Wood Orchids

Hike Ku for Ravenswood Park

No Mountain Laurel
Though Blue Iris flags blooming
Lady Slippers too

We headed out early, before the heat (and since I have a sermon to edit into shape, an afternoon of working for me) to pick up another one of the 60/60. This one at Ravenswood in Gloucester. I've been there before, Steve and I hiked it during our mad dash to complete the 50 hikes in Massachusetts challenge. It was the last in a day of three hikes - we started early in the mountains and raced through Ravenswood as the November light faded. I believe we ended in the darkness. Since that outing had more of a flavor of nature as treadmill, we didn't really savor the hike as much as I would have liked, so it was nice to redeem the outing by a more leisurely amble. Not too, leisurely mind you, the mosquitoes were doing a fine job of herding us through the woods, since every time we stopped they settled on exposed flesh for a morning snack. And then there were the other dogs and the attendant stress of having some big thing charging toward Rascal . No doubt they onnly want to give a friendly sniff, but since she is the demon spawn of the Bitch Goddess, Rascal only wants battle. Not the most relaxing way to hike. The good news was that most of our hike was in the more remote part of the park where we had it to ourselves. And the demon spawn of course. We had read that Swamp Magnolias and Mountain Laurel would be blooming in early summer, but it must be about a week too early. No blooming this morning - at least not on the trees. The irises were spectacular in the marsh and like most of the other places I've been in the past week, Middlesex Fells and Monadnock, wood orchids -Lady Slippers- galore. We even caught sight of a couple of water lilies - the lotus types.

Now to that sermon, or at least to some new way to procrastinate. Maybe I'll make the pie that I've got planned for dinner at the Z's tonight. . .