By Gillian

When on a Ladies Adventure Club adventure have we ever heard a story like this? This is a story our host Cathy told us today as we were exploring her land way out there in Salem Township. “I walked into my home and came across a shirtless young man with a cigarette dangling from his lips, carrying a handgun and a shotgun. After a second of confusion, I realized that these guns were mine and he was stealing them from my house. I told him, “if you don’t put those guns down, I’m going to punch you.” (I instantly regretted telling him of my plan to punch him. Where’s the surprise in laying out my next steps? And at 5’ 2” I needed all the surprise I could muster.) I grabbed for the barrel of the shotgun, jerked him, fell off balance myself and crashed into a wood bin. I knew the shotgun wasn’t loaded, but I was pretty certain that the pistol was, as my husband was a deputy in town and he kept his gun ready to go. I realized that in that moment, I might be shot in the back. Instead, the young hooligan took off running into the woods. But not before I got off my punch and landed a good sock to his face.” I took a few liberties in relaying this story, but it’s basically what she shared with us.

Well, that was one of the stories we heard from Cathy today as she toured us around her 120-acre property, ribboned with trails that she has cut and blazed across the land. She also has built numerous structures that she uses for solo overnights, entertaining family and guests, for watching birds and finding her peace in the woods. She fells the trees, strips the bark, and then hammers and nails the wood into beautiful structures filled with teacups, sleeping cots, wood stoves, and books. There’s a winter camp, a camp perched on the edge of a rushing stream, a sugar shack where she and her husband Bob boil the sap to make their syrup, and other outposts we found as we meandered through the woods, skiing and snowshoeing on the last bits of this winter’s snow. This woman is a dynamo. She spends most of her days maintaining her trails, improving her buildings and dreaming of where to site her next project.

We ended the day with vanilla ice cream topped with Cathy and Bob’s 2020 maple syrup and walnuts. A sweet-treat ending to a bluebird-sky-and-warm-golden-sun day. Thanks to Carla for dreaming up this LAC adventure, for guiding us and to Cathy for hosting us and sharing her treasures with us all.

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