit of Mount Moosilauke, someone hands a hiker a copy of a Billy Collins poem with a typo.

Editor’s note: We have redacted the quoted lines of the Collins poem. Appalachia’s agreement to reprint part of “Night Letter to the Reader” covers only the print edition of the journal. Physical copies of this issue can be purchased at outdoors.org.

Last Hike On Mount Monadnock: Friends Confront Time And Mortality, Eric D. Lehman

Appalachia

Two friends push up the southern New Hampshire peak, sensing but not knowing that it will be the last time for one of them.

Debacle On Mount Pierce: A Self-Rescue Story, Heidi J. Downing

Appalachia

Two friends take a wrong turn heading down Mount Pierce in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, navigating several errors of judgement.

When Powder Skis Became A Thing: A Winter's Tale Of Engineers And Unbroken Fields Of White, Rick Spedden

Appalachia

Powder skiing used to be the domain of an adventurous fringe element, but with the manufacturing of specialized skis, it is now a mainstream pursuit.

Return To The Cuyahoga Valley: From Toxic Dump To National Park, Christopher Johnson

Appalachia

Once known as the place where a river caught fire, today’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio attracts boaters and hikers.

Rotors, Not Propellers: A Tribute To A Dedicated Helicopter Pilot, Sally Manikian

Appalachia

A tribute to Carl J. Svenson, a pilot who for three decades flew supplies to huts and shelter sites for the Appalachian Mountain Club before his death in a crash in Croyden, New Hampshire, in October 2023.

Mountain Ninjas: Today's Motorized Beasts Of Burden, Justin Preisendorfer

Appalachia

Motorized equipment like snowcats and helicopters have become critical tools for effective recreation management in the modern era in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire.

Flight Lessons: Drones Find Their Way As Search-And-Rescue Tools, Sandy Stott

Appalachia

Since 2018, New Hampshire Fish & Game has begun using drones to search for lost and injured hikers in the White Mountains, complementing ground searches, trained dogs, and helicopters.

The Long Way Home: Getting Water, Christine Woodside

Appalachia

From the outlet of Ethan Pond in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, waterlogged memories of moose, children, and swimmers resurface.

Appalachia Winter/Spring 2025: Complete Issue

Appalachia

Winter/Spring 2025 - Volume LXXVI, Number 1 - Issue #259. The Humanity of Machines: Stories of drones, helicopters, and snowcats in the mountains.

Clinic Emotions, Rachel Sisley

EMET Projects

This is a sketch of a woman walking into a clinic with her three children, being greeted by a member of the nursing staff. There are two additional staff members in the background. Overlaid on the sketch are acrylic paints representing the emotions of each person. For the mother holding her newborn, the dark blue around her represents sadness, the white represents isolation, and the purple represents detachment. Her toddler behind her, as well as the nurse greeting her, are both outlined in orange and light blue, representing happiness and calmness, respectively. Her newborn and the toddler at her hip …

Spoken Word Percussion And Its Intersection With Communication, Gwen Leuschen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Music is a form of communication, whether expressing emotion, telling a story, or delivering information. Communication is widely used in music. This communication takes place by conveying ideas through the sound produced by performers. This form of musical communication cues the audience into the messages, information, and emotions the composers intended. However, when text or spoken word is implemented into music, how does this affect the communication, and how can this be analyzed? This paper explores the history of music and spoken word, explains applicable communication theories, and finally applies these theories to music with spoken word, emphasizing percussion.

The Ravine Of Memory: Babyn Yar Between The Holocaust And The Great Patriotic War, Shay A. Pilnik

Purdue University Press Books

The Nazis and their collaborators buried over 100,000 victims at Babyn Yar, a ravine in modern-day Ukraine. Most of the individuals were Jewish, making this area one of the most infamous mass murder sites in history. The Ravine of Memory starts when the travesty ends, telling the story of the ravine’s memory and forgetting in Soviet literature and culture—in Russian as well as in Yiddish. This book challenges the prevailing binary conceptions of Babyn Yar as exclusively a Holocaust or a “Great Patriotic War” story. It is neither the exclusive product of Soviet censorship nor individual dissidents. Babyn Yar is …

Your Higher Self (Le Plein Potentiel), Dereck Daschke

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Your Higher Self (Le Plein Potentiel) (2025) directed by Annie St-Pierre.

Mermaid, Dereck Daschke

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Mermaid (2025), directed by Tyler Cornack.

Good Neighbors Racial Healing Journey: Ministry Of The Good Neighbors Racial Healing Initiative, Rev. Cameron Duncan

Doctor of Ministry

NPO Statement: Christians of color struggle with forgiveness amid ongoing racial trauma, while White Christians often avoid engagement due to fear, hindering racial reconciliation efforts.

My doctoral project began as an exploration of healing and reconciliation within Christian communities but became a personal journey of confronting racial trauma. Initially, I did not see racial trauma as central to my work. However, at my first retreat at Cannon Beach, I was forced to reckon with the impact of microaggressions and systemic racism on my sense of self. Years in predominantly white spaces had left me with internalized messages that my …

Being The Beloved: Cultivating A Head To Heart Journey Of Identity For Emerging Adults In Ministry And Leadership, Jennifer Clark

Doctor of Ministry

NPO Statement

Emerging adults in ministry without a deepening awareness of being God’s beloved may struggle to flourish and lead in their given contexts.

Key Benefits

Being the Beloved: Cultivating a Head to Heart Journey of Identity for Emerging Adults in Leadership and Ministry is a curriculum created to ground emerging adults in the love of God as they transition into adulthood and emerge as the next generation of Church leaders. Developmental psychology labels emerging adulthood as a time of significant change, instability and transition, while having to navigate key life decisions regarding education, career, and relationships. Identity formation is …

Harriet Beecher Stowe: Saints And Sinners Analysis Of The Moral Suasion And Motivations Behind The Creation Of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Makendric James Bowman

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

This project examines the motivations behind Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (UTC), focusing on how her desire for both financial gain and moral reform shaped her writing. Stowe’s use of religious themes to expose the moral and human costs of slavery positioned her novel at the center of national debate, forcing both defenders and opponents of slavery to confront uncomfortable truths. Her book ultimately made her the best-selling author of the 19th century, selling 300,000 copies mostly by door-to-door subscriptions. This is equivalent to about 4.4 million Americans today who do not have access to Amazon or bookstores. Even …

Wilderness & Wonder: Creating Compassionate Spaces For Those Who Have Been Wounded And Forgotten By The Church, Tyler Dresbach

Doctor of Ministry

Harm caused by Fundamentalist Evangelicalism prevents individuals from re-engaging in a faith community, creating a need for compassionate spaces that foster healing and reconciliation. What is one supposed to do when the only group they have known to be a healing and life-giving community is the source of their hurt, disappointment, and confusion? Often, individuals disengage from the religious community and are left to navigate the complexities of life and faith on their own. Yet these individuals, while skeptical of the Church, have increasingly expressed a desire to reengage with a faith community—but if not within the formal structures of …

Rehydrating The Church: The Lifegiving Role Of The Holy Spirit In Christian Formation, Ministry, Leadership, And Community, Rand Burden

Doctor of Ministry

NPO Statement

Many small rural Global Methodist Church (GMC) congregations have limited access to pastors and, as such, are in critical need of alternative forms of spiritual leadership.

Key Insights

Life in the Spirit must precede spiritual leadership. The church desperately needs members and leaders living lives led by, walking after, and informed by the Spirit. It is my conviction that with an increased awareness of the Spirit, a desire for intimacy will arise, a drawing to wade into the Water of Life, to be more open to desire and experience a deeper encounter with and understanding of the Holy …

Remain: Holistic Transformation For Spiritually And Developmentally Mature Global Ministry Leaders In Late Midlife, Nicole Paschall

Doctor of Ministry

Few resources cater to the unique needs of seasoned global ministry leaders, fostering the holistic spiritual and personal growth essential for ongoing Kingdom impact. Through research and practice, this project identified a significant gap in addressing the whole person— spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically—during the later stages of ministry and leadership. Insights from stakeholders and participants revealed the importance of integrating spiritual formation, adult psychological truths, and leadership development within a contextual and supportive environment. These elements provide the transformative opportunities later midlife leaders need to sustain growth and deepen their Kingdom contribution.

The ministry context focuses on global workers …