Salmon Hole is a gorgeous, natural area along the Winooski river. I chose this area because it’s close to campus, but still far from my dorm so I get to explore an area that’s not somewhere I might see all the time. There are three ways that I am able to reach this spot; by walking 45 minutes there from my dorm, my friend’s car, or by the public bus. This time, I drove my friends car there and then walked down the trail to get closer to the water. After following the path down most of the way, I stood there for a few minutes just basking in the sun and tried to focus on all the sounds happening around me. Since it was mid-day, there weren’t too many cars driving by, but there was a slight breeze so you could hear the waves on the river, as well as the leaves on the trees rustling.
This area has an abundance of vegetation, but the specific spot that I chose has a clearing so there’s less trees than in other areas. Many of the species that make up the understory include: Coralberry, Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, and younger White Ash. Some of the other common tree species in the area include Norway Maple, Sourwood, Northern Red Oak, Sugar Maple and American Elm. The Sugar Maples were found closer to the water, along the river while the Norway Maple was further into the brush.
