An old tradition: Naming places on rivers and trails

Those who fish — and I’m sure it’s true of those who hunt and hike — have a habit of naming familiar places in the great outdoors, branding them in some personal way. 

Along the Gunpowder River in northern Baltimore County, most anglers know where to find Whale Rock. Given the large boulder that inspired the name, it’s likely to stick for several generations. By contrast, there are only a few of us who would know how to reach the spot Where The Beaver Dam Used To Be, and a diminishing number who remember where to find Wally’s Bubba Hole.

The late great Lefty Kreh, legendary fly angler and outdoors writer, had a place on the Potomac River he called Twin Rocks because there were two boulders, identical in size, that tilted out of the water.

In the North Branch of the Potomac River in western Maryland, my son and I have designated an area near Westernport as the Bend Pool, another as the Pill Box. Further downstream, there is now a name for a favorite spot: Osprey Run.  

In the Youghiogheny River in western Maryland, there’s the Limestone Pool, Nick’s Pool, Hoyes Boulder and the Bench Pool.

There’s also a Bench Pool on the Casselman River in Grantsville, Maryland, and the Old Bench Pool on Father’s Day Creek in Pennsylvania. 

I fished the latter every Father’s Day for about 20 years and branded some spots based on landmarks — the Gorge Pool, Wild Grape Run and Hemlock Run.

The Savage River, also in western Maryland, has the Ph.d. Pool, because you need an advanced degree in fly fishing to figure out the river currents and what the trout are feeding on.

Deer Creek in Darlington, Maryland has Steve’s Pool and the Stormwater Hole.

This informal naming ritual — charting out your part of the world in this personal way — completes a bond you establish with special places in the outdoors. You don’t own the land or the waters, but by giving names to places you take emotional possession of them. It means you care about them, that they’re yours forever, like old friends.

PHOTO AT TOP: Ye Olde Colonial Angler on Hammer Creek, Pennsylvania (Photo: Michele Sweigart) Click here for the full story.