Not mine, but an excellent PBS film about Bernie Harberts’ voyage around North Carolina’s Lake Mattamuskeet in a covered wagon pulled by his mule, Polly.
I meet Bernie earlier this year when he drove down to interview me for a new project he is beginning.
Bernie circumnavigated in a 35’ steel cutter twenty years ago, but his true voyages have been made since then on or being pulled by mules. He decided once to try to cross his home state of North Carolina from east to west by mule and when he got to the border with Tennessee like Forest Gump he just kept on going until he reached the Pacific.
Later he crossed the US from north to south, Canada to Mexico, by mule, and subsequently made another mule voyage from North Carolina to Idaho.
Bernie considers them voyages and talks about finding anchorages at night. Mules are not equipped with running lights.
His voyage around Mattamuskeeet coincided with the unusually cold and snowy weather this part of the country had in late January. While physically uncomfortable it was visually fortuitous, providing some impressive images in the film which Carol and I watched last night with great pleasure.
Bernie is a friendly solo voyager who likes to go slow and meet people and traveling by mule he certainly does. His interactions with those he encounters along the way are one of the pleasures of the film.
Swan Song, the title of the film, comes partly from memories Bernie has of visiting the lake many years ago with his grandfather and partly from the trip being the last he will make with Polly, who is now thirty-three years old.
At one point Polly, who is experienced and usually unflappable, balks at crossing a grate over a small stream which she sees as open space. Bernie unhitches her and walks onto the grate. She trusts him and cautiously follows. Back on solid land on the other side, they press their bodies against one another. Bernie leaves her there and goes back and pulls the wagon across himself.
I admire what Bernie Harbarts is and does. If you watch the film I expect you will too.
Here is a link to the film:
https://www.pbs.org/video/swan-song-the-legacy-of-lake-mattamuskeet-nwrzgu/
And here is a link to Bernie’s website.
Voyage on.
4 comments:
Anonymous made a comment to the previous post, which also includes a swan in the heading that I believe belongs here, so I repeat it. He wrote: A delightful show! Thanks Webb!
I am glad he enjoyed it.
Steve Way, aka Rover of Tacoma, here from back in the sailing days. Thoroughly enjoyed the voyaging by mule video. Beautiful, delightful, wonderful. (I stopped cruising in 2016 and have since lived aboard in Tacoma, WA. My kayak lives in the slip beside Rover and I have come to spend my summers “kayaking camping” between Tacoma and the north end of Vancouver Island. “Though much is taken, much abides” etc.)
I am pleased to learn that you are still on the water, Steve. As perhaps you know I am only on the edge of the water. In terms of my life good, but not the same as living on it. I wish you well from the other coast.
The mule video was outstanding, inspiring and wonderful! watched it with my wife and we both thank you for sharing!
Sincerely,
Rich
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