by Jeff Alt
“That’s my mail. That will keep me busy for a while when it arrives,” President Hoover said.
The plane dropped a mailbag further up the mountain, and a short while later, I saw a U.S. Marine in full dress uniform carry the mailbag up to the Brown House.
“I guess I better head in and go through my mail before my meeting. Nice meeting you fellows. Enjoy the rest of your time at Rapidan. If you stick around, we’re going to have a steak cookout at the fire pit tonight,” President Hoover said.
“Thank you, Mr. President. You sure are a good fisherman,” Crockett said.
“Thank you, young man,” President Hoover said as he turned to go. He waved and walked away towards the Brown House. Minutes later, the ladies in our group reappeared on the porch. They thanked the first lady for tea, then walked down the porch steps and joined us.
“Wasn’t that great?” Washington asked.
“I like First Lady Hoover. Instead of sitting inside the cabin, Mrs. Hoover led us outside to a wooded area for tea and then on a short walk around the grounds. She told us that she camped and fished when she was a kid. And she sure knows a lot about the rocks and plants. She shared all sorts of interesting facts about the woods. She even offered to take us on a horseback ride up the mountain later,” Hug-a-Bug said.
“Mrs. Hoover was the first female to graduate with a degree in Geology from Stanford. She loved the outdoors. She was also very involved with the Girl Scouts and served as the Girl Scout president. The Hoovers started a school to serve the families in the area and Mrs. Hoover was very involved with that,” Papa Lewis explained.
“She sure was a go-getter,” Mom said.
“I have one more presidential trip to take you on. You will need to meet me up in the field at Big Meadows. Here’s a note with the specifics,” Washington said as he handed me a folded piece of paper.
“Washington, does the presidential time traveling have anything to do with your secret mission?” I asked.
“No, Bubba Jones. I just thought it would be cool to meet the president,” Washington answered with a grin.
“You look like you’re not getting enough sleep. Have you been performing your secret mission at night?” Crockett asked, furrowing his brow.
“We’ve been working late into the night, Crockett. I can’t tell you on what though. It’s classified. I’m almost done though, and then I’ll be able to spend more time with you guys,” Washington answered.
Cousin Nick, Dolly, and Washington walked down the trail and soon were out of sight. Moments later, we heard a KABOOM, which told us they had returned to the present. We walked down the same trail, formed a circle when we were out of view of the camp, and returned to the present. We followed the trail back to our vehicles. When we arrived, I unfolded Washington’s note:
Bubba Jones, here’s one more adventure for the day. See you soon! Decode the message to find out where to meet.
YFD JBXALTP CFBIA XRDRPQ QTBICQE KFKBQBBK QEOBB BIBSBK XJ
Your cousin, Washington’’
I pulled out my cipher key:
This is what I decoded:
Plain: BIG MEADOWS FIELD AUGUST TWELFTH NINETEEN THIRTY THREE ELEVEN AM
Cipher: YFD JBXALTP CFBIA XRDRPQ QTBICQE KFKBQBBK QEFOQV QEOBB BIBSBK XJ
Everyone gathered around to see.
“That’s just a few minutes up the road, with no hiking required. Based on the year and date, that will put us right in the middle of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, Camp Fechner, NP-2. That’s the date President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) visited the camp. FDR won the election against President Hoover and took office while the U.S. was in the middle of the Great Depression. FDR created the CCC to help put the country back to work again. Shenandoah was home to some of the first national park CCC camps. The CCC built this park. At one point, there were over one thousand CCC men here in Shenandoah. They planted trees, removed old structures, cleared the dead American chestnut trees, and built the campgrounds, lodges, cabins, shelters, and many of the roads. The CCC was a huge success for FDR. The program continued until World War Two broke out. With the war, the nation’s focus shifted, and the number of CCC boys dropped,” Papa Lewis said.
We all hopped in our vehicles and motored north to Big Meadows. When we reached the clearing, we pulled into a parking lot on the edge of Big Meadows. We got out of our cars and walked along a gravel road up into the meadow.
“Bubba Jones, do you mind if I take the lead on this time-travel adventure?” Crockett asked me. “You got it, Crockett,” I replied.
We stopped walking when we were sure we were out of view of others, and then we formed a circle.
“Take us back to August 12, 1933 at 11:00 a.m.,” Crockett said.
A gust of wind blew me back. Everything went dark, and seconds later it was daylight once again. All of us guys wore what appeared to be military pants, shirts, and ties. The women wore nice dresses. Old-fashioned cars lined Skyline Drive, and across the meadow, I could see rows of one-story buildings similar to what you would see on a military post. Hundreds of people were gathered near the buildings. Scanning the crowd, I spotted Washington, Dolly, and Cousin Nick standing together nearby wearing the same type of clothing as us.
“Two presidents in one day! Are you ready to meet FDR?” Washington asked us.
“You bet!” Hug-a-Bug answered.
All of us walked across the meadow together. I thought this would be a good time to ask Washington one last time about his secret mission, and about his nighttime activities.
“My parents said they saw you and your parents pull up at Big Meadows Lodge at breakfast time, and you were unloading gear as if you had just returned from a hike. Were you out all night?” I asked Washington.
“I can’t explain any details about that, Bubba Jones. I may have already told you too much. I’m sorry,” Washington responded.
We were approaching the crowd of people, so I let the conversation drop. There were no women, just men, so I hoped that our family wouldn’t draw too much attention. A line of black convertible 1930 Packards were parked in a line along Skyline Drive.
“That’s the presidential motorcade. FDR is having lunch with the CCC boys today. See all the people with cameras? FDR is showing off the CCC program to the media,” Washington explained.
I recognized FDR immediately. He was seated at the end of a long table, eating and talking with the CCC boys. He was dressed in a suit and tie and was seated in the biggest, nicest chair at the table. FDR was flanked on either side by important looking men in suits, and Secret Service agents stood nearby. The CCC boys sat along both sides of the long table with FDR, wearing military-style uniforms. They laughed and talked as they passed bowls of food around the table. It was a homestyle meal of chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and sliced bread. FDR gave a short speech, remarking on how good life was for the CCC boys.
“The CCC was one of FDR’s most successful programs. It gave young men across the nation a chance to work, learn new skills, and provide their families with some income. The camps were run by the Army, which is why they wore uniforms and lived in barracks. During their downtime, the CCC boys learned to read and to carve wood, and were taught many other skills as well,” Papa Lewis explained. “They also had time to play sports— some pretty rousing football games, for sure!”
The ladies in our group must have led the organizers to believe we were part of the presidential party, because a CCC boy led us to a table, seated us, and brought us bowls of food. We ate a scrumptious meal. When we finished eating, we stood up, slipped through the crowd, and made our way across the field and out of sight.
“That was awesome having lunch with the president and the CCC boys,” I said.
“FDR returned here once again on July 3, 1936 to dedicate Shenandoah as a National Park,” Papa Lewis added.
“I have just one more day of work, and then I should be done with my secret mission. There is plenty for you to do here until I wrap it up,” Washington said.
“What would happen if we discovered what your secret mission is? What would your secret agency do?” Crockett asked.
“I’m not sure. That most likely wouldn’t happen, though. Give me until tomorrow evening, and I’ll be done,” Washington said as he walked away with Cousin Nick and Dolly. Seconds later, we heard a loud bang, and they were gone.
We formed a circle and Crockett said, “Take us back to the present.”
The next moment, we were standing in the meadow, but the CCC boys and the barracks were gone. Instead, photographers and birders weaved through the field, snapping pictures of the birds, deer, wild flowers, butterflies, and wildlife.
“Good job on the time-travel trip,” I said to Crockett.
“Thank you, Bubba Jones. You heard Washington - he has just one day of work left on his secret mission. We have to act fast if we want to catch him at work. I’m pretty sure I know what he’s doing. What do you say we go back to camp, and I’ll show you my plan?” Crockett said.
“Can we go to the Byrd Visitor Center first? I want to get sworn in as a Junior Ranger,” Hug-a-Bug said.
“The visitor center has a park museum and a theatre. How about we all go and check it out?” Dad suggested.
Everyone agreed, so we piled into our cars and drove over to the visitor center. A bronze statue of a shirtless CCC boy stood to the left of the main entrance.
“That’s Iron Mike. He was placed there in commemoration of all that the CCC did here in the park,” Papa Lewis explained.
We all went in to explore. Dad and Mom walked with Hug-a-Bug over to a large counter with several park rangers and volunteers standing by ready to help. The rest of us sat down in the theatre to watch a video about the park. Afterward, we all wandered through an exhibit on the history of the park. It was so well done that I thought for sure we had time traveled right there in the exhibit. Many of the places in the park that we had time traveled to were included in the display. We emerged from the exhibit just in time to see Hug-a-Bug being sworn in as an official Shenandoah Junior Park Ranger. Stopping in the gift shop, Mom picked out some post cards while Dad leafed through some books. I approached Dad and looked over his shoulder to see what he was looking at. “This looks like it has some good tips. I think I’ll get it for my sister. I keep inviting her to come on these trips with us, but she says it wouldn’t work with her kids being so young,” Dad commented.
“Oh yeah? What’s the book?” I asked.
Dad flipped the book closed to show me the cover: Get Your Kids Hiking. A blurb in the top corner of the cover read, “How to start them young and keep it fun.”
“Sounds perfect, Dad!”
After Mom and Dad made their purchases, we left the visitor center and headed back to camp. It was time to get to the bottom of Washington’s secret.
CHAPTER 15
NOT SO SECRET ANYMORE
“You can’t pass by the Big Meadows Wayside without stopping in for a blackberry milkshake,” Dad reasoned as we left the visitor center, which just happened to be right next to the Wayside. No one argued and we all strolled over to the restaurant. Several groups of thru-hikers sat at picnic tables. Making our way through them, we stepped into the Wayside to get some ice cream. Hug-a-Bug and I tried a chocolate and vanilla swirl cone this time, while everyone else went for a blackberry milkshake. We struck up a conversation with a group of hikers. They were southbounders. They had walked all the way from Mount Katahdin, Maine through New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia—over twelve hundred miles. They were accompanied by a section hiker who had joined them in Front Royal, the town at the north end of Shenandoah. The section hiker was planning to hike the entire Shenandoah section of the A.T. and end at Waynesboro, the town at the south end of the park. Dad offered to treat them all to some ice cream, and they eagerly accepted. Finishing our ice cream, we wished the hikers well and headed back to camp. It was time to find out what Crockett’s plan was.
When we got back to camp, Hug-a-Bug and I sat down at the picnic table with Crockett to go over his theory.
“When you told me that Washington was on a mission in Shenandoah working for a secret agency, I figured it must be to monitor something in the park. I started thinking about what could be so important that a government agency would want to keep it secret. I started with a search of non-native species in the park—you know, plants or animals that are in the park that don’t belong here. The park website reported over 350 non-native species in the park. Many of these are plants introduced by early settlers that don’t cause any harm. But some non-native species do pose a risk because they damage or kill the native species. According to the park website, some of these high-risk non-native invasive species include: the gypsy moths, which kills trees; the hemlock woolly adelgid, which kills the hemlock trees; the European starling, which competes for the habitat of the indigenous birds; and the kudzu vine, which chokes out native plants. The park has a policy in place to control and manage these infestations,” Crockett explained, handing me the article he printed from the park website.
“I was also thinking about what other animals or plants in the park might need monitoring. With a little research, I came up with the peregrine falcon, the fastest bird in the world. The falcon almost became extinct from DDT, a pesticide used on crops. DDT caused the peregrines’ egg shells to become so thin that many eggs would break long before the developing baby birds inside were ready to hatch. With such a high rate of egg breakage, the peregrine falcon population plummeted. DDT has been banned for decades now, and peregrines are making a comeback in Shenandoah. They are being carefully monitored,” Crockett explained, handing me another article he had printed from the Shenandoah Park website.
“But I don’t think Washington is monitoring any of these things,” Crockett stated.
“Then what is he doing?” I asked.
“Are you ready? Drum roll, please,” Crockett said as he pulled out a stack of articles. “When you told me that Washington was working at night, that got me thinking. What would you monitor at night?”
“Something nocturnal,” I suggested.
“Exactly,” Crockett stated as he shuffled through the stack of articles and pulled one out.
“He’s monitoring the Shenandoah salamander, scientific name Plethodon Shenandoah,” Crockett said as he handed me a fact sheet.
“Are you saying this is all about a salamander?” Hug-a-Bug asked, looking highly doubtful.
“The Shenandoah salamander only lives in the Shenandoah, it’s on the Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species list, and it’s nocturnal,” Crockett explained.
“Why would this be considered so secret that Washington couldn’t share it with us?” I asked.
“Look at this, Bubba Jones,” Crockett said as he handed me a stack of articles.
The first article was titled, “Climate Change Deemed Growing Security Threat by Military Researchers.”
The second article said, “Pentagon Signals Security Risks of Climate Change.”
The third article was titled, “Climate Change Comes to Shenandoah.”
The fourth article said, “Saving Salamanders in Shenandoah.”
“Scientists think the Shenandoah salamander may disappear completely due to the effects of climate change. Bubba Jones, the government has determined that climate change is a national security risk. Even the Pentagon and CIA are involved,” Crockett explained.
“Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? When the government classified climate change as a national security risk, Washington must have been instantly activated by the secret agency he works for because he’s an expert on the Shenandoah, and this was now a matter of national security. Wow, Crockett, nice job!” I stated.
“How could a tiny little salamander be a matter of national security?” Hug-a-Bug asked, still clearly in disbelief.
Our parents and grandparents were listening in on this whole conversation and readi
ng the articles that Crockett found.
“Crockett, I used to work for the agency that Washington is working for. I believe you are right on track,” Wild Bill chimed in.
“Hug-a-Bug, every species that disappears is a big deal. Every animal is a part of the food chain and ecosystem. If one species disappears, others will be affected. Since the salamanders are already endangered, and we are monitoring their numbers, we would notice if their population dropped, and we could investigate whether climate change was responsible. If it was, then the salamanders would have tipped us off that other species are also likely to be affected by climate change. This is most likely why Washington and his parents were activated to monitor the Shenandoah salamander,” Papa Lewis explained.
“Crockett, you said you had a plan. What is it?” I asked.
Everyone was focused on Crockett. He pulled out another article.
“The only place in the entire world the Shenandoah salamander is known to exist is on three mountaintops right here in the park. All three mountain tops are north of Big Meadows. One of them is really close, maybe four miles at most to the trailhead. We could split up and head out to all three areas tonight and catch Washington doing his research. He will most likely be on one of these mountains,” Washington explained.
“My guess is that he’s currently working on Hawksbill since that is so close to Big Meadows Lodge where they’re staying. The other two mountain peaks are closer to Skyland, so he would probably stay there if he was working on those mountains,” I suggested.
“We checked with the front desk, and Crockett and his family have not checked out of Big Meadows. Hiking at night can be dangerous, especially on top of mountains with steep cliffs. I think we should stick together. Why don’t we do something in this area until nightfall and then follow their vehicle when they leave. Your mom and I saw them get out of their car. We know which one it is,” Dad suggested.
“That’s a great idea. I’d like to show you guys a really stunning waterfall and some local history while we’re at Big Meadows. Who’s in?” Papa Lewis asked.
