Mount Campion National Park

 
By Gemma Cleanslate

Since the Nature Collective had an update to their hud that takes one to a recommended nature place, I went over to the headquarters to pick one up. I forgot to mention that there is a hunt beginning July 18 at the member sites. I think I will do that. I did a little more exploring and wandered onto the Rainwashed Soul on the property. I had stopped by on my first visit but did not peruse what is offered there.

Standing in the rain just listening to the sounds of nature is soothing. I entered the little A frame shelter and discovered that there is directed meditation. I spent some time sitting and entering into the spirit of it and found it more than relaxing. There is a helping notecard there on meditation also. Stop there to delve into it.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Muslin/137/21/131

After that experience I walked out of the headquarters and found myself on Route 3. I decided to take a car ride on the road and headed east. I did not get far when I found myself at a Smokey Bear sign.

I discovered I was at Mount Campion National Park. I gathered the information offered and read about the park and its caverns. I discovered, ”Mount Campion Caves National Forest is over 150,000 sq meters of beautiful parkland, landscaped to look like a natural mountain park. It has the largest natural caves and caverns. Above ground are miles of scenic trails through natural canyons and forests. There is hiking, horseback riding, camping, and photography. and cabin rentals. Located on the slopes of Mount Campion, the highest mountain in SL on the beautiful Heterocera mainland continent. You can roam for weeks! “ This is one of the members of the Nature Conservatory.

I set off up the road and found a horse rezzer for public use of visitors. One can also use the Segway that is available at the entrance. Instead of rezzing one I brought my own horse out and continued up the trail that continued upwards on the mountain through the forest. Before I ventured too far I stopped at the Nature Center and went in to check it out. Interesting educational displays and projects are going on in the building and outside. I learned that Hiroko Nubalo takes care of the center with help from the mascot.

As I continued on my roaming I found good signage directing one to various sites to visit. The roads and trails are so numerous as I traveled up and up and up. It is amazing. I passed some of the camp sites and cabins off the road and finally reached the Caverns.

That is another site here that will take ages to explore but is well worth it. I spent some time on the rocky pathways in to the caves and found a lovely statue at one point. It would be easy to get lost in there I bet. You are recommended to give information to someone before entering the caverns just in case. The underground extends over three regions.

I took several trips to the forest after my first and I reached the peak when I found myself at a Gazebo way up on top. There are lovely rental homes summit that have wonderful views of the world around the mountain. The map is so helpful showing the rentals, trails and teleport locations. You CAN roam for weeks!!

Another day I went to the other entrance that is off of Route 6 on the other side of the mountain. This entrance is definitely more of a challenge than the one off Route 3.

There are three rangers at Campion, Scott and Maggie North and Hex Shining North Star (hextar Resident) who help out with activities and on the mountain. I met Maggie and the mascot, ?Maddison?Angel?NÔrth (lunaroseus Resident) who is the daughter of Scott and Maggie and also helps out. I will be visiting again. 

Activities taking place at various sites in the park: ballet dancing, belly dancing, several parties during the weeks with 80’s music and more. A lovely spa set into the mountainside offers calm and solace in the sauna there. With the forest all around there is a soothing effect just walking along the trails and waterfalls and rambling brooks abound.

I stopped off at the rental office just to take a peek at what is available. The owner of this magnificent site is Marz (Mar Scarmon) who says it all on her profile, “The forest embraces me, It encloses me and shelters me from harshness, Its soft greens and browns soothe my aches, And I slumber relieved while dreaming of primordial things.”

I was going to ask her about her reason for the park but I did not have to after reading this on her profile. I have not met her yet in my travels. There is no way to do justice to all that one can do or see at this marvelous mountain here. To get to Campion take this ride to the Route 3 entrance. Get all the information from the Squirrel. You will find shortcuts to various sites you might want to visit. I say just walk and discover.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Highflyer/40/248/122

Gemma Cleanslate

 

Mount Campion Park

By Bixyl Shuftan

Second Life has a number of parks. But not many have you going through a system of caves or up a mountat. At Mount Campion Caves National Forest, you can do both.

WELCOME to Mount Campion Caves National Forest!  This place is open to the polite public, come and explore the caves, forests, canyons, and trails.  Mount Campion is the highest point in mainland second life, the National Forest property occupies the southeast slope of Mount Campion.  
 

The landmark I was given took me to a spot a few hundred meters high. There were trails going a few different ways. One was to a cave entrance, where a sign told me "there are numerous chambers and tunnels ... they are not all easy to see."

I saw a few paintings on the rock inside that looked as if they were done by cavemen.

The cavern led downward, and like the paths on the outside, the tunnels led a few different ways, sometimes passing waterfells and stalactite and stalagmite formations.

 I did come across one room that appeared man-made with a wheelbarrow that led to the outside. Another exit led to a fountain and garden area.

A third would lead to a bridge high above the ground below. A friend with me at the time remarked she felt dizzy looking down.

Going about the trails, there was quite a bit of detail in places. The water rippled and bubbled as it flowed. The trees, flowers, and other plants were quite detailed.

In one place, a fox moved about.

There were a few cuddle spots and campfires here and there.

There was also a party area complete with a couples dance ball, and a fountain and statue in the middle.

It had quite a few over the side.

One needed to be careful in places on the trail as it was easy to stumble and fall down the side of the mountain.

One branch of the trails would lead down one side of the mountain down to a mainland road, Route Six, where there was an official-looking National Forest sign.

At various places, there were rental cabins one could pay for the use of. Most I saw along the trails were rented out. They were of various sizes from small to medium.

At the very top of the mountain, around 350 meters, were a number of other cabins. Unlike others, these were not accessible to others not in the group, and there were few spots there I could go without running into yellow ban lines or warning signs to leave or be booted. No one sticking to the trails has to worry about them as I didn't see one that goes to the mountain top.

It's unknown if Mount Campion really is the highest spot on the mainland. But few mountains in Second Life come close to it in size, and I can't recall any with this kind of detail and cavern network.

Most times I visited, there were others looking around, occasionally talking to one another in voice chat. For those whom find it inconvenient to go to a real mountain park, this place in Second Life offers a lot to see.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Campion/152/94/302

Bixyl Shuftan