Last weekend I was lucky to snag the last parking spot at the trailhead for the Osceola peaks, even at 7:30am on a Sunday morning. Today I could not find any parking near my desired trail, in the heart of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I found a parking lot –distant but empty – for a roadside waterfall, and studied the map. I could walk back up the road (emphasis on UP!) or I could bushwhack alongside the waterfall and its brook and join the trail further up slope. It was super steep… but the route would avoid a roadwalk and save time, right? I decided to go for it; wow, was I in for a treat! Sometimes a little bad luck turns into an outstanding opportunity. Read on!
I pulled into the parking lot at 7:30am on a Sunday morning… and it was full. Well, nearly full; I snagged the very last spot available. Other hikers milled about, readying their backpacks for the hike to Mount Osceola. Yes, it is a beautiful sunny weekend in September, prime time for hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. But, gosh, I thought I was an early riser. I thought I’d beat the crowds. I’m glad I came when I did… and it was worth it! read on.
David on the summit of Mount Osceola, with the ridge to East Osceola in the foreground. Mount Washington is in the far distance, just to the right of “OR” on my cap.Continue reading “Mount Osceola”
Fall has arrived, more or less – and that means it is apple season! We planted two apple trees in the backyard – one with McIntosh, one with Cortland apples. The Cortlands are heading for a bumper crop, and the deadfall have already been extremely attractive to all the local wildlife.
We spent a few minutes today, shaking the tree to encourage a few more apples to fall… and netted over 12 pounds of cored apples!
Cooked with some cranberries from the freezer, then spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and brown sugar, they soon became 5 quarts of cran-applesauce. Wow! We are set for the winter.
Like most people, I find round numbers appealing. There is a reason people celebrate events like a “tenth anniversary” or “fiftieth birthday” as somehow more special than others. So today, on the first day of classes, I am celebrating a special anniversary … joining the faculty of Computer Science here at Dartmouth 040 years ago. In other words, I have spent 0x20 years on the faculty! For readers who are not accustomed to thinking in octal (base 8) or hexadecimal (base 16), I have spent 32 years on the faculty. We computer scientists love powers of 2. 🙂
I found a new location for my wildlife camera that is creating a feast of images: the backyard apple tree. The apples are ripe, falling from the tree, and feeding the entire neighborhood! Check out this two-minute video review of the local deer, fox, woodchuck, turkey, possum, and porcupine.
The woodchuck stands to watch and listen – keeping one eye on my camera.
We just returned from a lightning-fast vacation in Seattle, over Labor Day Weekend. We managed to pack into just two days some delightful meals and fascinating sight-seeing, all enhanced by some beautiful late-summer weather. Read on!
We are fortunate to live along the Connecticut River in a rural part of New Hampshire – in the town of Lyme, just a few miles north of Dartmouth College and the Town of Hanover. Surrounded by farmland and forest, and situated in that interstitial space between the forest and the river, we are regularly treated to wildlife sightings. Over the years I have seen and heard moose, deer, bear, fox, coyote, porcupine, skunk, raccoon, groundhog (woodchuck), beaver, mink, fisher (maybe), … not to mention birdlife like turkey, bald eagle, hawk, osprey, egret, heron, goose, duck, loon, and countless other songbirds and waterfowl. And yet, I am certain there is far more happening in our yard and around our house than I happen to see, especially at night. Sebastian, our cat, has surely seen it all… but he’s not talking. So I was pleased to get a pair of wildlife cameras for my birthday. I set up one by the river and one at the edge of a woodpile; here’s what I’ve seen so far.
The neighbor’s dog, “Timber”, caught on the wildlife camera.
A groundhog visits our yard, caught on the wildlife camera.
The gallery includes four captures, in still and video:
David Kotz 