The Fossils of Chazy Reef
Seeing the Divine Set in Stone at Fisk Quarry
Isle La Motte in northern Vermont is the last place in the world one would expect to find the fossil remnants of an ancient coral reef, but there it is. After procrastinating for nearly a decade, I am finally making a pilgrimage to it. I want to see with my own eyes what I’ve come to accept as a matter of fact: that life forms have evolved over hundreds of millions of years on this planet. I pull my car over to the side of the road, close to a sign marking the trail to Fisk Quarry. My wife Judy waits patiently in the car. She knows that I’m a man on a mission so she’s giving me the room I need to completely immerse myself in the great mysteries of time and stone. Afterward I’ll be in a better frame of mind to resume our leisurely autumnal drive.
I set forth down the trail at a brisk pace. Matika, my long-haired German shepherd, is right on my heels. She is completely in the moment, taking in the sights, sounds and smells all around us — especially the smells. I am not as much in the present. Unlike my animal companion, I am deep into abstractions, only vaguely aware of my immediate surroundings. I am more interested in what this place once was than what it is right now.
A few minutes down the trail, the abandoned quarry comes into view. Fisk Quarry, where a unique limestone…
