What season is it?

As hikers we have many seasons and many names we call them. Many seasons are simultaneous. Some are intermittent. Some names are common, others just something we alone may use. The season may affect whether we hike or not, what we will carry or what list we are working on. I’ll start a list:

Foliage season: COLOR!!

Hunting season: wear bright colors or make noise or stay home.

Stick season: A couple times recently I saw reference to ‘stick season’. I like that term. It conjures ups visions of open woods, good views normally hidden, interesting silhouettes against the sky and great bushwhacking conditions.

Leaf season: This is different from foliage season because the majority of leaves have fallen and that makes for trails like seem like they’re covered with banana peels and hidden traps.

Ice season: traction needed

Posthole / Snowshoe season: depends on your point of view

Frostbite season: when people underestimate the weather

Flood/run-off season: when water crossings are an issue

Mud season: How dirty can you get?

Flower season: ooooh, ahhhh, pretty

Bug season: itch / slap / itch (maybe ‘black-fly season’ should be its own season)

Mushroom season: how many can you ID, eat, photograph?

Berry season: yum

Trailwork season: early spring, late fall is usually good

Tourist season: when often empty trailheads fill with camera toting, sneaker clad visitors asking how long it takes to get to the top

I’ve also heard reference to a ‘hiking season’ and it "being over" or "just starting". What??

Early tick season.

Middle tick season. (nonexistent this year)

Late tick season. (Query: If beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy, how do you account for a late tick season?)

sardog1 said:

Early tick season.

Middle tick season. (nonexistent this year)

Late tick season. (Query: If beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy, how do you account for a late tick season?)

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I'm not sure where you live but it's STILL tick season here.

There are two seasons in the mountains of the Northeast:

Winter and 8 weeks of poor sledding

jwind said:

I'm not sure where you live but it's STILL tick season here.

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Yup, same here.

NH has the following seasons:

Almost winter
Winter
Still Winter
Mud
Construction



Tim

Good thread topic.

We are also still in prime tick season, and I extracted one last week from hiking in the Hudson Valley.

Bleak season - in appearance only (= Carol's stick and leaf season). Leaves are down, most things look dead or dying. A great time to bushwhack and photograph old barns, fences, abandoned cars, anything dilapidated or falling into ruin. A dusting of snow is OK, but the first real snowfall ends this season.

Ski season - needs no further explanation although there are divisions.

____ Ugly season (choose your own adjective) - the snow has melted and before for the first buds appear.

Bud season - many maples are nearly as red as they were during autumn foliage season.

Flowering Tree season - It is a rare bonus when it coincides with the next:

Spring Green season - the other foliage season. More fleeting than autumn foliage. Its fun to watch the light leaf-out green foliage advance up the slopes.

May Fly season - one of the most annoying bug seasons along streams in the spring, but at least they cannot bite.

I recognize three berry seasons which admittedly overlap, but are distinctly different. Blueberry (the earliest and longest), Raspberry (the shortest and in the middle), Blackberry (the latest which often lasts just beyond the first frost). I rate hikes with one to three berries during these seasons.

Of course there's the old Adirondack expression that the High Peaks only has two seasons: Winter, and July.

My friends and I have long referred to "secret season," that period after most of the snow and ice and mud are gone, but the bugs and leaves have not yet come out. Secret season can range in length, depending on when it starts; it usually ends around Memorial Day. We call it secret because of the surprising number of people that are unaware of its wonders.

And for most of us, there's "the only season when you get anything done around the house," which is about two weeks in the middle of November!

sardog1 said:

Late tick season. (Query: If beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy, how do you account for a late tick season?)

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Another vote for late tick season.

After bathing Dugan this past weekend, I decided to give him just one more application of Frontline Plus. We've been taking upwards of 6 ticks from him per day for a couple of weeks. His color makes it so easy - just look for the specks of dirt that move. I don't know how those of you with non-white dogs manage to find them before they bite.

We try the "just say no (to bugs)" campaign, but he just doesn't understand. Very sad.

Also, Dugan the Hooligan is extra-soft and sparkly white after his bath yesterday - I'm sure this is exactly what he hoped to achieve!

Mark Schaefer said:

Flowering Tree season

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Nice, especially when all the petals are falling and cover the ground like confetti

sardog1 said:

Early tick season.Middle tick season. Late tick season.

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Funny, I have not encountered a single tick this year even in high tick areas where I would expect them.

TCD said:

"secret season,"

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I like that one

TCD said:

And for most of us, there's "the only season when you get anything done around the house," which is about two weeks in the middle of November!

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This is close to what I call the ‘calm before the storm season’, when all the winter peakbaggers are waiting for the minute of winter to begin and then 'storm' the mountains. Is that 'storm season'?

Good topic but you forgot theimportant season black fly season. Then there is also the waterfall season, the short season ,that started sunday What about the hike nude day. I forget what they call it but I think it is the first day of summer