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I still haven’t watched the sun rise at Daybreak Point. I came close yesterday, though, missing it by 35 minutes.
Twice on the trail I stopped to clear branches downed by recent winds.
When I emerged into the clearing, the scene greeting me was simply breathtaking.
I stacked the dry wood I’d collected along the trail…
…then kicked back in my chair and immersed myself in the wildness of the place.
This is my reward. Like everything else I’ve created on The Mountain, it’s worth every drop of sweat I poured into it.
It’s great to be here.
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While relaxing in my woodsy sanctuary, I was serenaded (or harassed, depending) by seven different kinds of birds.
The Merlin app tells me that I’ve now identified 55 species on The Mountain.
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A mature chinquapin oak near the fire ring at Daybreak, though very much alive, has tenants in its hollow trunk.
Most interesting to me is a tiny den carved out of an enormous burl at the tree’s base.
The burl is about 20 inches across, only a little smaller than the trunk.
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Spring cleanup began Saturday.
Daybreak Point is tidy because it’s new. Using loppers and leaf blower, I took time to give White Rock (pictured) and the trail leading to it the same look.
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According to US Drought Monitor, we’re still in “extreme” drought.
The Arkansas Division of Forestry has us at “high” risk of wildfire.
We’re virtually surrounded by burn bans, but Marion County hasn’t yet issued one.
Despite conditions, the National Park Service this week began conducting a 3,000-acre prescribed burn on the north side of the Buffalo River in southeast Marion County.
That’s nine miles from The Mountain.
Campgrounds and other park facilities are closed to the public while the burn is underway. The river itself remains open to canoes and such, and camping is permitted on the gravel bars.
I’m not concerned that the controlled burn will escape containment — these people know what they’re doing. The exercise has, however, cloaked our landscape in smoky haze.
Maybe you picked up on that in my images from Daybreak Point.
By the way, the same neighbor whose brush fire I monitored a few weeks ago apparently tried using yesterday’s smoke to cover another sizeable burn — not something I would’ve done, considering windy and dry conditions.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable