11 - Behind the Blowdown

Here you will notice a lot of open sky. You are next to the “Blowdown,” a 5-acre patch of forest flattened by the 2000 storm. Again the impact of light can be seen with the small hemlocks growing here at the edge of the trail. Hemlock is the predominant conifer in this forest and you can recognize the saplings by the droop of the leading branch. Compare that to a balsam fir sapling and the leading branch is pointing straight to the sky. The hemlocks at Kemp may not be giants but they are nearly 300 years old.

11N 45° 50.428'W 89° 40.373'