Trail Notes Blog

Trail Notes: Tamarack

Trail Notes: Tamarack

May 30, 2026 | Fox State Forest, Hillsborough, NH There is a wetland edge at Fox State Forest where tamarack grows. I photographed this tree in late May, when the...

Trail Notes: Tamarack

May 30, 2026 | Fox State Forest, Hillsborough, NH There is a wetland edge at Fox State Forest where tamarack grows. I photographed this tree in late May, when the...

Trail Notes: Inosculation

Trail Notes: Inosculation

There is a tree grouping on a trail at Fox State Forest that I stop at every time I pass it. Multiple birch and hemlock trunks wound together, at least...

Trail Notes: Inosculation

There is a tree grouping on a trail at Fox State Forest that I stop at every time I pass it. Multiple birch and hemlock trunks wound together, at least...

Trail Notes: What a Young Birch is Telling You

Trail Notes: What a Young Birch is Telling You

Thursday, March 19th. 2:20pm. 35°F. Clement Hill, Deering NH. An old field off Clement Hill is bound by stone walls on all sides — a clear record that this was...

Trail Notes: What a Young Birch is Telling You

Thursday, March 19th. 2:20pm. 35°F. Clement Hill, Deering NH. An old field off Clement Hill is bound by stone walls on all sides — a clear record that this was...

Trail Notes: In Winter, the Forest Floor Disappears

Trail Notes: In Winter, the Forest Floor Disapp...

In winter, the forest floor disappears. An individual leaf, twig, or pinecone often goes unnoticed in the forest floor leaf litter. But when snow blankets the ground, an oak leaf,...

Trail Notes: In Winter, the Forest Floor Disapp...

In winter, the forest floor disappears. An individual leaf, twig, or pinecone often goes unnoticed in the forest floor leaf litter. But when snow blankets the ground, an oak leaf,...

Acorns scattered on the ground after a spring thaw show some some beginning to crack open and germinate.

Trail Notes: The Acorn Puzzle

The ice has finally melted on most trails, and for the first time in months, I’m no longer wearing spikes! Though the ice was gone, I found myself unsure of...

Trail Notes: The Acorn Puzzle

The ice has finally melted on most trails, and for the first time in months, I’m no longer wearing spikes! Though the ice was gone, I found myself unsure of...

In a spring forest with thawing snow, a young beech tree sapling still carries its dried leaves from last season.

Trail Notes: When Leaves Fall on Snow

Beyond the shifting temperatures, one of my favorite signs of spring appears along the trails—the scattering of crisp, brown American beech (Fagus grandifolia) leaves on top of the melting snow.

Trail Notes: When Leaves Fall on Snow

Beyond the shifting temperatures, one of my favorite signs of spring appears along the trails—the scattering of crisp, brown American beech (Fagus grandifolia) leaves on top of the melting snow.