The sweet smell of spring was in the air and the silence of the wilderness was broken only by an occasional cawing of a crow. Leaf buds were popping out of the tree branches and the forest floor was coming alive with a carpet of green. Reuben scampered about the woods with his nose to the ground, finding an assortment of new scents. I was excited to be on the Cohos Trail again, hiking into the Pondicherry Wildlife refuge. I have section hiked most of the trail, with the exception of this short segment and a few others. The Coos Trail winds its way through Coos County, beginning at the Canadian border and terminating in the Presidential Range. Today I would complete the trail by traveling this missing link.

The day began under threatening skies and a cold north wind. The Presidential Range was enshrouded in a layer of steel-gray clouds and droplets of rain occasionally filtered down from above. I considered rethinking my options for the day, but I was driven by the desire to view the variety of waterfowl that visit the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in spring: Canada geese, loons, wood ducks, American black ducks, hooded mergansers, wood ducks, buffleheads (travelling further north), and great blue heron. I was also keen on observing song birds that migrate through the refuge, stopping to rest on their way to the higher elevations of the White Mountains or further north into Canada.

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