This year I am spending Thanksgiving with my Aunts, two cousins, and my own immediate family at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. Thankfully I was able to visit my new spot on Saturday November 19th, before the ten inches of snow came.

Although I will always have a special place in my heart for Centennial Woods, my new phenology spot in Stowe is amazing. I hiked up one of the trails about half a mile and came into this hemlock forest. The moment I stepped into this part of the forest I felt an immediate connection and knew it had to be my spot.

Saplings (Scannell, J. 2016)

Mossy Log (Scannell, J. 2016)

Fallen Log (Scannell, J. 2016)

Like the rest of Vermont, at one point 75% of the land in the town of Stowe was cut and cleared. Because of this, the forest around the Trapp Family Lodge is not very mature and developed. There are places within the forest with a large population of birch, hemlock, pine, and beech.

Much of the ecology of my place in Stowe was very similar to that of my place in Burlington. Had travelled somewhere out of New England, or even just out of the state, I think I would have encountered different tree and animal species.

I have started to discover more and more along this journey that you can feel a sense of place for more than just one area. After spending the week in Stowe, exploring the forest behind Trapp Family Lodge, I think I have begun to form a bond with this new place.