Phil's Hill

by Phil Peak

One of the things that attracted me to the place that I currently reside was the large woodland located directly behind our home. To me it was like living in the country without the long drive. Along with field, bottomland forest, and a fair sized creek, were the knobs that towered in the distance. Although close to a mile away, there was one hill in particular that loomed with a majestic presence.
In the early days when my kids were still very young, we contented ourselves with exploring those places nearby that were most accessible. We were never disappointed as we would always have some chance encounter that would make the day special.

My oldest son, Phil Jr, who was still quite young in those days, had noticed that one particular rocky escarpment held a mystery and allure all its own. After repeated requests to ascend this precipitous slope, I finally agreed to attempt to undertake such a large task with a little boy that was not quite seven.
A monster of a black king snake found sunning itself one Spring morning.
Leaving early in the morning, we reached the summit right at lunch time after a rather strenuous climb, which was made even more taxing by checking under every fallen log and flat rock that greeted us on our way up. Pulling a sandwich out of his lunch pail, Phil Jr suggested we should rename this place as "Phil's Hill" reflecting our hard earned achievement that we accomplished together on that morning . Drinking in the view we now had over a good portion of Jefferson county, I agreed that was a good idea.

Rat snake that was found under the magical pool liner in the field behind the house.


Snapping turtle
 


Wood frog

 On that day, we felt we had finally explored even the most remote area of our back yard woodland. Little did we know this place would continue yielding surprises for years to come.

Little Phil has now grown up and has developed other interests. Even now though, on occasion, he feels the urge to revisit this place and break away from his computer games and rock bands. I hope these feelings continue.
Soon after Phil managed to entangle himself in the trappings most teenage boys find themselves in, his little brother Alex was ready to take his place in exploring the wild areas behind the house and discovering its inhabitants.
As the chorus frogs begin to twill in March, I can count on Alex greeting me as I return from work.

Smiling from ear to ear, he'll bust loose scampering through the field in the direction of the shallow swales in which the sounds of Spring are emanating.

And so it goes. Another day finds us wading through the creek searching for aquatic turtles and snakes.


Alex admires a black king snake that he found while searching edge habitat.
Other days have found us searching the endless vernal pools deep in the woods for various Ambystoma and newts. Many a fine summer morning we have walked the fields searching for snakes both on the crawl and otherwise. And a couple of times a year, we still manage to climb Phil's Hill where we can see it all from far above.

These marbled salamanders were found one Autumn day guarding their eggs in the dry bed of a vernal pool.


Spotted salamander
I would trade nothing for the times I have spent with these special people at
this special place. I hope that in some way, I have helped to instill an
appreciation of the natural world in my boys. I hope that as time passes and
both they and the world around them grows, they will look back with fond
recollection the days that we spent together in the field. I also hope that
there will be world enough left for them to enjoy with their sons.
At this date, Kentucky is one of the few eastern states in which one doesn't have to travel far to find undisturbed natural areas. How long this will last is hard
to say, but I urge each of you to take advantage of this gift. I truly believe
that the future of our natural areas is dependent upon how well we are able to
interest our young people in the world around them. Chances are, there is a
special place near your home too.