TNR at Ascutney!

Ascutney is getting greener every day, so let's go there and play.

Will this mud season ever end?

Colors of the day are brown and gray

But gray tinges red

A motley gang of greens contend,

Olive, Kelly, jade, mint, teal

Blue spruce, chartreuse

The hues let loose!

Slowly, they ascend,

To hemlock defer,

To pine, to fir

Then ripen to an emerald blend

Great, grassy fingers hold a story

Of ventures past and former glory

Sport and fun

Joy and sorrow

Hope and challenge for tomorrow

The canopy betrays some shards of gray

Vast slabs and hoary precipices

Calling us to clamber

On proud cliffs and in shy crevices.

Beneath the blanket, boulders beckon

Toppled from their craggy perches

By forces we can barely reckon

They now rest among the birches

And from the stone, meltwater drips

Soaks through mosses, seeps and trickles

Rolls through rills

Over rocks, it rumbles

Tumbles into pools, and leaves in ripples

Feeding forest ferns, sedge, foliage and lichen

Inviting walking, running, hiking

Tracking fauna, birding, biking

Bushwhack, trail work, dog walk, liking

Just sitting on a rock to savor every minute

Feel the moment

Linger in it

Summer slides, and soon

Too soon

With fading moon

Sun breaks above a white fog mantle

Crisp, blue and clear

And as I feared

Imperfection in the scenery!

Bright and bold, a fleck of gold

Cries out against the greenery

Quick! a picnic, climb, or scramble!

Grab for all the green that you can handle!

Tuesday night at 5:45, we will meet at the ski area parking lot (main trailhead). At six we'll ride a carefully curated route that avoids most of the mud that has returned after these past days of rain and celebrates the greening of our mountain. Spring forward!!

Then on Saturday we will reconvene at the kiosk to build some more trail: