Sights and Sounds of Lone Rock Point…

Once I arrived at the Overlook, I sat down to begin my fifteen minutes of engaging with my place. I struggled to get the hang of doing nothing but observing, but once I got into the swing of it, the minutes flew past. At the end of my observations, I jotted down a few notes about what I heard, felt, saw, and smelt during the time. I noticed most, that the sound of Lake Champlain crashing into the rocks below me was drowning out most of the other noises around me. I heard an occasional bird chirping and some of the nearby leaves making their final descent to the ground. It was also quite windy, so the brisk air was rustling the trees, and wisping past my ear. I paned the view around me and saw most abundantly leaves. All of the leaves from the surrounding trees covered everything in their path, so much so, that there wasn’t much of a path at all.

I found it rather therapeutic to take the time to connect to the environment around me, and really remain present in that moment. It was quite peaceful, and I think more than anything, that I really observed the location and everything that it encompasses.

Winter is Coming & Vegetation is Changing!

From the photo of the trail alone, it is obvious that Lone Rock Point is changing. Deciduous trees have dwindling foliage, but most have no leaves left at all, The Northern White Cedar remains heavily present, and The Buckthorn pictured above is looking rather worse for wear. On the other hand, some trees are down to the bud, prepping for winter!

Bird’s Eye View!

Above is a roughly drawn Bird’s Eye View of my phenology spot!

As leaves cover the forest floor in a carpet of vibrant rusts, orange and gold, autumn proves that sometimes death, too, can be a beautiful thing

-Nikita Gill