Stick Season

We are well into what local Conway Daily Sun hiking columnist, Ed Parsons, describes in a recent article as the “stick season” that period between leaf peeping and the first snow (which may arrive tomorrow) as we celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday with a long history and numerous layers of meaning (more on this later). 

As Parsons points out, stick season allows us to view mountain peaks and profiles through the leafless trees to enjoy the panoramic vista usually hidden by foliage. As one who enjoys following in the footsteps of nineteenth-century White Mountain artists, hunting historic views and comparing them to White Mountain artworks I can appreciate this time of year. 

For example, with most of the leaves gone, you can get a sense of the view shown above. During the rest of the year, the foliage hides the scene from this location. 

For more info on the painting above follow this link here. 

Ed recommends that we appreciate what special things each season offers. He describes the joys of the smells, sounds and of course, sights, of stick season. 

It is only natural that many cultures have tracked the seasonal changes and developed special events to mark them. The major holidays of this time of the year celebrated around the world in different countries can be seen as a reaction to longer nights and shorter days as well as the end of the harvest season and a period of food uncertainty until Spring. 

In previous blogs, I have explored Thanksgiving and the way it is tied to historic traditions and seasonal changes.  

All the leaves are brown here. 

The soap makers here. 

Mapping the seasons here. 

Gator for Thanksgiving here. 

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!