I was finally able to visit Willard Pond in Hancock last week. The weekend forecast was for rain so Friday afternoon off I went to one of the most beautiful places I know. It is here at Willard Pond where in the fall, nature pulls out all the stops.
That’s where we’re going; to that hillside behind the boulder. It is an unusual forest that is made up of mostly beeches and oaks which at this time of year are at their most colorful. I’ve come here on the last weekend in October for a few years now and I haven’t ever been disappointed.
The trail is one person wide and follows the shoreline of the pond close to the water because the hillside comes right down to the pond. It is rocky and full of tree roots, and it is muddy in spots, so you need good stout hiking boots here. This isn’t the place for sneakers or flip flops.
Beeches turn from green to yellow and then as the yellow fades reds, oranges and finally browns appear.
There is color everywhere here, including on the forest floor. This photo shows yellow beech and maple, red-brown oak, and purple maple leaf viburnums.
From a photography point of view this place is difficult because you can’t ever back up for a wide shot. The pond is right there behind you, so you have to do what you can. You’re literally immersed in the forest that you’re trying to take photos of.
This view looks back on the trail we just followed. It comes through the break between the two boulders over there on the left. There is no real climbing unless you chose to climb Bald Mountain, but you do have to climb over stones and possibly an occasional fallen tree to follow the shoreline trail.
Thankfully you don’t have to climb over anything like this. There are a few garage size boulders here and this is one of them. They tumbled down the hillside to the water’s edge at some point in the past or they could have been left right where they are by a melting glacier.
You might be fooled into thinking these were turkey tail fungi but turkey tails are usually several different colors. In spite of its name the multicolor gill polypore (Lenzites betulina) shown here is varying shades of tan and really not that colorful.
Another way to tell the difference between a turkey tail and this fungus is the appearance of gills on the underside. Turkey tails have pores, never gills. There are a few other gilled polypores but this is the only one with white flesh. It also has true gills, which in this case were very dry and wrinkled, in spite of all the rain we’ve had.
No matter what other interesting and beautiful things you might see here at this time of year the real story is the forest itself, and it’s hard to keep your eyes on anything else. I stumbled a few times because I had my head in the trees instead of watching where I was going.
But I didn’t fall into any of the streams that run from the hillside to the pond. There are a few bridges, some just planks and others like this one more elaborate.
I sat here for a while, enjoying the happy sounds the little stream made. I didn’t think anyone would mind; though there were a few cars in the parking lot I only saw one couple the whole time I was here.
Lots of colorful fallen leaves were on the pond bottom. Most looked like maple leaves which had fallen probably a week or more before my visit.
A very determined birch tree was bent completely in half but still kept growing new branches.
Another fallen birch had chaga fungi (Inonotus obliquus) growing all along it. Chaga has been used medicinally in Russia, China, Korea and Japan for many centuries and it is said to be packed with vitamins and minerals. In Siberia it is said to be the secret to long life and it has recently shown promise in cancer research, reducing the size of tumors. The fungi look like burnt, brittle pieces of charcoal.
There was a much larger one on a nearby birch stump. It really does look burnt. Chaga fungi are parasitic and grow on birch and other species. It is black because it contains large amounts of melanin, which is a naturally occurring dark brown to black pigment that colors hair, skin and the irises of the eyes of humans and animals. It is also responsible for the tanning of skin that is exposed to sunlight. I can’t guess what it tastes like.
I’ve never tried very hard to identify these mushrooms but I don’t really need to know their name to enjoy them. They always remind me of puffy soufflés, just out of the oven.
The shadow of a dead bracken fern fell on a stone and reminded me of the humped back skeleton of a triceratops.
The beauty of this place is off the charts and you can’t help being taken up in it; swallowed by it. The towering trees, huge boulders and views of infinity make you feel so small. But feeling small isn’t always such a bad thing. It’s the same feeling that I imagine would come over me if I were in a great cathedral.
Someone had used fallen branches to make a peace sign in the hollow of a tree. I thought it was appropriate, since there is plenty of peace to be found here.
Many times these posts write themselves in my mind as I follow along a trail but this one did not, so I sat here on this wooden bench for a while thinking about what I could write about this place. I quickly realized how hard it would be to explain what a place as beautiful as this can do to a person. I went from amazement to wonder to astonishment, and there was nothing else. It was as if everything else had been stripped away; all the petty worries and cares were gone, and when it comes down to it I suppose that’s why we nature lovers do what we do. These days they call it “being in the moment,” but I never knew “the moment” could be hours long. In any event it was gloriously beautiful and I hope you’ll be able to find a place just like this one.
An autumn forest is such a place that once entered you never look for the exit. ~Mehmet Murat ildan
Thanks for coming by.
I’m glad that you were able to make it there this fall, and on a nice day as icing on the cake. I know what you mean about stumbling from looking up at the beautiful display of fall colors that you saw, it happens to me all the time also.
You’re photos of the autumn colors were wonderful, almost as if I had been there to see the stunning colors myself! I also liked that you were able to take your eyes off from the scenery to include both the smaller fungi, and the huge rocks that you saw during your hike.
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Thanks Jerry! That was a beautiful day and the trees were amazing. I usually look at the ground so I don’t stumble often but that day it seemed like that was all I could do.
I know you like those boulders so I took that shot for you. That is one huge rock!
The quote is a good one. What a lovely pond and wood! I am so glad to have been able to experience the beauty of the place through your eyes.
Thank you Clare. It’s one of the most beautiful places I know of in the fall, and as close to a true wilderness as you can come. If you want peace and quiet this is the place to find it.
Beautiful post Allen! I was “in the moment” while reading about your time at the pond and the woods. Thanks.
You’re welcome Chris, I’m glad you liked it!
An interesting post, again! Lovely photos of the lake and the woods in the sunny day. Did you get any chaga to make tea? We have some here in our freezer and you just reminded me to use it soon!
Thank you Cynthia. No, I’ve never tried it and wouldn’t know what to do with it if I had taken any.
What a beautiful spot! I can understand how you could get lost in gazing upward at the foliage. Glad you didn’t fall into any streams, though!
Thanks! No, I just tripped over rocks and roots!
Beauty meets serenity. Beautiful photos to match your words, Allen. Appreciate your creating time to share this with us.
Thank you Eric. That’s a great way to describe this place!
I can see how contemplating and appreciating from that bench would yield a spectrum of feelings and emotions… One of those places where, as you mention, moments can (and do) invite you into a welcoming vortex.
Yes!
Some more amazing photos of one of my favorite places. Thanks.
You’re welcome Kathy. It’s easy to see why it’s one of your favorites. I’ve only known about it for 4 years or so, but it has become one of mine too.
Among a feast of beautiful images, the little stream rippling over the fallen leaves was my favourite. It is no wonder that that you stopped beside it for a while.
There are places just as beautiful it all along the trail. It’s a hard place to leave.
I agree that there are ‘moments’ when you are deep in nature that just can’t be expressed in words. Your wonderful photos do what words can’t however. I so wanted to be sitting on that bench!! Thank you for sharing with all of us. It’s a treat.
Thank you Margaret. I’m guessing that you’d love this place. That bench is in a fine place to just sit and ponder.
That is indeed a beautiful forest! Trees and leaf colors that we don’t have here. I really enjoy seeing them!
Thanks Montucky! It’s unusual even for this area because there are so few evergreens on that hillside. Usually our forests are mixed hard and softwoods.
Rejuvenating!
That’s exactly how I felt!
Thank you for making my morning peaceful and beautiful!
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I’m glad that I could!
You capture what I have always loved about the woods. Thank you.
You’re welcome, and thank you. This is very special place!
Beautiful, and well written. Thanks for the journey.
You’re welcome Lee and thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s a very special place and I always wonder if the Native Americans thought the same. There’s something about it that you can’t quite put your finger on but you do feel it.
Willard Pond looks like a marvelous place I hope to visit someday. Thank you for the wonderful post!
You’re welcome Jennifer, and thank you. Yes, a trip to Willard Pond at this time of year is well worth the effort!
Beautiful photos, Allen. You saw the peace sign in the tree hollow! A group of my hiking friends did Bald Mountain last month and we saw it. There is a great view of Willard Pond from the peak of Bald Mountain, if you get the chance to climb it.
Thanks Paula. I’d love to see the pond from up there but it looks like it would be a steep climb. I’m not sure my lungs could take it but I might try one day.
I just emailed you some pics from my Oct. 10 hike.
Thanks again Paula!
Full of wonders.
It was!
Being in nature often leaves my at a loss for words but I stumble around for them none the less. Lovely post!
Thank you. As you’ve read, I do the same.
As I have not had the opportunity to get outside as much this autumn it was nice to wake up and see this today. I, too, write in my mind as I hike and find my eyes so often on the forest floor and many of my photos are closeups of fallen leaves, ground cover, fungi, stumps and those denizens that haven’t scurried away at my approach (insects and such). This post was a wonderful way to start my day! Thank you. ~Allie~
You’re welcome Allie, and thank you. I too almost always keep my eyes to the ground but I found that was almost impossible to do here. The trees wouldn’t let me!
Loved the quote. My two favourite pictures were the two just after the plank bridge, thank you for them.
Thank you Susan. I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the ground that day.