I visited Salmon Hole, my original phenology spot, as part of my Earth Day walk from Salmon Hole to North Beach following the Burlington Wildways! It was a super fun experience that I would totally recommend to anyone with the time to do so.

This site has changed plenty from my first visit to it. As a result of mud season, trails were very messy and have widened. There is significantly less leaf litter covering the ground as there was at the beginning of the semester, although lots was still present. The water levels were decently high, as the result of the past few weeks of snowmelt and rain making the Winooski River very abundant. There are many more fallen paper birch trees along the edge of the forest approaching the water’s edge, and lots of woody debris now in the stream leading to the water.

The major landmarks of my spot and the walk to it are the bench at the divide of the two trails, the man-made stairs leading down to the water front, and the large fallen tree on top of the sandstone slab that you see before getting closer to the water. I’ve also become familiar with the saplings in the cracks of said sandstone, and the grasses that grow along the edge of the water in the silt. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to see these smaller landmarks as much since they’ve been buried by snow for most of the semester. One of my personal favorites is the large crack in the sandstone right at the location of my spot along the waterfront. I’ve always enjoyed looking at the debris that finds itself in there and the moss that persistently grows there.

Nature and culture definitely intertwine at Salmon Hole. This is a popular recreation spot with a rich history due to its proximity to the Winooski Dam and Mill. The presence of benches along trails and a designated viewing area at the entrance to Salmon Hole (by the parking lots) contribute to the human cultural desire to appreciate nature’s beauty.

For my sit and sketch, I sat slightly further from my original spot so that I would enjoy the moving water as it passed by the rocks. My drawing is pretty horrible but I have a great reference picture to make up for it:

While I love this spot and this place, I still consider myself nothing more than a visitor to the area. It would feel wrong to say I’m a part of Salmon Hole when I’ve only known it for such little time. I feel like I have a deep understandings of the history and functions of the area, but still know that I have so much left to learn. I can see myself re-visiting this spot for the rest of my college experience!

(I am so sorry for the lack of pictures. My phone is almost out of storage. I was planning on doing a super cool gallery with my spot in different seasons but I literally just do not have the storage to do so.)