Category Archives: Photos

Mountain Biking, Observations, Photos, Trail Safety, Trail Updates

Please NO Bikes until further notice

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Update: April 13th: Our trails are slowly drying out. They are in a pretty fragile state right now and we will keep them closed until the dirt firms up a little bit more. PLEASE do not be tempted to ride our trails as you might think they’re dry enough to ride but in reality they really are not. We have some freeze/thaw cycles coming up with some rain which will cause problems with the trail tread. Please respect our hard earned volunteer hours by staying off your bikes in the park. If you really need exercise we would be glad to give you a rake and clean out water drainage’s from last years leaves that have collected in them.

Update: April 3rd: We are going into a major thaw cycle this week with rain. The trails are sloppy and we are asking folks with bikes(including fat bikes) to stay off them until further notice. Thanks for your cooperation.

Update March 3rd:  Wish our trails still had snow on them like this photo. However, they do not. We are down to bare ground. Frozen for a day or two then above freezing temps again. Please stay off your bikes on the trails when we are in the thaw part of the cycles. It is greatly appreciated.

Update: February 27th: most of the snow and ice are gone from the trails. We are asking folks to use common sense if temps are above freezing by not riding and doing trail damage. Thank you.

Update February 24th:Trails are just sloppy. It has not been below freezing for 3 nights. No cold weather until late Sunday 2/27 to return the trails to a firm condition.

Trails will be frozen today 2/20 early on before they soften as temperatures rise. Tuesday they will be frozen like a rock with cold temps Monday night. The rest of the week temps are above freezing so trails will be wicked soft not so great for fat bikes.

Update February 16, 2017: Trails are in great shape with snow. Lot’s of ski, snowshoe and fat bike tire traffic. Winterfest is this weekend which will bring more people to the park.

Update January 31, 2017:Trails are covered with packed snow that is basically packed white ice.

Update January 27, 2017:Trails are snow covered with a fair amount of frost upheaval on some trails. Green Mtn Power folks are still replacing telephone poles please be aware of heavy machinery on the trails. For more up to date information on trails please join TrailHUB.org and mark Pine Hill Park as a favorite.

Update January 8, 2017: Studded tires are highly recommended as the trails are pretty icy under the snow.

 

 

Nature Study, Observations, Photos

Hay ! That’s a Lot of Ferns.

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A carpet of hay-scented fern at the junction of Trillium and Upper Giorgetti trails in Pine Hill Park.

You may notice a distinct aroma of hay when you travel through certain sections of the park.  That’s Hay Scented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) you’re smelling.

Screen Shot 2016-06-29 at 12.13.07 PMThis patch is where Upper Giorgetti and Trillium intersect (Jct. 6), but my favorite spot is where Strong Angel travels under the powerline.  I love to cruise downhill through that stretch in the early morning—it feels like descending on a cloud of green fluff!

 

Here’s a link to a good guide to start you on identifying other ferns in the park if you’re interested.

Nature Study, Observations, Photos

Wild Times at Big Muddy!

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By Dave Jenne

I made a trip yesterday to Muddy Pond via the Park and Carriage Trail in search of some interesting photos.  What a day! If you are interested in wildlife watching, stop and watch for a while at either Rocky Pond or Muddy Pond as you cross the power line on the Carriage Trail.  There are some amazing critters there!  Here’s a little summary of my morning (click on the images for a larger version):

I arrived at my location and was set up by 7 am (about an hour later than I wanted, but shlepping my 60+ lbs of gear up Pond Road was a good workout!)  I no sooner got myself concealed and sat than the bird I had most wanted to see came to me right over the pond and carrying a large stick.

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Osprey carrying a large stick over Muddy Pond.

It’s possibly a young Osprey just starting to learn the skills of nest building… what he was building yesterday is best termed avant-garde sculpture!

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Osprey flying over Muddy Pond.

After a couple attempts at sculpture, the Osprey glided over to the opposite side of the pond and sat in a tree for two straight hours presumably waiting for breakfast to swim under his perch.

Once my heartbeat slowed to a pace to where I could concentrate again I noticed that I had set up my blind about 10 feet away from a little dead tree snag that was being used by a Song Sparrow to announce his territory.

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Male Song Sparrow proclaiming his territory at Muddy Pond.

After an hour or two I discovered that this wasn’t just a territory, it was already home for a family.  His mate soon dropped by with some breakfast for the nestlings which I couldn’t see from my location.

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Female Song Sparrow with a dragonfly for its nestlings.

I had heard and suspected there would be some ducks with chicks at the pond and wasn’t disappointed. The first bird to swim past me was a female Hooded Merganser.  There weren’t any chicks in sight, but maybe they’re still in the nest.  I’ll be checking back in a week or two so maybe we’ll see some then.

Female Hooded Merganser
Female Hooded Merganser

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To the left of my location was another larger (30ft or so tall) dead tree.  I hadn’t pointed my camera in that direction because the light was bad from that angle, but true to form, about every species of bird at the pond decided that THAT was the place to hang out!  One of them was this Northern Flicker that stayed just long enough for me to get off 4 frames… and then it “Flicked” off across the pond.

A Northern Flicker perched on a dead tree limb at Muddy Pond.
A Northern Flicker perched on a dead tree limb at Muddy Pond.
A Northern Flicker flys off across the pond.
A Northern Flicker flys off across the pond.

Muddy Pond is home to at least 2 broods of Wood Ducks.  I counted one group with 8 ducklings and another with 5. Its always amazing to me how fast young birds can grow. Some of these guys are already looking pretty big, so probably will be just about ready to fly by the next time I see them.

Wood Duck family at Muddy Pond.
Wood Duck family at Muddy Pond.
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Wood Duck mother and ducklings at Muddy Pond.

I came to the pond intending to get some photos of some of the beavers there, but there was no sign of them… although they left plenty of evidence of their presence.  Be careful around the pond— especially on a windy day. Some of them are really large trees that are about ready to go!

A large oak tree chewed by beavers.
A large oak tree chewed by beavers.