by elizabeth5047 | Mar 8, 2012 | Uncategorized
Wednesday was another great day in the I Love Exploring Series. Skied from South Meadow over the Mr. Van Trail to Hi Notch. In the woods there wasn’t much in the way of animals sign besides a lot of squirrels and snowshoe hare. We eventually did see some mink tracks on one of the brooks, otter slides at the Mr. Van lean-to and nice bear claws marks on a big beech. All in all a great day, skiing in just one layer after a snack at the lean-to. Krysta actually donned short sleeves for the first time this year. We were lucky to have snow the whole way and lovely sunshine...
by elizabeth5047 | Feb 25, 2012 | Uncategorized
This week David Thomas-Train and I had the pleasure of teaching an Introduction to Animal Tracking class for Keene’s Community Education Program. This morning we enjoyed a field trip to the pond near the Keene Central School. I learned that the pond used to be called Lake Winifred after Winifred Notman. The Notman family donated the land where the school was built. What is now the beaver pond was once the pond created by the family to freeze in winter for ice that they stored in an ice house. The north-facing slope and stone walls helped shade what was probably a deep cellar-like hole. The ice would be insulated with sawdust and would remain quite cool until summer. The remains of the ice house still sit at the edge of the pond on the Rooster Comb trail. In this photo Audrey Hyson checks out a nearby robin’s nest in a big white pine tip-up. There were two nests both full of dried grasses from the surrounding...
by elizabeth5047 | Feb 15, 2012 | Uncategorized
Yesterday I had a superb Valentine’s Day outing with a great group of women. We did the Long Swing Trail into Crane Pond, Glidden Marsh and Oxshoe Pond. The woods were absolutely teeming with little treasures. On the way back a few of us listed over 40 species of plants and animals we had either seen or seen sign of–Sweet! Trail conditions were not so sweet. Traction is absolutely necessary. Trails aside, backcountry ice skating is perfect right now. ...
by elizabeth5047 | Feb 4, 2012 | Uncategorized
Fantastic skating on Lake Champlain with Marcy Neville today. Once about every ten years the combination of ice, sun and time to enjoy them combine for a perfect afternoon! We were surrounded by mountains and a superblue sky. You can see the last crane over the Crown Point Bridge in the background just around the corner. We were hoping for shots with the bridge behind us but the camera battery wasn’t up for...
by elizabeth5047 | Nov 23, 2011 | Uncategorized
Today we are getting lots of heavy, wet snow. It’s the quiet, whiteness that feels slushy before it even hits the ground. Outings this weekend shouldn’t be spoiled though. Warming temperatures will keep ice from forming. I am looking forward to the big white vistas from my favorite lookouts and seeing the contours of the forest floor again. Plenty of turkeys have been in the woods this fall. Maybe next year I will have one from the forest on my table. I wonder if the wildlife are remembering where there is still green food, the way that I know there is green parsley under the snow in the corner of my garden. The snow covering makes it seem like a secret supply. Peace and plenty to all for Thanksgiving...
by elizabeth5047 | Sep 2, 2011 | Flora, Uncategorized
Today I hiked Cook Mountain with some guests from Connecticut. Despite the destruction all over the North Country from last week’s Hurricane Irene, the trail and the forest in Ticonderoga were lovely. We saw mushrooms of nearly every color and shape, and it is amazing to imagine the network below the soil line if the profusion of visible mushrooms is an indication of its extent. I regret missing the mycology conference in Paul Smiths in August–I’m just not sure which of these beauties is edible! ...
