We had a day with blue skies, puffy white clouds, and low heat and humidity so I thought I’d take advantage of such a fine day by climbing Mount Caesar in Swanzey. The mountain it is said, is named after a freed slave named Caesar Freeman and he is supposed to be buried somewhere on it, but nobody really seems to be able to verify any of the tale. One thing about the mountain is certain; Native Americans used it for a lookout and in the mid-1700s they burned Swanzey to the ground, house by house and mill by mill. The climb to the top starts on a path of solid granite bedrock, as is seen in the photo.
One of my favorite things to see on Mount Caesar is this river of reindeer lichen. Since there are no reindeer or other animals to eat the lichens they thrive here. But they are fragile and should never be walked on. Reindeer lichen is very slow growing at about an eighth to three eighths of an inch per year and if overgrazed or dug up, it can take decades for drifts like the one pictured to reappear. The Native American Ojibwa tribe was known to bathe newborns in water in which reindeer lichens had been boiled.
Just before you enter the forest there is a meadow teeming with wildflowers. On this day most of what was blooming were pale spike lobelias (Lobelia spicata,) which get their common name from the small, pale blue to almost white flowers. Every now and then you can find a plant with deeper blue flowers, but most are pale.
Sometimes if you look carefully you can find dark blue pale spike lobelias, as this one was. These flowers are small; hardly bigger than a standard aspirin. Native Americans had many medicinal uses for lobelia and one of them was as a treatment for asthma, but it has to be used with great care because too much of it can kill.
Stone walls will follow you almost all the way to the summit of Mount Caesar and remind hikers that this land was once completely cleared of trees. I’d guess that sheep once grazed on the mountain’s flanks, as was true of most of the hills in the area. The walls most likely date from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Not old enough to be covered by moss yet but there certainly are plenty of lichens on them. The yellow ones seen in the photo are sulfur dust lichens (Chrysothrix chlorina). This lichen doesn’t like to be rained on so it is usually found hiding under some type of overhang.
I saw many mushrooms on this climb, among them yellow chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius.) I’m not a real mushroom aficionado but I know this edible mushroom is considered choice. I don’t see many but when I do it’s usually about this time of year or a little earlier, and I always see them growing right alongside trails. It is believed by some that the compacted earth of the trail or road may cause the chanterelle mycelium to react by fruiting.
Another mushroom I saw in great abundance was yellow patches (Amanita flavoconia,) and it is not a choice edible fungus, in fact it is poisonous and should never be eaten. This mushroom is identified by the chrome yellow “warts” on the cap, which are easily brushed off. It prefers growing in hemlock forests, so it is right at home here. It is said to be one of the most common and widespread species of Amanita in eastern North America. It faintly resembles yellow fly agaric (Amanita muscaria v. formosa) but that mushroom has white warts on its cap.
I’ve seen people go up to the summit and then back down again in the time it took me to reach the half way point but this isn’t a race and I dawdle and wander, looking at this and that all the way up and down the mountain. A 45 minute climb with me can easily take half a day, and that’s why I almost always hike alone. To see the kinds of things that I see you absolutely must walk slowly and from what I’ve seen most people simply aren’t able to do it. Unfortunately most people I’ve seen and spoken with in places like this seem to feel that the end of the trail is far more important than what can be seen along it and race through it. If only they knew that they were missing all of the best that nature has to offer.
Eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens,) bloomed all along the trail. This native wintergreen is in the same family as the blueberry and its flowers show that. Teaberry is also known as checkerberry or American wintergreen and by fall its flowers will have turned into small red berries that taste minty, like Teaberry chewing gum. Many animals, from foxes to chipmunks, and birds including grouse and pheasant rely on the berries to help them get through the winter. Wintergreen oil has been used medicinally for centuries, and the leaves make an excellent, soothing tea. The plant’s fragrance is unmistakable and its oil is used in toothpaste, mouthwash, pain relievers, and many other products.
Before too long the approach to the summit appears as granite bedrock, and that’s when you realize that this mountain is just a huge piece of solid granite with a few inches of soil covering it. I’ve seen several trees that have blown over and their roots were very shallow. They have to be because they can’t penetrate the granite.
I like a few clouds in the sky to give it some interest. A year or two ago we had an entire summer of blue skies with not a cloud to be seen, and it was quite boring if you wanted landscape photos. I like the way the shadows of the clouds pass over the land. It’s something I’ve watched and enjoyed since I was a boy.
The view was hazy in some directions but I usually spend time marveling at how vast this forest really is, so I don’t mind a little haze.
Mount Monadnock could be seen through the haze off to the east but it wasn’t a day for mountain portraits.
You need to watch where you step when you’re taking photos of the mountain because you have to get close to the edge of the cliff if you want the best shot. This is one time when it isn’t wise to step outside of yourself and become totally absorbed by what you see before you. It’s a long way down and for someone who doesn’t like heights it’s a stomach knotter, and I tread very mindfully up here.
I was surprised to see so many old friends up here, like this bristly sarsaparilla. It made me wonder if it has just moved in or if I have been negligent and ignored it on previous climbs. It obviously likes it up here; it was blooming well. It normally grows in dry, sandy soil at road edges and waste areas. Its stems are covered in short, sharp, bristly hairs and that’s where its common name comes from. Technically, though it looks like a perennial plant, it is considered a shrub because the lower part of its stem is woody and persists throughout winter.
Each tiny bristly sarsaparilla flower will become a round black berry if the pollinators do their job and it looked like they were hard at it. I’m not sure what this insect’s name is but it was very small. The entire flower head of the plant in the previous photo is barely bigger than a ping pong ball.
Blue toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis) also grew on the summit. It seems like I’m seeing this little beauty everywhere I go this summer and it makes me wonder if it doesn’t like a lot of rain like we’ve had this year, even though it grows in sandy waste areas.
Zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis) was a real surprise because it usually grows in wooded areas instead of out in the open. It has wide leaves and smallish flowers that grow from the leaf axils and at the terminal end of its zigzagging stem. Zigzag goldenrod grows in the shade and prefers moist soil, so this seems like an odd place to have found it. It grew beside a large stone so maybe the stone keeps it shaded for part of the day.
We had torrential rains the day before I made this climb so I thought my little friends the toadskin lichens (Lasallia papulosa) would be happy, but most of them weren’t. I don’t know if they just dried out that quickly or if overhanging tree branches kept the rain off them. They grow in just about full sun so I suppose they could have simply dried out. The example in the above photo was close to what I expected but it still wasn’t that deep, pea green color and I could tell that it was drying out. When at their best these lichens are very pliable and feel like an ear lobe, but when dry they feel crisp like a potato chip. This one was somewhere in between.
This one was ashy gray and very dry. You can see the broken edges top and bottom where it has snapped like a brittle chip. I have to say that, though I doubt the lichens enjoy being in such a state, I think they’re at their most beautiful when they look like this. I wish I could see them every day so I could witness all of their changes but I’ve seen them only on the summits, so if you want to visit with them you have to work for the privilege.
To those who have struggled with them, the mountains reveal beauties that they will not disclose to those who make no effort. That is the reward the mountains give to effort. And it is because they have so much to give and give it so lavishly to those who will wrestle with them that men love the mountains and go back to them again and again. The mountains reserve their choice gifts for those who stand upon their summits. Sir Francis Younghusband
Thanks for stopping in.
Funny to think that most of that land was once cleared and what you have there now is second growth forest. To me it looks like the forest primeval.
I agree it does, but it’s actually quite difficult to find any old growth forest in this area. There are only small patches of it left here and there.
I have a tendency to walk quickly but you have shown me what can be seen if you take the time to look. Amelia
Walking slowly takes practice. It isn’t quite as easy as it sounds because we’ve all been hurrying for so long.
I think license are facinating. Have you seen the recent discoveries regarding lichens? (I was just reading about Toby Spribille’s research in the recent Atlantic.)
Thank you, yes I read that article and it is fascinating. It makes me wonder what else we’ve been missing. Quite a lot, I’d guess.
A fine day for a walk! I remember the year when there weren’t any clouds in the sky to add interest to the landscapes that you shot from the tops of the mountains, the clouds help make the scene.
Although I’ve never been one to rush to the end of a trail, I find my self going slower all the time now. Today, I stood in one spot for a couple of hours to get poor photos of one species of bird. Kind of ridiculous in a way, but I stayed entertained by watching all the other wildlife around me as I waited.
Thanks Jerry!
Yes, blue skies might be nice, but they add little to a photo.
Whenever I have to get down on my hands and knees for a shot I always look around before I get back up. You can find some amazing things just by standing in one spot and looking around. I hope that bird cooperates next time!
The lobelia meadow looked very lovely. You are right of course about walking slowly but I wouldn’t have agreed with you when I was young.
Thank you. I wouldn’t have agreed with me when I was young either. It’s amazing how much effort has to go into training yourself to simply walk slowly.
Fascinating as always, but did you notice that there is a gnome’s bearded face looking at you from the top rock on the stone wall you featured? I’m indulging in the pastime of finding familiar patterns, but it is quite striking.
Thank you Carol. No, I didn’t notice that but now I see it!
I love your quote today. It resonates very much with me at the moment as we are on holiday in the Swiss Alps and are surrounded by mountains.
I would love to see the meadow covered in lobelia and the sky with clouds in is very beautiful.
Thank you Clare. How lucky you are to be in the Swiss Alps! I’m sure you’ll see some beautiful alpine meadows and clouds too!
Yes, we’ve seen some lovely meadows and the weather has been fairly good so far. Hot temperatures have set off major thunder and lightening storms in the evening. We fly home on Wednesday – back to reality.
It sounds like a wonderful trip. I love thunder storms and would love to see one in the mountains.
I hope reality isn’t too tough to handle! (It can be sometimes)
Thank-you Allen. I’m not really looking forward to all the things I know I have to do as soon as I get home but I *do* like to be at home and this break has been a good one. Richard videoed the storm this evening and we have a few shots of the storm a couple of nights ago. When I eventually get around to writing up my holiday I hope to include them in a post. I hope you are keeping well and are enjoying your weekend. Clare
Thank you Clare, Yes, I am enjoying the weekend. Nothing much ever changes here so there are few surprises except the good ones that happen in nature.
I’m glad you had a good and probably much needed break. I look forward to seeing the storm videos!
Thank you for taking us all on such a wonderful walk!
You’re welcome Lee!
A great climb, Allen. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome Cynthia. I hope your leg is healing well.
Thank you.
I enjoyed your climb and also the quote! You hike about like I do.
It kind of gets into your blood!
Allen, Here is an NPR article about “forest bathing,” which, in your words, is “dawdle and wander.” http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/17/536676954/forest-bathing-a-retreat-to-nature-can-boost-immunity-and-mood
🙂
Thank you Paula. Judy Crankshaw sent me the article last week and I was so happy to find that other people were doing what I never knew had a name. I’m not sure I would have called it bathing but whatever it takes to get people out there works for me!
As a PS: When I read that article last week I thought of you. I think you’d make a great instructor!
This post begins my day with a longing to solo slow-climb the closest mountain. For me, that would be Cobb Hill, and the ascent begins just steps out of my courtyard. The trailside miniature landscapes are gifts to savor if one looks closely and long.
Thanks so much for the read transport up Mt. Caesar earlier….and I was quiet and in no hurry, just as one should be,
Thank you Lynn. I hope you have a chance to do the same thing this weekend. It’s a great time to see fungi!
I loved the views with clouds, they lend structure to the sky. I would have enjoyed the wildflower meadow you saw too.
Thank you Susan, that’s a great way to describe a cloudy sky.
I find an astonishing variety of plants in that small meadow, some that I don’t see anywhere else.
“in the mid-1700s they burned Swanzey to the ground, house by house and mill by mill.”
I imagine that something must have really riled them.
Yes, and who could blame them?
Looking around Washington DC and Arlington I think I could find a few candidates without too much trouble. 😦
Yes. Someday maybe we can put that kind of ignorance behind us and embrace our differences rather than live in fear of them.
That would be good.
Reblogged this on Poltrack Pix.
Thank you John.
Wonderful posting and photos, Allen. I particularly enjoyed your commentary on how your slow speed makes it difficult for you to hike with others, For similar reasons, I prefer to be on my own when taking wildlife photos. I guess we both march to the beat of different drummers than do many other folks.
Thank you Mike. I’m hoping our posts convince others to slow down just a little so they can see these wonders too. It’s a shame that so many miss them.