First Day Hike - Mid January Version

Way back in 2021, a group of us headed out in the the New Jersey Pinelands, scouting out a potential route for a First Day Hike.

Well the first day came, Patty and I were in Florida, and back in New Jersey the weather was craptastical, so the hike was postponed. 

Until January 23rd. A cold but otherwise gorgeous day.

Which meant Patty and I could join in on the fun! Woo Hoo!

Our fearless, mostly, leader Terry, and her brother from another mother (and father) Tom.

We wandered down old sand road. Where by old it means from the 1940s. Older than all us hikers.

At which point we turned down another sand road, provenance unknown. Spoiler alert: it's sand roads all the way around.

Except for this bit. The sand road was bisected by this watercourse. The logs in the background a bridge we, where we were mainly Joe, a retired carpenter who helps maintain the Batona Trail these days, 'built' to cross.

Only five of us were brave enough to cross. Our previously fearless leader was not one of the five.

And off we went down a sand road covered with pine needles.

Along the way we spotted the remnants of a number of Earthstars. A type of fungi.

Patty likes Earthstars. (So do I.)

Eventually we made it to the beach, one of many such along the Wading River.

Not your typical beach attire. That's Joe, of bridge building fame, on the left.

A picturesque tree. On a warmer day a spot to sit and dangle one's toes in the stream.

Picturesque in the other direction as well. On weekends in the summer it would be crowded with kayakers. Some of us hikers, myself included, have been a part of the crowd.

On the way back we passed by what remains of the original Evans Bridge. A bridge Joe had no hand in the construction of. At least as far as I know he didn't.  

We exited the woods just south of the aforementioned Batona Trail. Joe may have had a hand in the construction and-or maintenance of these bridges. 

We then headed back to the cars for a bit of refreshments, shrimp, a variety of cheeses and meats, yummy lemon bars, chips and dip, among other stuffs. And took turns sitting on Terry's accordion chair.

Image courtesy Terry Schmidt

A good time was had by all.

Ice Bells

During our time at the beach along the Wading River, we discovered some interesting ice formations.

They looked like bells. Which raises the question, how did they form.

There were other, similar forms, most just a little to far for close up shots. In a variety of bell like and non-bell like shapes.

My best guess as to why they look like bells is that as moisture condensed out of the air, it did so on strands of the moss hanging down. And as it condensed gravity pulled it down, so that most of it froze on the bottom. But why did it end where it does? And why the bell shape? My hypothesis is that there was a layer of ice on top of the stream, it was still there in other spots nearby, so the water would hit that layer of ice and then spread out. Freezing in the 'cone' shape that forms the 'bell'. But why the 'cap' at the top of the cone? I have no idea. A puzzlement.

And another bit of ice that makes me smile.

Little - Big

Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers are very similar in appearance.

So much so one would be forgiven for thinking Downys were just young Hairys.

They're not.

The main difference is size. Which is why it is so nice when they show up on the same tree.

Icy Colors

The front bubbler was not the only thing freezing over.

The Fish Pond has as well.

When we moved in Dennis, the prior owner told me that it was important to have some open water for the fish. And he left us a heater to put in the filter box.

Most years, that is enough to keep an area around the filter box ice free. Not this year however.

Thus I've been smashing the ice to open up that zone. One enjoyable side effect of which has been the interesting optical effects, highlighted by the colors.

It's the little things that make me smile.

And apparently icy things.

Sky Circles

While driving down the road the other day I, not surprisingly, looked up in the sky

And saw some circles.

Like the circle in the Yet Another Lunar Halo post, these circles are the result of water in the atmosphere, in this case contrails. Contrails of planes likely circling the Philadelphia airport.

This second image shows a pale Sundog, the bright spot in the upper center, to the right of the overexposed Sun. And the bright spot on the contrail circle, below the Sundog, is a fragment of the 22° Halo, the type of halo shown around the Moon.

Yet Another Lunar Halo

I can't get enough of these things.

And despite the folklore, there were no storms the next day.

They Need a Shovel

And hands to use it.

In the Snowbirds post I mentioned that the Mourning Dove went hungry.

And noted the birds seemed confused in the Messy Garden post.

You know that feeling when you go to a favorite restaurant anticipating a nice meal and find it to be closed?

Yeah it was that. Only for birds.

Snow Birds

Friday morning we woke to a winter wonder land.

And the American Robins, looking for food, descended upon the Crabapple tree.

And they found it.

Which can't be said for the Mourning Dove.

Thoughts of Warmer Times

On day this past June I spotting this red patch in the Crabapple tree out my office window.

And work went on hold.

A young Northern Cardinal. 

And as I was watching a young Great-crested Flycatcher made an appearance.

A nice interlude between work tasks. 

And something to dream of these cold dark days.    

Snow Bird

Fast forward some months ...

I wonder if it is the same Northern Cardinal. 

And I wonder if it's dreaming of warmer times?

Messy Garden

One of the benefits of gardening for wildlife is that the amount of yard work is significantly reduced. A trivial example is every square meter of garden is one less square meter to mow. 

Another maintenance job we no longer do is cut down the dead plants in the fall.

And this is one of the reasons why.

As you can see we had a bit of snow.

And the bird feeders were all snow covered. 

The birds were confused.

But there was still food available.

And this Chipping Sparrow was out my office window happily munching away at native grass seeds.

Which is another benefit of gardening for wildlife, benefiting the wildlife.

The Sky Was Angry This Morning ...

But it didn't last.

And the impending ice storm passed us by.

It was pretty cool looking though.

Mt Washington - Part 2

In the Mt Washington - Part 1 post I mentioned that both the Cog Railway and the Mt Washington Observatory would play a big role in our White Mountains adventure.

Our plan was to hike up the Valley Way Trail, taking the AMC shuttle bus from the Highland Center Lodge to the trailhead in the morning. We'd spend the night at the Madison Spring Hut and cross over to Mt Washington the next day. And we'd spend the night at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. And then make our way back down to the Highlands Center Lodge.

As they say about the best laid plans ...

The weather forecast for our hike up called for torrential downpours. Highly non-optimal. The next day called for thunderstorms. Quite undesirable for a stroll above the tree line. What to do?

It was Patty who figured it out. Take the Cog Railway up! But how to get there? The shuttle bus! The bus does not go to the Cog Railway. But it does go to a nearby trailhead. Where nearby was less than a mile. Problem solved. We canceled our stay at the Madison Hut, booked another night at the Highlands Lodge, and enjoyed a day of local hiking and relaxing at the lodge.

On our walk up to the railway station we passed the original coal powered engine, Peppersass. It is occasionally fired up for a ride to the top.

Our train had a biodiesel engine. Much more efficient and environmentally friendly.

It was popular. Three trains, all filled up. With hourly departures. We arrived early enough to take the 10 o'clock train, despite having tickets for the 11 am trip. We got the last two seats.

Our seats were separated, Patty in the front row, me in the second. Which meant we could hear the conductor as he narrated the journey, mixing history with what was happening. Here we are approaching a switch for passing lanes. In the distance is a water tower. The coal engines would need to stop and refill there. The new engines just roll on by.

I mentioned in the Part I post that the average temperature at the top was 35° F. The conductor told us this, and that the record high was 72° F. As we headed up it was already 66° F. Alas, a new record was not set.

Our friend Liz sent this picture from when she rode the train to the top, not quite as warm that day.

Image courtesy Liz Schaefer.

The ticket is a round trip, but we planned to spend the night and walk down.

Bye bye train!

The "white splotch" just right of center is train station from where we started. And while warm, you can see it is still cloudy.

The building in the distance is where we are headed, our home for the night. And yep, shorts and t-shirt weather.

Our path to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. A bit on the rocky side.

The night at the lodge was a warm one. I slept in the bunk closest to the window, and the window was open all night. And I slept in shorts and a t-shirt. Outside my sleeping bag most of the night.

The next morning was a clear day! Woo hoo! That's Mt Washington in the background. It was a very nice, albeit quite humid, hike back to the Highlands Center. But that's a story for another time.