A Wonderland

A Wonderland


As I was driving on Airport Rd to Pondicherry I saw a pair of ears in a field of tall grass. I slowed to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me. The wheels slowed to a halt leaving me parallel to the supposed ears. I turned off the car and saw the ears twitch. I simply sat watching and was quite sure I was being watched as well. The ears moved and up popped a beautiful deer. At first, it stood staring back at me and then the tail went up , a snort was sent my way, and off into a series of jumps it went.

My camera snapped away but I realized the deer was moving erratically. Instead of just fleeing it really wasn't doing anything but trying to distract me. I was getting a free jumping show but as we know very little is done without a purpose and this is very true of wildlife. I decided there was a reason for it to want me to move and while I did not understand it would still be best to listen to the communication being offered. I started the car and headed on to the lot for Pondicherry where I stopped and quickly reviewed the images.

In the first two frames something caught my eyes in the grass where the deer had been hiding. A fawn was there on the ground. It's polka dotted coat was obvious on film but blended perfectly from the road. Mom did have a very good purpose to distract me and I was right to move onward. Such a magical treat to start the day. This is so often the way of a trip to Pondicherry as gifts from Mother Nature are there if you are open to see them. I have seen fox and bear wandering on the fields off of the road and also seen some amazing birds in Airport Marsh. A simple prelude of beauty to the jewels awaiting you at Pondicherry.

I now readied myself for the journey into Pondicherry. The main trail in is fairly wide and curves a bit over its initial beginning before straightening out for the rest of the main trail. The journey in reminds me of being in a parade of champions. As you walk down the route you are called to from so many directions by different species of birds. Cheering you on to the beauty that awaits and seems to grow with each step forward. Songs of happiness and even a little snicker or two from a Red Squirrel who would prefer you do not walk on his parade path. Butterflies and moths fly around you in dazzling displays of colors and often land so you can admire their true beauty of patterns mixed within their wings. Dragonflies serve as news helicopters following your every movement. No song to sing but plenty of color and quick movements to entertain you.

Some green, some blue, some with clear wings, and some with spotted wings too. A World moves with you as you move onward. Alone in a sense but in a crowd of Nature's amazing creations too. Sometimes a snowshoe hare or something neat crosses the trail before you. Onward you go until a decision comes upon you now that your parade is finished.

Choices are yours to make and for once in life there is truly not a bad choice here. Only a choice that leads to one enjoyment or another. One place is no better then the other. One treat as tasty as the next. Each awaits before or after another for you to explore to your heart and souls content. Straight is the trail to Little Cherry Pond and right leads you to the beautiful platform over looking beautiful Cherry Pond and the stunning mountains just beyond. You can also go past the platform to Moorehen Marsh. Ah the choices before us lead to different places but beauty at each.

Onward we go to the Little Cherry Pond path not far down the rail bed. There is a side path or two that you may take and see out into Cherry Pond from different points. You will also pass a spot on the left that if you stop and listen will provide you with a variety of different woodpeckers searching the trees for food. You hear their drumming and calls as these new performers do their thing for you.

The Little Cherry Pond path is a nice loop that brings you through a forested area that offers many treats. New sounds of song can be heard and some new birds will fly past as well. A porcupine or a fox are to be found in here too. A treat that keeps your eyes wandering from one beauty to the next. Looking and searching for the source of the beautiful sounds. The forest floor looks like a carpet in places with some beautiful flowers and plants poking on through. A Painted Trillium, Red Trillium, Lady Slippers, and Pitcher Plants are just a few that await you. As you make your way along the planks and out to the pond you may see signs of a beaver or two.

Take a seat on the bench and enjoy the view. A small pond but it does not lack in life as ducks are here and there with other birds flying in and out too. You can relax as this scenic view is just for you and the scenes playing out before you are the purest there is to be seen. Mother Nature shares a glimpse of this World with you. You may step off the platform onto the grass before you and now you are floating on water as the little grass island is floating and so are you.

As you walk back out listen for the Winter Wrens call this home or maybe be treated to the sounds of the Black Backed Woodpeckers who enjoy this little area too. Northern Parulas can be heard here too and if you look closely you may see their nest in the trees above you. Paradise it seems can be found right here but for us there is more to see.

Back to the rails and back to the platform we go. Not far but beauty is there with every step you take. Soon you arrive at the Tudor Richards Platform and get to see a sight that a man not so long ago dreamt would be shared with more and more. So his dream lives with you. You look out and see the beauty of a pristine pond. You may hear the call of the resident Loons or maybe see Canada Geese fly in or out over the course of the day. Movement far across the pond catches your eyes and soon you look through binoculars to see a big ole moose eating grass on the far side of the pond. A little surprise that only adds to the beauty and purity that is all around you.

As you sit on the bench and have your lunch you can be entertained by the clouds that seem to dance over the White Mountains. Forming here and transforming there before disappearing to be replaced by yet another. You can see the towers on top of Mount Washington from where you sit. As you look around you can imagine the past that is not such a distant past here compared to other places. The World evolves quickly but in beautiful places that are out of the way of the human machine time moves at a different pace. A pace that is far more natural then that of the other World. Here you walk the in the shadows of great people such as David Govatski ( a true naturalist and Pondicherry visionary), Tudor Richards ( a legendary man and Mr. Pondicherry), and Indians who lived on this very land not so long ago to name just a few. All of our paths cross as we enjoy the greatness of the outdoors. A dream and a vision of a World that is pure that is shared and passed on through generations. Time does not stand still but you are looking at the same mountains and the same pond that has given life, taken life, and inspired dreams.

After your wonderful lunch at the platform it is off to Moorehen Marsh where a whole new habitat awaits you. The Moorehen for which the marsh is named have now gone but others live in the reeds that reach for the sky in the marsh. You may here the call of a rail or a wren coming out of what seems to be no where. A Common Yellowthroat or one of many sparrows may call to you are well. A loan raptor soars through the sky and one must wonder which one is it on this day? A hawk or a falcon and which species of those it is but on this day it is too high to see for sure. On any given day at any given moment it can be one of many and some days there are many too. Not long ago it was a pair of Northern Harriers chasing one another in what was likely a mating ritual as they soared and dove and spun and simply put on an air show right here over the marsh as I stood and watched in amazement. The marsh has much to offer as there are many frogs calling and sometimes even a rare one can be found such as a Mink frog found a few years ago on IBMD. True treats await those who's eyes, ears, and mind are open to take it all in.

The species of butterflies, moths, and dragonflies can be completely different then what you have seen elsewhere today. It sometimes feels like the marsh is yet another World within a World at Pondicherry. Explore and enjoy as there is something to be found everywhere.

Time to head back to the platform as the sun begins to set and a magical time nears. At the platform you can see the clouds on the mountain begin to change as the sun lowers and the types of clouds become different then those of midday. The sounds around you slowly begin to fade and change as the daylight comes to an end. A headlamp and the moon will guide you out. Yet it is not time to leave yet.

The sun continues to fall and the scene continues to change quickly. Light fades and colors replace it. The mountains and the pond are turning magical as sunset now envelopes everything. The reds, oranges, pinks, blues, and other hues just jump from the sky as if it is being painted right before you. It is not a dream and it is not your imagination as the kaleidoscope of colors continues to slowly change. A blink of an eye and the scene has changed. It is easy to feel as though you are lost in a dream as this takes place. Soothing sounds from the brook and dazzling colors in the sky. It ends all too soon.

Darkness now has taken its places and the moon lights the pond softly and it is time to go. A headlamp and the moon are your sources of light. The frogs call loudly now and a Whoop-a-will calls in the distance. As you reach the trail that was once a parade you realize that now it is a path of darkness that leads to home. A planetarium of sorts as the stars above fill the sky everywhere you look and there seem to be more than you have ever seen before. As you walk you can now hear your feet crunch the ground below and a noise in the bushes sounds ten times louder then it really is but there is nothing you can do to ease the feeling. You are on edge but it is a good feeling because you are alive and filled with peace. A Woodcock calls out before you and as you approach it takes to the sky in a seeming explosion of power. It's wings sound so loud and it gains height only to land again just out of sight. Soon you will repeat this process again and again as it seems to guide the way to home.

The walk goes quickly with the stars and the woodcock. The sounds of the night are different then those of the day but here at Pondicherry it is just as beautiful. A serenade in and a serenade out are part of the beauty of this place.

A place off the beaten path that offers a World within the World. A place that offers you the chance to see many of Natures beauty and to hear it as well. There is not a part of you or me that leaves unchanged. It is not possible to come to such a place and leave it without feeling closer to just being a human in a World of life. A human in a World that is not fast paced and where everything has a place and a purpose. A place where you are not judged and where you can leave judgements behind. Everything here is equal now just as it was when the Indians first walked into this place, as it was when Tudor Richards first came here and fell in love, and when David Govatski walks it now. A place to be equal and a place that begs you to fall in love with it. A place that lets you know it is ok to be you while you are here in this World of peace and serenity. A place where nature lives as it should and a place worth visiting, worth loving, and worth protecting.