Thursday, June 11, 2009

Bolt Hole Report

There's not much to report from the Bolt Hole unless you want to hear about how I've been mucking about in the mud along the ATV trails. Or, perhaps, how the weather (cool and damp) has been a boon to the local black fly population that sees me as their prime source of food. Or about the smallish thunderstorm that swept through the area at daybreak and woke me up with the deafening cacophony of rain drumming on the metal roof. There are more of those in the area as I write.

This is the longest I've stayed at the Bolt Hole this early in the summer season since we bought the place back in the '80s. Until 2004 I would have been in the classroom until the end of June and so would only get up here for a weekend that was usually spent cutting grass.

It's a nice time to be here with all the birds still singing and establishing/defending their territories and many of the flowers just starting to bud and open up. The hawkweed and daisies that I didn't mow are beginning to bloom and the invasive honey suckles yet to be cut down are in flower providing some nectar for the hummingbirds, butterflies and bumblebees. I missed the apple blossoms but can see where the bees did their job and the swollen bases of the flowers are becoming young apples. The black cherries have just finished their blooming and the lawn was littered with the white petals from their flowers for a few days. The pines that are still standing have three or four inch candles of new growth and, when it's dry, emit a cloud of pollen when brushed against or wind shaken. The woods are all green and the bugs haven't done much damage to the leaves...yet.

The side of the cabin has a mall flower garden planted by the former owners. There's lots of phlox and other flowers that are just starting to grow and there are some orange poppies that have huge flower buds already atop their stalks.
Poppies in the flower bed.

I stopped to admire them the other day and was immediately struck by their resemblance to Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. I half expected them to lean towards me and demand that I feed them.

While I stood there, a movement at my feet attracted my attention. I had stepped on--and pinned down--the tail of a small garter snake who was writhing in protest over my toes! I, of course, lifted my foot immediately and let it go on its way. It eats bugs and is, therefore, a friend.

Yeah, it's a nice time to be here except for the damn black flies. I've mentioned the Adirondack Air Force (AAF) before. The black flies, deer flies, mosquitoes and no-see-ums protect the land from the invasion of humans. If the AAF didn't do it's job properly, this place would be ideal for folks to settle. That is, if you could get any crops to grow in the short summer season. The last frost may be still to come and the first of fall may be as early as mid September.

The woods are still wet from the melting snow. Ephemeral springs and creeks are still running and that makes the low lying areas puddles of standing water and/or rich organic laden mud. The old skidways are rife with low lying areas. I tried to do some trenching along the sides of the trails only to run into obstacles in the form of glacially deposited stones--which I could pry out--and boulders which I could not and tree roots that formed natural dams. Whether my efforts will pay off or not is debatable. There are flat areas in the woods that also hold water at this time of year. They are usually boulder laden and runoff is prevented by the rotting trunks of fallen trees. Sometimes these areas develop into small sphagnum bogs if the source of water is long lasting enough. What water does flow across the surface is just as likely to disappear beneath the surface and wend its way amid the tangle of tree roots as it is to form a real stream.

I need to get myself some real boots, something waterproof. The boots I've been wearing aren't. They have been sponge-like in their affinity to water. The steel toes may be good for protecting against a fallen log (or 2 x 4) but the boot proper merely sieves the dirt out of the mud and allows the water to enter. After wearing them for a day of mucking about in the mud, my toes are all wrinkled and shriveled as if I'd been soaking them all day. The problem I have with waterproof boots is that they also tend to keep moisture in and my feet sweat--a lot. Even with waterproof boots, my toes would still end up shriveled and wrinkled. But, maybe, they would be warmer.

Today I'm just trying to stay dry--and let my boots air out.

Well, another thunderstorm is approaching so it's time to sign off. Talk to you later.

1 comment:

Rick said...

Danners are the boots of champions. Buy the right kind and they are made in Portland.