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June 4, 2005 was the first day of "Mountains" class (through Clark University's COPACE program). The
day couldn't have been better to hike up Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, MA. I forgot my camera,
so you'll just have to take my word for it that the day was sunny and not too warm.
As a concession I will include a slide show (to the right) of my last hiking trip up the Precipice in Acadia National Park in Maine. It was last fall, October, 2004. That was a very special trip, as my husband David and I hiked several mountains in as many days. But today's trip is even more special. For although I've hiked Wachusett Mountain several times over the years, today is my first hike back up the mountain since I had cancer surgery last fall--less than a month after that great day on the Precipice. I was born and raised in Worcester, where the flora was daffodils and trees, in the generic, since I didn't know the difference between a maple and an oak. My experience with fauna wasn't much better, consisting of squirrels and pigeons. For the past 25 years, I've been living in Northborough and we are fortunate enough that our yard backs up to Edmund Hill Woods, which is town conservation land, so I've learned a thing or two about the woods. David spent a lot of time in the woods as a kid, and on our many hikes over the years, he has graciously helped me recognize the adorable tufted titmouse, the upside-down nuthatch, and the brilliance of a redwing blackbird singing from a marsh. I have seen a soaring red-tailed hawk, and the pileated woodpecker, who I find quite comical. And I can now tell the difference between an oak leaf and a maple, and love to stand amongst birch trees when the sun shines through their pretty papery leaves. This online journal will chronicle my "Mountains" class with Professor Roger Leo and my fellow classmates as we hike five area mountains and their surrounding forests and discover the magic within. |
 Acadia National Park, Maine  David in our "backyard" - Edmund Hill Woods  Pitch Pines in Edmund Hill Woods |
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