Thursday Hikers

It stopped raining so we could hike, but the air was cold; we have left summer hiking behind us. The scenery, trails, fungi, and of course, the dogs, were just terrific. How about those Earth Star fungi we found!! They were marvelous. UTube has some nifty videos of Earth Stars in motion. Check it out . Sukee was able to find Tony who was (stuck?) hiding in a hollow tree trunk. The WItch Hazel is blooming, and there was a “sculpture garden” of cement cisterns for us to play in. The trails opened up and we found ourselves at Cranberry Pond, a first time visit for me, but well known to UMass students. There were a lot of American Chestnut saplings, most about 7′ tall and showing signs of Chestnut blight. Although much research is ongoing to try and restore the American Chestnut, no “cure” is yet know to combat the devastating fungus that, starting in 1904, killed over 4 billion of these trees. The saplings in the forests can reach 20 feet, but all succumb in time. The photo of the toothed green leaf is an American Chestnut leaf. Hello! Lynn took a photo of me with my cache of Bolete mushrooms…. fun to find but no eating. None of us have mushroom expertise alas. But we love finding them! Two fishermen on the pond gave us a photo op. The red jacket gave such a good reflection in the water. We might have left Lynn behind so that huge tree, once gnawed by beavers, wouldn’t topple. But when all was said and done she let go and came back for bag lunches with the rest of us. Good Luck to the tree without her support:) Next week: Stump Sprouts X Country SKi place in Hawley where the views of fall foliage should be great.
I’ve got my first wood stove fire of the season going. You too?? Penny