May 04, 2003
Spring comes even to Montpelier
It was 50 degrees out yesterday, so I took a long walk, down the far side of the hill and across Elm St (where there's apparently some kind of property dispute going on -- there was a sign lying flat on the ground saying that the trail had moved because the land the old trail on had been sold, but no indication where the new trail might be).
There were dozens of hardy souls at the recreation center -- adults playing tennis, youths skateboarding, a couple of brothers taunting a sister with a basketball in the parking lot. A husky still in full winter coat was playing in one of the few remaining patches of cold open water on the grass.
The sound of rushing water was everywhere, but the north branch itself was deceptively placid -- if you didn't notice that the river level was a couple of feet above normal. All of the rocks and shoals and snags that usually make for infteresting eddies and rapids are well underwater, and the flow just rides right over them.
Of course, if you looked at the water surface, you might also notice that the river was flowing faster than the average person can run...
Posted by wallich at May 4, 2003 09:29 AM