November 23, 2025: The Freeze Begins

This week Lake Wicwas saw three cold nights with the temperature dropping into the 20s.  Ice formed the first night in some sheltered marshes, and each night crept farther out into the lake.

Various aquatic plants got caught in the quick freeze.

I wonder if plants frozen in ice can photosynthesize.

The wildlife has been pretty reclusive lately other than the turkeys which continue to be quite prevalent and visible.

But there are plenty of signs that animals are active and getting ready for winter.  In a young forest that's regenerating after a habitat cut to provide forage for moose there are plenty of signs it's having the desired results.  There were many, many trees with the tender branches nibbled off way up high, and some trees that were too high, yet too tasty to pass by, were bent over and snapped so the moose could reach the nutritious tips.

Trees bent over and lots of nibbled branches.

Trees that had grown too high to reach are also serving them well.  Moose scrape off the tender bark and nutritious cambium underneath with their lower incisors and munch that down too.

A fresh scrape made by a moose stripping the bark from the bottom up.

A mature moose can weigh 1000 pounds and consume 40 pounds of plant material every day, so creating these forest openings are important for moose and other animals (including grouse and snowshoe hare) that lack this habitat now that fires are extinguished before a natural opening is created.

The smaller of New Hampshire's ungulates, the white-tailed deer, are also leaving signs as rut season goes on.  Look for triangular shaped scrapes on the ground, often with leaves and dirt kicked several feet beyond the scrape.

On the water, I don't see beavers swimming at dusk anymore, but they are certainly actively stocking their winter food stores and reinforcing their lodges.  This beaver family even added a touch of greenery for the holiday season.

Note a second beaver lodge farther back on the left.

I discovered a new local hiking trail this week which I enjoyed:  Sugar Hill State Forest in Bristol.  New Hampshire State Parks doesn't have much information about the trail, but All Trails has a fair description and the trailhead appears on google maps.  

There are nice views of Mt. Cardigan and Newfound lake from the ridge.  

Mt. Cardigan from Sugar Hill State Forest

Newfound Lake

The trailhead doesn't have any parking but it's just a short walk from downtown Bristol which is where I parked.  The sign at the trailhead is a few yards up beside a home's driveway, and the sign there shows the trail continues past the State Forest to North Main St, so you can make it a loop if you don't mind walking back along a quiet side road.  

The trailhead just of Rt 104 (Main St) east of downtown Bristol.

If you do that you'll end up on private property that's being developed but the land owners are happy to have hikers pass through, and they invite you to walk down their driveway to North Main Street.  If you go that route you'll get a view of Mount Moosilauke, which was snow-covered this week.

Mt, Moosilauke from the northern terminus of the trail.

The route isn't straight forward so give me shout if you'd like more information.

If the cold weather keeps up we might get earlier ice-in than the past few years.  Our dabbling ducks  might have to move on soon, though the diving ducks, including our young loon, are probably safe for a few more weeks.

A couple of female mallards scout for food along the shoreline.

Bottoms Up!

        Happy Thanksgiving!