Old Barrel

We found a couple of these old barrels along Roaring Brook

Another Day, Another Trail

It seems that Wayne has waterfall hunting in his blood and so we set out on another adventure looking for what one Vernon resident called, "the high falls."  This time we entered the area via the Red trail in Black Gum Swamps because Wayne had noted on his map that a dotted line extended from that trail.

So after promising Ginny last weekend that I wouldn't take her back again, I put on her harness and we hiked into Roaring Brook wildlife management area.  For my part, this time I was a bit better prepared for what was ahead. - Norma Manning

Preparation is key

Plenty of mud on the logging road that connects to the Red trail

Ginny demonstrating that a hiker should always stay center on the trail even in wet conditions

Can you spot the trail marker in front of the pine?

Wayne ensuring his gear stays dry when crossing Roaring Brook.

We didn't find the high falls this trip but there will be another day.

I wish that all trails were this clearly marked! 

Serenity

A tranquil stand of trees in March at Roaring Brook - Norma Manning

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

It always takes me by surprise when one of my four adult children cites a song from back in the day. "Don't go chasing waterfalls," was our daughter's response to my text of  "Going in search of Roaring Brook wildlife management area's waterfalls. Will enter by way of the town forest on Huckle hill. If I don't text by say 3:00 reach out." Of course Kayden lives in San Diego which is three hours behind us, but as empty nesters it's still important to let someone know that you are going in.

Common sense doesn't always rule the day when your neighbor throws down a challenge like, "Have you been to the falls in Roaring Brook yet?" I could barley contain my coonhound's excitement when she sniffed the impending adventure.  I gave Wayne an hours notice to prepare. Wayne is a preparer and I'm a regreter in our adventuring partnership. We once hiked a full day on the rim of the Grand Canyon without water bottles because I insisted that we were just going to take a peek from the edge of the parking lot.  With some couple adventures only one partner is able to laugh about it years later.

Having hiked into the area before, I was of course confident that all of the excitement would be at the destination and not in the destination. The first sign of a challenge came with the discovery that while some of the trail was pond like and muddy as expected, other parts were smooth ice. "Navigating trails of ice with dogs on the end of long leads who insist on running in and out of scrub is more exciting and risky than playing Candy Crush Friends in the recliner on a Sunday afternoon" I kept telling myself rising to my feet over and over again. But then that was before the trail disappeared altogether.

Everybody likes to think that they can navigate themselves out of a situation and I do trust Wayne's instincts for the most part, and he was the one after all who thought to print a map .  Even so, I began to hang back a few paces to lay down big sticks in the form of arrows just in case. If you happen to come across them in your travels, go the other way it has to be much easier.

In the interest of not revealing all of the wonderful secrets in store for you on your own adventure into Roaring Brook I will stop here with three advisories: be wary of frozen earth covered with leaf litter on slopes, if you find the swamp at the top of the hill go to the left and finally, by all means go on chasing waterfalls! - Norma Manning

For the safety of wildlife we always keep our dogs on lead while hiking

I almost slid into the water taking this picture

Be prepared to cross over the brook several times

Sometimes we wish there was a sign letting us know we found the spot

We hope to see you on the trail sometime

Deer track in spring snow at Roaring Brook Wildlife Refuge in Vernon, VT - Norma Manning

Cattail Dinner

You may already know that cattails are an important food source for many birds and mammals; but did you know that they can be eaten by us humans as well?  Cattail pollen, flowers, roots and young shoots are all edible. Pollen and roots can be added to and made into flour. A young flower can be eaten like corn on the cob or even pickled. Young shoots can be stir fried or sautéed like asparagus.

Cattails should definitely be on our adventurous eating bucket list; but it's very important to only eat plants from non polluted areas and to make sure that you aren't harvesting from a protected area.

The wetlands adjacent to Lily pond used to have Cattails, but I haven't seen any there since the day I witnessed a truck leaving the pond access road with its bed overflowing with them. Lily pond and the wetlands around it are Class 2 wetlands. A Class 2 designation means that they are significant wetlands with a protected buffer zone of fifty feet.

Since cutting and removing vegetation from a Class 2 wetland  is prohibited, we are just going to have find our cattail dinner elsewhere. - Norma Manning

Cattails propagate by both seed and rhizomes

Cattails are a sure sign of wetlands at this Pond road location

The ice is almost out of the large vernal pool on Fox Hill, considered to be "of statewide significance" by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.