January 8

Saturday was a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi.  The morning sky was mostly clear, the air was still and the temperature was a frigid 8 degrees.  Starting out, I noticed all around me the winter vegetation was coated with a delicate layer of hoarfrost.  The noticeable silence of my surroundings was broken by my boots crunching on the cold snow as I walked. A few inches of snow covered the trail through Bobolink Meadow where I observed a mishmash of tracks including deer, mouse, rabbit, pheasant, dog and human.  Turning at North Woods, I headed south toward Willow Wallow where I had to watch my step to avoid a pile of deer scat.  Also, along the trail I noticed a few bare patches where the deer had scraped away snow looking for a few green blades of grass to eat. Hiking around Succession Field, I glanced up to see a few Fox Squirrel nests high up in the treetops. These clumps of dead leaves provide squirrels with much needed shelter from the cold and wind of winter. As I entered South Woods, I noticed off to the west a few small trees that still had their dead leaves attached. I hiked over and discovered they were American Beech trees. I suspected the dense woods surrounding these trees prevented the wind from blowing the leaves off. Leaving South Woods, I passed Artist Overlook where I saw a single deer running slowly east through the snow-covered field. It was easy to spot because its dark winter coat contrasted with the white background. Hiking along the south trail, I recognized the tracks of cross-country skis. Turning north at Frog Fen, I ascended to the top of Reflection Hill and gazed north to see ice-covered Mallard Marsh. Descending Reflection Hill, I checked the snow conditions for next week’s sledding activity. Before heading to the Classroom Building, I stopped by Grebe Pond to check the ice conditions for next week’s pond dipping activity. West of the Classroom Building I checked out the bird feeders and saw Goldfinch, Juncos, Snow Buntings, Morning Doves, Chickadees, Cardinals and a Downy Woodpecker pecking away at the suet. Finally, I ducked into the car, turned on the heater and headed for home.

In the bleak mid-winter 


Frosty wind made moan, 


Earth stood hard as iron, 


Water like a stone; 


Snow had fallen, snow on snow,

Snow on snow, 


In the bleak mid-winter,

Long ago

Christina Rossetti