Andrew
The Charlemoni Inn is famous for it's ghosts. Lots of stories.
Bob
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 22, 2009, at 12:10 AM, Andrew Joslin <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
> Great report. I can see that I've barely scratched the surface at
> Dunbar. I love Mohawk but Dunbar is even more what I like, fine trees,
> forest, and fast mountain water in close proximity. Not fair to
> compare
> the two places, each with unique qualities. I keep thinking that I
> have
> to move out to the Connecticut River Valley to be nearer to these
> woods.
> Hmm... I wonder what my wife would say if I announced we were moving
> to
> the Charlemont Inn for an extended stay?
> -AJ
>
> [email protected] wrote:
>> ENTS,
>>
>> Today Monica and I braved thunderstorms and endured near 100%
>> humidity
>> when we returned to Dunbar Brook in Monroe State Forest. First order
>> of the day was to retrieve my D-Tape. I had stuck it in a crack in a
>> large bigtooth aspen to provide perspective in the image I took of
>> the
>> trunk. I then walked away from the tree, leaving my D-Tape behind.
>> Duh! Well, this time in addition to retrieving the D-Tape, I got a
>> better measure of it the aspen's height. I am pleased to report that
>> it is a solid 107.0 feet tall. What are its statistics? Its girth =
>> 8.0 feet, its height = 107.0 feet, and its average crown spread = 28
>> feet. That gives the bigtooth 210 big tree points. Not bad. But
>> without further comment, I'll get to the five new images of this
>> extraordinary stream and forest.
>>
>> Image#1-PoolAndForest.jpg: Dunbar Brook is noted for its large rocks
>> and limpid pools. This deep woods spot is located upstream beyond the
>> Adirondack hut. Many favored Massachusetts stream sites feature an
>> idyllic spot or two, but often 100 feet beyond the spot, the forest
>> setting becomes undistinguished. Not so with Dunbar. Beyond the
>> stream
>> banks giants lurk. The surrounding forest is superlative by every
>> measure.
>>
>> Image#2-DunbarTwins.jpg: Here is an example of a couple of those
>> lurking giants. Dunbar has a number of massive pines, many are
>> nameless. I am now calling these to beautiful pines the Dunbar Twins.
>> I also measured two pines with diameters of 42 and 43 inches
>> respectively that I had previously bypassed. I will eventually get
>> down to business and measure and map all the big ones in the
>> watershed.
>>
>> Image#3-TheGreen2.jpg: Along Dunbar, you are never far from a scene
>> like the one in image #3. Dunbar may well be the most photogenic
>> stream in all Massachusetts. I can name some strong competitors, but
>> none that clearly surpass Dunbar.
>>
>> Image#4-OGHemlockAndSpruce1.jpg: There is an old growth hemlock and
>> red spruce stand near the confluence of Parsonage and Dunbar Brooks.
>> The stand is awash in regeneration - so much that it is hard to
>> account for. I think there might have been a blowdown at the site
>> around 140 years ago and a new forest has grown back on the logs. Tad
>> Zebryk and I dated trees in the stand back in 1989. There were a lot
>> in the 130 to 160-year age range. But there are also trees that are
>> far older. In our old-growth survey, Peter Dunwiddie and I dated one
>> hemlock to around 400 years. The center was rotten, so we could not
>> get an exact age. Peter thought it was about 465.
>>
>> Image#4-OGHemlockAndSpruce2.jpg: This last image provides another
>> look
>> at the old growth area. I think the hemlock in the image is between
>> 150 and 175 years old. I will get more shots from the hemlock-red
>> spruce stand on my next visit. Oh yes, it was not far from this spot
>> that one encounters a small, but impressive stand of hardwoods. It is
>> in those hardwoods that Don Bertolette and I dated a white ash to 230
>> years. At the time, its girth was 10.3 feet. We also cored a rather
>> young looking yellow birch that proved to be 198 years old if my
>> failing memory serves me correctly. I realized then that I had to
>> re-calibrate my eye for yellow birch age characteristics.
>>
>> The lower Dunbar watershed has rushing streams, giant pines, an old
>> growth hardwood forest awash in big trees that push the growth limits
>> for the represented species in Massachusetts, an old growth hemlock
>> and red spruce forest, moss and fern-covered boulder fields rich in
>> spring ephemerals, and a wildness ambience that makes one feel that
>> he/she is in a much vaster forest. Dunbar also has areas that still
>> show the scars of past use and abuse, but nature is healing the
>> wounds
>> rapidly. How could such a place exist in populous Massachusetts?
>> Planning? Luck? Some very foresighted individual or individuals? I'm
>> not sure, but one thing I do know. We are incredibly lucky to have
>> it.
>>
>> Bob
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> >
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