Springer & Katahdin

"When it's late in the evening I go up the hill,

And survey all my kingdom while everything's still.

Only me and the sky and an old whipporwill

Singing songs in the twilight on Mockingbird Hill."

~ Les Paul and Mary Ford: 1951, Lyrics by Vaughn Horton,

"Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom."  If you are 50 or older, you'll remember a simpler time when you and your sibs, and perhaps a neighbor kid or two, piled around the TV to watch (the original) "Wild Kingdom."  This was our Animal Planet or Discovery Channel.  What a great show.  Living here in rural northeastern Connecticut, though, down a long driveway into the woods, all I need to do is just look out into my backyard to know that I am living in my own little "Wild Kingdom."  Deer, turkeys, foxes, rabits, bobcats (yes, a bobcat!  One snatched up a rabbit.  Circle of life!) and groundhogs abound mixed in, of course, with the ususal critters such as squirrels, chipmunks, snapping turtles and all sorts of birds.  There are times too, around dusk, that I feel as if I am living in an episode of Zoorama.  You remember the show, based in the San Diego Zoo, that started with a whailing or a whoppoing of some sort of creature.  It started low and slow, becoming increasingly louder and faster.  Although I thought this was a bird of sorts, I've since learned that it was a monkey of sorts; a Probiscis monkey I think.  And while there are no Probiscis monkeys in my yard, there is some sort of bird mocking it's call.  I swear!   

If you've read my blog in the past you'll know about the deer in our yard who eat the whole corn (versus cracked corn) that we put out for them.  We have a few generations of them that we've come to recognize.  There is a beautiful buck, around 2 years old and his sister who has a limp when she walks.  Two little bambie types have been stringing along with them for a few months and I believe the one with the limp is the mom.  We all have been captivated watching them saunter down our driveway or on the other side of the stonewall, approaching the feeding trough to see if we've remembered to put the corn out for them.  At times they are sorely dissappointed, I suspect, to find that some of the others have beat them to their feast.  No matter, they'll be back.

I've observed, on many occassions, the 4 of them approaching the trough only to see the buck hanging back a bit, seemingly serving as a lookout, while the others eat all the corn.  He goes to check it once they have had their fill, but alas, they never leave any for him.  Not to worry, there have been several times when I see the buck approach alone and he then proceeds to eat it all himself.  I also know that several of our neighbors put corn out for the deer. 

When the deer are done they walk around the yard grazing and sometimes lying in the shade to nap.  We've been asked whether we have given names to "our" deer but it actually has never occured to me to do so.  After all, they aren't our deer.  They are no more our pets than the wild turkeys are or the chipmunks and rabbits.  We coexist and actually it is we who have invaded their habitat and home.  I can't help but wonder if they have a few "pet" names for us.             

Having said all that, however, I couldn't help but to name the younger ones after watching the antics of these two bambies a few weeks back.  The two have only recently lost all their spots and have begun to roam the area together without their mom and their uncle, the buck, (Uncle Buck-thus named) although I'm sure those other 2 are very close by and keeping an eye on the youngins.  So, the two come sauntering down the yard early one morining and proceed to eat all the corn.  After walking into the front yard to graze for 10 minutes or so they return to the trough, presumably to eat more corn.  There is none.  They walk out front to graze some more and then 10 minutes later they again return to check out the trough.  Empty.  They have learned from their mom and Uncle Buck that when they go to the trough there is corn there to eat.  Now, they are out on their own and alas, this system of acquiring food does not seem to be working. 

"Is there a flaw?  Maybe we haven't waited long enough."

You can only imagine what they are thinking. 

"There is supposed to be corn there.  It always works when we go there with mom and Uncle Buck.  What are we doing wrong?  Well, lets just take a nap in the shade then." 

A few minutes later Uncle Buck saunters down toward the trough and the bambies are quickly on their feet and following him close behind.  "He'll show us how it's done."   

But of course there is no corn there and the three of them saunter back up the driveway and into the woods.

In watching this all play out, I  was reminded of something that I observed years ago.  I would think of this story now and then, telling this ancedote to myself for my own amusement.  My story has to do with laundry and underwear and it goes like this:

"Where does my underwear come from?" is an age old question that small boys and men have been pondering forever.  Men, typically, don't discover the mystery of where their underwear really comes from until they have children.  Whether they are 6, 16 or 36 they are perplexed, but have come to accept, that every time they open their dresser drawer there will be underwear.  Even if they took the last pair the morning before when they open the drawer the next day, surprise, underwear!  How do they do that, the underwear?   Don't question it they think, just shut up - lest you jinx it - and be happy and accept it.

It wasn't until we had our first child and I became increasingly busy with mom and helpless infant things, that my husband finally uncovered the mystery of the underwear.  He knew, correctly, that there had to be an explanation for it and it couldn't be all this "magical thinking."  He now knew where underwear came from and he knew where and how to get it if it wasn't in the drawer when he needed it.  Go to the back room where those 2 big white metal boxes are.  One of them is called a "dryer."  Open it.  Surprise!  Underwear!  Oh thank goodness, mystery solved.  No longer at the mercy of the magic dresser drawer, underwear really comes from the dryer.

I couldn't help but wonder if the bambies had the same sort of magical thinking.  Go to the trough and there will be corn!  Too cute.  Too precious!  These bambies each needed a name now.  No, I do not own these deer.  But it was now clear that they owned me.

I decided that I will call them, Springer and Katahdin.

Disclaimer and Note: 

The underwear story is not meant to be a knock to my husband but rather a knock to me and an admittance by myself that I did not always keep up with things early after the birth of our first child.  And, truth be told and more often than not, if you need underwear in our house today we still need to go to the dryer!

Note:  For those of you who read my blog you know that I am a backcountry hiker wannabe with delusions of hiking the Appalachian Trail some day.  The southern terminus of the trail in Georgia is on Springer Mountain.  The northern terminus in Maine at Baxter Peak is on Mount Katahdin.  It seemed appropriate and only logical to me to name these two deer thusly.

   

 

 

 Missy stands by an empty trough

 Corn Trough

 Uncle Buck & Springer

 Uncle Buck, Springer & Katahdin walking towards the trough

 Uncle Buck (look closely)

 Uncle Buck finally gets to eat

 Uncle Buck stands guard while Springer & Katahdin eat all the corn

 Uncle Buck poses for me

 Mom takes a nap in the shade of the pines

 View from my deck.  Mom by herself

 Springer (plaque)

 Katahdin

Nipmuck Trail

“Then sings my soul…….”

8:15 Sunday morning found me at Wolf Rock in Mansfield.  I had hiked to this spot 2 weeks ago and now I approached it from the other direction on a different section of trail.  I am really enjoying walking on this Nipmuck Trail which is part of the Blue Blaze Trail System in Connecticut.  Since this is not a loop trail and I have no car spotters, I park my car and walk to a pre-determined location and then walk back the way I came.  This suits me fine because on the walk in, when I see all this great stuff and I want to linger a bit, I know I’ll see it on the way back and I’m glad for the second chance to see a certain rock or stream or tree that has caught my eye.

These trails are exactly the “roots and rocks” type of trail that I prefer with slight elevation gains and losses although some are quite steep here and there.  The section that I picked out is only 1.6 miles to my destination and then back for a total of 3.2 miles, which is a bit shorter than the last section which totaled 4 miles.  For my next hike I’ll drive to this same parking area on Clover Mill Rd in Mansfield and I’ll pick up the trail, walking northeasterly rather than southwest.  The access to the various trail sections seem to be spaced out just right so that one can pick up the trail easily enough from almost anywhere.  My goal is to ultimately hike the entire Nipmuck Trail, which, I actually will be hiking twice since I’m covering the same ground area twice each time I hike!  After I complete the Nipmuck I’ll most likely tackle the Shenipsic or the Natchaug Trail.  I have an awesome trail guide book put out by the Connecticut Forest & Park Association for the Blue Blaze trail system in eastern Connecticut.  It’s called the Connecticut Walk Book-East and they also put out one for the “West.”  It actually is a loose leaf 3-ring binder which is great because you can take out the sections that you want and bring them with you.  I always make a copy of the section that I’m doing (I make 2 copies and bring one with me so that the original stays nice and pristine in the book) and highlight it and mark it up in red pen too and then leave it on the kitchen counter for Mike to refer to just in case I don’t return at the specified time.  He says that although he doesn’t look at it, that it is good to have so that all he needs to do is to turn it over to the police if I don’t return in “a day or two or three!!”  Very funny!

 

Up at “The Rock,” I take my pack off and pull out my map to study it.  I really don’t need a map but I like to look at it and I like to pretend that I am on some huge long distance hike, like say; the Appalachian Trail.  (Oh, please don’t get me started.  The AT, 2175 miles, runs from Georgia to Maine and would take me 6 ½ months to hike.  And my trail name will be Whispers.  Oh!!  Some day!)  I rummage through my pack and pull out my breakfast along with a thermos of hot sweet tea and my water bottle.  It is only 30 degrees out and the sun feels good on my back.  As I devour my peanut butter and jelly sandwich I look all around me, turning while standing in place, gawking at the simple beauty of this spot and trying to memorize each rock and tree so that I might recall the images later whenever I please.  I am at a summit of sorts and there is a clear view of the horizon.  Not a 360 degree view but more like 200 degrees.  I can see the woods below where I hiked from 2 weeks ago.  I see fields and farm land.  I am standing on a cliff and the last 2/10’s of a mile were very steep from the direction I hiked to 2 weeks ago.  Today, to get to this same point from the other direction the trail was more gradual.  There is a huge bolder at the top, Wolf Rock, that looks as if it was strategically, if precariously, placed.  But all logic and reason makes us ask why and how!  Actually, this bolder was dragged here by a glacier, deposited in its’ place and left behind when the glacier receded.  The guide book told me that!  Very cool!

Although the view is stunning I am more interested in the immediate surroundings.  The trail worn bare; the ledge, the rocks and the trees.  I realize that this may not sound like much of a view to some people but it really truly speaks to me and, once again, I am so happy to be here in my element. 

Now that I have stopped walking I know that I may soon feel a chill and quickly pull on my polar tech fleece jacket. If you go walking in 30 degree or lower temperatures (or even higher) and you stop for any length of time it is important that you bring another layer to put on when you stop.  Put it on before you feel a chill.  Put it on as soon as you stop! 

I have lingered here for about 10 minutes and it is now time to head back.

The walk back always seems shorter and I’m enjoying it all over again.  Now, having built up enough body heat I stop to remove my outer fleece jacket and then stand still to look and to listen.  The woods are very quiet and still.  I strain my ears to hear any possible sound and I am glad that there is none.  There are no cars that I can hear in the distance or sirens or anything.  The only sound I can hear now is the ringing in my ears and the pounding of my heart.  It is a bluebird day, class I, without a single cloud in the sky.  My eyes are suddenly drawn to a slight movement off a ways to my left and I turn just in time to see a very large chipmunk scurry into a rock wall.  I have seen no other living creatures all morning.  The woods are mine!       

As I continue on I would stop a few more times just to stand still and listen.  Finally, I’m approaching a ridge.  The down slope of this ridge was one of my favorite spots this morning and I am happy to be here although now my hike is almost over as I am about 5 minutes from the trail head.  The trail here is made up of rocks.  Some are like stepping stones that you might see in a stream while most of them are as big as the seat of a table chair and flat-ish on top which makes walking on them easier.  These rocks are worn clean but just on either side of the trail the rocks are covered with a deep green lush moss.  The blue blazes on the trees are faint at best to non existent but it is not difficult to see where to walk.  The trail rocks have a  silvery shimmer and are lined on either side with the moss covered rocks looking much like a green carpet.  I remember thinking on the walk in that the blazes weren’t marked all that well but that all I needed to do was to look at the trail and the way would be obvious.  Three quarters of the way down now I stopped yet again and turned to look at the trail behind me.  On the walk in the sun hadn’t yet cleared the ridge but now, nearly 2 hours later, the sun was high and filtering through the bare trees setting the moss covered rocks all a glow, shimmering and sparkling like emeralds. 

“Then sings my soul.”  This lovely church hymn pops into my head at this sight and I’ve been singing it all week now.  


I've posted the lyrics to How Great Thou Art below for your reading and singing pleasure.  Now if only I could sing.  If I were ever granted 3 wishes my 3^rd wish would be that I could sing from the depths of my soul.

How Great Thou Art

Oh Lord my God
When I, in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds
Thy hands have made
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout
The universe displayed

Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great thou art
How great thou art

The last 2/10’s of a mile back to the trail head consisted of walking over a lovely foot bridge to cross a stream and walking past a few different stonewalls.  There are stonewalls here in the middle of the woods.  Nothing speaks to me more!  It’s hard to imagine that these woods were once all fields and farm land!

I have posted some pics and video below although they really don't do it justice.  You really would have to have to been there.  So, get outside when you can and take it all in!  I highly recommend it!  I hope you enjoyed my post and my pics!

Rail Trail Re-visited on New Year's Day

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."   ~ John Muir

I decided to start the New Year off right and planned a short hike on the Hop River Rail Trail for New Year’s Day!  After some deliberation the night before as to which section to do, I chose the Steeles Crossing to Bolton Notch section.  This is just a very short walk really and is a “rails to trails” trail so of course it’s very flat, wide and well groomed.  I did this section last year and I was looking forward to my reward at the notch; climbing up to the cliffs.

Here follows a very brief trip report.

I arrived at the trailhead at 7:00 AM.  My car was the second one in the lot and within seconds was followed by a third.  It was 31 degrees and plenty bright despite the fact that the sun had not officially risen.  There were no clouds in the sky and I was glad that there was also no wind.  I had layered properly on my upper body, as well as my head and hands, so my core was warm enough but I had failed to wear an insulating layer on my legs.  I knew I’d be ok if I kept up a brisk pace and I didn’t let this unfortunate oversight put a damper on my walk.  I was out on this trail that I love.  There was nowhere else on earth that I would rather have been at that moment.  Nothing could be better.

I started the 2.1 miles to the Notch at a brisk pace.  I was glad to be walking west because I prefer to see the sunrise on the objects that it lights up in the west as it rises in the east.  It starts with an orange glow on the tips of the trees in the distance and soon washes to yellow as the sun rises and creeps down the trunks of the trees.  I had 45 minutes to enjoy this awakening of the day.  I know I have mentioned this in other posts but I’ll say it again; I prefer to walk in the woods in autumn and winter (before the snows, although I enjoy the snow covered woods too) when the trees are bare and I can see deep into the woods.  There is something about seeing the trees and the forest floor that really speaks to me.  It is all so peaceful and so I too feel at peace.

Approaching the tunnel at the Notch now, the ice covered ledge rises high on either side of the trail.  As I stop to look at the trail behind me I am captivated by the droplets on the rock and trees that have caught the rays of the sun just so and are sparkling like diamonds.  I can’t see the sun because it is still low and the ledge is high around me.  I can tell that it is just over the top though and the rays are visible in the rising mist as the frost and ice turns to water and then vapor.  The sight has an ethereal quality and I stare for a moment to commit it to memory.  I know a picture won’t do it justice.  I’m thankful that I stopped to look behind me.  Sometimes it pays to know not only where we’re going but to also see where we’ve been.        

I’ve written about this stretch of trail before and so I’ll skip it now so as not to bore my readers to tears.  I’ll try to briefly conclude my trip report.

I soon found my way up the side trail to the top of the cliffs at the Notch.  I have posted a few pictures taken from my iphone that somewhat capture my view.  Look in the background of the cliff pictures and see the “Y.”  This is where Rte 6 & 44 split off to the right and route 384 begins here to the left.  On the other side of this cliff the American flag is painted and you can see it from route 384 heading east.  I did not get near the edge to verify this but I have seen it from the highway.  I also took a few pictures of the trail.  As you approach the Notch there is a significant increase in the number of birches which I have tried to capture in one of the pictures.

Once I was up on the cliffs I took my pack off and pulled out my water bottle.  I drank about 16 oz.  I also enjoyed a banana.  It was still fairly cold and I knew I couldn’t linger for too long as I didn’t want to risk getting a chill.  I think that perhaps next time I will drive straight to the trailhead right here at the Notch and climb this side trail to the cliffs.  I will spend my time up here, rather than walking on the trail, exploring these surroundings.  There appear to be quite a lot of laurel bushes up here and some paths leading to; I don’t know where.  I’d love to find out.  It’s really a beautiful spot.  I’ll bring my jetboil stove and make coffee next time too.

For me, this was the perfect way to start my year.  It was a total of 4.5 miles including the side trail up to the cliffs.  I was back to the car by 9:15 just as it was starting to warm up.  I should also say that I met 4 groups of people and a total of 4 dogs!  I do enjoy meeting people on the trail and I especially love meeting their dogs!