The Red Newt

When we hiked the AT, one of the things I loved to do was note and count what we saw in the woods while hiking. Some days it was birds or ladyslippers. And often, after a rain or on a damp day, it was red newts. One day, in early July while in New Jersey, I counted 51 red-spotted newts (or red efts, or salamanders, or whatever you want to call them :-)). A trail record :-) At least for me! Since our trail days, I have seen them here and there, and they always make me smile and bring back thoughts of hiking along the AT. I haven't seen any this season, at least until today, when on a damp and grey October morning, while running the 3-mile Highland Green route, there he was, on the sidewalk. I actually ran a few steps by him before it registered that I had seen a newt and not just a red leaf piece or stem. So, I did what any normal nature-loving gal would do and stopped my watch and walked back to him. I didn't want him going out into the road and getting run over, so I stooped and gently picked him up, trying not to touch him too much. He wasn't even as big as my pinkie finger. For the first few seconds, he didn't move, but then his little eyes opened and he wandered around my hand for a while before I placed him at the edge of the grass, hoping he would find his way back to a damp, muddy spot by a little stream and hole up for the long winter ahead. And then, with that done, I smiled and continued on my run.