Return to Pudunk

My buddy Greg grew up in Hartford, VT, but had never been to see the old abandoned village of Podunk along the AT between West Hartford and Norwich, so off we went, with my kids along for the adventure.



Abby wanted me to make sure I got the bug in the Trout Lily shot. She's studying insects for 2nd Grade science.

In keeping with the science theme, we found this owl pellet containing what I think are mouse bones right on the AT.


Those creative Dartmouth Outing Club sawyers! Podunk Road....almost there!


Checking out one of the many cellar holes, we imagined who lived there and how their lives may have been different than our are today.


Here were are at the Parkhurst Cemetery in downtown Podunk. We did some gravestone rubbings.


Abby found this bone....we think it may be the ball of a cow femur...


On the way back down the AT to the car we decided to dip our feet in Podunk Brook to cool off.


Its funny. All three kids take something so different from a trip like this. Ethan likes finding the old stuff, like cellar holes, old wells, and old metal "stuff". Abby wants to pick up bones, and take pictures of bugs, and Emma collects rocks from everywhere she goes, and then puts them under her pillow at night. Maybe I have a historian and a couple budding scientists on my hands!

Owl Pellets may mean Owl Trees!

Beautiful pics of the kids! Did you know Owl Pellets may mean Owl Trees! Did you happen to notice there was more than one owl pellet? I've found Owl Pellets frequently around Owl Trees. Owls tend to have favorite trees they roost in during the day time. I recall taking Ornithology way back when. Our prof took us out to an owl tree out in the forest. We had to be real quiet. If you were stealthy enough you might manage to catch the owl when he was roosting. We missed the owl that day, but we did see quite a collection of owl pellets clustered around the base of the big pine tree he was using to chill on. The prof limited visitation so as not to scare him off from his tree, but occasional visits didn't seem to bug the owl that much. If this Podunk place is not too hard to get to you might consider returning with kids but being as quiet as possible. Might be a real treat for them to see an owl. As you might expect an owl tree is generally biggest tree in an area. I've come across others since then so I know they exist. Big white pines with nice side branches are good.

I wish I had thought of that! I wonder if we were being observed from above!? I may take them back that way, but my guess is we will be heading higher as the snows retreat......