….and then it snowed. Cool beans, ya know?
thursday 
today (Tuesday)
I have visited my place twice since my last blog post. I went last Thursday, hoping to catch the first snowfall, and instead it. Rained. Buckets. That was not a fun time. I went again today and got a good look at my spot after our first big snow—about 8 inches. It was much prettier, colder, and quieter. In terms of the phenology, everything except the buckthorn and some younger hardwoods lost their leaves. Now, instead of hearing leaves rustling in the wind, there is silence—save the occasional soft patter of snow falling off tree branches. Visiting today, I overall felt a sort of peace that I haven’t sensed yet in this place.
On Thursday, in the rain, I had happened to bring along a friend who hadn’t been to Centennial before, so after visiting my phenology spot we explored. I’ll be frank, the trailhead is a pretty boring spot compared to the rest of the woods, but when I picked it it was because I knew I would come here alone most of the time, and venturing into the woods alone is not the safest idea. Seeing the rest of Centennial reminded me why I enjoy it so much—in the middle of suburbia, this is one of the few places where you can forget society, especially in comparison to my place. At my phenology site, you can forget society for five minutes, until another hiker comes along or a car horn honks. Just a half mile deeper into the woods, you can easily forget society for an hour.
Given Bertha’s size (the beloved eastern white pine at the front of my site, in case you’ve forgotten), and her second trunk, it’s reasonable to assume that there were once a lot less trees around her. The other eastern white pines in the general area also indicate this. In the future, I hope Centennial remains a designated natural area, especially for recreational use, because even if Burlington becomes greener and succeeds in being 100% sustainable, there should still be somewhere for residents to escape to.
