Back again
We headed back up to Mohawk for another hike along the Deerfield River. We wanted to wander down the trail called Elders Grove, which according to the map stopped just short Zoar Gap, looking towards the picnic area across the river.
We have kayaked the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield and I have swam the Gap! (Another story). So we knew the area on the other side pretty well. Wayfinding would therefore be super straight forward.
Also we wanted to see if baby Porky had survived the encounter with the eagle. Spotting him or her would be a long shot if it was alive.
Animals will use the trails as it is easier to move along that=n going through the woods. Today in the fading snow we could see what looked to be coyote and fox tracks.
The moss in the forest reminds me of Ireland. Many areas are still super green even after several hard freezes. The mosses are dormant but still offer many shades of green.
We started across the lower meadow which os a favorite spot of ours. Somewhere back in the ethernet hazy of this blog there is this same shot of the apple tree in it's much younger days. Yike that means I am getting older???
We wandered along the Deerfield checking out the rapids and scouting the line we would kayak in our minds. We are looking at Zoar Gap up stream.
We started our whitewater career with Mark who is well know and an expert on these waters. Of course we don't have a "proper' whitewater boat. We did fine down the Fife Brook section class one and two on this ( ours is orange) !
Mark talked me into running the Gap with him ( class three). We made it halfway and swam the rest. We of course had helmets and PFDs classified for whitewater. Seriously go with someone who knows the river and wear a helmet and PFD!
The rocks here are amazing as we have said before. This is one that looks like a monkey's head at least to me.
Our hike brought us out to the road and the bridge above Zoar Gap. The maps are not quite accurate as it goes. I have no idea when this section of trail was completed. Judging by the log bridges it has been completed for at least ten years . Which of course is too new for topo maps of the area. So you never know till you go! Just like the section we tackled last time, it may or may not be a complete path.
We meet a hiker that was sitting down talking on a cell phone along the trail. He was a retired railroad worker who had worked across the USA and in this area as well. He loved to talk and told us about derailments. Did you know that the railroad folks called Charlemont - Derailmont back in the day! We chatted as we ate lunch near the Gap about strikes, derailments, and general railroad mayhem until the wind ,whipping down the valley, drove us back into the woods and him toward his car.
We made our way back the 1.6 miles to the meadow. Almost across the meadow we saw!
.
How crazy is that? In the same spot as we saw him or her last time. Well not very crazy because they only wander ???? I have no idea.
We searched the Google only to find that they stay close to their den.
Adults have a range, depending on food availability of six to fourteen acres.
They don't have blue eyes that is the camera on- auto triggering a flash.
This one is about he size of my shoe. So baby Porky.
Adult Porkies have 30,000 quills. The quills if stuck in you, travel about an inch a day through your body. If not pulled out the quill will eventually hit an internal organ or do some other serious damage.
If you don't die form the infection first.
By the way they cannot throw or shoot quills. You touch you get.
We headed back up the trail towards the Wheeler Farm. Good day knowing that baby Porky is living the good Porky life..
