It is finally getting warm up here in New England – well, it’s not freezing on even a semi-regular basis.  And I am taking advantage of this weather to get out and about and do things! First on the list was driving up to beautiful Vermont to go hiking and get out of the city! I ended up picking a place called Quechee Gorge (basically, I picked an easy hike somewhere where rain was unlikely!). It was gorgeous and I’m so glad I went. 

Logs and algae everywhere! All the green up here makes me happy, though I certainly find it unusual.

This is water by the dam which is a major feature of the park.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good shot of the dam (I need a wide-angle lens if I’m going to be tromping around state parks!) but the water was pretty regardless.

All the beautiful trees!  These are all upstream of the dam; this river feeds peacefully into the dam and gushes out.

I have no idea what any of the flora around here is, but these were red and striking.

I wasn’t in the mountains (or were they hills here? I can’t tell) but I was around them and they made for some striking backgrounds.  And the colors! It was a bit overcast, which turned everything a lovely pastel shade.

Bird! No idea what it is – any bird lovers out there – but there were a number of these red-shouldered beauties.  And they were loud!

Just look at the colors!

The lake opposite the river.  It was peaceful and relaxing – the whole walk was, actually.  I went by myself for some alone time and it was exactly what I needed.

Pine trees! I love the smell of pines.

Downstream of the dam.  The water turned into rapids and it was down fairly far from the path.

I loved the way the light caught on this leaf.

Looking up into the sky from the forest floor.  The sun was starting to peek out from the clouds – there are tons of clouds up here!

Trees! I’m sorry the pictures of the trees are piecemeal, but I do like the arrangement of trees here.

This stump + roots was just weird.

More trees! I always forget how tall trees can grow when they’re not in constant drought.  But I suppose I have to get used to it now.

A pine tree’s branch had fallen and I loved all the patterns the leaves were in.  Plus, pretty green! Can you tell how excited I am about all this green?

The picnic rest area, with people and poodles.  It was a very dog and people friendly park.  Actually, I would really recommend it to people of all levels.  The trail was pretty level and straight, so you could turn around at any time.  There were also a fair number of benches spaced out to rest if you got tired or if you wanted to eat your applesauce.  (yum).  And it was gorgeous.  I loved all the trees, the water, and there’s a beautiful bridge if you’re interested in that sort of thing!