American Chestnut Land Trust and Greenbelt Park

We had friends in town from Georgia this weekend. They are as enthusiastic about getting outdoors as we are, so we made a quick trip to Greenbelt Park on Saturday and a longer trip to the north section of the American Chestnut Land Trust's trails in Calvert County, Maryland. Our friends are birders, which means that we always learn a lot when we hike with them, since we don't know birds very well at all.

Our short walk in Greenbelt Park was definitely a high-reward adventure, considering we were out for less than an hour.  

 We saw a bunch of Green Frogs (Rana clamitans) in a wetland on the west side of the park.

Michael spotted this juvenile Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Barred Owl (Strix varia) in the trees (Thanks to a friend for the correction).  

On Sunday, we drove down to Calvert County for a four mile hike on the north side of the American Chestnut Land Trust. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was an area I wanted to visit. The Parker's Creek (which is, apparently, the last undeveloped stream on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland) wetlands also promised birds, which it definitely delivered. The trails are overgrown and wet since it has been raining so much. Wineberries and Paw Paws lined the Turkey Trail, which took us down to the creek. Once at the creek, we saw a Bald Eagle! It was too far away for pictures, but not for our friends' binoculars. 

After lunch, we hiked west on the Parkers Creek Trail. Our friends' one-year-old fell asleep in her kid carrier, allowing us to do the whole four mile loop (We were all prepared to turn back when she got tired of the hike). The trail meandered along the creek, past smaller wetlands and little bogs. At the west end of the trail, a little spur goes out to a place where there was an old bridge across the creek. We returned to the car by climbing the Old Parkers Road Trail. It was a really interesting hike through an area that is really different than our usual hiking spots. We didn't see any other hikers, but we did see lots of biting flies and ticks (oh, and today I have evidence of chiggers).

 Wineberries (Rubus phoenicolasius) on the Turkey Trail. These didn't survive our visit.

An unripe Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) on the Turkey Trail. I have seen the flowers of these trees before, but I had never actually seen the fruit.

Geum canadense (White Avens) on the Turkey Trail.

 A spider just starting to encase a fly. Click to enlarge to see it better.

Bog boards on the Parkers Creek Trail. Most of this trail was this overgrown.

Leaf-Legged Bug (Acanthocephala terminalis). One of the great things about hiking with our friends is that she seems to see every bug under every leaf.  We see so many more interesting insects when we are out with them than we would otherwise.

A copperhead on a log on the Parkers Creek Trail. This snake watched us carefully, but never moved to a more defensive posture (I have a zoom lens. We didn't approach it). It was fairly large for a copperhead.

 Parkers Creek at the bridge spur.

 Verbena urticifolia (White Vervain). The flowers on this plant are tiny - about 1/8th of an inch across.

The grain on a beautiful downed tree.

Old Rag: Back on the Mountain

It has been a whole six months since our last hike on Old Rag and nearly a year since we've been out with Old Rag Mountain Stewards (ORMS).  The leaves are just starting to turn on the mountain, meaning the busiest time on the mountain here, with thousands of people coming out to see the turning leaves.  Yesterday, however, the rainy, cloudy, chilly weather kept most people away.  When we arrived, there were just a few cars in the parking lot.  One of the local dogs was there, trying to convince the few hikers that he was starving (he didn't make a convincing case).

We started out the day by hiking up the Weakley Hollow Fire Road.  Since there were few people on the mountain, we soon veered off trail* to explore some of the valley.  The valleys and hillsides in the park are filled with evidence of the farming settlements that existed before Shenandoah National Park was established.  Some of the evidence, including lots of stone fences, can be seen easily along the Weakley Hollow Fire Road.  We followed a couple of old road beds up, into the forest.  We tried to stick to the roadbeds where we could, but often the underbrush was too thick.  We climbed over blowdowns, pushed through thickets of mountain laurel, and got scratched up by thorny greenbrier vines.  We found a couple of old springs with stone walls built into the hillside around them and other evidence of the old farms that once existed in the hollows.

We probably wandered a mile or two before deciding we should return to the fire road and continue on our way up to the summit of Old Rag.  We had an uneventful walk up the fire road and the Saddle Trail, passing only a few people on their way down from the summit.  The summit itself was cold, a little windy and completely socked in.  On our way down, we stopped and made hot chocolate at Byrd's Nest Shelter.  It was a nice, warm treat after most of a day wandering in the cold.  We made it back to the car just as darkness fell.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

Following an old road bed.  This was one of the clear spots.  A short ways uphill, it was covered in blowdowns.

A fallen maple leaf.

The beginnings of fall on a small creek.

Puffballs growing in the leaf litter.

Stereum ostrea (False Turkey Tail fungus) on a downed log.

Goodyera pubescens (Rattlesnake Plantain).

Part of a rusted old tub.

Symphyotrichum sp. (Asters).  I have found Asters difficult to tell apart.  Not only are there a lot of species in the mid-Atlantic, but some of them also hybridize, making it even more difficult to correctly identify them.

Sympyotrichum cordifolium (Heart Leaf Aster).

 A pretty little red mushroom.

 The view of Robertson Mountain and the clouds from the Saddle Trail.

The beginning of the Saddle Trail near Old Rag Shelter.

Can I be friends with your sandwich? (photo taken by Michael)

*It takes considerably longer to travel the same distance while hiking cross-country versus hiking on a trail.  Getting disoriented when meandering in an out of hollows is easier than it seems.  It is critical to have a map and compass and the skills to use them.

The Trek Part 2: Glaciers, Waterfalls, and a Hot Spring

After some rain overnight, we awoke to sun on day 3 of the trek.  With another glacier crossing ahead of us, we knew it would be another long day, but our food bags were starting to get lighter and everyone was in a pretty good mood.  We took a higher route up to the glacier, so we did not deal with nearly as much mud as the night before and we made good time getting there.  The glacier was beautiful in the bright sunlight.  There were meltwater streams everywhere as it warmed up.  Our guide was hoping to be across it by noon or one so that we would have an easier river crossing on the other side.  Glacial or snow-fed rivers are usually higher in the afternoon as the melting water works its way through the system.  A river that is a rock hop early in the morning can be impossible to ford in the afternoon.

We did not make his goal by a long shot.  It was nearly four in the afternoon by the time we were off the glacier and later yet by the time we got to the river.  We were lucky, though, that the river was fordable.    It was spread out in several braided sections, making each section shallower and slower.  I had been worried about the river crossings.  Immersing my feet in ice cold water causes pain and numbness in about 10 seconds (yes, we do this for fun).   Not to mention the consequences of screwing up a river crossing. Our guide had us cross in groups of four, linking arms, with the biggest person on the upstream side.  The river was fast and knee deep.  Going as a group made it a lot easier.  I had bought neoprene socks before the trip on the recommendation of our guiding company, thinking they wouldn't help at all.  Our guide extolled the virtues of them and I kept thinking, "yeah, whatever, your feet are not my feet."  They were amazing.  My feet still got cold, but they held a layer of water against them that warmed up slightly.  I will definitely be carrying them in the future.  

We camped in the mist near a pretty little stream, surrounded by bright green beds of moss.  The next morning, day 4, we were promised a visit to a hot spring.  We hiked for about an hour, past a completely new river (according to our guide), arctic fox tracks, and another river ford.  We arrived at a pretty little pool that was hot bathwater-warm.  We spent a couple of hours relaxing in the hot spring.  It felt great on tired muscles.  The afternoon was filled with beautiful waterfalls and flowers.  We camped in a canyon filled with pink Epilobium latifolium (Arctic River Beauty).  By the time dinner rolled around, it was raining hard.  After dinner, we hiked up the canyon to the end, but it was raining hard enough that we didn't take any pictures of the waterfall.  

The next morning, day 5, we hiked in the clouds, making our way south towards the coast.  By lunchtime, it was bright and sunny again.  We took a side trip up to a saddle overlooking Skeiðarárjökull, another glacier that is part of the large ice sheet, Vatnajökull.  We also had a great view of the mountains of Skaftafell to the east and, off in the distance, the ocean to the south.  We continued south and east, down a very steep canyon to the river valley below.  We camped that night on the valley floor, next to a four-wheel drive track and a little shack with two toilets and a sink.  The water pipes had been clogged by volcanic ash, so Michael and a couple of other people set out to restore water to the shack.  They were nearly successful, but for lack of a pipe wrench, weren't able to fix the final piece of it.  

We were halfway through the trip at this point and holding up pretty well.  Except for our first hike up Laki, all of our travel had been off-trail.  I only had one minor complaint:  My boot laces were full of volcanic ash (which is basically little shards of glass) and tying them was tearing up the skin on my hands.  They wouldn't dry, so I couldn't shake the ash out of them.

 Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Hiking on the glacier on Day 3.

 Day 3:  The amazing blue ice.

 Day 3:  Michael with a glacier "smore."  Peanut butter, chocolate, and two crackers.

 Day 3:  Finally off the glacier with a glimpse of the mountains.

Day 3: Our first large river crossing.

Day 4: The hot spring.

Day 4:  A pair of Harlequin Ducks working their way upriver.

 The first of the waterfalls on Day 4.

 Day 4:  Epilobium latifolium (Arctic River Beauty) in front of a large waterfall.

 A closeup of E. latifolium.

 Day 4:  Hiking into Flower Canyon, our campsite for the night.

 Day 5:  A relatively small waterfall early in the day.

 Day 5:  Bootshot overlooking the Skeiðarárjökull glacier.

Day 5:  Looking south toward the coast and the valley where we camped.  

Summer Flowers: Whorled Loosestrife

Lysimachia quadrifolia (Whorled Loosestrife) is a pretty little yellow flower that blooms in June and July in the Mid-Atlantic.  The plants grow about three feet tall and the leaves are whorled around the stem.  Often the flowers will bloom all along the stalk of the plant.  Its range includes all of the eastern U.S. and Canada, except Florida.  It does not occur west of the Mississippi River.  Its scientific name comes from Lysimachus, a king of ancient Sicily.  The legend says that he used a different member of the genus to calm an angry bull.

Pictures:

 L. quadrifolia on the Ridge Trail on Old Rag (Shenandoah National Park, 2010)

Another example on the Indian Run Trail in Shenandoah National Park (2011).

This isn't a great picture, but it does show the whorled leaves that characterize the plant (Tuscarora Trail 2012).

Spring Flowers: Pink Corydalis or Rock Harlequin

Capnoides semipervirens (Pink Corydalis or Rock Harlequin) is an interesting little flower.  The small narrow pink flowers have yellow tips and grow in clusters on the ends of the bushy plants' branches.  In the Mid-Atlantic, it blooms in late spring and early summer in the mountains, often in dry, rocky areas.  It is also adapted to colonizing disturbed areas, such as burned areas, roadsides and the edges of trails.  The colonies tend to decline after a few years with no disturbance. 

It occurs throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada, except Florida.  I have most often seen it on granite outcrops on Old Rag, but it is fairly common in the mountains in the Mid-Atlantic.  It is listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern in six states:  Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and Tennessee.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

Capnoides semipervirens on Old Rag Mountain (Shenandoah National Park 2010).  I have found C. semipervirens to be challenging to photograph.  It seems like the wind is always blowing when I find them, making it hard to get a clear picture. 

C. semipervirens on the Appalachian Trail at the south end of the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine (2009).

Another example from Old Rag (2009).

Cowan's Gap State Park Part 2: Tuscarora Trail and the Standing Stone Trail

A friend and I went out today to hike the other half of the Tuscarora Trail in Cowans Gap State Park, Pennsylvania.  We made a nice 10.9 mile loop with the Todds Trail, and the Standing Stone Trail.  It was nearly 11 a.m. by the time we arrived at the same trailhead we used a couple of weeks ago.  We crossed the dam that forms Cowans Lake and turned right to follow the Tuscarora Trail down the valley. 

The Tuscarora Trail mostly follows an old roadbed that is nearly level, making a pleasant walk through the young, open forest.  We made good time, passing several trails that climb straight up the ridge.  Near our turnoff, we happened to meet a trailrunner and his dog that we met two weeks ago on the other end of the Tuscarora Trail.  He and another woman were signing the turns for the Holy Cowans Gap 50 km Race.  Our trail notes said to keep an eye out for the sharp left turn the Todds Trail makes up the hill and that it was easy to miss.  The signs for the race next weekend made it nearly impossible to miss today.  The climb up from the turn on the Todds Trail was reminiscent of the climb on the Horseshoe Trail two weeks ago - crazy steep.  In this case, though, at the worst part of the climb, there were actually switchbacks.  We were very happy to see them.

We reached the junction with the Standing Stone Trail at the top of the ridge.  We took a short side trip out to a nice view where we took a short break.  The weather was just perfect today:  Breezy and warm, but not oppressively hot.  Back on trail, we headed south on the Standing Stone Trail.  The trail stays to the top of the ridge and is one of the rockier trails I've been on in a while.  It felt like we were rock-hopping for miles at a time.  We made good time on the Tuscarora Trail at the beginning of the hike and we lost that time up on the ridge weaving through fields of rocks and boulders.  Not to mention the blowdowns and brush.  That is not a complaint.  It was pretty spectacular.  The top of the ridge is really narrow and we would occasionally get sweeping views to the east. 

After passing the Horseshoe Trail, we finally reached the Knobsville Road Trail.  From there, we had an easy descent back to the car.  Except for the area near the lake and parking lots, we saw four people in six hours of hiking. 

Pictures (click to enlarge):

Sitting at one of the overlooks on the Standing Stone Trail (photo by A. Ricciuti). 

Sisyrhinchium angustifolium (Stout Blue-Eye Grass) on the Tuscarora Trail

 A little toad on the Standing Stone Trail.

Vaccinium stamineum (Appalachian Deerberry) on the Standing Stone Trail.

 The Standing Stone Trail along the ridge.  The trail follows the rocks. 

 Ferns lining the Standing Stone Trail.

 More ferns (if anyone knows what this one is, let me know and I'll post the identification).

 The view to the northeast from the Standing Stone Trail.

Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel) on the Knobsville Road Trail.