Forty degrees felt positively balmy today! It was so nice to be able to hike in a light jacket and abandon my gloves. Despite the warmer weather, the packed snow on the trails is still significant. And now that it’s begun to thaw, it’s icy and slick. We walked carefully finding purchase in the deeper snow at the trail’s edge and holding on to trees as we descended hills.
The ponds and wetlands are still encased in ice. We walked by a huge beaver dam and saw a little patch of open water around it. The river is breaking loose of the ice. In some spots, water is flowing. I hoped to spot some waterfowl, but we saw only a single goose, which flew, honking, overhead.
Most of the activity today came from the squirrels. They always strike the same pose: perched on a branch, back to a tree trunk, tail curled overhead. Most clutch a nut and I follow the sounds of their gnawing to find them. Chuck likes to jump up on the trunk of the tree. Even though she could never dream of reaching them, the squirrels get startled and scamper away chattering with indignation.
As we neared the end of our walk, we came to a stand of maple trees. Each one had a bag or bucket attached where park officials tapped the trees to gather the sap for maple syrup. Did you know that it takes 40 gallons of sap to produce just a single gallon of syrup?
