My small climb up along 40 foot falls that I wrote about in my last post inspired me to try something bigger, so last Sunday I decided to climb Hewe’s Hill in Swanzey. A diagnosis of COPD took the wind out of my sails for a while and I wondered if I’d ever climb again, but the medicines they have given me seem to work well and I was able to climb on this day at least as well as I could last year. I started by walking through this frosty meadow.
At about 20 degrees F. it was cool but there was little snow to be seen, so I hoped for a trail without ice. This trail is well traveled and ice is always a problem when constant foot traffic packs down snow and turns it into ice.
Thankfully the trail was ice free, probably because the hemlock boughs overhead have kept a lot of the snow from falling on it. We’ve also had rain and warm temps and I’m sure that helped. I was glad to see it, because I’ve been here when the ice was so bad here I had to leave the trail and go into the woods to make it up the hill.
I think it was about 10 years ago when this hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) was wounded, and I think that because I counted the rings on the scar. I’ve read that hemlock is the only tree that heals scars with growth rings that can be counted.
I also saw a large number of hemlock trees with this yellow crust fungus on them; more than I’ve ever seen. I believe it is the conifer parchment fungus (Stereum sanguinolentum,) which is also called the bleeding parchment because of the red juice they exude when they’re injured. The examples I saw were very dry and thin, almost as if they were part of the bark, and though I tried to scratch one with my fingernail it remained undamaged. Conifer parchment fungus causes brown heart rot, which is a reddish brown discoloration in the wood of conifers. This tree and many others I saw won’t be with us much longer, I’m afraid.
More ice needles than I’ve ever seen in one place grew all along the center of the trail, meaning the soil was saturated. Groundwater at the soil surface is one of the requirements for ice needle growth, and the other is a below freezing temperature right at the very surface of the soil while the soil and groundwater remain thawed. Hydrostatic pressure forces super cooled groundwater out of the soil where it freezes instantly into a needle shape. As more water is forced out of the soil the process is repeated over and over, and each needle grows in length because of more water freezing at its base. Each needle is hexagonal and several will often freeze together into ribbon like bands like those seen here. As they grow they sometimes force the forest floor to heave up, which can be seen happening here.
There are many small holes in the ground made by chipmunks, snakes, and other animals, and these holes often grow hoar frost around their openings. This frost forms when the warm moist breath of the earth meets the cold air at the surface.
The trail gets darker in spots because of overhanging evergreens but on this day it clouded over and made it seem even darker.
I saw some colorful bracket fungi growing in the crack of a tree but I’m not sure what they were. I am sure that they were frozen solid, whatever they were.
I couldn’t account for the beautiful colors of this fallen limb, and I still can’t even guess what would have caused it except weather and age.
A blue jay lost a feather at some point, but on this day the woods were totally silent with no bird songs and no chatter from chipmunks or squirrels. It seemed very strange to have it so quiet.
The steepest part of the trail is near the summit so I knew I was almost there at this point. I was huffing and puffing but no more so than last year or the year before so that was a pleasant surprise. I do know that nature can heal because I’ve experienced it but I don’t know to what extent that healing can happen. I think maybe the only thing that is holding me back is me, but I’m keeping an open mind and believing, and will be very grateful each time I reach a summit.
You don’t realize how much water travels through the soil under our feet until winter. There really is an incredible amount of water moving about in this area, even on our hills.
My daughter and son in law were with me on this climb and all of us tried to move the 40 ton glacial erratic named Tippin Rock, but it wouldn’t budge. I think it was frozen right to the bedrock it sits on. I was a little disappointed because I wanted them to be able to see it move. For new readers, this boulder rocks back and forth just like a baby cradle when you push on it in the right spot, but apparently not in winter.
The big stone has quite a crack in it and someday it might be two stones, which would be too bad. It is a local legend.
The sun had gone, the sky was milk and the views were poor, but since the view isn’t why I climb it was little more than a passing annoyance.
One thing the views from here always show though, are the endless miles of unbroken forest stretching out in all directions. When you stand in such a place you can’t help but wonder, if it was 1760 and you stood here with only an axe head and a gun, what would you have done? It must have been just a bit overwhelming.
I’ve had a great fear of heights since I fell out of a tree and fractured my spine when I was young so this is as close as I dared to get to the cliff edge. I wanted to show you what a forest looked like from above, but this is the best I could do. You can believe me when I say that this is a drop you would never survive.
There are some huge granite outcrops up here. That tree is a fully grown white pine.
I saw lots of amazing things up to this point but the main reason I chose this hill to climb was so I could visit my friends the toadskin lichens (Lasallia papulosa.) Though I expected them to be very dry from lack of rain or snow a few surprised me by being deep, healthy green. This is their natural color when they’ve had plenty of water and are happy. These lichens attach themselves to stones at a single point that resembles a belly button, and that means they are umbilicate lichens. I always feel as if I’m looking deep into infinity when I look at a toadskin lichen and I may be; there are many who believe that lichens are virtually indestructible and therefore immortal.
Though I doubt toadskin lichens like drying out I kind of like the way they look in their dry, ashen state. They are much like a potato chip when dry and they’ll break almost as easily so I only touch them when they’re green and pliable.
These toadskin lichens were under a good two or three inches of ice and that ice acted like a magnifying glass. Those black spots on the upper one are the lichen’s apothecia where its spores are produced, and without ice magnifying them they’re about the size of the head of a common pin. It’s kind of amazing to see them so big in a photo.
Only in the woods was all at rest for me, my soul became still and full of power. ~Knut Hamsun
Thanks for stopping in.
Allen! I am so pleased that your COPD is no worse and that you are feeling positive. I am sure that feelings of well-being can make such a difference to chronic illness. The fact that you continue to work outdoors and that you continue to walk and climb your native mountains breathing deeply, will mean that the medication you have been prescribed will be working so much more effectively. I wish you all the best for 2019 and for always, my friend.
Thanks very much Clare, I agree with your thoughts on health and I really do believe in the healing power of nature, so I think I’ll be fine.
I wish you and your family the same!
Thank you, Allen.
Very glad to hear COPD is losing ground! I think you’re right about nature immersion being restorative or at least helpful that way. And you certainly know how to immerse!
Love your eye for the interesting and beautiful, including a “dead” fallen limb alive with color and shapes. Every post is rich with insights and information about nature, and a pleasant read with a fresh, personal touch. Thank you.
Best wishes this holiday season for you and yours.
Thanks very much. Yes, I feel that nature can be very healing and I surprise myself almost daily by breathing better.
I hope you and your family will also have a great Christmas!
It’s good to hear that the diagnosis of COPD is stopping you as far as tackling such a climb, I’d miss these posts if you were forced to stop.
The ice needles were a great find as were the fungi and lichen that you saw also. I must not be looking in the right places for ice needles, as I never see them, even when conditions are right. I’m also learning that winter can be a great time to photograph lichen, I spent half a day last week doing just that. It surprised me to see so many in such good shape as cold as it’s been here.
Best of all though were the views from near the summit, looking off into the distance, the granite outcrop, and Tipping rock itself. Those are things that I never see around home here in Michigan.
Thanks Jerry! Ice needles crunch when you walk on them so crunchy frozen soil is a good sign. The soil surface is also usually shot full of holes.
Lichens are very happy in winter for reasons I don’t understand. Many of them produce spores in winter.
I’m glad I could show you a few things you can’t see in Michigan. That’s one of the great things about blogging; we get to see things we normally couldn’t see.
Your explanation about ice needles is interesting, I never knew that’s how ice needles formed! And toadskin lichens is appropriately named. You find the most interesting things! So glad you could make the climb, and that you shared it with us.
Thanks Chris! My oversized curiosity led me to find out how ice needles form so I had to share it!
The lichen under the ice was a remarkable picture. I take a puffer every day for the COPD and I would be lost without it.
Thank you. I have three that I have to use and they do help.
And, yes, so sorry about the diagnosis. But glad the medication is helping.
Thank you Laurie. It isn’t as bad as it could be. I’m very thankful it isn’t lung cancer.
You bet! Lung cancer is a hard diseases to overcome.
That frosted hole looks a little scary! Watch out for your finger. 😉
Thanks Laurie. I never put any part of me in holes, be they in the ground or in trees!
😉
You do a lot for someone with COPD and I applaud you for your perseverance. This post gave a sense of peace. The trees were quiet; they ‘talk’ and this time they seemed to be settling in. The blue jay feather said a lot as well. I was quite moved by this post and I hope your COPD can be treated to allow you to continue to do what you love, and by your photos and comments let the trees talk to us. Thank you!
Thanks very much Callie. COPD is an inconvenience but it can be managed and I’m hoping to go on as I always have.
Being in the woods surrounded by that peace helps a lot and I’m glad that came through in this post. Trees don’t worry and they’re in no hurry, and I hope to go on learning from them for many years to come.
It does look like you had a good day, Allen…good for you! Wishing you many more summits. 🙂
Thanks very much Scott. It was a wonderful day!
Little heals like time in and with nature. Glad you took on the challenge… and reaped the reward.
Thank you Eric, me too!
I commend you for making the effort, but I understand that the rip brought its own rewards. The ices needles are especially beautiful!
Thanks Montucky! We’ve at least got to try, and I thought this post might be about trying and failing so it was a good day!
May you continue to safely test your limits! I feel grateful that I am a recipient of your gifts. I always learn so much from your work here. This time, I especially liked the photos and words about frozen water. I have been a fan of ice in the outdoors for many years!
Thanks very much Sophie, that’s just what I plan to do.
I thought this would be a good year for ice but now I’m wondering. It was 50 degrees F. today!
Thank you so much for these weekly posts. I’ve enjoyed them for years, but rarely leave a comment. I look forward to your quote of the week, too, and often copy them down. Happy holidays!
You’re welcome Rebecca, and thank you. I’m glad that you’re enjoying these posts. We live in such a beautiful state it’s hard not to speak of it!
I’m glad you like the quotes too. They often speak the words that I can’t seem to find.
Sorry to learn of your breathing troubles. You may have mentioned it somewhere before, but if so my memory draws a blank. (As it does more and more frequently. 😉 ) I hope the medication will continue to minimise the symptoms.
Thank you Ben. The medicine really has helped a lot but even without it I wouldn’t be sitting still for long. I think lungs are like any other ody part; if you don’t exercise them they get tired and old.
Yes. Best keep busy then. 🙂
I don’t spend a lot of time sitting around.
I like to have plenty of both.
Sorry to read about your COPD diagnosis but glad the medication is helping. I loved the granite outcrop, so massive.
Thank you Susan, I was encouraged by being able to make that climb.
That outcrop is one of the biggest I know of. Someday I’d like to see the view from the top of it!