Recently I just finished Appalachia North by Matthew Ferrence. In it, he recounts the complex relationship he still has with the land as a Northern Appalachian. Typically when I finish a book I write a Literature Appetizer to get people a taste of what they will find. Since his book is such a personal journey, I would not do it justice by recounting his life.
His story reflects my own experience growing up in Western PA. So instead of condensing his journey, I thought I would condense mine.
The Hero’s Journey is a common literary structure where the hero of the story departs home to do a great act, and then returns victorious. My Northern Appalachian Journey is a bit different, but has a similar structure of three parts; Living in Water, Succeeding by Leaving, and The Mountains are Calling.
Trauger, PA
Living in Water
“There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What the hell is water?””
Growing up in Northern Appalachia was as a fish living in water. I had no idea how complex and diverse the world was. Most kids are like this, due to just living in one place. What makes Western PA a little different is that the world is not fascinated by our landscape or people. California and New York are talked about. The Amazon River is a wonder of the world. But even when Pennsylvania was brought up in history class, it would focus on the eastern portion with Philadelphia.
Above was the view from my bed every morning. As the smell of fresh manure wafted through my window I would prepare for the 40 minute bus ride to school. It wasn’t a hardship or struggle. Honestly, I was the rich, successful one. My parents insisted on buying my sister and I very expensive LL Bean Backpacks (at $40 a piece) that would last many years instead of buying a $10 backpack every year. Many of my friends would comment how rich we were or how I talked funny (since I enunciated my words from a young age).
I didn’t realize how deep I was in the water of rural life until being uprooted in 2007. During that summer, my family moved to Allison Park (a suburb north of Pittsburgh) for my Dad’s new job. One thing I was incredibly thankful for was the education. When I lived out in Trauger I received straight A’s without even trying. Upon moving to Allison Park I had to learn how to study after receiving my first ever C on a report card. Everything else about Allison Park was miserable however.
Again other students would comment on my backpack, but this time with disgust. My sister and I were the poor students since our LL Bean Backpacks didn’t have our initials embroidered, and we kept the same bag year after year. Everyone had an air of “fake politeness” that made every event at the school feel forced. When I would talk about how in Trauger we would have a “Bring your Tractor to School” day, my new friends would look upon me with horror and disgust.
Slate Peak, WA
Succeeding by Leaving
Since both my mother and father left where they grew up, I felt I would only find success by leaving. At the same time, I was terrified by traveling and living far from home. Each step made me feel more successful, since I was geographically further.
Lutherlyn was my first home away from home. Everything from my first job to first crush I found at camp. This was also the first landscape I cared deeply about.
Allegheny College was my safety net in learning to be an adult. I could fail without having to fall too far. It was also far enough away from parents that I had to learn how to problem solve on my own.
In my Americorp year in New Hampshire, I discovered my need to teach outdoors (by being forced to teach indoors).
My grad school adventure in Cascadia gave me the tools to love where you live, and to teach others to do the same.
Returning to the East Coast, I taught in the Boston Harbor where I was in awe of the ocean as a teacher.
Nine years of my life I was on a grand adventure. I lived, learned, and grew with others that had very different backgrounds than myself. But something kept popping up. My dear friends would say things like “Well, you didn’t grow up in real mountains like we have here” or “Everyone in rural areas is racist and homophobic.”
At the same time that I was learning how to deeply love and learn from the land out in Cascadia, I felt a call from the Appalachians. My mountain range. Yes, they are not nearly as tall as the ones out west. But they are home. I didn’t realize that fully until I lived out in Boston. Watching the tide go out during sunset, I realized I needed to live in the forests and mountains that I knew.
Success isn’t leaving. Success is bringing back what you have learned to make your home a better place.
Top of Propel Mountor School, PA
The Mountains are Calling
“Rural Pennsylvania doesn’t fascinate the world, not generally. But cyclically, periodically, its innards are of interest. Bore it, strip it, set it on fire, a burnt offering to the collective need.”
It was only upon moving back that I began to expand my definition of Appalachia. Instead of an image of rural, poor farmers in the mountains, Appalachia became much more complex. Pittsburgh, a prime example of a Rust Belt city trying to recover, is the largest city in Appalachia. When I took a vacation in West Virginia it looked just like where I had lived in Trauger.
So what exactly is Appalachia? Does it encompass everyone who lives in the Appalachian Mountain range? To me, it does. If we limit ourselves to poor, rural farmers (the stereotypical archetype) we are minimizing how complex and diverse the population of these mountains are. At the same time we would be minimizing the complex lives, goals, and aspirations of those rural farmers.
Do you like unions? Thank the coal miners in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. These “red necks” would wear red bandannas in solidarity for not working until conditions improved in the early 20th century. This fight against unjust conditions and pay is happening right now! Miners use the rallying cry of “No Pay, We Stay” and are blocking a train full of coal until they are paid.
Hate corporate lobbying mucking up politics? So did the fighters of the Whiskey Rebellion. They thought it unfair that corporate distilleries would pay far less taxes than those trying to get by in the mountains. It was so great of a rebellion that Alexander Hamilton brought the US army to Pittsburgh to stop the fighters.
Appalachians are also makers. Early settlers made almost everything they had. Pittsburgh produced most of the steel for the second world war. Today maker education is being led by organizations throughout Appalachia. While marketed as new, it is just tech shop with more computers.
If you live in these mountains, read Appalachia North. You might also be interested in the Inside Appalachia Podcast, where they discuss all of Appalachia (from Pittsburgh to Tennessee and beyond).
No matter where you live, learn to love and grow in it. We will need everyone doing their part to make sure we still have mountains and forests to live in for generations to come.
Update December 10th, 2022.
Recently, Inside Appalachia did a podcast asking folks “What is Appalachia?” In the Pittsburgh Section, Ben got to speak about his experience in the region. The Pittsburgh portion starts at 37:10, and Ben speaks at 43:06.