TEXT SOON.
Monthly Archives: May 2014
Whitehead Crossing Again 04
Mouse Island bedecked with spring violets. Hard to see the blooms in this photo, though.
A mainly moss covered rock in The Weed (name subject to change), just east of Grey Seal and No Title Spring. There’s a black ant dragging what appears to be a caterpillar larvae across the central, bare region. From now on, perhaps, this will be Caterpillar Rock made famous by the brave black ant named John Gray, or maybe Sgt. John Gray. His ant home, damaged by my tromping this day unfortunately, may be called Brooksville if so. And if so, he and his colleagues also probably know of Norumbega or Norum and the attached No Title Spring. I don’t know why they wouldn’t.
Nearby rock with interesting, heart shaped moss formation.
The Pile, so named because it consists solely of a large pile of rocks. Did farmers of olden days create this pile after clearing fields? Or is this something pre-white man. Indian I’m talking about here. And of course there’s always The Aliens to consider.
Sitting atop Grey Seal taking in the landscape. Very nice — lots to see (including a floating tree centering the below photo, not noticed before).
A branch formation in The Weed reminding me of the spinning Manchester, England statue in a recent Falmouth series collage. Do you see the resemblance?
Many more Whitehead Crossing pictures still to come this month!
Filed under Frank Park, Whitehead Crossing
Whitehead Crossing Again 03
4 Sticks star formation on a pine tree. Cute if perhaps not meaningful this time. But who knows with this wacky kooky place?
Multiple trunked or branched tree beside 3rd stick. I need to talk to you’n’s about the numbering of the 4 Sticks. I’ve been calling the largest and southernmost of the 4 sticks proper the 1st Stick so far, I believe. But this may instead be called the 4th. If so, then Last Tree, pointed to by what is now the *1st* Stick instead of the 4th, becomes First Tree. Last to First, just like in a miraculous race. And this certainly is a miraculous place (if not a race).
So this is 3rd Stick (foreground) and 4th Stick (background), a contrast in styles. 4th Stick is very straight and quite thick, or at least much thicker than the remaining 3 of its stick/log family. 3rd Stick is much less thick and considerably more curvy in nature, although overall still forming a pretty straight line. The bark texture is also rough and holey compared to the smooth 4th.
Closeup of 3rd Stick.
A mysterious alley of trees in 4 Sticks. I will probably say more about this soon.
The pointed end of a fallen branch above the 4 sticks proper, as yet unnamed. The formation, to me, appears to resemble the head of a long thin animal. I’ll have to think of what animal more — not a boar I don’t believe, in checking Google images just now.
Not The Crocodile I don’t think, but I’m not as sure about eliminating that one.*
Notice also the white rock on the other side of the small tree from it.
A big find for the day, or a re-finding if I remember correctly. I have no doubt of a name or an association in this case. This is definitely Pendulum Stick or just The Pendulum, which, like the branch that burdened Relieved Tree until only just recently, is a small, live tree holding part of a dead, fallen tree branch. But unlike the former, this relationship is much more fine tuned and balanced — the supported, dead branch actually waggles quite easily in any breeze, defining the name. And when I spotted this formation, I remembered it from before, since forgotten. I must have originally The Pendulum several years back. I’ve only known of Whitehead Crossing for about 4 years total. Once again, I’ll have more to say about this soon enough, most likely. Is it a 4 Sticks clock??
The below photo comes from the top of The Pendulum, where the supporting and supported branches are almost exactly the same circumference. The small twiglets projecting from the latter, holding up the former, are hidden from view here.
And now the bottom of The Pendulum, where the supporting stick has narrowed considerably, and hovers several inches above the ground. In total, the supported stick may be about 3 feet long, but I haven’t made an exact measurement… yet.
Looking by The Pendulum at First Tree (formerly Last Tree) and Next Tree behind it.
Another unnamed rock nearby, on the upper reaches of the banks framing Whitehead Stream here.
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* I believe I’ll call this The Aardvark now, or just Double A (?). I figured out what animal’s snout it looks like.
Filed under Frank Park, Whitehead Crossing
Whitehead Crossing Again 02
Just above the spray can top, these rocks were spied. They appeared one on top of the other like this, and seemed matched. Turned out they were split parts of one rock in all likelihood. Because the two parts are almost identical, this adds to the twin motif of the week for sure. I’m also now identifying these matched stones with plates, perhaps connected to Joseph Smith’s Golden Plates uncovered in Mancester, New York or, especially, disciple James Strang’s similar discovery of the Voree Plates in Burlington, Wisconsin. More on this rather bizarre twist in The Crossing tale soon.
Nearby fungi on a log.
The Straightaway’s gateway hemlocks as seen from Matland’s Crocodile Rock. We are now at day 2 of my hiking week, or Wednesday. Another totally clear day to enjoy.
Smaller rock on top of Crocodile Rock. Or is this Crocodile Rock instead? Where’s Eagle Rock, then? All this from the story behind Elton John’s first number one hit “Crocodile Rock”, and its psychic connections with Coahoma County, Mississippi. The picture is becoming clearer, but still much to be resolved.
Old plastic pail nearby. As I think I’ve stated in a previous post, there are several such pails in Matland.
Or is *this* Eagle Rock, the 3rd rock in a matching Matland set also containing Crocodile and Welcome Mat.
Filed under Frank Park, Whitehead Crossing
Whitehead Crossing Again 01
5/12/14:
With 3 days off the past week, and also a relatively clear Sunday, I’ve had 4 solid days of hiking in that span. I still had to watch my back, but a set destination of Whitehead Crossing helped alieviate my worries there since the ways in I chose are relatively flat. I have a considerable number of photos to be processed besides the ones in the 4 part “Whitehead Crossing Again” posts here. So we better start with the text (!). Very good and interesting hikes each day, with much information added to the area’s snowballing mythology.
But we start on this particular day — I believe this comes from Monday of last week — at the 4th and least defined portal of Spoon Fork. I review my information about these portals in a 2011 Baker Blinker Blog post Here.
Nearby, moss decorated roots.
Heading up into Whitehead Crossing now from the south or Korean Channel direction, I found spring plants sprouting greenly. I believe this one is a corn lily, quite common in these parts…
… and here we have a may apple.
There are many things to notice in Whitehead Crossing, and here are two twinned trees that didn’t catch my eye until this day. Twins… a key subject to consider in absorbing new Crossing info for certain.
Poison ivy has definitely sprouted, and this is another good reason to focus on Whitehead Crossing for my May hiking needs, since I kind of know where it grows there and can avoid it better. For example, I knew there was some poison ivy around what I’ve called the Poison Gate in past posts, where this picture was taken. I have to develop that particular aspect of Crossing mythology in a future post, aided by future photos no doubt.
Nearby is a block shaped rock I also hadn’t really noticed until this day.
Perhaps strange (or Strang?) clumps of green grass growing to the east of No Title Spring, in a place I’m tending to call Vineland or Vinland now for obvious reasons.
And now just to the west of No Title Spring I found an object: What appears to be the rusted top of a spray can of some sort, buried top down in the dirt.
Filed under Frank Park, Whitehead Crossing
Future
It came up this weekend that we might not be spending our old age in Blue Mtn., our present home and location of my sacred and beloved Frank and Herman Parks. I can’t imagine how this would be, but it might. Instead we’re thinking of Ashville, Edna’s original home. It gets 1/3rd the snow of Blue Mtn. Great mtn. town, and larger, which means more to do. Drawback — well, no Frank and Herman Parks of course. No exciting local digs like Granddaddy Mtn. and Beach Mtn. and Boulder and Denville. I’ve lived in Blue Mtn. practically all my adult life, after growing up in Mythopolis about an hour south. Mythopolis is most likely not an option to live in again. It’s a bit too warm and flat and just plain boring, although it is about the same size as Blue Mtn. and a nice enough town for what it is. A very vanilla kind of place. Another place that’s probably ruled out is Abington to the north of Blue Mtn. It’s a bit smaller, even, than Blue Mtn. and the most historic place of all the options above. But long term it has as much chance of being our future home as Mythopolis, which is to say, not much of one. Ashville is diff.
Factors: When we get older and grayer, it’s going to get tougher to deal with Blue Mtn.’s winter ice and snow. If we fall, we could really be in trouble since there’s no one else here to take care of us. Driving is often limited in the winter. Would cost more to heat the house if we’re home. An option would be to stay part time in Ashville (winter at least) and part time in Blue Mtn. (spring, summer, fall?).
A drawback to Ashville, however, is the size of the town — it’s both a plus and a minus.
Another factor is exactly how long I can tromp through the woods willy nilly like I’ve been doing since a child, a basis for my Frank and Herman Park mythology. Presently my back is giving me issues, and although I think I will be okay, perhaps in older age I may not. Falling in the woods would present problems.
This move will not take place for 7-10 years, so there’s plenty of time for debate. On with the show!
Filed under Blue Mountain, Middletown^
Sunklands 
