Mother's Day Hike at Weverton Cliffs on the Appalachian Trail

We did another long, strenuous bike ride on Skyline Drive on Saturday, so on Sunday we decided to do an easy out-and-back on the Weverton Cliffs section of the Maryland Appalachian Trail.  Last year, we found all kinds of interesting wildflowers on this section and we hoped this year would be the same.  We started a little later than usual, but the weather was just perfect:  bright, sunny and in the high sixties.  Ten minutes up the trail, we found purple and magenta Tradescantia virginia (Virginia Spiderwort) scattered on a hillside along with Oxalis violacea (Violet Wood Sorrel).  I've seen O. violacea before in Georgia, but not in the mid-Atlantic (which only means I had not been looking the right places or at the right times).

We continued up the hill to the junction with the short Weverton Cliffs trail, where we continued north on the Appalachian Trail.  At the top of the ridge, we stopped on some rocks just off the trail to have lunch.  Something caught my eye on a pine tree:  someone had put a small plaque on it memorializing their dog.  It must have been a place that they enjoyed visiting with their canine companion.  It sort of made us sad since it reminded us of the loss of our four-legged hiking partner last year.  Putting plaques on trees is generally discouraged and I wouldn't do it, but I can understand the sentiment that would lead someone to do so.

Further north, we found the grove of Asimina triloba (Paw Paw Trees) that we saw last year.  We were lucky enough to see them in bloom again.  As I've mentioned before, the larvae of the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly feed only on the leaves of A. triloba.  On the way back through the area at the end of the day, we actually saw one of the butterflies, too.  After about 4.5 miles, we decided we should probably turn around and head back.  It had been a lovely day in the woods, but we had some chores to do.  We did nine miles or so and saw a lot of flowers, one of which was new to me and I still haven't positively identified.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Tradescantia virginia (Virginia Spiderwort)

 Oxalis violacea (Violet Wood Sorrel).  At the bottom center of the photo, the tell-tale shamrock-shaped leaf can be seen.

A decent-sized garter snake near where we took a break.  It was probably 2 feet long, uncoiled (we didn't bother it to find out for sure. 

 Vaccinium stamineum (Deerberry).  This is a relative of blueberries and produces fruit, which are not edible.

 Silene caroliniana (Wild Pink)

 Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple)

 Asimina triloba (Paw Paw tree)

 A toad trying to avoid detection in the middle of the trail.

Arisaema atrorubens (Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Indian Turnip).

Cypripedium acaule (Pink Lady Slipper)

 Rhododendron nudiflorum (Pink Azaleas, Pinxter) along the trail.

Thanks to the head of Old Rag Mountain Stewards for help with the identification:  Aralia nudicaulis (Wild Sasparilla).   This is the flower I haven't been able to identify.  It forms these round clusters (about 1.5 inches in diameter) at the top of a stalk that is about 12 inches tall.  The stalks had several round clusters on them.  The leaves are in the photo below.  Any help would be appreciated.

Weverton Cliffs to Gathland State Park on the Appalachian Trail

Warning:  Lots of pictures on this post.  The weather forecast for today was for rain followed by thunderstorms, so we decided to stay closer to home, but still get a long hike in.  An out-and-back from the Weverton parking area to Gathland State park on the Appalachian Trail, at 12 miles, fit the bill.  If the weather got too bad, we could turn around and head back to the car.  When we arrived at the parking lot, there were low clouds, but it was dry - a hopeful sign.  Four of us and a dog headed north on the Appalachian Trail.  Not 15 feet beyond the trailhead, we encountered our first wildflowers:  Potentilla canadensis (Dwarf Cinquefoil) and Antennaria sp. (Pussytoes).  As we continued, we saw a number of other flowers.

We were soon high enough to be hiking in the cloud.  The mist seemed to make the new leaves appear greener and gave the forest a jungle-like feel.  Luckily, it still wasn't raining.  After hiking up a number of gently sloped switchbacks, we reached the junction with a blue-blazed trail down to the Weverton Cliffs overlook.  The overlook itself was socked in in the fog.  The Potomac River runs right below the cliffs, but we couldn't see it through the clouds.

From the cliffs, there is a moderate, rocky climb up to the top of the ridge.  From there, the trail flattens out for most of the rest of the hike.  There were a few gentle ups and downs, but overall, it was an easy, pleasant walk in the woods.  We saw Rhododendron nudiflorum (Pink Azaleas) and Asimina triloba (Paw Paw), among other things.  We had lunch at the very nice Garvey Shelter. While we were sitting in the shelter, the trees were dripping on the tin roof, which is a sound I really like.

After another easy three miles, we ended up at Gathland State Park.  A small civil war battle occurred there and there is a large arch which is a war correspondents' memorial.  There is also a very small museum that happened to be open.  We took a break, took advantage of the bathrooms, and had a look around before heading back down the trail towards Weverton. 

On the way back, the clouds lifted, so we stopped at the Weverton Cliffs overlook again.  This time, we could see the river and most of the way to Harper's Ferry.  We could also see a thunderstorm that was headed our way.  We managed to get back to the cars before it rolled in.  We stopped at Beans in the Belfry in Brunswick, MD and had a great dinner.

Lots of pictures:

Pontentilla canadensis (Dwarf Cinquefoil) right near the northbound trailhead at Weverton parking area.

Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-Pulpit)

Tradescantia virginiana (Spiderwort) - a member of the Iris family

Weverton Cliffs in the clouds

Silene caroliniana (Wild Pink)

Rhododendron nudiflorum (Pink Azaleas)

Hiking in the clouds

Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium)

Conopholis americana (Squawroot).  C. americana is a parasitic plant that lives primarily on oak roots.  It does not have chlorophyll and does not perform photosynthesis since it gets its nutrients from other plants.

Vaccinium sp. (Blueberry)

War Correspondents' Memorial at Gathland State Park

Asimina triloba (Paw Paw Tree).  A. triloba is a tree that produces an edible fruit, the paw paw.  The flowers, as is typical of most flowers this color, are carrion flowers.  They attract insects that feed on carrion through a strong smell.

Another view of A. triloba

 Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple)

 Boot shot at Weverton Cliffs overlooking the Potomac River.

Saxifraga virginiensis (Early Saxifrage)

Antennaria sp. (Pussytoes)