Spring has brought with it a number of changes here at the Squam Lakes Association.
A spectrum of colors paint our campus thanks to the newly budding trees and flowers. While many branches remain naked and the sky is still visible through their tangled limbs, others are already transformed by the rain and warmth this season has to offer.
Even more exciting is the growing diversity of wildlife, or rather the reemergence of it. The mornings are heralded by an orchestra of birds—unharmonized and constantly competing. The nights on the other hand are defined by the perpetual and hypnotic stylings of amphibians chirping in unison.
This dichotomy echoes through life here at the SLA as of late – chaotic, multifaceted days and tranquil, exhausted nights.
Days are growing longer and busier as we scramble to ready our campus, trails, and campsites for the summer months that lie ahead. The ice and snow that once dominated the landscape has melted and with their departure, we begin the arduous process of cleaning and readying our access points for public use – I can assure you it is no small feat. With over fifty miles of trails, now bare of snow, and campsites not touched since the fall, there is much to do and not much time to do it.
A welcomed change for me is the return of the boats. Our fleet of seaworthy vessels had been stowed away for winter—drained of water and oil, the two whalers and two pontoons have waited patiently on the sideline since late November. With great anticipation we launched the whalers just this week, joining their sister Calypso the pontoon along the SLA’s shore.
I grew up on the waters of Miami, FL—full of salt and sunshine. My first outing on the SLA’s vessels was vaguely familiar but altogether different. I joined my co-server Maggy as we glided across the water on Tiny Whaler, the smallest of our four vessels. The smell of the engine brought me back to the marinas of South Florida as the motor gasped for air for the first time since Fall. As we left the cove and started picking up speed outside of the no-wake zone, water splashed all over me, but while I expected the salty brine of seawater what I got was instead the crisp refreshing spray of Squam Lake. Suffice it to say I was only a bit disappointed.
But it felt incredible to be out on the water—salt or not. The rush of the wind against our faces was exhilarating and the sensation of gliding over the water practically made us giddy. In that moment it made all of the endless days of shoveling snow and plowing trailheads worth it. It was almost hard to believe that just a month or so ago we were walking on a sheet of ice where we were now zooming along.
The metamorphosis of Spring excites me for what lies ahead in the waning months of my service year with the SLA. The landscape will soon be awash with different shades of green and sights of Squam Lake will become more elusive on our trails. Warmer days will yield gardens full of tomatoes and cucumbers and lettuce and peppers. My tan lines will be more pronounced than ever! And of course, we will get to see the SLA awakened with the sounds of our JSLA campers and campus visitors looking for a place to launch their boats or have a picnic.
There’s much to do and not much time to do it, but I intend to get all I can out of my final months here
A huge congratulations to Mikey for committing to grad school at Duke this fall! We’re excited to see him moving on to bigger and better things after his term here at the SLA. Learn more about Mikey here!