While Whitetail deer often forage in the lower fields, birds move through the barns and grasses, and ground hogs sneak in and out of their burrows, much of the wildlife lives in the hills above the farm. Wild turkeys flock and gobble in and around the underbrush, trout swim through the streams, and deer abound. A single black bear occasionally makes his presence known by a distant sighting or leaving fresh tracks in soft earth, but generally it's hard to know he's even around. Pocahontas County boasts more bears than people, at least that's the tale that floats around.

     Although Pocahontas County is a popular spot for bear and deer hunters, Mountain Quest provides a safe haven for guests and farm animals, as well as our wild and furry friends, by prohibiting hunting on the grounds. The only shooting allowed at Mountain Quest is through the lens of a camera. That is welcomed and encouraged!

     Above, a turkey buzzard swoops over, and a flock of crows rise in response. In early Spring the sound of Bobolinks causes pause as you walk along the driveway toward the road, and Barn Swallows soar up and down and around in beautiful arcs, eventually disappearing into the deep grasses or through an open barn door. An eagle was spotted yesterday soaring over the farm.

     People of all ages make the trek around the ridge to the high pasture, and slide down the slopes to the fields below. Mountain Quest is a place where the wild can flourish as the beauty of nature and the silence of the high breeze call us into a place that resonates of home.

     And as the sun sets above the rising hills in the distance, we begin to connect with the world of the future.