3.11.2005

A Glorious End to a Challenging Day

We didn't finish our mop-up until 8:00 last night, so it was full dark before we got out of the woods. It was a challenging and tiring burn -- lots of downed trees, huge holes created by the rootballs of the fallen trees, and spots of deep muck made for less than easy walking while carrying five gallons of water on our backs and fire rakes in our hands. After nine hours of work it was nice to just sit for a moment in the dark woods and listen to life all around us. Tundra swans called to one another as they flew over; spring peepers, Brimley's chorus frogs, upland chorus frogs, and leopard frogs serenaded us; barred owls called from the woods and overhead the stars were clear and bright. Have I mentioned lately that I love this place?

Other critters encountered during the day included a couple of fence lizards, a pine woods treefrog, two pickerel frogs, a woodcock, various spiders, at least three species of grasshoppers and a couple of different types of katydids.

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