HEY COOL CATAMOUNTS AND KITTENS! With a new semester upon us, I’ve chosen a new phenology spot. Today I bring you to Salmon Hole on the Winooski River. I chose a new spot because my prior spot, at the delta of Potash Brook and Lake Champlain, was a further trek than I was willing to embark on in these cold winter months. This isn’t my first rodeo at the Hole, though. I’ve visited this spot on various runs and nature walks throughout different seasons, giving me an idea for some phenological changes occurring.
Today, the sky is blue and sun is shining, but a few differences stand out from previous months. I stand here on the rocky dolostone outcropping with a fresh blanket of snow. A few months ago, I would not have been able to be here seeing as the rocks I traversed would have been classified as rapids, requiring me to walk on water. The passageway, along with the riverbank, is completely frozen over, diverting the flow towards the Winooski side of the river. The trees are barren and the air is calm and quiet, but there are still signs of life. Many tracks sizing from small rodent tracks to paw prints to human footprints dot the powdery cover. Paw prints alongside the human tracks about 2-3″ wide indicate the presence of canine companions. A meandering track with some trailing streams indicate a potential coyote or fox searching for food. The most interesting mystery were two parallel trails ending in some faint imprints that looked like wing marks — something made away with a tasty lunch. Below I’ve attached pictures of many of the tracks I witnessed.
Ice creaks beneath my feet as I cross back through what once was a rushing river. In the coming months, I anticipate an increased rate of flow as thawing begins. In the mean time, I’ll take in the silence and piece and quite and hope I don’t become the meal to something in the sky.
