Journal Entry 1 / Journal Paper

 The spot that I have chosen is one that is a relatively nice mix of a few geographical features. My spot is located down the Ashuelot hiking trail, about a 20 or so minute from the college campus. I don’t know where, exactly, in Keene it is located, but I know there is some private property within a few stone’s throws of the spot, and that the spot is essentially on the banks of the river. 

The actual topography of my spot includes not only a few offshoot trails, but also nice patches of open air in an otherwise densely wooded area. The trees are a bit sparse, allowing for some nice walking room between them. There are rocks that line the area are also particularly large; it makes one wonder if there used to be an old New England-style rock wall there. There’s a field that stretches out forward towards the property and towards the river, where it eventually expands out into a larger patch of sparse forest. Due to the presence of the rocks, it also makes one wonder if logging took place here, and the sparse patches are the result of replanting, which may further suggest a historical presence in the area.

The feature that I most gravitate towards, though, is a spot of very sandy soil on the ridge of my location. Sandy soil is a somewhat odd phenomenon in inner New England; you expect to see sandy soil, or sand itself, closer to the coastlines and their corresponding woodlands. Why, in the inner reaches of the state, do we still find soil? Furthermore, my spot seems to be attempting to grow things out of this soil despite its sandy nature, and wildlife, such as a small snake I witnessed my first time finding the spot, thrives in this location. What is it about sandy soil that provides so much seemingly unearned habitation?

As it turns out, my suspicions about sandy soil are not completely unfounded. It is difficult for most New England life, plant-based or otherwise, to subsist on this particular kind of soil. It does not retain water well, but rather, absorbs too much of it and often cannot produce plant life from it. At least, without human cultivation it cannot. If tended to, sandy soil can indeed produce a wide variety of plant life.

This might suggest why saplings and other plants are actually sprouting from this particular patch of soil. There are plenty of signs around the area that humans have, indeed, worked on this location throughout its history. It may well be that the soil has been cultivated with organic material enough to only seem desolate.

This may also contribute to why animals seem to like this spot, although I have found alternative explanations. Considering the barren look of the spot, it might be that smaller, more vulnerable animals house themselves here because predators are not looking to this spot for food.