Marcescent

A new day & a new word.
The retaining of dead leaves by a plant is called marcecence. The most plausible theory I've read as an explanation is for the young branches and shoots to protect themselves from grazing by deer & goats - the leaves taste bitter and make a noise which scares off the herbivores.
I've made literally dozens of pages of notes on this type of thing over the last two weeks as I get ready to head off to the Pyrenees for my International Mountain Leader winter assessment.
I don't know how many hard skills I've added through this process - but the soft skill enrichment has been huge - and often, if its all going well, these are the skills that clients have the greatest interaction with when we're out. For me it's been a process of experiential learning and I've also discovered that I learn best by anecdote - dry facts don't seem to be retained for all that long - but facts that are wrapped in a little story or experience seem to go in & stay in. School might have been easier if I'd known how to learn back then.
The last of the notes & presentations is printed out and now its time to start packing, weighing, repacking & getting ready.