Mike Snyder, the man who knows (exactly) when to walk in the woods
Foliage is an English word that means “aggregate of leaves of one or more plants”. But actually, foliage marks a very sweet time of year that generates millions of dollars in American west coast. The foliage symbolizes many things but, without fear of being wrong, it represents the art of choosing the best day of the year to walk in the woods.
365 days converted into 365 possibilities. If what you want is to enjoy the foliage, the ratio is reduced quite a bit, and it goes to 30 days of autumn, being very generous. Here comes the difficult part, because a dry or rainy summer depends on whether the appointed day is advanced, delayed or transformed depending on the area. That is why experts are required, and the few brave ones who dare to venture the dates that coincide with the highest peak of colors of the forest are highly demanded.
Predictive maps can and are consulted, but the risk of driving for three hours and arriving in a forest with the leaves still green is too high. To that we must add collateral effects, because fall in massachusetts is extremely short and it is not unreasonable that a snow storm sweeps away all the leaves ahead of time, dismantling any plan scheduled too far in advance. They are risks that are there, lurking.
That is why a large part of mortals wait for Mike Snyder, Vermont Parks and Forests Commissioner, get wet and dictate sentence with the knowledge of him to do backed by years of successes.
If we pay attention to forest guru, the recipe requires precise ingredients: sunny days, cool nights and letting the humidity work its magic here and there. Because "without the presence of chlorophyll in the leaf, bright golds, reds, yellows and browns would be the natural colors seen throughout the year," Smoky Mountains National Park experts point out.
Just like that, the green of oaks and poplars turns rusty red and bright yellow.
and the green of beeches, birches and maples turns into a yellow-orange color.
Some trees even show the full range of colors, depending on the hours of sunlight they receive during the day.
a show of kaleidoscopic beauty with colorful leaves below the feet, above the head and everywhere the gaze reaches.
This summer's drought has clouded some forests but there is still hope. "When some regions leave behind the peak of colors, others enter it, while the rest are just beginning," says Snyder on his Twitter account trying to express the complexity of getting the recommendations right. More so in times of global pandemic. “I am proud of our staff, who have planned and operated in unprecedented times. And thankful for the visitors, who have found solace in our parks,” he says by way of closing a strange season.
The truth is that it must not be easy to know that It depends on your value judgment that thousands of people start the race to get to the forest before anyone else. Nobody wants to walk through a forest full of people. Even less with the fear of contagion. That is why the local media have already renamed Mike Snyder as "the oracle".
Although he blushingly dodges this bombastic appellation, he carries a lot of stage pressure behind him, oversees the work of 140 employees, manages a $28 million budget, and is ultimately in charge of publishing a weekly report to determine when the heart of the season is approaching.
“One of the best challenges in each week's report is trying to put this amazing color swatch into words. glowing? Impressive... Fruity? We have heard it described in many ways. What words to use to capture the experience?” he would say in a reflection from last season.
A position of responsibility that collides head-on with the strange sensation that he transmits in each interview, that of feeling more comfortable among trees than among humans. "Starting in the late summer, people start calling from all over the world," he says in a report for the Boston Globe. "How is this year going to be? When will the peak be? Why is this happening? Why is the one in this area better?'
Perhaps that is why no one better than him to recommend with greater probability of success the moment indicated in the calendar to enjoy the brightest colors of the trees. Because chasing the foliage, and arriving at the peak of the burst of color from the leaves, is an art. “Experiencing the foliage is not just enjoying the spectacular views. It's all about what this time of year has to offer: radiant fall colors, bountiful harvests, artisanal food and drinks, and limitless ways to commune with nature.” she says.
Beyond the visual aspect, the locals assure that there is a fundamental part that many curious people in search of the easy photo get lost along the way. Learn that time is changing at every step, along with the way of thinking of those who are capable of perceiving it within. Getting carried away by that more spiritual side of nature is realizing the need to reset body, mind and soul in a conducive environment.
This more important aspect is not noticeable in the images recorded by drone by ABC News of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. A fairy tale picture that attracts thousands of tourists every year. Even with the Covid on the prowl and being the territory of wild bears, the feeling of walking in a wide outdoor space with routes with different levels of difficulty, allows relaxation for a few long hours or days, thanks to the wide range of quality rural houses for rent.
Faced with this balsamic effect, science has sought empirical reasons to corroborate what the Vermont Tourism Office has been proclaiming for years. And he has found them. The growing scientific and social interest in the potential of forests as a source of well-being has led to numerous studies that show the benefits of exposure to forest ecosystems for human health.
This is the case of the study carried out in the oak forest of the Montseny Natural Park by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona together with researchers from the CSIC. “The monoterpenes, volatile organic compounds emitted by plants, have been identified as possible determinants of the effects on human health induced by exposure to mountain forests”. positive effects for the cardiovascular, immune, respiratory, and nervous systems with protective properties, as well as changes in physiological and psychological well-being.
Not in vain, there are many who note in their pending travel suitcase the adventure of willingly wandering through the woods of Vermont and New Hampshire in the fall. For the skeptics who do not understand why we have to go so far when we have precious forests in our territory, here is one of the many reasons concentrated in a single tweet.