LONG TIME SINCE LAST POST

Crazy me with a mountain cabin that I sometimes enjoy renting in the background.

A group of Trail Patrol trainees.

Robert Kim fresh back from Everest helping on National Trails day.

 

 

Louise, my better half, plant biologist, naturalist, lab manager, adjunct professor, .......



 

Mr. Copperhead.   I seldom see these during the day but see them quite often in the early evening as they begin to move about to hunt.

This is the same Copperhead a few seconds after the first shot.   Notice the tip of my hiking pole in the bottom right.   It is holding a leafy plant out of the way so as to expose a better picture of the well camouflaged Copperhead.

Mrs, Bear  just off Old Rag Saddle Trail had a cub with her but they  wandered out of sight before I could get a picture.

A hollow road leading to the cabin I like to rent.

Mountain Laurel in bloom.

Sunset and rain clouds.

Downpours over Nicholson hollow seen from Old Rag summit.

Rain falling into Weakley Hollow from Old Rag summit.

Enjoy the following pictures from Old Rag summit.   A kaleidoscope of changing views.    Over the changing seasons and changing moments I have been continually profoundly nourished,

 

 

 

National Trails Day 2012

The following link explains National Trails Day:
http://www.americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/

Today there are thousands of miles of wonderful trails due to the tremendous efforts of thousands of volunteers and volunteer organizations who would be happy to know that there work is enjoyed by millions of hiking newbies and old hands alike.

Great Videos about PATC and the early days of building the Appalachian Trail:
http://atmuseum.org/FA_PATC_Video1.htm

Pictures from sunrise Saturday thru sunrise Sunday text later.

The following lucky catch was taken from a Skyline Drive pull off very early Saturday morning.

The following picture is from the interior of Pinnacles Research Station which is a SNP facility predominately used by college researches who are in engaged in various studies of the the SNP's rocks, plants, and animals.

PATC sets up its stations outside the Byrds Visitor Center located at Big Meadows.

On National Trails Day PATC sponsored SNP visitors on around six different short hikes.    Beside being enjoyable unto themselves one of the goals of these hikes is to get newbies comfortable being more than 100 yards from their cars.   In the picture below you see a PATC volunteer doing a little bit of map reading skills training at Lewis Falls. 

Lewis Falls

The Appalachian Trail runs parrellel to and crosses Skyline Drive and its affiliated pull offs at many places within SNP.

A different hike and a different group but more map reading skills training.

Sunset from a Skyline Drive pull out on Saturday Night.

Sunday morning sunrise from a Skyline Drive pull out on the way to a day on Old Rag.

An interpretive sign about Old Rag on Skyline Drive

Another sunrise shot.

National Trails Day

Sat., National Trails Day & Sun. June 5&6, 2010

Saturday, June 5, 2010
National Trails Day and
Old Rag Summit Restoration

Sunday June 6, 2010 ORMS

The following pictures show PATC and NPS setting up their display tables at the Big Meadows Visitor Center for National Trails Day.

After helping with the PATC setup and making sure PATC had enough hike leaders and sweeps to man PATC's agenda of short hikes being offerred to park visitors. I went down to Old Rag so I could participate in SNP staff's presentation to ORMS on Old Rag Mountain.

OLD RAG RESOURCE PROTECTION

ORMS members received a presentation about SNP's on-going Old Rag summit area protection and restoration efforts.

Some Background

You can think of mountains as islands in the sky. Because of elevation change and unique soil conditions mountain tops form micro-habitats that may support rare species of flora and fauna. The island effect can be particularly profound when the summit includes a rock outcrop since the rock outcrop often has very unique soil conditions. In some instances a rock outcrop may harbor an extremely rare species which has evolved and exists only on the rock outcrop. The National Park Service creates Rock Outcrop Management Plans(ROMP) for National Parks that have rock outcrops.

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A two page factheet about the SNP's ROMP can be found at:

http://mms.nps.gov/shen/ncr/docs/factsheets/SHEN_NR_075_ROMP.pdf

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After many years of study, planning and public outreach the latest draft of the SNP ROMP (large fact based document) can be found at:

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http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=274&projectId=19298&documentID=25100
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Rock outcrops are often also favorite hiking destinations.

ORMS was formed with a purpose of providing outreach, education and interpretation about Old Rag's rocks, plants and animals with the hope these efforts would limit human visitor impact on Old Rag.

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The following pictures show ORMS members engaged with SNP staff members learning about on-going protection and restoration efforts on Old Rag Mountain.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Sunday was very hot and I did a very long slow circuit. For pictures and a more detailed write up of conditions on the mountain on this day check out Silver Spring Wanderer's Old Rag post for this same day.

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY Saturday, June 6,2009

HAPPY NATIONAL TRAILS DAY

Since 1993, the first Saturday of every June is known as National Trails Day, inspiring the public and trail enthusiasts nationwide to seek out, discover, learn about, and celebrate America's trail system. And this Saturday, June 6th, marks the 17th annual National Trails Day!

CHECK OUT THIS STELLAR MAP OF MANY OF THE BIG LONG TRAILS

http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/trails/natltrails.pdf

As Trebor Kool one of our more illusory Old Rag Stewards sometimes explains to summiting hikers who look around and ask how to get to the Old Rag Summit they remember from their past? “Well that’s a little bit complicated, it is not far from where you are at the moment. While you can almost experience it from where you are, you will not be able to get to it again. As you travel on down the trail, please keep in mind that wherever you go to fully enjoy where you will be and LEAVE NO TRACE you were there.”

One of the ephemeral memorable moments on the trail.