[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[at-l] Postcard from "the Great White North"...

Greetings AT'ers -

i'm back from my "pilgrimage to Mecca", er for hikers, (well for me anyway)
that would be "Sojourn to the Whites" and as usual had a "grand ole time"
From my perspective this year seemed to be the "year of the Toad" up in
the"North Country" as i saw countless, mostly speckled tan but some green
and ranging in size from a quarter to the size of my fist.  Sometimes
their attempts to elude accidental trouncing became quite comical as
they don't possess real smooth mobility in steep, rocky,
conditions (read: hop followed by out of control downhill roll).
"Poor dears" don't appear to "see all that well" and i did try to
"give them their space" - Toads since they were on the trail - frogs
would basically be found in water, right ???

Last year's rampant mosquito population appeared greatly
diminished and there were times i didn't even use the citronella spray.
A feat "unheard of" in the Whites last year.
When i did use "bug stuff" it was usually in reaction to the black flies,
which could be quite annoying in certain "pockets".  Smaller pockets in
August than July but still... i remarked to another hiker that the black
flies were s'pozed to be gone by august but apparently nobody had told this 
to these
late season "hang-ons".  Interesting how each year a different creature
seems to predominate.  Two years ago it was the
Year of the Red Squirrels (read: lots/feisty).  Last year - the Year of
the Mosquito (read: scads/thirsty) and this year - the Year of the Toad.
(toad you so.... :-)

Actually my "mid-atlantic perspective" showed when during the 3rd day
i thought, "well i haven't seen any blackflies but these biting gnats are
awful" - i had noticed that black flies near Stratton Mt in Vermont
seemed to shy away from actually landing after i had applied deet.
This caused me to rethink my position that White Mountain black flies
were oblivious to "the stuff" so i experimented.  Yes, about a quarter
of the White Mountain black flies did seem to "leave my skin" after
receiving a straight on soaking but still 3/4 of them just seemed
to shudder as if it was "cold rain" and kept right on inspecting my skin for 
an area to *bite*.
i'm convinced that "they" send the really "hard-core" black flies
"up the river" to the whites <g> and that short of physical intervention
(or physical barriers) they are for the most part "un-deet-terable".
(oh, i guess it helps a little - perhaps just to give yourself the
feeling of "doing something" about their "blasted pestering")

Its definite "mob mentality" in blackfly-ville - while they're
surprisingly slow and oblivious to the "danger of my hands", its by
shear numbers that they overwhelm you  - Sorta like the stinging insects
 - single creatures aren't that threatening but when their numbers
soar to "double-digits" and for whatever reason, you're their target - look 
out...
i was reading one of the many interesting displays at Pinkham which
explained in detail the "sorted tendencies" of these "ruffians".
It was interesting to note that they said it was only the female
black flies and ticks that would bite mammels -
 ...and i'm *not* going to "touch" that one    ;-)

"No-See-Ums" - i first heard this phrase from the Stratton caretaker
and have since heard it a few more times.  Of course my first thoughts
were of bugs ala "the invisible man" (rut-ro) but now i'd guess this is a
reference to those clouds of really really small bugs, perhaps the "real 
gnats".
Anyone care to confirm or deny this ???

Gratitude and Special Thanks to trail maintainers is apparently shared by a 
rabbit
 who lives near Stratton Mt - as i was headed south from Stratton, i reached 
a marshy
area where the AT crosses on a series of 8 or so of them thar "dual boards". 

i'm about 3 boards "out" when i  see a blur of tan fur head towards me from 
the other side.
This "creature" is moving so fast that i can't really make out
 what it is until he basically "stops on a dime" and reverses
 direction.  At this moment i see the telltale ears of a rabbit
 who without slipping or scuffling immediately reverses direction
 and heads back across the boards to the side he came from.
 i'm surprised at the rabbit's mobility, ability to seemingly change 
direction instantly,
 and that he chooses to use the boards both ways instead of jumping off at a 
right angle
into the marsh in a panic.  "Very clean animals" these rabbits and this one
showed a definite preference for using the manmade "dry" route
to cross the marsh.  Unbelievably cute and here is one rabbit
who really does appreciate the efforts of those "kind souls" involved in 
trail maintenance.

Big news from the Whites (before last week anyway) was the June rock
slide on Cannon Mt and 2 hikers/climbers who fell 200+ ft in Crawford Notch 
sometime in July.
Climbers on Cannon were being warned of the unstability of the slide and
of possible nearby instabilities caused by the "percussive effect".
Must have been something to witness - from a distance, that is.
The rescue attempt of the 2 people who slipped and fell about 200 feet
on wet rocks at Crawford was said to be particularly "heart-rending" 
(difficult) for the rescuers
as they reached the victims while they were still alive but after falling
such a distance, the "actual rescue" was "not to be".    A sobering event 
and
a reminder of how important saftey considerations are especially in "rugged 
terain".

i got many "new AT miles" *in* and especially enjoyed hiking thru the
alpine regions of Franconia and the Presidentials (Spectacular, 
Spectacular).
On one day i watched as clouds, one by one,
enshrouded Mts Washington, Monroe(s), Pleasant (er, Eisenhower) and when i 
got to
Mt Crawford whispy "cloud/fog" was starting to "rip" across there too - it 
was like being
chased by the "sock-in" monster and a testament as to how fast visabilty
(like from 10 miles to 10 feet) and weather conditions can change.

only 2 wild bear sightings this year compared to 14 last year so i'm
counting "nights in the tent" too - 40+ to date.
With some "quality time" planned in the Shenandoah this week tho, who 
knows...

                                                               Ramble On - 
Happy Trails,
                                                                              
             Running Bear - Downingtown, PA
                                                                              
             gnyce@wcupa.edu


the "ultimate yellow blaze" - board a plane in Atlanta, fly over
Springer, go north, circle Katahdin, and land in Bangor.
"Pure-ists" would walk the aisles while in flight.   ;-)

* From the Appalachian Trail Mailing List | For info http://www.hack.net/lists *

==============================================================================