Way back in September the floods of Hurricane Florence
relocated our Nature Trail bridge a little ways downstream.
Lo and behold, that wasn't the last of our fall floods. Just
a few weeks later another fall deluge deposited it in roughly
the same place. Now I have better ways of getting exercise
than dragging water-logged bridges through mud and sandbars.
So this time I resorted to a simple but effective anchoring
system.
I believe these are more commonly used to attach pet
leashes in yards. But it will, or should, serve my purpose.
That chore didn't take nearly as long as I expected,
so while I was already wet I checked out a couple
of logjams upstream that were impeding the natural
flow and course of the stream. These logs were
carelessly dumped into the stream a few years ago
by utility workers, and at flood stage they float down
and clog the waterway.
I find these gravel and stone sandbars very interesting,
but the logjams made them more prominent than normal.
These logjams had actually cause the stream to
cut another channel in torrential downpours, creating
an island between Big Rock and the bridge.
Here you can see the new passage to the left of an island.
Sweetgum and Poplar trees will soak up every drop of
water our stream can provide.
With the log barriers up on shore I'll maintain watch
to see how the flow of the stream improves and
whether some sandbars shift.
I'll also keep a watch on these logs to see that they
don't float back and clog the stream again. I didn't
think it was worth dragging them any further.
While at the trail, I checked out our newest feature,
a tree I've dubbed "Bard's Bow," from "The Hobbit."
The tree is still alive, but only a stout branch supports
it from falling all the way to the ground. If that occurs
I'll have to take to the chainsaw. Though hordes of SFL
children would prefer to climb over its limbs.
This tree, like Old Man Poplar, is living on borrowed time.
But so is everything in nature, including me!
Of all things on the trail, I suppose Big Rock is the least
susceptible to change. And even it is not immune. I wonder what
it and the rest of the trail will be like when I'm 80, 90, or 100.
In the dead of winter, you can see clear through the
Nature Trail to the farm fields beyond. Years ago some
of that land was tilled by boarding students at Farm
Life School, so maybe things have come full circle.
However much things change, I'm thankful we have
a small, beautiful, and amazingly diverse preserve
on school property, a sanctuary for residents -- flora
and fauna -- and guests.
Be our guest. Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall.
