Sunday Post

Yesterday there was quite the swarm of activity around here!

We had a Clean Up at Cascades East, Coes Reservoir, & Sherer Trail, while our buddies just to the south had a Clean Up at God's Acre. We even ended up with an impromptu Clean Up of KinneyWoods!

Still Early On - There were MANY more!

Just SOME of the Scrap Metal to be Recycled

There were folks from the Clark University Outing Club, the WPI Beta Theta Pi, GWLT Volunteers, and Tatnuck Neighbors!

Thanks to everyone who made all of this possible! Without so many hands and so many wheelbarrows none of this could happen!

Then there was a BBQ.

Finally, after some minor straightening, all became still.

Blood root

Right now the Cascades have been hopping with folks out for a short walk to see the falls! A small "neighbor-debris" walk-the-line pickup (a distasteful (in that it does not put one in a neighborly frame of mind), but necessary aspect of stewardship.)

While it is sunny, it is cool, and there is a wind.

The Fire Danger chilled out a bit to just MEDIUM.

Enjoy folks!

Earth Day! Come join us at a clean up!

We're up bright and early today for the 26th annual Earth Day Clean ups, organized by the REC! GWLT is running clean ups starting at 8:30 am at Coes Reservoir (off of Englewood Ave) and at Cascades East (right off Olean Street).
And yes, Cascades East could use wheelbarrows still!
And at noon, come back to Cascading Waters for a cookout!

It is a GORGEOUS day!
At 7:30 am, it is 51.8 degrees and rising.
77% humidity and falling
The barometer is 29.8 inches of mercury and steady
Very light wind: 1.5 mph during period observed.
Fire danger is HIGH

NWS out of Boston is forecasting: 
Sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.

Rainy Start, But We Needed It

Today is off to a rainy start, but with the ground so dry, and the leaf litter unchecked by green growth, we really needed it!

Besides, now all of the buds and flowers will pop, the grasses will re-emerge, and the moss will turn deep green.

EARTH DAY CLEANUPS

We need wheel barrows!
If you can spare or share a wheel barrow for a day, please know that they are absolutely CRITICAL to being able to extract the craziness from up on Casacdes East!
We will be out at Cascades East from 9-12 on Olean Street and heading in and dragging out all manner of interesting stuff!
Your help would be great too!
Afterwards there will be a BBQ at the Lodge just down the street!

Ted is BACK!

Ted checked in yesterday and has been cruising right along and is now 418.5 miles into the ST and is done with North Carolina! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 am at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 51.3 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 80% and steady;
Pressure is 29.88" of Hg and falling;
The skies are overcast and it is spitting rain lightly;
The Cascades are flowing, though with only a little water;
The Cascades Brook is still flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MEDIUM.


The National Weather Forecast is:

Showers likely, mainly before noon.
Cloudy, with a high near 62.
West wind 10 to 16 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 70%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunny Day and Flowers Blooming!

More flowers are blooming!
We now have native Bloodroot!
The ornamental crocuses and others have been popping up in the yard as well!

(photo of Periwinkles)

This morning is sign and timberwork at Cascading Waters from 9-12!

Saturday is Earth Day Cleanups at Cascades East from 9-12!
   Followed by a BBQ at Cascading Waters!
   We will be meeting at the Cascades East property sign on Olean Street near the Holden Line! Come join us, and if you can't make it please consider loaning a wheel barrow!

Amusing Aside: Today the Fire Danger is less extreme, though it was amusing to see that someone made the paper down south of us for having a burn pile without a burn permit on a Red Flag and Very High Fire Danger Day! Yeah, surprise surprise, it got away from him and required over 15,000 gallons of water. (That sounds like a lot, but is more or less a typical backyard swimming pool's worth.)

 Still waiting on word from Ted on his way to VA tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


7:30 am Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 36.5 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 52% and steady;
Pressure is 30.30" of Hg and steady;
Wind is still;
Sky is sunny and clear;
Cascades are running;
Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is HIGH.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 64.
Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

Red Flag Warning : Fire Danger VERY HIGH

Red Flag Day!
Today is forecast as a VERY HIGH Fire Danger!
Today would be a very bad choice of a day to have a brush pile burning or an outdoor fire.
BUT, the exciting part is we get to hang out the orange sign!

Tomorrow is Sign and Timberhewing at Cascading Waters from 9-12!

Saturday is Earth Day Cleanups at Cascades East on Olean Street at the Holden line from 9-12 with a BBQ at Cascading Waters afterwards!

No word from Ted tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

Trailhead conditions at 6:30 am at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 39.2 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 51% and steady;
Pressure is 29.91" of Hg and steady;
Wind is stirring but not registering in mph;
Cascades are flowing, but light volume;
Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
Skies are clear;
Fire Danger is VERY HIGH!


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind around 10 mph.

Soft Rain, Open Water

About 6:30 a soft rain started to fall and the dry soils, exposed to the winds and the sun, are now happily taking it all in, even if it isn't all that much.

This time of year even a modest amount of rain makes all of the plant life turn an iridescent green, and that would be wonderful! If it rained hard we would get to see the buds swell, but I don't think that is in the cards today.

This morning Cook's Pond is almost entirely open water, with almost no traces of ice remaining. That was a very quick melt off for the pond! Even this weekend there was a partly submerged coat of ice nearly covering the pond. Poof! Spring!

SIGN WORK & TIMBERWORK - THURSDAY

This Thursday is going to be sign and timberwork at the Lodge, and we start at 9:00 am and run until noon. It is supposed to be a beautiful day, so come on by and chip in on some trail signs and property signs and other assorted signs that make the woods intelligible for folks.

EARTH DAY - SATURDAY

This Saturday is our Annual Earth Day Cleanup!
There will be folks at Coes Reservoir, Sherer Trail, and Cascades East!
Our primary enterprise is YEAR 3 of the Cascades East cleanup work!
9 am - noon, followed by a BBQ at the Lodge at Cascading Waters for the Volunteers!

Now, Cascades East was preserved in a little "rough" shape, and has been an ongoing restoration project...
Don't get me wrong, there was a certain "cultural history" to the rusted tricycles and upside down bread truck deep in the woods, but that "je ne sais quoi" isn't really great in terms of land management and conservation practices.

REQUEST!!!!
We could really use WHEEL BARRELS/ WHEEL BARROWS!!!
Even is you can not join us Saturday morning, if your wheel barrel could it would be much loved as an instrument of extracting the debris out of the woods.

Cascades East Factoid: in between last Earth Day and this Earth Day (what we call the "off season") 5050 lbs of metal were recycled out of Cascades East!

If you count the metal and tires and debris taken out in the past 2 years of Earth Days, and count the large metal hauler who took out the vehicles, a huge mount of work has been done up there!

TED on the AT

No word from Ted on the AT, but that is also tied to his being in more rural terrain and his cell carrier being less excited about rural coverage. We will let you know when next we hear from him on his walk towards Damascus, VA. tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


8:00 am Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 52.7 degrees F and falling;
Humidity is 75% and rising;
Pressure is 29.94" and steady;
Wind is moving but not registering mph;
Skies are overcast, and there is an occasional light rain falling;
The Cascades are running;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is still MEDIUM.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Showers likely, mainly before noon.
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
West wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 70%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

More Beautiful Weather! Poetry Walk/Hike!

The crocuses have begun to spring up!

Finally the weather is fitting of Spring!

You really can't go wrong embracing the weather an heading outside.

At 5pm this evening, local poet Jenith Charpentier is leading a Poetry Walk/Hike with a sit down on the platform below the falls. Meet up at the Lodge at Cascading Waters to set out!

Ted had a well deserved loafing day on the AT yesterday, making the most of a magnificent spot and great weather to just enjoy the moment. tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


7:30 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

The temperature is 41.2 degrees F and steady;
The humidity is 64% and steady;
The pressure is 30.18" of Hg and steady;
The wind is still;
The sun is shining in a blue sky with some high altitude clouds;
The Cascades are running;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MEDIUM.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 65. 

Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph.

Beautiful Sunday!

Yesterday was a busy one for the Trust!

EAST SIDE TRAIL SYSTEM

In the morning we met with Wellesley College representatives and GWLT volunteers for a Spring run-though of the East Side Trail system.

The main stem of the East Side Trail generally gets attention but the Millstone Trail and the Ghost Trail haven't had as much attention, and so that is where we started. Also, long-term, the Parks Department is going to rejigger the golf course greens out by the hairpin turn on Skyline Drive, and the yellow spur trail there is in places going under the saw, and in others just a wee bit too close to the golf hole. As a preemptive act we switched the end of the yellow spur to start just a short hop further south on Skyline Drive. The old blazes were removed, the new trail was blazed in yellow, and the whole of the spur was repainted for clarity.

We cut some blow downs, collected some trash, cleared deadfall, trimmed back branches, and generally spiffied things up!

COOKS POND CONSERVATION RESTRICTION

About a year and a half ago, inspired by Elsie Uffleman, a neighbor and member of Cooks Pond, we started to push back against the forested edge that had jumped the stone wall, marched to the curb, and began growing into Olean Street, in some cases even leaning out into traffic. Trees love sun, and these trees were on the march!

Well, there is only so much you can get done in a work day (that turned into two), and even the portion we cleared had trees that we just hadn't been able to get to. Besides, the trees never sleep, and new shoots and new branches were already making there way back out to Olean Street!

So yesterday we went out and recut the section we worked on a year and a half ago. Amusingly, the idea had been to expand upon the work done to date and to clear more of the frontage, but a half-day's work proved that holding the line and improving the work done to date would take all of the time allotted and then some!

KINNEYWOODS CAMPING:

Troop 37 out of Tatnuck Square spent Friday to Sunday camping out at Kinneywoods!

It is wonderful to have kids introduced to Greater Worcester's wilder side! And it is great to have this sort of use available for folks! If you even are curious, yes, some GWLT properties do allow for camping by permission, and yes, you can ask!

Glad the Troop 37 folks had such great weather!


Trailhead Conditions at 7: 00 am at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 33.1 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 70% and steady;
Pressure is 30.03" of Hg and steady;
Wind is stirring, but no mph are registering;
The sky is clear, and the sun is out;
The Cascades are running;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is MEDIUM.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 66. West wind 9 to 11 mph.

Beautiful Saturday & Mud

This morning we are headed out to the East Side Trail to do some spring maintenace, realignment work, and cleanup after the ALB logging job.
We will be out at the parking area across from Worcester Tech and next to the skateboard park at 9:00 a.m. and then will head north on the white blazed Ghost Trail (old East Side Trail's Ghost). Come join us!

The weather will be nice, but stay on the trail treadway EVEN IF THERE IS A PUDDLE OR MUD!
Walking the edges and the perimeter is bad for the trail, bad for erosion, and bad for the forest habitat.
Embrace the trail, embrace the mud!

Ted reported in again last night, and is about to hit a trail town for resupply. We may get some more photos from the AT! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Trailhead Conditions at 8:00 am at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 45.3 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 64% and falling;
Pressure is 29.59" of Hg and steady;
Wind is stirring with a max observed of 0.5 mph;
Sky is clear and sun is out;
Cascades are running;
Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW


National Weather Service Forecast is:

Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.
Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

Warm, But Wet & MUD!

Well, warm and wet appears to be the mix for today.
Seeing as yesterday started with a coating of ice and snow on every surface, this would seem to be more of a Spring seasonal improvement..

A truly hearty New England gardener would make the most of the combination.

MUD!!!

The tread surface is muddy.
STAY TO THE PATH,
Even if this means going through puddles and mud.
Trying to edge around the puddles and mud only expand the width of trail, the size of the puddles, and the extent of the mud.
In essence, embrace the mud, preserve the trail and the forest!
It is counter intuitive to accept the wet and the mud, but it is the right thing to do, honest. But don't take our word for it.
Vermont is FAMOUS for their mud.
The Green Mountain Club, who is the oldest long distance trail group out there, and maintains a trail that runs from Mass. to Quebec, knows their trail and knows their mud.
It is from them that we take our trail management mud lessons.
They even close whole series of trails down in mud season, it gets that bad in parts up there!

Ted reported in from the AT and has completed more than 300 miles thus far! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters at 8:00 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 36.1 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 98& and steady;
Pressure is 29.85" of Hg and falling;
Skies are overcast and it is misting;
There is movement of wind but nothing registering in mph;
The Cascades are running;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
The Fore Danger Class is LOW.


National Weather Service Forecast:

A chance of showers, mainly after 3pm.
Patchy fog before 2pm.
Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 54.
Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 40%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

A pleasant but cool start to the day here at the Cascades.
The weather will more or less hold out until this afternoon, and then it gets less pleasant.

Yesterday, shaking off the snows of the winter, we made the trek up to our sawyer, Larry Fife, to get more oak boards for making the Trust property signs and trail signs, as we ran through all the boards we had last fall.

The sky was hazy so there was no view of Boston, but the air was warm, and the sky was bright, and it was a great day to be up on Overlook with the smell of warmed soil, fresh cut tree sap, and sawdust.

Soon these boards will appear in the woods guiding folks along the paths!

Trailhead Conditions at 8:00 a.m. Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 34.2 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 71% and falling;
Pressure is 30.27" of Hg and steady;
Wind is between 1-2 mph in the observation period;
Skies are broken overcast;
Cascades are running;
Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

National Weather Service Forecast:

Rain likely, mainly after 2pm.
Cloudy, with a high near 41.
East wind around 9 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 70%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Rain coming in

It's overcast only now, but there's rain due this afternoon.
At 7:30 am, it is 36.9 and steady
78% humidity and steady
The barometer stands at 30.06 inches of mercury and steady.
No wind measured
Fire danger is LOW.
The Cascades are running!

NWS Boston forecast for today:
Rain. High near 44. Northeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Saturday was Nice, and There is a Hope of a Nice Monday Today!

Today is starting off on the colder side, and is supposed to improve considerably. Already the clouds have begun to break up a bit as the sun has been rising into the sky over the morning.

The trail was busy this past extended weekend, with many folks free on Friday. Perhaps the most unusual of the various folks who came was the small team who came in and set up a slack line across the Cascades Brook at the bottom of the Cascades. (For those of you who haven't wandered across "slack lining" it is stretching a taut piece of 2" webbing in the air and then walking across this flexible and somewhat elastic surface.) These guys had it all thought through with padding for the trees they wrapped around, and cameras to capture the excitement. Their main slackliner was practiced and managed the crossing without getting wet, which considering the water temperature was good.

We saw a fair amount of melting on Friday and Saturday and if the predicted temperatures pan out we might see a little more today.

This evening we will have a trail work project out at Sibley Farm in Spencer, MA off of Greenville Street. We will be staking hay bales to restabilize the path used for the logging equipment, and we will be rehanging the trail signs we took down next to the logging road for skidding out trees. We will be meeting at 5pm in the Greenville Street Parking Area. You can feel free to join us and if you want more information you can email mary@gwlt.org

Ted should be arriving in Hot Springs today so we likely will get an update and photos over the course of today from the AT tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


8:00 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 34.2 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 77% and steady;
Pressure is 30.18" of Hg and steady;
The wind is not stirring;
The skies are overcast with some breaks;
The Cascades are flowing;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.


The National Weather Service Forecast:

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.
South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming southeast in the morning.

Rains, More Melt, & Tracks

Overnight rains have further uncovered the landscape. The degree to which there is snow that remains seems to be tied to solar exposure. The landscapes with snow patches are usually among trees and on areas with a slope.

On the topic of snow, earlier this week Jackie photographed some tracks in the snow out on Tetasset Ridge, and we have been trying to pin down a specific animal ID on that. We have our guesses here, but we were curious what others thought as well.

Today will be warmish, as will tomorrow, so this weekend will be a decent one to go for a hike. Have good traction, bring treking poles, and watch your step on the remaining snow/ice mix.

Also, Ted finished up the Smoky Mountain National Park, got to cell service, and reported in at tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


7:30 am Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 42.8 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 95% and steady;
Pressure is 29.32" of Hg and rising;
Wind is variable from 1-3.5 mph;
The sky is overcast;
The Cascades are flowing;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE.

Wind Advisory:

...STRONG NORTHWEST WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WILL DEVELOP LATER THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO EARLY THIS EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING...
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO
8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

• WINDS...NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.
• TIMING...LATER THIS MORNING INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE THIS AFTERNOON.
• IMPACTS...WINDS OF THIS MAGNITUDE MAY LEAD TO DOWNED TREE BRANCHES OR EVEN A FEW TREES. UNSECURED OUTDOOR ITEMS MAY BE BLOWN AROUND AND ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE.

National Weather Service Forecast:

Partly sunny, with a high near 48.
Breezy, with a northwest wind 14 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph.

Overnight Melt & Bears

Last night was over 40 with rain and after yesterday's temperatures in the high 50s with sun produced an incredible overnight melt! It is like looking at a different world here in the Tatnuck Valley.

This also has amped up the flow of the Cascades and the Cascades Brook, and the crashing water is a most welcome sound of spring!


Our Bears are Waking Up!

It is Time for The Annual MassWildlife Notice!

Take Down Your Birdfeeders- Black Bears are Emerging from Winter Dens

Black bears are now active and seeking food. If you live in Worcester County it's time to take down your bird feeders. Bears will often ignore natural foods such as skunk cabbage and head to a bird feeder for an easy meal. To avoid this problem, MassWildlife is asking property owners to be proactive by removing bird feeders and other potential food sources promptly. Once a bear gets food from a bird feeder, garbage can, or open compost, it will revisit the site and look for similar foods in other yards.

There are at least 4,000 Black Bears in Massachusetts and their range is expanding eastward. Take action by removing bird feeders and access to trash and pet food to help prevent conflicts with bears that can lead to hazards to people and bears. Do your part and keep bears wild!

Yesterday we had a crew of four sanding, routing, hewing, chipping, staining, and tracing for the signs that help us navigate the woods! Thanks for the help!


7:30 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 45.5 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 70% and steady;
Pressure is 29.62" of Hg and steady;
The wind is stirring but not reading any mph;
The skies are overcast with some occasional hints of breaks;
The Cascades are flowing strongly!!!;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels with added flow;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


National Weather Service Forecast is:

A chance of showers, mainly after 5pm.
Partly sunny, with a high near 66.
West wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Weather for Today is Supposed to be Wonderful

There was pink in the sky at dawn, and presently the sky is overcast, but the weather service tells us to hold out hope and that this will be a wonderfully warm and partly sunny day. Let's run with that!

Last night a gathering of the Trust's key Volunteers and Rangers gathered at the Trust Headquarters at 4 Ash Street for homemade pizza and discussions of what we ought to tackle for the upcoming year. Thanks to the whole gang for a wonderful evening!

This morning we have timberhewing and sign making at the Lodge starting at 9:00 am and running to 12:00 pm, and that should be good fun as well!


Cascading Waters Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 29.7 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 48% and falling;
Pressure is 30.03" of Hg and steady;
Wind is stirring but no mph were recorded;
Skies are overcast and grey;
Cascades are flowing;
Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE.

National Weather Service Forecast:

Partly sunny, with a high near 58.
Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

April at last!

We made it to April!
Don't miss the Worcester Telegram and Gazette article about Ted in today's paper! Ted's posts are updated over here.
At 7:30 it is 27.5 degrees and steady.
43% humidity and steady
The barometer is 29.74 inches of mercury and RISING! which is a good sign.
The sun is up over Cook's Pond to clear skies today.

The National Weather Service forecast for today: Sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph.

Sunshine! At Least at the Start!

Well, now!
This is a more glorious opening to a day!

Sunshine where yesterday there was a cusp of light!

Basically the same spot and same time of day as yesterday, but what a difference!

And the Cascades are pretty much free flowing, but the flow is down considerably. It is a wonderful noise to behold again, and the replacement of the ice wall with moving water is a welcome sign of spring.

HIKING CONDITIONS: The walking is tricky, and there is no arguing there. The compacted, ice and snow encrusted trail surfaces beg for treking poles and microspikes.

No word from Ted from the AT yesterday, which likely means no texting reception and that only takes a weak signal to work) deep in the valleys of Rocky Mountain National Park. No worries! When he gets to a good spot he will report in.


7:30 am Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 31.5 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 74% and steady;
Pressure is 29.59" of Hg and steady;
There is wind motion, but no mph registering;
Skies are clear and blue;
The Cascades are flowing;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


The National Weather Service Forecast:

Partly sunny, with a high near 45. West wind 8 to 10 mph.

Cloudy, Snowing, & Cold (for now)

It is snowing!
Diagonal to horizontal snow in a mini squall right now at 8:00 am.
It is quite beautiful to behold.
The snow has also juiced up the wind which is now up to 9.5 mph!

Also, the snow we had heading into this weekend gave us over 119" for the season, which is about double the norm, and also helped Worcester pull ahead of Syracuse for more snow! See, it didn't really stick and still helped put us over the top! The best of all worlds!

This morning at 7:30 am the clear skies were just receding on the eastern horizon as clouds took over. There goes the nice weather folks! (From the top of the Cascades)

Also!
The Cascades are nearly FREE!
More or less the patches extend from the bridge to the lip of the Cascades, and they will undoubtedly soon connect all the way through.
(Here is a photo in poor lighting, but you get the idea.)

Lots of folks came by during the nice weather this Sunday to hike and to photograph the Cascades, and it was nice to see the trailhead so active.

HIKING NOTE: Up is easier than down. No, I don't mean on your knees, or in general. I mean that the refrozen snows and re-melted re-frozen ice is tricky on descent, especially on the Cascades switchback. Good traction, microspikes, or treking poles will be a real help.

AND, Ted made it to the Fontana Dam in NC and is about to enter the Great Smoky Mountain National Park! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


The Cascading Waters Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 31.5 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 53% and steady;
Pressure is 29.71" of Hg and falling;
There is a light wind with 1-2 mph observed;
The skies are cloudy;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels;
The Cascades are nearly free! Most of the falls are open!
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


National Weather Service Forecast:

Scattered snow showers before 11am, then scattered rain showers.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43.
Southwest wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.  

Dusting of Snow & Clear Skies

It snowed most of yesterday and occasionally the squalls were quite impressive. Somehow it really didn't add up to much as accumulation, though a dusting is present, especially where it fell on the remaining snowpack.

Today will be a beautiful day to be outside, with it getting to 38 degrees, a light wind, and sun. Please enjoy the beautiful Sunday!

Hiking Conditions: It is pretty, but it hides what is underneath, and on ice it can serve as a slippery addition, so please be careful with the footing out there.

Ted's AT Trek continues, with Ted having to manage 20 degree temperatures overnight deep down south, and a couple of progress section maps of the AT are posted at: tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


7:30 am Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 20.7 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 51.6% and steady;
Pressure is 29.94" of Hg and steady;
Wind is moving but not registering mph;
Sky is clear and cloudless blue;
The Cascades continue to break through the ice pack;
The Cascades Brook channels are both running;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 38. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph.

Cascades Breaking Through!

The Cascades began to break through last night!
There is strong flow, the water is crashing, and we expect more ice to break free today.

Be careful hiking today. The ice is thinning and the snowpack is giving way. We had two folks have trouble in the forest yesterday with the ice or snowpack giving way on them, and while everyone is fine, it would be wise to view your footing with a skeptical eye due to melting.

Ted also reported in from the AT yesterday! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

Cascading Waters Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 am (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 34.5 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 73% and steady;
Pressure is 29.56" of Hg and steady;
Wind is stirring with 0.5 mph registering;
Skies are overcast;
It is gently spitting rain;
THE Cascades began to break through last night with strong flow;
Both channels of the Cascades Brook are flowing and swollen;
USFS Forest Fire Danger is NONE.

National Weather Service Forecast:

Snow showers likely.
Cloudy, with a high near 35.
North wind around 9 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 70%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

More Mud! - Rain - Warmth - Melting

It is lightly raining, but he biggest drops are coming off of the branches of the trees that have built up and built up.
The trail is a mix of patches of hard ice, remnants of crushable snow, and bare patches of deep mud.

Last night we had a rivulet setting up in the center of the cart path from the Lodge to the parking area. A little work with a steel garden rake, and a trenching shovel to remove the leaves and debris and the water was running back into the woods and off the cart path. It would really be great if we could get through spring flooding season without needing to have earth moving equipment to keep the cart path open!

I had been wondering about the frost in the ground, but not having a backhoe, or recently having tried to dig a posthole I had no idea. It turns out that the folks to ask are the Worcester DPW! In places with snow cover, like Hope Cemetery, the frost line is about 3' deep. In the City streets that don't have the benefit of a snow blanket to protect them from the cold, the frost line goes much deeper. Also, an interesting engineering tidbit! Part of why we get such mud is that while the top layer may unfreeze, the frost is still below, and the water can't percolate down through the ground and out of the way. Thanks DPW guys!

Ted's At Trek blog now has many photos in it and links to an album for each day. There is some great stuff in there so check it out! tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

Cascading Waters Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 36.1 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 93% and steady;
Pressure is 29.56" of Hg and steady;
Wind is moving but no reading on mph;
Skies are overcast, and it is lightly raining;
Both Cascades Brook channels are swollen and flowing;
The Cascades has only cracked through in two patches, the rest is a mass of snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

National Weather Service Forecast:

Rain likely before 2pm, then a slight chance of rain after 5pm.
Cloudy, with a high near 44. North wind 3 to 6 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 70%.
New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

National Weather Service Advisory:

THE RAIN COMBINED WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOWMELT MAY CAUSE SOME AREA
RIVER LEVELS APPROACHING BANKFULL. HOWEVER...NO RIVER FLOODING IS
CURRENTLY EXPECTED. MONITOR THE LATEST FORECAST UPDATES FROM THE
NORTHEAST RIVER FORECAST CENTER AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NERFC.

&

THERE IS A LOW PROBABILITY FOR 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOWFALL ON
SATURDAY...ESP ALONG THE EAST MASSACHUSETTS COASTLINE.

MUD : Today Rain, Yesterday Logging, Warm

Yesterday saw a cold start warm into a warm day, and that was nice for walking and being outside, but proved complicated for the logging operation at Sibley Farm in Spencer.

The tracked Feller Buncher was doing fine up in the snowy fields, but as soon as the Skidder (shown in green with a yellow grapple above on the left) tried moving trees down to the landing it just opened up a channel of mud. The operators wisely decided to continue to cut and bundle the trees and not to skid them down to the landing area. We will wait for better conditions to do that.

The Feller Buncher was making its way around the perimeter of the fields and cutting the trees growing on the meadow side of the stone wall to reopen to the old original footprint. Here is a shot of the harvested trees lined up ready to be skidded away.

The Feller Buncher has a vertically mounted combination of grapples and what amounts to a circular saw blade on the bottom, so that as the arm extends to the tree the tree is cut, secured, and then can be moved into place. Here is a quick video of how that works:

NOTE: A local saw the farm gate open, equipment around, wanted to talk about the operation, and drove his truck right in... over a hidden embankment under the snow, and into a deep drift. I think it would be smart to emphasize that parking in the parking area is the way to go, and that logging equipment can go places your 4x4 truck can't.

Ted reported in from the AT in Franklin, NC yesterday!
tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Cascading Waters Trailhead Conditions at 7:30 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 41.4 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 95% and steady;
Pressure is 29.77" of Hg and falling;
Wind is moving but nothing registering mph;
The skies are overcast, but at this moment it is not raining;
Both channels of the Cascades Brook are flowing;
The Cascades are still covered in snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


National Weather Service Forecast:

Areas of rain and thunderstorms, then rain and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Areas of fog before 10am, then Areas of fog after 3pm. High near 52. Southwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Clear, Cold, Hopefully With Some Melting

This morning is clear, and cold.
The increased day length is deeply appreciated.
As yet, the world is still coated in snow and ice, and the only buds I have seen swollen were on a red maple by the brook.
We are in the tail end of a prolonged winter.

Today is the day to get out there!
The forecast is for warmth and melting.
And you should enjoy today, as tonight rain is likely, and tomorrow it will rain.
There is even a weather advisory for tomorrow from the NWS:

THERE WILL BE PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL AS LOW PRESSURE PASSES
NORTH OF THE REGION THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. THIS ALONG WITH
MILD TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT SNOW MELT ACROSS THE
REGION. THIS COMBINATION MAY CAUSE SOME AREA RIVER LEVELS TO
APPROACH FLOOD STAGE. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER FORECAST UPDATES ON
THE AREA RIVERS.

For those of you following Ted, there is a new post up: tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

The 7:00 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 21.6 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 60% and steady;
Pressure is 30.18" of Hg and steady;
There is no movement of wind;
The skies are clear;
Both channels of the Cascades Brook are flowing, and there is a skim of ice in spots;
The Cascades are still buried in snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

National Weather Service Forecast:

Increasing clouds, with a high near 43.
Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning

Banks of Ice & a Pick-Axe - Logging - Eagles - Ted - & Clear Skies!

First, there were two Bald eagles out on Holden Reservoir #2 yesterday evening. They were making a dinner of a deer out on the ice to the east of Reservoir Street in Holden, Ma. It is becoming more common to see Eagles, but it is still pretty thrilling. Thanks to Mr. Nelson who drove up to the Lodge to pass along the wildlife sighting!

Yesterday morning Glenda, Roger and Colin headed out to the Greenville Street access to Sibley Farm to extract the metal farm gate. Mind you, the snow plows pushed months of snow and ice into the gate and bent it like a banana in an arc. The gate itself was in the way of gaining access to the property. We had a full sized pick-axe, a steel farm shovel, a sledge hammer, and a snow shovel to chop and extract. We discovered that breaking up the snow mound was going to take hours, so we changed tactics and decided to cut a slot to pull the gate out. Why?

Today begins logging work at Sibley Farm.

Back three years ago when we were initially looking to preserve the
farm, we did a review of the property and its habitats and potential for wildlife. We realized at that time that the meadows on the Greenville end had great potential as a wildlife meadow. Trick was that the meadows hadn't been mowed in well more than 5 years. The field edges had been growing in, and the walls between the fields had become hedgerows. If we were going to do the wildlife meadows properly we would need to cut back at the field edges and take down the rows of trees between the fields. We also discovered that there was a 1 acre patch of field that had been let go long enough to become a wood lot.

Starting right away in year one we went for the mowing, and we have kept after it ever since!

But the logging proved more complex. We need cold temperatures to not tear up the field, and we need a logger willing to take on a fairly small job. Somehow the pieces just never lined up right with early springs or busy schedules thwarting the project. UNTIL NOW!

Let me introduce the Feller Buncher!

She arrived yesterday in the deep cold, and will begin work today on a cold day after a super cold night. We hope the cutting only takes a day or two and that we can get the cutting done right quick. Then we will have the logs pulled down to the flat area off of Greenville Street for loading onto trucks for firewood processing.

Mind you, this means that Sibley Farm is NOT ACCESSIBLE FROM THE GREENVILLE STREET ACCESS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.


Last night Ted Reported in from North Carolina on the Appalachian Trail!
From Standing Indian Mountain!
tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

For trailwork last night, since the ice chopping tool kit was already put together, Henry and Colin headed over to Southwick Brook on Marshall Street in Leicester. Over the course of a fairly intense hour we were able to chop apart and remove the ice and snow bank that blocked pulling in in front of the farm gate to access the property.

It is funny, you'd think, hey, why not just wait for it to melt?
No chance!
This wall of ice that required the pick-axe was not going away in a mere warm day or for any normal rain storm. This sucker was going to linger deep into the spring without outside assistance.
And now, it is gone!

Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 15.3 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 47% and steady;
Pressure is 30.06" of Hg and steady;
The air is still;
The sky is clear with some higher altitude clouds;
The Cascades Brook is running in both channels and has picked up a skim of ice in places;
The Cascades are still a mass of snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is still NONE!

National Weather Service Forecast:

Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. Light west wind.

Wicked Cold Monday Morning, Busy Weekend: Films, Conf, & Ted

What a weekend!

Saturday morning snow squall may have left little to no evidence, but it sure was a visual treat up on the hills! And then the afternoon broke into a glorious sunshine and warmth where I hiked one way in a heavy down parka, and back in short sleeved shirt and fleece vest!

Saturday was also another chance for Worcester to host the Mass Land Conservation Conference at the Worcester Technical High School on the East Side Trail. GWLT had 11 folks present by one count! Land Trusts from all over the state gathered here in Worcester to discuss issues and techniques in land conservation. We also dragged a crew out onto the East Side Trail for a hike!

Sunday was the Clark University Earth Week "Wild & Scenic" Film Festival. After a winter of ever increasing cabin fever, it was incredibly inspiring to see green landscapes, wildlife, and panoramas of what is to come! Thanks to the Clark Outing Club for working together with GWLT to make this festival available to folks here in Worcester. It was incredible.

& Ted!
Ted has reported in and he is on the cusp of crossing over into North Carolina.
An update map (Thanks GWLT Cartographer Gene Tivnan!) with posts can be found here: tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


7:00 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 12.9 degrees F and steady (down from 13.4 earlier this morning);
Humidity is 39% and steady;
Pressure is 29.88" of Hg and steady;
Skies are clear;
Wind ranges from movement to 1.5 mph during the observation period;
The Cascades Brooks are both flowing and both picked up a coating of ice overnight;
The Cascades are still largely buried in snow and ice with flow underneath;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

HIKING CONDITIONS: Ground and even the mud are frozen, Boots with traction and gaiters is probably your best bet.

National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 26. Wind chill values as low as -1.
West wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Spring Equinox - Inbound Snow - Sun. Film Festival - Ted/AT - Property Anniversary!

The Spring Equinox!!!

Yes!
At last!
Oh, yes, and there is snow predicted for after 5pm.
Spring in New England is hardly a clear and decisive transition, even as it is a hopeful thing.


Sunday is the FREE "Wild & Scenic" Film Festival at Clark!
The event is from 3-6 pm in Sackler Hall on the Clark Campus.
There are 10 short films and they are rated as appropriate for families.
There will even be a rafle and some GWLT logo gear will be raffled off.

Ted checked in from the AT last night!
For his update from the trail follow him here!
tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Today is also a Trust property anniversary.
This is the Anniversary of the conservation of the second portion of what is currently known as Kettle Brook, on the Leicester/Worcester line south of Route 9 and north of Stafford Street.


7:00 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 15.6 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 51% and steady;
Pressure is 30.15" of Hg and steady;
No wind, no movement;
The sky is mixed clouds and open sky;
The Cascades Brook channels are both running down here in the Tatnuck valley;
The Cascades have yet to break free of the snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

HIKING CONDITIONS: Crunchy! All of the partially melt and melt has frozen solid.


National Weather Service Forecast:

Snow likely, mainly after 5pm.
Cloudy, with a high near 32.
Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the morning.
Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Clear Skies, Cold, & Open Water : FREE Wild & Scenic Film Festival!

It looks beautiful out there, and it may be, but it is also painfully cold this morning.
The snow pack continues its slow dissipation without any catastrophic meltoff, which is good for avoiding flooding, but it provides a mixed bag of conditions for walking. Gaiters aren't a bad idea for "punching through" where the snowpack no longer bears weight.

View looking West up the Cascades Brook form the Olean St. Bridge

This Sunday Clark University is having a FREE "Wild and Scenic Film Festival" and if you can, you really should check it out!

They are screening the films on Sunday March 22, at Sackler 121, 3-6 pm.The total movie duration is about 1.5 hours. They'll have short introductions and an intermission where GWLT will have a table as a sponsor. The screening is free and open to the public.

The synopses of the movie shorts they're playing are listed as Program #2,  link here http://www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org/22668/, 10 movie shorts in total.

7:30 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 14.9 degrees and steady;
Humidity is 41% and steady;
Pressure is 30.00" of Hg and rising;
There is some movement of wind but there is no reading for wind speed;
Clear skies with no clouds;
Sun;
Both of the Cascades Brooks are open and running;
The Brook in the higher elevations is still covered in portions;
The Cascades have yet to really emerge from the snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


The National Weather Service Forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 31.
Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

March blowing in!

Don't know if you heard the wind last night, but it was shaking the Lodge! We don't have as much this morning: varying from nothing up to 4 mph in the observed period.
At 7 am, it is 20.7 degrees and rising. Back to wintery cold!
Humidity is at 43% and steady.
The barometer reads 29.65 inches of Hg and steady under clear skies with the sun just coming over the hills.
The two stream channels are open and running.
The whole hill of the Cascade remains snow covered.

The National Weather Service forecast for today is:

Sunny, with a high near 29. Blustery, with a northwest wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph.

Bonus Post! Happy St. Patrick's Day & Weather Advisory

Worcester, the Green City!

NOTE: There is a NWS Weather Advisory for tonight and tomorrow:

First, the weather:

A slight chance of rain showers before 7pm, then a slight chance of snow showers between 7pm and 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 18. Blustery, with a northwest wind 19 to 24 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Second, the Official Advisory:

...NORTHWEST WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH THIS EVENING MAY RESULT
IN SOME TREE DAMAGE...ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES AND EVEN A FEW ROAD
CLOSURES...

A STRONG COLD FRONT WAS WORKING THROUGH THE REGION. NORTHWEST WIND
GUSTS OF 45 TO 60 MPH WERE OCCURRING ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND
EARLY THIS EVENING. WHILE IT WILL REMAIN RATHER WINDY
OVERNIGHT...THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR THROUGH 8 PM WHEN
BRIEF GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. THIS MAY RESULT IN SOME
TREE DAMAGE....ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES AND EVEN ROAD CLOSURES.
PLEASE USE CAUTION IF HEADED OUT THIS EVENING. 

Hints of Spring Accelerating: Ted at Preaching Rock, GA

The warmth and rains are accelerating the sings of spring. Tops of stone walls are now reappearing. Paths creep open wider where thy had been shoveled. Seedling trees last sen months ago are slowly poking through the snow cover reemerging from their snowy depths. The depth of the snow pack is greatly reduced, but still deep enough to let you "punch through" and have snow above your ankles to creep down into your open boot tops.

Things are getting more spring like, but it is still a mixed and laborious hike for any length without snow shoes.

GWLT's Ted is now as far as Preaching Rock in Georgia, some 24.3 miles in.
Follow Ted at tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

7:00 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (630' elev):

Temperature is 34.9 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 80% and steady;
Pressure is 29.41" of Hg and falling;
There is no wind movement;
Skies are grey and overcast with light mist falling;
The Cascades Brooks continue to open up down here in the valley, but are covered over more substantially in the higher elevations like at the Newton Trail Crossing;
The Cascades have a few open patches but are substantially still covered and frozen over;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

National Weather Service Forecast:

Showers, mainly before 10am. High near 43. Northwest wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Chilly but warming

We're working on springtime here! We lost quite a bit of snowpack over the weekend.
At 7:30, it is 24.8 degrees and rising.
The humidity is 56% and steady
The barometer is 29.74 inches of Hg and steady under clear skies.
Both stream channels are open and running through banks of snow.

I was asked over the weekend if the Cascades were running yet. While there is water running under the ice and snow, the hill is still encased. There hasn't been enough sustained warmth on the east-facing hill for that to melt away and for the falls to open up. We'll let you know when they do!

Also, if you're outside in the early morning, you'll hear a lot more bird activity now than a few weeks ago. The chickadees and cardinals are singing, and I just heard a woodpecker hammering away on a dead tree.

NWS forecast for today: 
Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. West wind around 7 mph.

Fresh Coat of Snow Coming Tonight!

There is a fresh coat of snow coming tonight!
Yeah!
Go figure! It is still winter!  

Hiking is tough as the compacted snow path is giving way in places and you "punch through" on the soft spots. Gaiters or snow shoes are still smart options up there.

7:00 am Trailhead Conditions Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 34.9 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 79% and steady;
Pressure is 29.41" of Hg and steady;
Open skies with a few clouds;
Cascades Brook is mostly open and running in both channels;
The Cascades are slowly breaking open in places, but are largely covered;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE! 

National Weather Service Forecast:

A chance of rain showers before 5pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. West wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Black Ice Into Rain & Springer Mountain

Well, today starts with black ice, transitions into rain and warmth, and we should see accelerating melt of the snow pack. This will make for a pretty messy mix out there. Be prepared for pretty much every trail surface condition imaginable, other than dry!

The sanding trucks are whipping by on Olean Street so take that into consideration.

Today GWLT's Ted starts his hike on the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain. He spent last night at a hiker hostel on Mount Dahlonega. We expect a report in from him and will be posting his progress over the coming days, weeks and months at tedatgwlt.blogspot.com The GWLT logo will begin the slow march north thanks to Ted. Good luck Ted!

8:00 a.m. Cascading Waters Trailhead Conditions (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 31.6 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 65% and steady;
Pressure is 30.00" of Hg and steady;
There is no wind movement registering;
Skies are overcast, and there is black ice;
The Cascades Brook is flowing in both channels;
The Cascades continue to try to break through holes with the snow melt running underneath;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


National Weather Service Forecast:

Rain. Patchy fog before 11am, then Patchy fog after noon. High near 41. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Cold & Sun, Melting Will Continue

A very cold clear morning with a bright sun on the horizon and a half moon in the sky.

Six deer are out on Cook's Pond, who slipped between the main island and a smaller island, and out of sight. Likely there are more out of sight.
A woodpecker's morning breakfast is echoing out over the frozen ice.
 
Hiking Conditions: Once again, yesterday's melts will have frozen solid overnight. Watch for patchy ice, crusty snow surfaces, patches of mud, and deep pockets of snow, making hiking an adventurous mix over different terrains.

Today Ted arrives in Georgia, and gets picked up by the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, where he is staying over tonight. Ted on the AT update here: tedatgwlt.blogspot.com


Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 16.0 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 54% and steady;
Pressure is 30.42" Hg and steady;
The skies are clear;
The wind is still;
The Cascades Brook in both channels is mostly open with only a few covered patches;
The Cascades continue to peek through some holes as the flow of melt water from the higher elevations heads this way;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


National Weather Service Forecast:

Partly sunny, with a high near 37.
Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the morning.

The Warmth is Blown Away....

This morning around 6 am it was 35 degrees F, which was nicer than the predicted overnight temperatures, so initially I was quite hopeful.

Then a steady north wind began driving through and in the space of an hour and a half the temperature was down nearly 4 degrees. Scratch that hopeful note.

Still the skies are a glorious blue, there is a little more than a half moon, and the brooks are running again.

The ground has a thin film of black ice and sheet ice where yesterday's melt finally gave up.

A HIKING NOTE: The melting snows were deep and slushy yesterday and the melt was overtopping 12" tall rubber boots yesterday and pouring down inside the boots. That may firm up today with this morning's cold again, but  snowshoes are a better way of avoiding this melting mess.

Today the Trust's sponsored Clark LEEP Intern, Ted, is getting on a bus today in NYC and headed south for Georgia to hike the Appalachian Trail. Follow Ted's travels at: tedatgwlt.blogspot.com

7:30 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 31.3 degrees and falling;
Humidity is 48% and steady;
Pressure is 30.00" of Hg and rising;
There is a north wind between 1-3 mph with a peak gust of 4 mph in the observation period;
The skies are blue with a few small clouds;
The Cascades Brook is finally largely uncovered, with a few covered patches, and there is flow;
The Cascades are still largely buried, but there are a few open patches where the water peeks through for a second before disapearing again;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

National Weather Service Forecast:

Mostly sunny, with a high near 34.
Northwest wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

(NOTE: The wind predictions are likely to be observed higher in the Cascades, and down here in the Tatnuck Valley we will be sheltered from the full strength of those numbers.)

Warmth!

Today will break 50, and the last time that happened was on Christmas! (according to the National Weather Service out of Boston.)

This sustained warmth, even over last night, means that the long slow melt is moving right along and where the ground is bare it is nothing but mud. Things are going to get really sloppy out there on the trails between the snow absorbing melt water and the ground getting super saturated.

Stay on the trail, even if it is muddy, to contain the impact of the trail to a narrow corridor. Spreading out the damage is not helpful to the forest and encourages soil erosion.

Last night, inspired by the warm temperatures and driven by the months of fighting the deep cold, it was time to grab a shovel, punch through the deep snows, foot by foot, and head out to the tent platform. It had multiple feet of snow on it, but the prospect of someday being able to camp again was a magic elixir, and making use of the months of skill building and stamina gains in shovelling, it was time to clear off the platform to let it finish melting the sheen of ice and start drying out. Besides, if the rains predicted had materialized, the amount of weight on it could have become a problem.

The interesting thing was just how deep the snow was even after all of these warm days, and the extent to which the melt was simply absorbed into the snow as additional weight. Without a rain storm these snows are going to stick around a good while.

And we never did seem to get the rain that was predicted for last night. There are drops collected on the ends of branches, so some moisture collected, but it wasn't an awful lot from what else is out there for evidence. One wonders who did get that rain in the end?

8:00 a.m. Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 39.8 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 98% and steady;
Pressure is 29.65" and steady;
Wind is stirring, with a long stretch of 1 mph during the observation period;
The sky is broken clouds with occasional sun;
The Cascades Brook is partly covered and partly open;
The Cascades are mostly buried in snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

National Weather Service Forecast:

Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 51.
West wind 7 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Quiet Morning on Cook's, Warmth & Rain Coming

Dawn over Cook's Pond this morning.

A much quieter morning on Cook's Pond.

We learned what happened yesterday to create the dramatic bipolar scenario of active coywolves on one side of Cook's Pond and bedded deer on the other. It turns out that the coywolves had taken down one of the deer and were having a meal, and the fact that the coywolves were focused on that left the deer in relative peace on the other side of the island.

We also got the highest census of deer reported in yesterday by a neighbor. She had counted 32 deer at a peak.


Today means it is 4 days until Ted is on the Appalachian Trail and 3 days until Ted launches south!
You can follow Ted's progress here as he reports in to GWLT on his progress:
http://tedatgwlt.blogspot.com/2015/03/t-minus-4-days.html


Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters:

Temperature is 22.6 degrees and steady;
Humidity is 67% and steady;
Pressure is 30.12" of Hg and steady;
There is no wind movement;
Skies are broken overcast;
The Cascades Brook is covered over in some places and open in others;
The Cascades themselves are still largely buried in snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

National Weather Service Forecast:

Partly sunny, with a high near 44.
Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

We are curious about the predicted warm weather today, rains and above freezing temperatures tonight and just what that will do to the Cascades and the Cascade Brook. Things could get swollen out there, and the possibility of ice dams breaking on the brook and local rivers adds some interest to the mix.

Generally a Nice Day & Chaos on Ice!

This will be a pleasant and slow melting day, but that means things will get mushy underfoot as the day progresses and the melt on ice will make some spots slick for walking. A waterproof boot & microspike combination is your best bet, unless you are breaking new trail, in which case snowshoes are still the item of choice.

This morning was "Chaos on Ice."
To the north of the main island on Cook's Pond we had coywolves running around, howling, and driving all the neighborhood dogs out of their minds, barking wildly. We had figured, incorrectly, that they had driven off the deer herd.
It turns out that on the south of the main island on Cook's Pond there were 26 deer bedded down. Yes. 26. Apparently there is strength in numbers?
A little later in the morning the coywolves were gone and a neighborhood dog was out on the north of Cook's Pond sniffing around and trying to make out what on earth was going on earlier.


Trailhead Forecast at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 23.2 degrees and steady;
Humidity is 61% and steady;
Pressure is 29.88" of Hg and steady;
The air is still, with no movement;
The skies are broken overcast with occasional sun;
The Cascades Brook is mostly covered with open patches;
The Cascades are buried in snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

National Weather Service Forecast:

Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.
West wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Grey Skies

Yesterday saw a modest amount of melting, with the air temperature remaining at or below freezing for most of the day, but it was warm enough where the sun pushed things over the top.

Yesterday also saw the Cook's Pond deer herd lose at least one member to Olean Street traffic.

If you are hiking today bear in mind that there will be patches of ice mixed in as yesterday's melting refroze overnight and is not too likely to remelt over today.


Trailhead Conditions at 8:00 a.m. (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 20.3 degrees F and steady;
Humidity is 63% and steady;
Pressure is 29.83" and steady;
The air is still, with no movement;
The skies are grey;
The Cascades Brook is frozen and buried with some open patches;
The Cascades are buried under snow and ice;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!

National Weather Service Forecast:

Partly sunny, with a high near 37.
West wind 6 to 10 mph. 

Sunny, Cold, and Musings on Too Many Deer

The deer are up and about on Cook's Pond.

A couple of thoughts about the deer have been rolling around in my head these past few days. First, I genuinely hope that no one is trying to feed the deer. Visiting deer in an arctic extreme is one thing, but a resident herd starting at 16-20 deer is quite another.

Deer are widely known for eating garden plantings, bulbs and flours. Deer are less well known as voracious eaters of the entire forest understory, eating all of the new growth of bushes and trees. Deer will eat so much of the forest understory that they erase the future forest that is trying to establish on the ground to take over in 30-35 years.

Deer also carry deer ticks, the smaller version of the more easily identified dog tick, known for carrying diseases that impact humans, though it is worth stating that it isn't just deer but also woodland mice.

In short, while it has been very special for the deer to visit, I wait for them to depart, and if they do not depart I can only hope that the neighborhood coywolves do their part of the food cycle. If people try to feed the deer, and they do stay, there will need to be a management strategy drawn up as that many deer are documented as being unhealthy to such a small forest.

Trailhead Conditions at Cascading Waters (elev. 630'):

Temperature is 15.3 degrees F and rising;
Humidity is 54% and steady;
Pressure is 29.97" and steady;
Windspeed reached 6 mph in the observation period and is fairly consistent at 2-4 mph;
The Cascades are under a frozen blanket of ice and snow;
The Cascades Brook is mostly covered with a few open patches;
The skies are blue and the sun is out.
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE!


National Weather Service Forecast:

Increasing clouds, with a high near 29.
Wind chill values as low as -2.
Southwest wind around 11 mph.