On Saturday, I was hoping to get a little time in with my camera looking for signs of spring in a place I hadn’t hiked before. I found an Audubon Society wildlife sanctuary in Princeton, MA that sounded promising. I grabbed my camera bag, after checking to be sure I had a charged battery with me, and got in the car for about an hour’s ride.
I had high hopes for maybe getting to photograph a few birds or maybe some otters with my 100-400mm lens. To reach the trails here, you first go around a meadow where a flock of sheep were grazing. Cool! I thought and swung the camera to my face. Hmmm, blackness in both the live view screen and the viewfinder. I thought I had popped the charged battery in at home, but maybe I didn’t, so I popped open the battery compartment, where there is the slot that is supposed to hold the memory card. SMH, I left the memory card at home and had no spare in my camera bag, dang it! Returned the Canon to my car, and trekked on, with at least my iPhone.
The wildlife was being shy for most of my hike. I heard what was likely a pileated woodpecker hammering away at the trees but never actually saw it. I walked by a pond called Otter pond but saw no otters. I’m sure there were cute little birds flitting around in the trees, but without the reach of a long lens, I didn’t try to photograph them. I did add another geocache to my “found” list at the summit we reached.
That 1312 feet is less impressive as a hike if I admit the beginning of it was already at 900 feet above sea level. However, the hider of the geocache at this summit said there were all kinds of lovely views around in all directions. This is what I saw:
Not much of a vista in my opinion, and not much in the way of spring to enjoy just yet either. Trees are indeed budding here in Massachusetts, but you wouldn’t know it from this view.
After reaching the summit and the geocache, we continued our loop to descend back to where we parked. This is the pond called Otter Pond where I sadly saw no otters.
I did see one form of wildlife on this hike:
A little garter snake slithered across our path, then nicely posed for me for a moment in the sun.
On the return walk to the car, we passed the barn where the sheep I saw at the beginning of the hike must live. They were also out for a little walk, crossing the road from the barn to the meadow.
It wasn’t the photography excursion I originally thought I might have, but it was a good walk on a sunny day and it felt good to be out in the fresh air.
Wrapping up a hike with some sampling of the local adult beverages is always a good idea. The one on the left is blueberry wheat ale and the right is orange creamsicle sour ale. I should’ve taken this photo earlier, but our thirst beat me to it.
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