Since the 1900’s, the New York State and New York City governments and other organizations have established larger than 1,500 Square Miles of land in the Catskill Mountains as the watershed to preserve the quality water for the use of New York City and local towns.  Our land is adjacent to one of the state-owned land that is designed for this purpose.  The land is heavily wooded and has not been logged for more than three decades.  It is relatively easier to hike through during early summer and late fall.  Usually, from the arrival of the first snow in late November to the following late April, the entire land is under the cover of snow.  During January and February, the snow could accumulate to two to three feet.   

纽约上州有一大片自然保护区。这里的水土保持良好成为纽约市的水源。我们的场地位于保护区边缘。夏初或者秋末林中勉强可以步行。大雪覆盖时也可以，不过有时半个人会陷进雪坑。

Early summer and late fall are good time to explore the forest.  In early summer, after the snow is melted, the land is covered with ferns and moss.  It is easy to observe the sprouts of vegetation; in late fall, the land is covered with fallen leaves of maples, birches and beeches and dying bushes.   As part of the large Appalachian Mountains, the Catskills is one of most rocky areas in the region.  Due to the dramatic frosting and defrosting process and the natural water erosion, the layer of soil is thin and fragile.   

夏初，是在雪水融化流走之后，植物没有布满长高之前，大人小孩可以走到里面；秋末是等夏季的高草尽褪，冬季大雪来临之前。这里的土层很薄，大概被雨水冲刷流失的比较厉害，地表径流下冒出石头，各种苔藓、蕨类成片生长。

We walked through the land while paying attention to the ground and the trees.  We picked up the fallen tree branches to frame to make installation with the stones that were covered with moss.  At the certain moments of the day, through the canopies of the trees, the sun would shed light on these stones.  We also started to collecte the stones to make labyrinth and hoped it would continue for years.  During the winter, the temperature could drop down to below zero for months.  The coldness and heavy snow make it difficult to work in the woods.  The majority of days in winter are gloomy yet with many surprising moments of bright sunlight.  Once while, the remaining leaves of the bushes and beeches were blown to fall by the wintery wind, the leaves in pale yellow color appeared almost translucent and were standout from the white snowy background.    

我们一路走，一路看。把捡到的树枝搭在一块被林隙中阳光照射的毛茸茸的苔藓上，框住它，或者切断它；收拢石头排成一小段labyrinth的开始；大雪时很难做什么事。阴霾的林中雪也是暗暗的，偶尔一株没掉干净叶子的灌木，晃着几片亮黄、透明的叶子，格外醒目。