Easter weekend backpacking trip

Over the Easter weekend we headed off the ol' familiar and much beloved Hunt Fish Falls. As I was describing our pending outing to my intern (his idea of a good spring break is a solo backpacking trip in the Smokies), I had one of those middle-age moments when I realized that I've been coming to Hunt Fish Falls for 40 years.

We reached the trailhead about 3 PM on Good Friday and descended into the forest. Rain was forecast for later in the day so we booked down the trail and set up camp. The crossing rocks had washed away so we had to wade across the creek to the campsite. Here's some photos from our first day, pre-rain: 

Looking up the creek from the crossing, eh, fording place.

Taken from the same spot as the above photo, only looking downstream.  Note Edwin on the rock...

Up on the same rock. Tina looks downriver. Note all the fresh buds on the trees.

Somebody's idea of fun was to melt this liquor bottle in the fire.

Fresh greenery on top of the rock with the creek rushing below.

The campsite. Edwin's pitching the rain shelter.

We piled up the firewood. We started the fire around 6 or so, and it burned brightly until the heavy rain settled in around 9:30, when we retreated to our tents.

Fresh buds near the campsite.

The rain that started Friday evening continued, off and on, for about 30 hours. During the heavier rain we'd hunker under the rain tarp, but during most of the day Saturday the rain was light enough that basic rain gear kept me relatively dry. We hiked up to Timber Ridge above the campsite during the day, enjoying a 3 hour hike in a light rain. The cloud cover really brought the greens out, so the whole place was lush and verdant. I've heard it said that the Appalachian forests are, in some ways, akin to a temperate rain forest, and it certainly had that feel on Saturday. Here's some photos from that day.

Budding lily, getting ready to bloom.

Grandfather Mountain from the Timber Ridge trail.

Moss and running cedar on the moist forest floor.

Mossy, mossy rock.

Crested Dwarf Iris by the trailside.

Another Crested Dwarf Iris.

After 30 hours of intermittent rain, the sun came out Sunday morning and we were able to dry out our tents before heading up the trail. That gave us time to pull out the cameras during the lovely morning light.

Creek beside the campsite.

Dew covered creekside grass

Looking upstream from the campsite.

A lone PBR awaits a thirsty camper. We did not bring the PBR.

Water. Running downstream.

Campsite from an island in the stream.

Autumnal Photo Project - Why Asta Smells Like Mums

Asta smells like mums lately, to the extent that it can be overpowering. She's been vigorously digging around in our waning wildflower/flower bed, tunneling under the now overgrown batch of vegetation. Here she is in mid-romp:

Asta taking a rest after extensive frolicking

The official term for this is "snorgling"

Coming up for air

Bottle tree

Asta, quite satisfied with life

Morning glory on the vine

Hiking the Cold Mountain loop

Yesterday I hiked a new trail, the Cold Mountain loop, one that's been on my short list of trails for some time. It was a great day for hiking: an overcast sky kept the temperatures cool, and while rain threatened it didn't actually start drizzling until the last 15 minutes of the hike (we made it back to the car before the heavy rain started and never had to break out the rain gear). It's a great hike, a 6-mile loop that wanders across ridges, across fern-covered hillsides, and up on the Appalachian Trail to beautiful balds and vistas on Cold Mountain. (For clarity's sake, this is Cold Mountain in Virginia, not the North Carolina peak of Charles Frazier's novel.)

One of the many views from Cold Mountain

Hiking Upward has a good trail description, downloadable topo map, and directions to the Cold Mountain hike on their website.  The first section of the trail is actually the Hotel Trail, which goes gently uphill to a ridgetop campsite that could easily host dozens of tents, then cuts across the side of a steep hillside. The trail cuts through woods without much heavy undergrowth, allowing you to look way up and down the hillsides, which are often covered with ferns.  We came to this very long rock wall that extended as far up and down the hillside as we could see:

Old rock wall on the Hotel Trail/ Cold Mountain loop

Another view of the rock wall.

There were plenty of late-season wildflowers on the trail, including the asters below and plenty of thistle on the ridge line and balds. We also came across a cute little red frog as well.

Clusters of asters were all over the ridge lines

Wildflowers along the Appalachian Trail segment of the Cold Mountain loop.

This cute little frog was very patient as I took pictures.

The real treat of the trail are the balds on top of Cold Mountain.  As you can see it was a cloudy and hazy - typical late summer mountaintop weather - so the distant ranges were somewhat difficult to see.  But on a clear, cool day in late fall or winter the views must be magnificent. Several places afford a 360 degree, sweeping view of the surrounding Blue Ridge.

Low clouds frame the hills

Rock, tree, hillside, clouds.

View from a saddle in the bald.

My hiking pal Dave going from the upper bald to the lower bald.

Wildflowers and more summer photos

Late summer wildflower bed and assorted photos. Enjoy!

Backyard wildflower bed in the morning fog.

Wildflower bed and bottle tree

Sunflowers looming above we mere mortals

Shy sunflower awaiting its moment in the sun

Asta loves running through the wildflower bed

And a few other late summer photos:

Wall and barn door, carriage trails, Mose Cone Manor, Blowing Rock, NC

Handblown glass jars at the Southern Highland Craft Guild shop, Moses Cone Manor

Colorful plate things at the Southern Highland Gift Shop

Bou, asleep on vacation

Pandapas Pond near Blacksburg, late in the afternoon