Well, it was Monday, which means hiking in Nelson, of course. So, what did we do? HIKE! Today, we decided to return to a spot that we have visited before, but not really gotten to know well: Ellis Reservoir, which is a wetlands area in the northwest corner of town. It also extends into Sullivan, but we won't hold that against it.
We started our hike at a trail off of Granite Lake Road, which led us into one of John and Anne Bunce's four fields. Fields are nice, but don't usually offer too much of interest, so we soon headed into the woods. We encountered some beautiful sphagnum moss areas, a couple new to us vernal pools, which we vowed to return to in the spring (we'll see if we remember), and some interesting fungi: shelf mushrooms with a bright red outer ring, which Al hypothesized might be the newest growth.
Moving up the hill, we came to an area that had recently been logged. When we could, we followed a trail, since moving through a logged area is usually very challenging because of the thick new growth and the many briars, not to mention the downed trees and branches. Along the way, we found a very dilapitated boat, which would not be sea or lake worthy any time soon, a bear-bitten utility pole, with hair stuck in it, many spots of deer and moose scat, which thankfully, were too fresh for Al to pick up and throw at me as he is prone to do on many occasions.
It was familiar territory, but we could always find something new along the way. We found the first of what would be many tree stands at the edge of Ellis Reservoir. This first was old and probably did not see use anymore, but the second was one we had visited more than a year before. The note we left at that time was no longer there, so we left another note on birch bark tucked behind a board at the top of the stand. Moving around the knoll above the tree stand, I found a snapping turtle nest which had obviously been pilfered by predators some months earlier. The egg shells littered the ground, along with scat from coyote and fox perhaps. I could see bones in the coyote scat and hair in the fox scat. We also observed deer tracks, which was no surprise considering the abundance of deer sign: scat, trails, scrapes that we had already seen in the area.
We decided to head out into the wetlands that is Ellis Reservoir to see what we could find. The ground was partially frozen as was the water, though not secure enough to hold our weight, so we alternately walked on frozen and not so frozen sphagnum moss and tussocks of sedge. I managed to keep fairly dry, and neither one of us ended up in water deeper than our ankles. While Al was resting at the foot of the second deer stand, I had explored into the wetlands a bit and found three sizeable clumps of pitcher plants ( Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants which trap insects that are attracted to the smell of the liquid in the "pitcher." The insects crawl unto the lip of the plant and the hairs and surface of the plant make it impossible for the insect to climb out. They fall into the liquid which contains enzymes to digest the insects.) . When Al joined me, we found another huge patch of Pitcher plants. It will be nice to come back in the late spring and early summer to see the plants in bloom. We found the dried remnants of last season's flowers and with the size of these patches, it must be an impressive sight in the spring.
We also found cranberries, though not in the abundance that we are used to on the Great Meadow. Enough to eat, though. Lots of plants, but not much fruit on them. We made our way to open water, observing the dry grasses swept up on to the shore in times when the water must have been much higher. As we returned to the edge of the wetlands, we observed much fresh beaver sign. But we couldn't see a lodge or dam from our vantage point. Obviously, the beavers are active, but we will have to explore on another day to find their home. We also found old otter scat, which we picked apart to find fish scales and parts of crayfish: a shell, part of a claw.
After a snack of our own (neither fish nor crawdad), we headed back into the woods toward home. The way down to Ellis Reservoir is steep, so, of course, it was a good climb out as well. The legs burn and I, for one, don't move too fast on these uphill trek. Moving slowly gives more time for observation. I looked up the hill and saw a downed tree with something that looked like a big shelf fungus. I wasn't sure if it was really that--could have been a broken off limb or something. I headed toward the spot to see if I was seeing what I thought. Yes, it was a large shelf mushroom, black and pock-marked. Smaller mushrooms surrounded it, but none could compare with the size of this mushroom. It was big enough to serve as an umbrella, should the need arise. The downed tree next to the "giant mushroom" tree also had shelf mushrooms of a different variety. Lots of shelf mushrooms provide Al with an opportunity for an impromptu percussion jam. The variety and size of the mushrooms elicit different tones and resonance. And there's always room for a little bit of music on any hike. I sat under the umbrella mushroom while Al drummed. Good way to rest up for the next leg of our uphill climb.
Our route back to the car led us through Nature Conservancy land and over a stone wall which marked the boundary between the conservancy land and land owned by Chuck and Sandy Tatham. Chuck and Sandy are avid hunters and as we moved through their property, we could see evidence of their interest at every turn. One tree stand this way, another there, another and another. Some are quite elaborate, with a corrugated metal roof and a couple of chairs. Others were simpler; one consisted of a chair at the base of a tree. We also came upon a spot where they had set up cameras and set out bait to monitor the habits of the wildlife in the area. We stayed clear of the cameras--nothing is more unflattering than a wildlife camera picture (I know from experience), but while we stood outside the circle of cameras and bait, we observed a very healthy nuthatch scoot down a tree, no doubt to snag a morsel of seed or nut left for the game animals.
We decided to move out of this active hunting area, so that if Chuck or Sandy were looking for deer, we wouldn't scare the deer away and so that we wouldn't inadvertently find ourselves in the line of fire. As we headed out of this patch of woods, we observed a beech tree with many bear claw marks. We followed the stream down the hill and back into familiar territory. Along the way, we scared up a ruffed grouse and each had a separate encounter with some deep mud. We also passed through an area of first, gray birch, then poplar, then balsam, then alder. It is interesting to figure out what makes certain trees grow in certain places, when to the naked eye, conditions seem the same.
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