BVO JOURNAL |
Otis Farm Trail Date: December 2009 During the winter equinox we had our first major snow of the year. Old Mother Nature dropped 15" of white fluff in Northern Rhode Island. So after completing my snow shoveling chores, I load my snowshoes and gear into my ash basket pack. With pack on and dog in tow we head down the road to the Otis Farm Trail. At the trailhead I find that Lakota and I are the first to break trail. After only snowshoeing a couple hundred feet this winter wonderland takes hold. The snow is pure white and unbroken, the trees bare of foliage give way to a deep blue sky rising from the farmland down below. In the silence of the woods the trail heads south and we continue our slow climb. At the crest, the snowy surface is broken with deer tracks crossing the trail. The deer trail leads to the top of the hillock with several red cedars. The trees bottom branches have already being eaten and a bedding area can be seen. I'll have to check that area later in the season for antler drops. Crossing the rise and starting our descent, the snow tells the story of life in the up coming col. First a squirrel leaves a tree, hops across an opening and climbs another shag bark hickory only to repeat the act over again. Next more deer tracks are found, weaving in and out of the trees. In some areas snow is pushed aside, as the deer search out acorns and hickory nuts for their evening meal. Rabbit tracks are everywhere and the small tracks of a mole or field mouse are found disappearing into a small hole in the snow. A strange snow plow type track is seen maybe made by a fisher or raccoon in the deep snow. Even in the hibernation of winter signs of life can be found, if you know where to look. Rounding a rock-out-crop and climbing out of the col the tracks diminish and a woodpecker breaks the silence of the woods. Cresting the next ridge, Lakota and I follow the trail markers with the crazy lab snorkeling through the snow. Our journey takes us passed long forgotten stonewalls and a earthen canal abandoned and dry. At the frozen wetland a red-tail hawk calls out from the top of a dead pine and the dog runs circles on the snow cover ice looking for a place to swim. Our journey takes us along the wetland edge and through a bar way of a stonewall, two majestic white pine and a ancient oak guard the opening. The footpath leaves the marsh and climbs once more through a woods of oak, maple and black birch now sleeping their winters sleep. One large oak seems to now want to admit winter is here as it holds onto its leaves, now brown and hard. As I pass by a lone leaf breaks loose and floats downward in the breeze. The trail ends at a road and we continue along the paved path. Walking by Little Pond I check to see if anyone has started ice fishing. The snow is unbroken on the pond and a small patch of open water can be seen, but soon I hope ice fishing season will be upon us. Live the Experience! |