Bob- Having lived down the 'River Road' along the west side of the Ct. River, these photos definitely brought back memories...your Mount Toby image revived one, of netted tobacco plants (for cigars if my recall serves me?), which might have been captured in the nearest part of the 'middle ground', sort of to the right of center?
I tried to identify the produce stand that to me characterized the 'old days' where the proprietor simply left a cigar box at the stand, and you paid, made change, sacked your selection by yourself...a system based on trust that is just about not seen elsewhere, these days. It may be just out of the picture. The images with stretches of the river, revived recall of canoe trips where we'd put in at the bridge at South Deerfield/Sunderland, and float down to our condo (for students, it was a nice 3 story 3 room 690 sq. ft unit that had originally been a barn, in Hatfield), which was a stone's throw from the river. Many days were like the day you captured your images, but my visual recall was brighter, sunlit enough with agricultural haze that made you squint your eyes. Not bad, pilgrim! -Don Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:57:22 +0000 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] CC: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [ENTS] Sugar Loaf ENTS, Yesterday Monica and I visited a scenic icon of the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts - diminutive yet distinctive Mount Sugar Loaf. At 654 feet elevation, Sugar Loaf lies more as a big lump on the land than a real mountain; yet its summit offers surprisingly scenic views. One reason is that the sides of Sugar Loaf include sandstone ledges and cliffs. A 500-foot elevation gain occurs quickly. Another reason for the quality of Sugar Loaf's vistas is that the little peak is situated in the middle of the Connecticut River Valley in a spot that provides views green fields, the Connecticut River against a backdrop of the Holyoke and Mount Tom Ranges, nearby Mt Toby, and the more distant Pelham Hills to the east and the Berkshires to the west. Detractions to the otherwise superb views are the housing developments that increasingly encroach upon the green space that for so long has defined the Valley. Then there are the unsightly profiles of the tall buildings on the UMASS campus. To the State's credit, the top of Sugar Loaf is very attractively maintained by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Consequently, the little Park is a must see for visitors to the Valley with an eye for the scenic. This point was reinforced near the end of our visit. While at the summit, Monica and I briefly met a lady from New York who had stumbled onto the property, and on impulse, drove to the top of Sugar Loaf to see what it was all about. She was mightily pleased that she had followed her impulse. She was awe struck. Veering off a congested Interstate and adding a quick 500 feet of elevation can change one's perspective. Oh yes, the forests on Sugar Loaf. Well, there isn't much to show off. Sugar Loaf and North Sugar Loaf have suffered countless indignities over the last 300 years, courtesy of a population that gave little thought to conservation or balance. The soils are thin and do not support big trees except near the base of the mountain complex. However, between Sugar Loaf and North Sugar Loaf, there is a scattering of large northern red oaks, black oaks, and some tall pignut hickories and there are a few surprisingly stately sugar maples. However, overall, it is a fragile environment and needs to be protected from impacts that remove the over-story. Logging is out of the question. I expect that DCR well understands this and has no plans to pursue timber management on Sugar Loaf. Nonetheless, I know of no statutes that would exempt Sugar Loaf from some form of active forest management. This brings me to a point. I am trying to figure out how to photographically document the forests of places like Sugar Loaf to reflect as accurately as possible what is there and how it looks. For the most part, when we take photographs, we attempt to extract the best that a place has to offer. Filters, selective images, limited focus, etc. can make a place look better than it actually is, often far better. I want to learn how to document our forests in an ever more accurate depiction of what the eye sees mostly as well as capturing the dreamy scenes that may exist in only a few places. I have a long way to go and the advice of others is welcome. Now to the images. Image#1-MtToby.jpg: This image looks to the northeast toward Mount Toby, a high ridge in the Connecticut River Valley region exhibiting extraordinary geological features. Image#2-Berkshires.jpg: This image looks westward to the Berkshire uplands. The Berkshires are geological extensions of the Green Mountains of Vermont. The chain is continued in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. The Connecticut River sentinels of Sugar Loaf, Mount Holyoke, and Mount Tom provide exceptional views of the eastern Berkshire front. Image#3-MtTomRange.jpg: This view looks to the south and slightly west to Mount Tom and the rest of the Mount Tom Range. The ruplift ends at the Connecticut River which separates the Mount Tom and Holyoke Ranges. Image#4-ChurchAndToby.jpg: This view looks eastward toward Sunderland and the south end of the Mount Toby formation. The church spire is quintessential New England. Image#5-CtRiverAndHolyokeRange1.jpg: The view to the south is stunning. The snaking turns of the Connecticut focus the attention on the roll of the river. The distant, undulating form of the Holyoke Range suggests higher mountains. The small, but scenic Holyoke and adjacent Mt Tom Ranges have long attracted painters and photographers. The ugly spectacle of encroaching housing developments threaten to spoil the viewscape. Monica and I buy produce from local farmers to support Valley agriculture. Image#6-CtRiverAndHolyokeRange2.jpg: There is always another view of the river, the Holyoke Range, green fields, etc. I want to pay Sugar Loaf a return visit on a day when there are few visitors and stay on the summit, observing the changes in light that highlight, mute, and dramatize this iconic Connecticut River Valley landscape that is disappearing all too fast. Bob _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222984/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
