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Independent Review Community September 22, 2011 People / 2B Faith / 4B Bulletin Board / 5B Fun & Games / 6B DOWN SIDE ‘ the A motto on the trail is ‘Hike your own hike.’ That means, do what you want to do. You don’t have to feel like you have to keep up with other people. You just do what’s right for you. WILLIAM HOLLAND, Litchfield High School graduate who recently finished hiking the Appalachian Trail, all 2,181 miles of it B SECTION ’ Creative writing 101 I still remember the first time I discovered a thesaurus. I thought the book was golden because it could help me expand my vocabulary. However, I mistakenly thought every word listed as a synonym was interchangeable with the intended word. I quickly learned that wasn’t so, when I received my first creative writing assignment back from my teacher with lots of words circled in red pen and question marks boldly written next to them. So, I laughed when I came across a website that had submissions from English teachers of analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. They prove descriptive writing is wonderful, to a point. Here are a few examples: ◆ Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master. ◆ He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it. ◆ She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli, and he was room temperature Canadian beef. ◆ She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up. ◆ Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever. ◆ He was as tall as a six-foot, threeinch tree. ◆ The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine. ◆ From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7 p.m. instead of 7:30. ◆ Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph. ◆ The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t. — J.C.T. SUBMITTED PHOTOS William Holland celebrates recently atop Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, after completing a five-month, 2,181-mile hike through 14 states. Man vs. mountains: Marking a milestone William Holland, a 2006 Litchfield High School graduate, spends five months hiking the entire 2,181 miles of the Appalachian Trail By Brent Schacherer EDITOR I t’s been a few weeks since William Holland completed the adventure of a lifetime. But just what it means to hike 2,181 miles over five months is something that is still eluding him. “I’m actually still processing that,” Holland said in a recent telephone conversation. “It’s really now, in the coming weeks and months, that I can actually go back and really think about that.” The 2006 Litchfield High School graduate will have plenty to think about as he recalls a 14-state journey that began March 16 in Georgia and ended Aug. 24 on the highest peak in Maine. Holland’s hike of the Appalachian Trail puts him in exclusive company among outdoor adventure seekers — a nice perk of completing the challenge — but more impor- tant are the personal feelings of satisfaction and selfdiscovery that his mostly solitary hike brought. The physical tests that arose each day — Holland lost 14 pounds during the hike — were only small hurdles compared to what at times became a mindnumbing psychological challenge of five months of hiking. “It took so much determination to keep going, every single day,” Holland said. “Really, that was the most difficult part, just the mental part of deciding not to quit.” The weight of his thoughts and his 32-pound backpack lightened considerably, however, as he neared the 5,268-foot summit of Mount Katahdin and the sign marking the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. “The final mountain, Katahdin, is this amazing, huge, monolithic mountain in Maine, in the middle of nowhere,” Holland said. “When I got up level with that sign, about 50 yards away, it was just surreal.” Weighing the pros and cons Holland is no adventure-seeking novice. The 23year-old University of Minnesota graduate once See HOLLAND on Page 3B William Holland wipes his brow as he looks out on a foggy morning in Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. There were times during his fivemonth hike, Holland said, that the natural beauty of the trail was overshadowed by the monotonous trudge to the finish line. LOCAL BRIEFS Sibley State Park plans programs for adults, kids Sibley State Park offers the following naturalist programs: Friday, Sept. 23 7 to 7:45 p.m. — Hairy Critters — Using animal mounts, skulls and pelts, staff will introduce people to some common and interesting mammals of Sibley State Park. Saturday, Sept. 24 10 to 11 a.m. — Animal Track Making for Kids — Kids can learn how their foot is different from a fox, squirrel or deer; they also will make their own animal track from plaster of paris and rubber molds. 2 to 3 p.m. — Digital Nature Photography for Kids — Learn how to use a digital camera to enjoy and experience the outdoors. Participants will take a walk with a park naturalist as they learn how to use a digital camera to take pictures to enjoy and share. Digital cameras provided. Limit 12 people. (Must be 14 years of age or older or accompanied by an adult). Sunday, Sept. 25 10 to 11 a.m. — Geocaching 101: High Tech Treasure Hunt — Join this hightech treasure hunt and learn the basics of this worldwide recreational sport. GPS units provided. Limit of 20 people. (Must be 8 or older; children must be accompanied by an adult. Reservation required at interpretive center. Most naturalist programs are free; however a state park vehicle permit is needed to enter the park. For more information call 320- 354-2055 or go online at www.dnr.state.mn.us. Youth can register for area orchestra Equinox Festival to offer local family fun Saturday Crow River Area Youth Orchestra is accepting registrations for student membership, and all instruments are welcome — strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. Adults interested in playing with an orchestra also are welcome. Rehearsals take place from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sundays at Hutchinson Middle School, 1365 South Grade Road SW. For more information or to register, go to www.crayo. org or call 320-5937243. A day of family fun is planned for Saturday. The Equinox Festival will include a variety of family oriented activities and games, as well as a craft/flea market, tractor pull and musical entertainment. The event will run from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the Steffes Auctioneers grounds south of Litchfield. At least 50 crafters and flea market vendors have registered to participate. Crafters can still rent a booth at the event by calling Dollie Felling at 320693-7072. Along with providing a day of family entertainment, the event is planned as a fundraiser for Love Without Boundaries and National Alliance on Mental Illness of Meeker County.