A Northern Girls Tale Of The Imagined South
By Dorraine Fisher
Before our very own Philip Spencer was suddenly laid up with a broken back and put out of commission for 12 weeks, he had invited me to travel from my happy, cool spot in Illinois to visit him and his assistant Shannon Turner as they do their work in The Great Dismal Swamp near Phil’s home in Hampton, Virginia.
Being a writer and aspiring photographer, I loved the idea of traveling…well…anywhere really. And the opportunity to visit these fine people and watch them promote conservation and hunt down monsters in the wild, protected areas of Virginia was very tempting. What an opportunity?! I’d be absolutely stupid to turn it down. Right?
But writers and photographers, if they’re smart, do extensive research before they ever travel anywhere. It’s always important to know what you’re getting yourself into before you take on such a task.
So I set out to find what would be in store for me.
First, I checked the government and travel websites. Of course they were filled with beautiful idyllic pictures that made it appear to be a wonderful, magical place. Vast, green wetlands, gnarled, ages-old cypress trees with Spanish moss clinging to their branches. Beautiful water birds cawing in the distance, and colorful insects buzzing around vibrant wildflowers. I sighed a big sigh, perhaps a little relieved.
My being from Illinois along the Illinois River, I’m no stranger to swamps and wetlands. So I was thinking this might not be a big deal at all. I try to keep a good attitude. But I’ve had enough experience to know that’s there’s always a dark underbelly to everything
So let’s be real here. It’s named the Dismal Swamp for a reason. William Drummond, who, in 1665, explored the area, gave it this illustrious name that has stuck all these years. As the story goes, he was the sole survivor of the entire expedition group that year. And he pushed his way out of the brush starved, alone, disheveled, and terrified, talking out of his head about the strange forces he encountered in the swamp. Talk about things that make you go “Hmmm!” “Dismal” Swamp indeed.
Numerous people have died there, and many ghost tales permeate the collective psyche of the local resident population. It’s a spooky, spooky place to hear some tell it. There are ghosts everywhere; supposed psychic forces, in a place steeped in folklore and perhaps some wild imaginings. Many people have been said to have walked into the swamp and never returned, leaving tales of ghostly apparitions wandering around scaring hikers and explorers out of their wits. And in the late 1800’s, escaped slaves sought seclusion and safety there where they may have lived and died for their freedom.
And while you’re busy dodging ghosts and your own imagination, there are all kinds of creepy, crawly things, and other manner of wildlife that calls the swamp home. This might include copperheads, water moccasins, rattlesnakes, alligators, black bears, bobcats, ten documented species of bats, and vicious blood-draining mosquitoes. Oh my! And that’s just the critters you might actually see. But what about the ones you don’t always see, like all the monster legends of the Swamp Ape? The supposed swamp-adapted version of Bigfoot that’s said to wander the thickest areas of the landscape. Does anyone really want to see that staring at them?
And add the blistering heat and choking humidity on top of all that and you’ve got a witches brew for a really scary place to visit.
I suddenly had more respect for Phil and Shannon. Now they seemed like the bravest people ever. Wandering around fairly often in what seemed to me to be one of the most dangerous landscapes in North America.
But, the fact of the matter is, it really is a beautiful place. And behind beauty is always some element of danger, and also some degree of unpleasantness. And all that doesn't make it a landscape any less worth saving, or exploring, or writing about, or photographing. In fact it makes it all that and much more.
But after learning all that, pondering the scary possibilities, and imagining the worst I can imagine, do I want to visit?
Hell yes, I do. *******
Dorraine Fisher
Professional Writer, a nature and wildlife enthusiast who has written for many magazines.
