Wonderfully Wet Windy Woods Walk

Saturday was cold, rainy, and windy. It was certainly a day to hunker down inside, but I was determined to spend some time in the woods... it has been far too long, and I had my mind set on some solitary thinking time. I do my best thinking outside in beautiful places; sitting on a dock looking over a lake, on a rocky beach, on a mountain top, in my kayak, or wandering amongst evergreen trees. I almost gave up on the idea of Saturday tree time, but decided it was silly to let a little rain keep me inside. I broke out the waterproof gear and hiking boots that I rarely wear these days and set off in search of a local park that I had heard about.

I didn't have a trail map, or even know where to park, but thanks to the maps feature on my iPhone I was able to find the place and start walking without taking too many wrong turns. I was prepared with water, snacks, more layers of clothes, a mini first aid kit, and a headlamp... just in case. Just in case what, i'm not exactly sure, but just in case.

As I started walking I was chilly, and began to doubt the sanity of my plan. However, I was determined not to let the rain get me down and I moved quickly and soon warmed up. I found a pond and stood watching sheets of rain dance across the water. I scampered over wet rock, moss, and lichen, squelched through mud and pine needles, and got off the trail to do a bit of exploring. It felt like I was the only person in the park, and I don't think I could have enjoyed if more if it was bright and sunny because I felt like I was experiencing a side of these woods that most people don't bother to get to know, and somehow that meant I knew them in a different way even though it was my first time there. I look forward to many more trips to this little oasis only 15 minutes from my house. Knowing that I can be in the woods in 15 minutes if I need to makes life a little bit better.

Fall colors, and other things New England

I spent a day this weekend in the woods of north-central Massachusetts. It was cold and crisp... perfect end of fall weather. I looked for bugs and found very few. I flipped over rocks in a small (freezing!) stream and didn't find any, and was equally unsuccessful under bark of a rotting log, and digging in the soil. I suppose it is to cold for them, but I am curious where they go to. I was reminded that fall is my favorite time in New England, and that (even though it is currently snowing... in mid-October) I am thrilled to be back living in the land of the wonderful Fall.

I learned something about Fall colors this weekend too. The yellow and orange pigments seen in leaves are there all the time, but are normally obscured by the dominant chlorophyll pigments. The gorgeous red, however, are a different story. The red pigments (phycocyanins, if I remember correctly) are made by the plant as it begins to dismantle its chlorophyll and retrieve valuable Nitrogen from the leaves before they fall off. You tend to see red pigments on the top and outermost leaves, and this is because it is triggered by light (so it doesn't occur as much in the shade). This red pigment (the supermodel of all New England fall foliage photo shoots) acts as an umbrella for the leaf cells that are doing the equivalent of removing parts from a power plant without being able to turn off the power source.

I also learned how to stitch photos together and create panoramic images. Here is one that is the opposite of a panorama, but I am not sure what you call that!