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It looks like a Burl. They are natural non-harmful (think of them like scar tissue maybe, resulting from injury or infection) deformities in the grain of trees. Both hardwood & softwood trees can develop burls. (FWIW, I'd guess based on the bark & needles laying in the folds of the bark in the first picture that this tree is some sort of conifer.)
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You may like the look, but those trees are in the process of being killed by a nasty invasive, Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). It is one of the more common invasives in MA. There have been many things writting about this invasive. It's been on any list of invasive plants in MA that I've seen. Do a search and you'll see. DCR (MA Department ...
8
I am an avid birder in and around Acadia National Park.
Acadia National Park is one of the most accessible national parks in the system when it comes to major locations and their accessibility. Therefore locations right off the Park Loop Road can provide excellent birding opportunities. I would suggest these locations in and around the park.
Sieur de ...
7
I was pleased to see the photos of the burls; it's been some time since I had thought of all of the splendid uses Native Americans and others had found for burls, so I hope no-one minds my digression.
Burls are caused by wounds to trees, as has been mentioned. But far from making the tree unattractive, burls had been valued!
They had been sought out by ...
6
For temperatures down to -40°C you need solid insulated mountaineering boots; buy them together with crampons so they fit well.
All modern snowshoes will be compatible.
There are many such boots on the market; it should be easy to find those that fit you the best. Some classics are: La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX, Scarpa Mont Blanc Pro GTX.
I personally use ...
5
Lightening strike. I have seen the exact same on a Loblolly Pine then lightening lifted a few feet of soil toward the buried sewer line.
5
Well, depending on your definition of "known" and "documented", you're in luck. There's a workout tracking app that has gained enough popularity in New England to map out a large number of trails. In the areas I can geographically confirm, all the well-traveled trail-running trails have been tracked multiple times using Strava, and hence show up strongly ...
5
Given your time period of early June to Early September, my guess is that the least crowded period will be early June. This report (Fig. 4) shows the number of bed nights in AMC huts as a function of months. July has about 10% less bed nights than August and both July and August have substantially more bed nights than June or September. My guess is that ...
5
This is my answer to your question, I am new here but I really enjoy this type of thing. In 2011, we had a very bad tornado come through our property. After that I have heard 4-5 new bird calls, which I have never before around here (Tennessee), and 2 at night. If you think back to when you first heard this bird, had there been any bad storms where you live? ...
4
My suggestion would be to create a path in Google Earth and then view the elevation profile of the path.
Here is an example of what that would look like,
One caveat, Google Earth underestimates the steepness because instead of calculating slope as rise/run it uses rise/hypotenuse.
4
Great Blue Herons don't seem to be territorial. Nesting sites usually have a few to a dozen nests at a time, sometimes three in the same tree. This is so common they are referred to as heron "rookeries".
Except at the nest, it does appear that these birds work alone. Sometimes you can see two nearby, but not usually next to each other. Most of the time ...
4
Nor'easters move from the south to the north. Just like a hurricane. They are cyclonic and the wind that hits the coast comes from the NE.
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Early September is the best choice considering the criteria you have given. While it is true that there are less hikers in early June than later in the summer, there are reasons for this.
Black flies can be quite annoying then. June is also wetter and muddier than early September. Avoid Labor Day weekend, but there will be fewer hikers immediately after ...
4
I talk a little about the different kinds of 4x4 vehicles in my answer to this question you don't say what type of vehicle you have, make sure the terrain you want to cross and your vehicle are comptable.
If you get in trouble you may be a long way from anyone, see This answer for some considerations on forest service roads.
Safety: (This should be in ...
3
You can also expand the list of accessible routes, and the distance traveled along them, by using a more capable wheelchair. Products such as the GRIT Freedom Chair while designed for outdoor recreation by fit wheelchair riders, are also much easier for able bodied friends of the wheelchair rider to help push, due to their long wheelbases and larger wider ...
3
Anon is correct. Nor'easter is a storm system blowing high winds and Artic air coming from the north or north east. A Sou'wester originates in the tropical/subtropical Atlantic and brings warm air and heavy precipitation. Newscasters tend to call these northeasters thinking, I guess, that it's a storm on the northeastern United States and therefore a nor'...
3
Most trails for hiking are also good for running. In fact, I'd make the assumption that a hiking trail is a running trail without specific knowledge that makes it inappropriate.
One way to get a list of trails others deem acceptable for running is to use those that trail races are run on. There are quite a few of those. For example in my area, trail ...
3
There are quite a number of options, although the 4000 foot requirement pretty much limits it to the White Mountains of NH, the northern Green Mountains of VT, and a few peaks in ME.
It's not clear if you want to or need to do a out and back, or if you can spot a car and do a traverse. Here are just a few options that come to mind without looking things up ...
3
Thru-hiking/backpacking an established trail for multiple weeks, do-able in winter
The longer hiking trails in ME, NH, and VT, apart from the AT, like the Long Trail and the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail and Cohos Trail just have too much extreme weather on exposed peaks to be safe for a solo hiker. The New
England Scenic Trail in CT and MA could be a ...
2
You've already done the AT, so know what the terrain of the Berkshires, Green Mountains, and White Mountains is like. Obviously that gets a lot more difficult with 2-6 feet of snow on the ground. With the right gear, it is of course doable, but at too high a hassle level for most people.
The Long Trail is the first that came to my mind from your ...
2
There isn't a lot of wilderness near Boston, but there are many local trails. Camping is not allowed on most land that local trails pass over. However, it is sometimes possible to get permission. It is probably possible to string together a loop on local trails with pre-arranged camping permission in specific areas. You would have to do a lot of digging ...
2
One possible route to see waterfalls in White Mountain National Forest:
Hike in from the end of Zealand Road to Zealand Falls, then take the Ethan Pond Trail down to Thoreau Falls. Hike out the Ethan Pond Trail and you can get picked up by the AMC shuttle. http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodging-shuttle.cfm
The drive back would take you through Crawford ...
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From what I can see on USGS Topo maps and aerial imagery, you definitely need to walk on Breezy Pt Rd and NH118 to cross Baker River before getting on Three Ponds trail. Can't see any apparent crossing/bridge anywhere else.
As for a trail from Stinson Lake south to Rumney, I can't find any reference anywhere about that. I took a look at this parcel data and ...
1
Many good suggestions here; regardless of your choice of boot, MAKE CERTAIN THEY FIT WELL while wearing two pairs of socks. Too tight boots will cut off circulation and be wickedly uncomfortable. Great boots without great socks, won’t keep your feet warm. My go-to socks are injini inner sock with the appropriate weight Darn Tough outer sock. You can find ...
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I recommend two Canadian brand: Kamik (very low price) and Baffin(low price). Their boots target everyday outdoor worker/farmer/hunter so they know what they are doing.
They make solid snow boots. I use them with crampon for ice fishing trips.
They feature complete water proof, good insulation, removable pelt liner. This setup is closer to a winter ...
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