Characteristically, June is Black Fly month in the North Country. This is no less true at the summit of East Haven Mountain, where Shiloh’s “smaller” sister lodge sets. For some reason, there are very few flies present this season. At that elevation deer flies, greenheads and mosquitoes are rare in any year, but it is nice to be able to negotiate the woods without the swarms of flies that are usually in residence through mid July.
The spring and early summer have been slightly drier than normal but the brooks are still running and vegetation is lush. Snow cover went out about 10 days early this year and would have been gone much sooner, given the warm weather we experienced in March, except that April turned out cold. We have had many fine clear, dry days with excellent views since then.
Over the winter, Plum Creek sold all its holdings in the Northeast Kingdom to Weyerhaeuser, currently the largest land holder in North America. They are cutting the south slope of the mountain below 2500 feet and plan to extend their “highway” another mile. They expect the harvest will be concluded by late September. They are also opening up another area for harvest farther down the mountain’s east side and not far above the Radar Road.
The solstice is past and the days are shortening once again though average temperature continues to climb and will not crest until July 16th when it will max out at 66 degrees on the summit. Were you able to spend a night at the tower top around June 21st on a clear, moonless night, you’d be able to see for yourself that there are actually only 4 hours of complete darkness at that latitude (just below the 45th parallel): a glow in the NNW marks the remains of the setting sun at 11pm and a glow in the NNE at 3am portends its return.
During the early years (1989 through 1991) there were no frogs on the summit. But now there is a large population inhabiting the marshy area we call Graham’s Landing (where Dick Graham made a controlled crash with his chopper on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend in 1990). They serenade guests morning and evening. I don’t really know how they got up there (maybe bird or animal transport of eggs?), but they are now there in significant numbers.