Nature Trail and Woodland

Nature Trail and Woodland. Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. , Sagamore Hill may have been a working farm, but it was also a playground for Theodore Roosevelt. He cleared much of the land, but left these 35 acres as woodlands filled with chestnuts, elms, and cedars. It was home to wildlife and allowed Roosevelt to fulfill several favorite pastimes: family outings, bird watching, and chopping wood. He hiked through these woods with his wife, children, and friends pausing now and then to listen and spot birds singing and flying about. An expert birder, in one 24 hour period he identified through sight or song 42 distinct species around his home., “It is rather difficult to explain, except on the theory that all outer life appeals to me. Then there is the rhythmic motion, the sound of the ax eating into the heart of the tree, the flying splinters, the feeling of satisfaction that comes from bringing every muscle into play, the invigorating smell of the wood, and – crash, as the tree goes toppling over.”- Theodore Roosevelt.