Last time visiting! It was really nice, almost hot out, when I was walking down to Winooski, but when I got there the rain started to roll in, and I had to make my visit shorter than I would have liked.
I immediately noticed that there was driftwood and a lot more sand on the ground. The river must have made it all the way up to this area at one point when all the snow was melting!
Some woody plants were beginning to bud and leaves beginning to grow, but most were still in the early stages of springtime. The oriental bittersweet has still managed to hold onto its leaves from last fall, visibly unaligned with the native plants in the area.
The herbaceous plants present here before are barely showing signs at this point, with sparse patches just beginning to pop out of the ground.
Culture and nature intertwine at my place mainly through the view of the mill town Winooski across the river. The river became the sole reason this town became a driver of textile mills in the 19th and 20th centuries. As well, the history of the Winooskik tribe, the original inhabitants of this area, sets this area apart from others. The tribe settled along the rich river valley, relying on the river and the floodplain for sustenance. Today, this area has been designated as hiking trails by Burlington Wildways, providing people like me with access to this nice location.
The riverbank, especially this rocky area off to the right of my site, has always been something notable to me. This time around, the rocky area had been taken over by the river. As well, the staircase that takes me down to this area is another notable landmark in this area, even if it is man-made. Some of the dead trees here, especially one that has been half eaten by a beaver, always stick out to me.
I do consider myself part of this place. I have undergone a lot of change over this year, changing almost alongside this site. Visiting Salmon Hole has always been a constant during the school year, and I have grown to really love this place. I will definitely continue to come here in the future as it feels very special to me. This place is just off of the road, but it feels so isolated. Even just having 30 minutes to myself in a place that I have become so familiar with has been a formative experience for me in my freshman year.