First Spring Hike

It began to warm up here in southern NH, at least for a short time. My children and I took a quick hike in the woods behind our house. I wasn't sure how much there would actually be to see this early in the season, but we were pleasantly surprised. What was really nice about this hike was that we really had to look to find interesting things. It was exhilarating to finally see things starting to grow.

This rock was interesting. It brought up a conversation of how the plants are growing on the rock. My children had their hypothesis. One thought that the plants were growing all the way through the rock, the other thought they were a type of plant that did not need soil to grow. We investigated a little closer to find out the real answer.

Another great thing about hiking this time of year is that the weather is tolerable, and because the leaves are not on the trees yet, there are a lot of interesting sights that are visible. Some which you maybe wouldn't see if the leaves were fully grown.

We stopped and observed this tree for a short time (as short amount of time as two young children can stand still and quiet) to see if we could see some wildlife poking it's head out of the hole in this tree. Unfortunately we didn't get to see anything this time, but we will be making plenty of visits back.

My children think that the near by owl we have been hearing in the evenings is living in here. We will have to see!

We became real excited when we first saw this bird flying. We thought it could have been an eagle, but when we looked at the picture we realized it was a Turkey Vulture. Not as exciting, but still very impressive in size.

I took this picture because when I saw this seedling next to a fallen tree trunk I thought of the terms "renewal" and "rebuild". Much like this year has been for my family. Nature shows us that things always have a way of balancing out.