Saturday, June 21 Cotton Mt. to Prescott Tr.

It was one of those breathtaking days in early summer where the air is crisp and the meadows are brimful of wildflowers and - well - how can anyone NOT want to be outside celebrating? As we climbed up Cotton Mountain, Hunter recalled how, just a few months ago, she had slogged through over-knee-deep heavy snow on that same trail. We spotted a snake slithering across the warm path at its start, before the open area- which is beautifully recovering from its past as a gravel pit - gave way to beech shaded woods. Cotton Mountain is short and steep but offers a view towards Little Squam before the tree leaves cover it, and then another along the length of big Squam which is always open. From the top of the mountain, we followed the Ridge Trail as it descended through pine woods and crossed a stream and headed up Livermore. There was a tree that had fallen right down the middle of the path which must have been very recent since we have noticed that SLA does a remarkable job of keeping the trails clear. Mostly, we are over and over again appreciative of the stone work across streams and mud and in steep areas that would surely erode without the thought and dedication of some hard working volunteers. As we took the Prescott Trail for the descent, we were aware of how much we preferred that trail in the other direction - climbing up it we tended to look up and to our right at the beautiful old forest. On the way down, sadly, we noticed more the other side of the trail and the prevalence of logging alongside. Again, we chanced on a tree that had not yet been pruned by SLA - note the look of upset on Hunter's face.