Well, friends,
It was quite the journey to Rock Point this time around- whether this was due to my friends and I feeling slightly unhinged before finals or the fact that it was a blistering 20 degrees outside we might never know. Let’s just say our journey to rock point on December 10th consisted of a near-public brawl between a passenger and a bus driver, a squirrel hotwiring a car, and a lot of ABBA.
Once we braved these many perils, however, Rock Point was absolutely spectacular. Nearly everything close to the shoreline had crusted over in a thin layer of ice, and the day was stunningly clear and beautiful.
What’s Here?
The last remaining scraps of foliage were completely gone, only evidenced by some crushed and decomposing leaf litter.
In terms of foliage, the black locust was now completely barren, the coltsfoot was gone, and the only remaining evidence of life was in the northern white cedars-, but even they were looking a slightly dejected shade of chartreuse.
Wildlife was perhaps even harder to find. We did spot a black-capped chickadee while waiting for the number 7, and there were a couple of cacophonous crows down near the trailhead, but other than those instances- the world remained still.
Why I love Rock Point
I think this trip particularly encapsulated why I loved having Rock Point as my phenology site. Although the journey is often long and treacherous, the result is always worth the struggle. Today was truly emblematic of that. Even though my fingers lost their ability to be dextrous in the freezing cold, I still felt so grateful to have the opportunity to recenter myself in this glorious natural area. For this entire rocky semester, Rock Point has coaxed me out of my convert zone by forcing me to take time out of my week and observe what is happening around me. I never feel as though the sound of Lake Champlain, the beautiful stretches of exposed bedrock, or the grandeur of the natural community is ever a waste of my time. In this way, the traipse across Burlington to Rock Point never fails to teach me about the natural world, and myself.
Stay sappy, and see you next semester!