Think it's cold here?

If you think it's cold here, imagine being at the top of Mt. Washington!  Yikes, it's -7 degrees F, with a windchill of -41!  I can not imagine even venturing out to the observation deck today.  

Here in Walpole it's not even 20 F.  I think if it's going to be this cold so early in the season, we should have snow too.  What do you think?

I took this picture up on Derry Hill, in Walpole the other day. I was out hunting when I cam across this large Beech tree.  I could envision that bear hugging the tree as he climbed up.  I found a couple of recent piles of bear skat nearby.  Though these scratches are not new, I know there are a number of Black Bear in this area.   If they haven't gone to sleep for the winter already, they will very soon.

As for my luck hunting, well I have had none.  While I'm out there sitting beneath the pines, my ears play tricks on me.  The wind, the squirrels, and chipmunks all make me question what I'm hearing.  It seems the deer are just beyond where I can see.  They are very tricky.  Because I can't sit still for long because of the cold, I try to sneak up on the sounds.  When I get to where I think the sound came from, I either find recent skat, or no sign of anything at all.

Yesterday I decided to just go for a hike, not hunting.  I found yet another tree stand where I'd never seen one.  This stand had to be at 20' off the ground in an Oak tree.  It was very old, and had raccoon skat on it.  It was constructed of wood, that had been overcome by moss.  The ladder was hand made with metal scraps that were welded together.  The stand must have been nice at one time.  Not safe now though.