The core part of hunting season ended in early December, and the Lyme forest settled in for a long winter. Or so one might think; the weather has been so warm, and largely snowless, that it hardly seems like winter yet. I left two cameras deployed – one at the trail over the summit, as it has been since late October, and the other in two locations, first at a trail intersection and later at a vernal pool. December’s video includes many captures of deer, as you might expect. Most exciting was a short clip of two coyotes trotting over the summit just before midnight, in early December, and a bear scampering past the summit on Christmas Day. (Isn’t he supposed to be asleep for the winter?)
Black bear, heading away from the camera.Two coyotes, just before midnight.
I was back in South Carolina for the Christmas holiday and had a chance to explore some of the wildlife around Kiawah Island and Magnolia Plantation, both near Charleston. The gallery shows some of my favorite photos from that week… deer, ducks, alligators, herons, and seagulls. I especially enjoyed watching a pair of blue herons going about the construction of their nest. They seemed to be taking their time, slowly building it one tiny stick at a time.
Blue herons building a nest, Magnolia Gardens, South Carolina.
I enjoyed photography in 2023 and decided to share my pick of favorites. It was not easy! 12 photos for 12 months – not one per month, but just the twelve that I felt were especially beautiful or interesting. See the full gallery – where I recommend clicking the “play” button to see them as a slideshow – and read on for some commentary about each one.
A delightful couple of hours touring the heart of the historic district in Charleston, SC.
I’ve been visiting Charleston, South Carolina for over 35 years, and yet feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface in exploring its 350-year history. Our focus while here is nearly always on family activities, and we have only rarely taken the opportunity to be tourists and tour some of the historic sights. This weekend we signed up for a walking tour of the core area of the historic district. Charleston is one of the oldest (European) cities in North America, founded over 350 years ago. Many of the earliest buildings still survive, despite two devastating wars, a citywide fire, an earthquake, and numerous hurricanes. The cobblestone streets, narrow lanes, and variety of architecture are truly breathtaking. See the gallery for a few photos of the highlights.
It was a busy week, and I was eager to get outside. So when some friends suggested a short hike on Saturday – and the forecast looked sunny – I jumped at the chance. We decided to try the diminutive Mount Peg, which is a grassy hilltop just a short walk from the side streets of Woodstock, Vermont. I had never been there, and it took us a while to find the right trailhead. It turns out that the slopes of Mount Peg has a vast network of trails, twisting around and interconnecting (it seemed) every hundred meters. On its south side, the trail network grows even larger and (this time of year) becomes a nordic ski center. Indeed, the first trailhead we located was for skiers, and there were a few skiers braving the warm temperatures and mushy snow on this sunny morning.
Karen and Dave on the Summit of Mount Peg – a small hill outside Woodstock VT.
We relocated to one of the hiker’s trailheads and headed up into snowless forest. One kilometer later we popped out onto the grassy slopes of the summit, where a thin layer of crusty old snow persisted despite heavy foot traffic. A large, multigenerational family bustled by us at one point, as did a lone, lycra-clad jogger. These trails are popular for both the locals and the tourists, they being easily reached from the downtown hotels and the quiet neighborhoods nearby. We went down by a slightly different route, one of the benefits of a mountain with so many trails!
Route to/from Summit of Mount Peg – a small hill outside Woodstock VT.
My wildlife cameras show a lot of activity in the forest during hunting season.
Snow fell overnight, just a little. It seemed like a fine way to mark the end of hunting season. I headed out in the early morning light, striding uphill through the woods, eager to check on my wildlife cameras. A month ago, just before hunting season, I placed the cameras in promising locations after obtaining permission from the landowner. Deer season – specifically, rifle season, when most hunters are out in the woods – ended last night. I dressed in bright orange clothing, just in case, and full of hope for what my own ‘hunt’ may have captured. Read on to find out!
It had been two weeks since I had a chance to get out hiking. The weather forecast was not promising – morning fog, clouds all day – but it’s always nice to get outside. I picked Black Mountain, a place I’ve been many times because it has a great view of Mount Moosilauke. Not today!
Every other year, our extended family gathers on a rural farm in lowcountry South Carolina outside Charleston, to celebrate Thanksgiving with family, feast, and friendly competition. My wife’s family prepares the turkey (130 pounds!) and the outdoor setting, and a hundred extended relatives bring potluck favorites … stuffing, corn pudding, collard greens, green beans, sweet potatoes, fish stew, cole slaw, and more. And the dessert table (shown)… pies and cookies and cakes galore. This year, 95 members of the family re-connect, and meet new relatives. Many huddled around the six-foot-wide diagram of the family tree to discover their relationship or to scribble in the names of new arrivals.
This year we were blessed with wonderful weather – sunshine and mild temperatures. As people finished their lunches and chatted in lawnchairs, another group set up for the skeet-shooting competition. This year, about 20 people competed, young and old, using a shotgun to shatter the clay disks as they flew away from them. It’s even harder than it looks! The old-timers taught the new-comers, some who had never shot skeet before, or perhaps had never shot a gun before. After several rounds of increasingly stiff competition, the best received the treasured felt hats – each scribbled with the winners’ names and dates going back almost five decades.
The prizes – Schiutzenfest.
Over the course of the weekend my father and I had a chance to explore Kiawah Island and Magnolia Plantation Gardens, also outside Charleston, to photograph the wildlife and scenery. Explore the photo gallery!
As I drove north in the early twilight, the few clouds slowly became tinged pink, then bright orange. I turned onto NH Route 25A and headed due east, the road ahead was illuminated in a brilliant orange display as the sun rose into the clouds. A broad smile spread on my face as I realized I had made the right choice; the forecast had indicated a slight chance of snow or (later) rain, but things were looking awfully darn good for an early-morning late-fall hike. Did it hold? read on.
Smarts Mountain – from the north and from the the south.
An obscure entrance to the Appalachian Trail offers quick access to the trail where it crosses Jacobs Brook, and climbs Eastman Ledges on its way up Mount Cube. It’s a short walk, perhaps a quarter mile along the brook and then a half mile up the A.T. to the ledges. I had not been along this section of trail since I backpacked this segment in 2012, and had not driven to this access point since before the turn of the century. I’d been eager to return, so today I visited at the end of fall foliage and the beginning of deer season. I got some great photos of the cascades along Jacobs Brook and had a nice view of Smarts Mountain.
View of Smarts Mountain from Eastman Ledges on Mount Cube.
Then I drove back to Lyme and hopped up to one of its favorite viewpoints to look back at the same mountain. Read on!
David Kotz 