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Moosilauke

Revisiting old friends at our beloved lodge.

It’s always a pleasure to return to Mount Moosilauke, and especially to Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. One of my best friends – from our student days in the Dartmouth Outing Club – was visiting from Australia. I joined a group of common friends at the Lodge on Friday evening for dinner and conversation. The evening was cool and the skies were clear as we watched the first stars appear in the late twilight of summer solstice. This morning, we stoked up on a hearty Lodge breakfast before striking out on the Gorge Brook trail for our ascent to the summit. The skies were sunny, with a light breeze and mild temperatures, a perfect day for a hike. Read on!

A stream on Snapper Trail, Mount Moosilauke.

Aspen

A return visit to a beautiful place!

I was delighted to again have the opportunity to spend a week in Aspen, Colorado, at a small workshop hosted by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAA&S) for leaders in higher education. It was a fascinating workshop, this year – as you might imagine, given the impact of federal actions may have on the future of higher education in this country – but in this blog I will focus on my outdoor activities while in Aspen. Read on!

Lupine, decorated with raindrops – Aspen Colorado.

Lyme wildlife – May 2025

Bears, bobcats, groundhogs, and more.

The month of May was surprisingly quiet, as if the animals of Lyme were on the move – not settled in any given location, not often reappearing in the video captures from my wildlife cameras posted in two forests and my own backyard. Some locations that had previously provided multiple daily videos of a busy porcupine couple, for example, became dormant, causing me to explore new locations that may be more lively. One of those turned out to be exceptionally lively, attacked by a bear within days of its deployment! Read on…

Wandering the spring forest

When you really pay attention, you notice the small beauties of the forest.

I try to get out at least once a week into the forests of Lyme, NH, where I live. Regular readers see my videos from wildlife cameras placed at undisclosed locations in the woods. Although I enjoy witnessing the secret life of Lyme wildlife, and sharing it with you all, I mostly enjoy the opportunity to wander, off trail, with no particular destination in mind. The month of May adds the opportunity to enjoy small wonders along the way.

Trillium blooming in the forests of Lyme, NH.

Lyme wildlife – April pools!

A vernal pool is a busy crossroads.

In the Lyme forest, my usual tromping grounds include a couple of vernal pools. These small, shallow depressions fill with water in the spring – initially, from melting snow that cannot yet seep into the still-frozen earth below, and later from early spring rains. They teem with life, and are a particularly important breeding ground for amphibians. They also attract wildlife of all types, to hunt or to drink. I saved aside the clips from my two cameras beside one vernal pool – not included in my April videos shared two weeks ago – because the activity around this pool is so fascinating. It also provides my first ever view of predation in action, in almost two years of work with wildlife cameras.

Lyme wildlife – April

Winter fades and spring emerges.

I have followed the same route for years, climbing steeply up the hillside following a skidder trail left behind from a logging operation more than twenty years ago. It slants upward, moderating its steepness and thereby reducing the potential for erosion, then hooks sharply right as it reaches the ridge and settles out at the high point. Although this hilltop is fully forested, and only a few hundred feet in elevation, I affectionately refer to it as the ‘summit’, the high point of my home turf. It was the first location I chose for a wildlife camera, and it has never failed to capture interesting action.

Lyme wildlife – den competition

The case of Groundhog v. skunk.

Last year I placed a wildlife camera near an apparent animal den that something had burrowed under a pile of sticks – a pile that has accumulated lawn debris for over two decades. It turned out to be the home of Mother Groundhog, who soon gave birth to seven cute little pups. For weeks they romped in front of their den, leading to a delightful video. Not long after, they all disappeared. I never knew what became of the mother or the pups.

So, as spring emerged this year, I set up the camera again to see whether a groundhog (woodchuck) had returned and might be using the den for another litter of pups. Little did I know that, over just two weeks, I’d capture a bit of drama and a total takeover of this snug little den. Check it out!

Lyme wildlife – bear play

The bears are back!

As regular readers know, I’ve been exploring a new area of Lyme forest – a steep slope below a line of crumbling granite cliffs. Huge boulders have broken off the cliff, over centuries, forming a steep hillside with jagged boulders stacked chock-a-block here and there. The resulting nooks and crannies provide excellent den terrain for numerous porcupines. I’ve seen bobcats and coyotes, but have yet to find their dens.

Two weeks ago I found an interesting nook, a dry place under an overhanging boulder, that looked promising. On the ground were scattered small hemlock branches, snipped from the trees above – most likely by porcupines, but I was curious to see who might be resting and eating below this overhang. I placed a camera, and left. Five days later, it had a visitor.

Lyme wildlife – March

Winter becomes spring, and the animals are busy.

It was like a switch had flipped. February here in New Hampshire was snowy and consistently cold – the temperature never rose above freezing, which led to a fantastic season for outdoor winter activities. But on the first of March the weather immediately started to warm. The lower elevations of Lyme, where I deploy my wildlife cameras, lost all their snow — only to see the snow return twice in brief snowstorms. My wanders through the forests of Lyme led me to discover exciting new locations to capture video of wildlife activity… and to meet some of these critters face to face! Read on.

What’s in my pack – winter edition

Back in August 2022 I posted “what’s in my pack“, detailing the content of my summertime hiking backpack – at least, the heavier model that I use when I want to carry my full-sized camera. In winter, however, I carry a much larger pack because I need to carry more warm clothing and more emergency gear. Read on to find out what’s different about my winter pack.