Snowy Garden Update

My parents are visiting, so we didn't get out for a hike this week. I did get a couple of cold bike rides in.  We also got a lot of work done in the garden.  Saturday was a lot like spring, but today I awoke to snow - more snow than we've had here in a couple of years.  The plants seem mostly unscathed at this point, but I guess spring will have to wait at least a few more days.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Daffodils blooming in the back yard.

Dwarf Irises just starting to come up.

 Radishes in the cold frame.  These have doubled in size over the last week.

The spinach in the cold frame is starting to look like spinach.

 Lavender in the herb bed.  These were starts.

 We took advantage of my parents' truck to get paving stones for a patio. Here, Michael is training for another season of carrying things on Old Rag.

 This morning, the daffodils were covered in snow.

 Broccoli sprouts in the snow.

 A mourning dove scavenging under the bird feeder.

A sparrow at the bird feeder.

End of Year Snow Camping in the Sods

Following a successful snowshoeing trip in November to Dolly Sods Wilderness Area in West Virginia, it was time to try camping up there in the winter.  The forecast for Davis, West Virginia wasn't ideal, but it didn't look dangerous:  cold, snow showers and winds gusting to 30 mph.  Of course, it would be colder, windier, and snowier up on the plateau, but we decided we were prepared (We also took enough food and fuel so that, if the weather turned very bad, we could hunker down and wait it out).

We started from Timberline Resort and hiked up one of their trails to the wilderness boundaries. Let's just say that the sight of three people on snowshoes dragging orange sleds packed with gear, going uphill gets more than a few funny looks from skiers and snowboarders going down the trails in the proper direction. Even with sleds full of gear, the hike up to the wilderness boundary wasn't bad.

We stopped for lunch in a protected spot in the woods at the boundary.  At that elevation, there was about a foot of snow on the ground.  It was just a little packed, so it made for easy snowshoeing. The original plan was to go down Big Stonecoal Trail and camp. We started that direction after lunch and to our surprise, ran into another person who was camping up there. We, apparently, are not the only crazy ones! Unfortunately, Big Stonecoal Trail was completely closed in by mountain laurel weighed down by snow. The idea of being soaking wet after fighting our way through all of the branches did not appeal to us, so we regrouped and made a new plan.  

We hiked north to the Blackbird Knob Trail and turned east. Occasionally, we were able to catch a glimpse of the east ride of Dolly Sods in the distance when the clouds lifted. Fine, granular snowflakes fell steadily as we hiked.  The wind was behind us, but blowing pretty steadily. Eventually, we found a nice sheltered campsite under some trees at the edge of a meadow. Snow swirled across the meadow and we could hear the wind roaring above us, but only a few gusts made it down to the campsite.  

We spent a pleasant night listening to the snowfall. When we went to bed, it didn't seem like the snow was falling that fast, so we were surprised to find in the morning a foot of fresh snow coating everything. It was dry, fluffy, light powder: the kind that gets blown into drifts and swirls across meadows in giant eddies. In the clearing near our campsite, it had drifted into hip deep piles. We took a long time to break camp and finally got underway around noon.  It was still snowing steadily and now we had to break trail through a foot of powder. We had so much fun. It was more work than the day before, but the scenery and conditions were just spectacular. 

The worst part of the trip was at the very end.  Timberline Resort was making snow on the trail we had to hike down, so we had to hike through blasts of freezing mist all the way down.  By the time we got to the bottom, my sunglasses were completely frozen over.  

It was an awesome trip.  We dealt with the cold well and had a great time. Once again, Dolly Sods proved to be a beautiful host to a great trek.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Michael pulling his sled along the Blackbird Knob Trail.

Conifers covered in hoar frost and snow.

The meadow near our campsite.

Our campsite near dusk. Note how trampled down the snow is.

Snow piled up on the tents in the morning.  All of our tracks were covered, even around the campsite.

 Another view of the meadow at our campsite.

Michael making a platform for cooking breakfast in the morning.

Sunday, we got the briefest glimpse of blue sky.

Looking east across the wilderness area.

Snow on the creek on Blackbird Knob Trail.

Winter in Dolly Sods

Dolly Sods Wilderness is an amazing place.  The higher portions of the wilderness are over 4,000 feet in elevation, which doesn't sound like much, especially to anyone who has spent time in the western U.S., but it has more in common with the White Mountains in many ways, than with the rest of the Mid-Atlantic.  The lack of elevation surrounding the plateau that makes up the wilderness makes the weather up there a force to be reckoned with.  It is windy in Dolly Sods in the best of weather, particularly on the ridges in the northern section.  In July, I described temperatures 25 degrees lower than in a town 10 miles away.  I have needed my down jacket in the middle of summer.

Winter, however, is a completely different ballgame. The weather can be completely different up there than it is in a town just a few miles away and it can change in the blink of an eye. Traveling in Dolly Sods this time of year is not to be taken lightly.  The wilderness gets slammed by every nasty weather system coming from the Great Lakes or moving up the coast, including one nor'easter hopped up on hurricane steroids. More than thirty inches of snow fell last week at White Grass, which sits in the valley below Dolly Sods to the west.

But as we discovered yesterday, winter can also be enchantingly beautiful.  A group of us had talked about a snowshoeing expedition into Dolly Sods for a couple of years and it just hadn't happened.  Finally, yesterday morning, everything worked out and we set out on snowshoes with Horizontal Tread, climbing a ski run towards the wilderness boundary.  The climb was a little easier than we expected and after 45 minutes, we were there.  We turned north, roughly following the Rocky Ridge trail, weaving our way in and out of snow-covered trees until we broke out onto the open highlands that Dolly Sods is famous for.  It was spectacular:  a frozen arctic plain under a brilliant, striking blue sky.  When we stopped, we could hear the hoar frost crackling on the trees.  After a break for lunch, we headed for the edge of the plateau, where we got a great view and got to experience some good, frigid Dolly Sods wind.  From there, we just followed the edge of the plateau north with no real destination in mind, until it was finally time to head back.

The return trip was mostly downhill, so, even though I didn't want to leave, we made much better time than on the way out.  In five hours of hiking, taking pictures, looking at the different snow formations, and generally meandering, I would estimate that we traveled around five miles.  Maybe.  The weather was as nice as we could have asked for:  high 30s, brilliantly sunny, and only mildly windy.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

The plateau that is Dolly Sods North.  This is looking east into the wilderness area.  I must have taken 20 pictures at this spot on the way in and on the way back out.  It was one of the most beautiful places on the hike.

 The sign near the wilderness boundary.

 Big Stonecoal Run.

 Michael brought his pulk sled along to test it in steeper terrain.

 Michael (L) and Horizontal Tread with hot mugs of hot chocolate.

 Heating up water for hot chocolate.

Headed up to the western edge of the wilderness area.

 Hoar frost.

 Massive hoar frost on a small, wind-beaten tree.  The frost is four or five inches across.

Animal (possibly bobcat) tracks in the snow.

 Looking west off of the edge of the plateau.  The wind blows hard enough that it had scoured the snow off of the rocks at the very edge.

 Interesting wrinkle patterns in the snow.

When we were on our way back, we came around a corner and the snow had a brilliant shine on its surface, probably from melting and re-freezing.

Snowshoe boot shot.

Rocky Knob and Quarry Gap in the Snow

We have been spoiled this winter by relatively warm, dry weekends.  Sunday was a reminder that it is, most-assuredly, still February, which is still, definitively, the middle of winter.  It was a chance to try out my new softshell pants.  We haven’t done a lot of hiking in Pennsylvania and one of my goals for this year is to explore the Keystone State more.  We chose a 12 mile loop in Michaux State Forest that included the Appalachian Trail.

We started at Locust Gap.  It was a balmy 25 degrees with three inches of snow on the ground.   Hiking north on the Locust Gap Trail, we were down in a valley, so we didn’t feel the full wrath of the wind.  That would come later.  The Locust Gap Trail follows an old roadbed to Long Pine Run Reservoir, which was partially frozen.  From there, we picked up the Beaver Trail, which skirts the north shore of the reservoir.  We actually did see one tree that had been partially cut by a beaver.  

After reaching a road, we crossed and picked up the Rocky Knob Trail.  It must be beautiful in June, because the trail is lined with Rhododenronds and Mountain Laurel.  The trail climbs gently to the top of the ridge, where we turned south on the Appalachian Trail.  The trail kept to the ridge for a little under a mile.  We crossed another road and began a steep descent to a beautiful creek and a Potomac Appalachian Trail cabin (I think).  We took a break on the porch of the cabin, which provided a nice dry place to sit out of the wind. From the cabin, the trail began the only serious climb of the entire loop, up to the top of the next ridge to the west.  On top of that ridge, we were in the full force of the cold wind.  At one point, we had to stop and adjust scarves or pull on facemasks because the wind was so sharp.  The sun came out very briefly a couple of times.  It didn’t diminish the wind, but it did boost morale.  

We took another brief break at the Quarry Gap Shelter and warmed our hands over some section hikers’ fire.  After that, it was just a flat mile to the car.  All in all, it was a nice, relatively easy hike.  


Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Long Pine Run Reservoir

 The Beaver Trail through replanted pines.

 Our faithful canine escort, Nala.

 Untracked snow on the Rocky Knob Trail.

 Snow on Mountain Laurel leaves.

 Fungus on a dead tree.

Ice over a waterfall near the entrance to Caledonia State Park.

Snow on Mud Hole Gap

The name of this hike, Mud Hole Gap, isn’t especially inspiring, but after yesterday, I think it is one of the more under-rated hikes in the area.  Five of us started out from Elizabeth Furnace yesterday in the snow.  There was about an inch of it on the ground and on tree branches and flurries fell all morning, something we’ve seen far too little of this winter.  The woods were beautiful - black tree limbs against the white snow and gray sky - and silent in the way that only happens during and after a snowfall.  

We hiked up the Tuscarora Trail, which winds its way up to the top of the west ridge of Mansanutten.  It is an easy three mile (approximately) climb up to the junction with the Meneka Peak Trail, where we stopped for a lunch break.  There were a few partial views along the way, but they are probably occluded by leaves during the summer.  At the top of the ridge, we were basically in the clouds.  

After lunch, we started down the west side of the ridge.  The trail on on that side is steeper and rockier.  That combined with the snow, slowed me down a little bit, but it wasn’t too difficult.  The trail is lined with Mountain Laurel, so in June, it must be spectacular, but with snow pushing the branches down over the trail, the large bushes just added obstacles to our hike.  At the junction with the Mansanutten Trail, we met a small group of Boy Scouts out hiking to get ready for Philmont.  We turned south on the Mansanutten Trail, which follows a nearly flat old road for almost three miles, passing the Strasburg Reservoir along the way.  


We turned east when we reached the Mud Hole Gap Trail.  We had been following Little Passage Creek while we were on the Mansanutten Trail, but the terrain being flat, it was pretty featureless - and hemmed in by Mountain Laurel.  Shortly after we left the Mansanutten Trail, that changed.  The number and size of the waterfalls gradually increased as we proceeded further down the trail.  The rocks near the creek were covered in bright green mosses.  It warmed up and the snow was suddenly gone, leaving light mist above the creek, which made the scenery even more enchanting.  Little Passage Creek is one of the prettier ones that I've hiked near in a long time.


The trail turned away from the creek, once again, using an old roadbed.  The sun came out for a while and it warmed up nicely.  We took the Sidewinder Trail back to the Tuscaroora Trail, which led us back to the parking lot.  The snow was almost completely gone.  It turned out to be a very enjoyable, pretty hike.


Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Snow on the Tuscarora Trail.

 Looking towards the east ridge of Mansanutten from the Tuscarora Trail

 A pine cone in the snow.

 The Mansanutten Trail

 Strasburg Reservoir

 Stalked puffballs, which are a fungus.  These are about 2.5 inches tall.

 A series of small cascades on Little Passage Creek.

A waterfall on Little Passage Creek.

Lichens on the boulders near the creek.

A mound of moss.

Mud Hole Gap Trail near Little Passage Creek.  Note the lack of snow.