Yesterday, the CC group did boundary work on Northern Pond. This year we pushed working on it until it was almost too late in the winter. We have had a very mild winter, and in the beginning it never got cold enough to freeze, or snow to use snowshoes to get in. We have a lot of wetlands to cross, and a couple of streams. Yesterday, the edges of the wetland were beginning to thaw, where the sun warmed it and the rain and melt water dribbled in. But we were able to cross. At the stream, one of us fell in, and had to return home, the elements had begun to claim our membership….
In some places it was difficult to find the old blazes, but by siting the line, and a bit of exploration we would ultimately find an old blaze. At one point the line goes over a major rock outcropping; where some geologic event either heaved up rock or carved earth down. I do not profess to know geology. Amongst the crannies, I notice a huge pile of porcupine scat, and was pleased to know that the area is still a popular denning site. Years ago, I had taken a picture of a porcupine sleeping with its tail out to the world, its perfect defense against predators. I noticed a hemlock with many chewed twigs on the ground and a poplar with bark chewed down to the cambium layer.
We continued on through woods and wetland. The day was warm, the sun clear and bright. I found myself shutting out the other people and focusing on the silence of the woods, the stillness, at the expanse and at the minute. It is always in the woods where I can breathe deep and feel both the magnitude of the earth and my tiny presence to the fullest