SECTION 7

1.5 Miles

Bear Spring to intersection with blue-blaze trail to Humpback Rocks

(also maintains .3 blue-blaze down to Humpback Rocks Sign)

Bear Spring - Bob R., working on the Humpback Relo during Konnarock (a week they came to help the club), left his full water bottle on a large rock just above the spring so he didn't have to carry it all the way back up the hill from camp the next morning. When he went to retrieve the bottle early the next day, it was in the trail with damp ground all around it. He thought the bottle leaked from a loose cap until he picked up the bottle and saw that it had been punctured by bear teeth! So ... the spring was duly named 'Bear Spring'.

The piped spring - good flow on 6-2-2012 (Photo: Merlot) 

Another picture of Bear Spring (Photo: Christina W.)

Big Tree - see the story here: A Surprise for the Sawyers (& Big Tree Bites the Dust!)

Sawyer art on the remains of Big Tree. More pics of Big Tree at the link.
 (Photo: Merlot)

The Alpines - This is a short section of trail south of Bear Spring that is unlike anything else on the 19.1 miles. It is very rocky with some large slab rock and the trail goes right over the rocks and through a Mountain Laurel thicket. Sweet smelling Pinxter Flowers bloom among the laurels and there are rhododendrons a little distance off the trail, but you can see them when they are blooming. Years ago, when the trail was first built, there was a large hemlock tree alongside the trail, but that has since died, a victim of Woolly Adelgid. The laurel thicket, rocks, and the way the trail winds its way through them gives you the feeling that you are 'at elevation' and in an alpine sort of place .... thus the nickname.

'The Alpines' laurel thickets alongside the trail (Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)

Mountain Laurel blooming in the 'Alpines' section - May 19, 2012
 (Photo: Merlot)

Blueberry Patch -  At the end of The Alpines is the Blueberry Patch. Yes, there are blueberries, but you might have to fight the bears for them.

Blueberries .... still 'green'berries - May 19, 2012
 (Photo: Merlot)

Rattlesnake Road - Part of the AT relo up the back/east side of Humpback Mountain was going to be on this roadbed, however the incline was too steep to make good trail, either from a hiking or a maintenance standpoint. It was used during the relo construction for crews/sawyers carrying tools, etc. One sawyer, toting a saw up the mountain on this roadbed, was struck in the Kevlar chainsaw chaps by a Timber Rattlesnake. He was not hurt, the snake kept on going down the mountain, and the roadbed got its name. The roadbed is now brushed/grown over and not hikeable.

The 'lower' (north) end of Rattlesnake Road as it goes up the mountain. Brush tells hikers to stay off & the double blaze indicates a left turn to stay on the AT (Yellow Jacket Ridge begins)

 (Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)

 

Yellow Jacket Ridge - This is the portion of AT that was built to by-pass Rattlesnake Road. It was a very dry, hot summer and the ground bees were bad. The crew leader had used up all of the 'bee bombs' she had in her supplies & a special trip had to be made to a little country store near Sherando to get a couple more cans of wasp/hornet killer. Just above the first switchback, crew members were beginning to rake back the duff to begin sidehilling and hit a ground bee nest. The bees came "boiling" out & everyone had to run. This happened several times on that particular piece of sidehill and since the were yellow jackets, this section of AT was named after them. During trail construction, there was a doe with twin fawns who would hang out at the top of the trail where it intersected with Rattlesnake Road. Those fawns were adorable and it was a real treat to see them peeking out from behind the trees at us.

 'Upper' end of Yellow Jacket Ridge. Rattlesnake Road (not hikeable) goes off to the left and YJ Ridge goes off to the right, going north. (Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)

 

'Lower' end of Yellow Jacket Ridge. This is the switchback where YJ Ridge begins - to the right is the AT south, to the left is the AT north. (Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)

 

Picnic Rock -  Yellow Jacket Ridge ends at Rattlesnake Road and there is a very short section of the roadbed before turning left on trail again. Almost immediately, you come to Picnic Rock. This is a large, disk shaped rock that juts out where the trail was supposed to go, but the slope falls off slightly and was not good footing so it had to be cribbed up. This was a two-day project and there are several rows of rock cribbing in the project; however, foliage has grown, rock has settled, and the support/cribbing for the trail mostly goes unnoticed by hikers as they skirt around Picnic Rock. There is a deer herd that hangs around the area and one cold winter day, while taking a lunch break on Picnic Rock, I heard a slight noise and got the distinct impression someone was watching me. When I turned slowly around, there were four deer, in a line, all curiously watching me have lunch. They were not spooked when I turned around so they may have done some hanging out at the picnic area. They did not get any of my lunch.

Picnic Rock as viewed from the trail, going north (Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)

 

 

Picnic Rock, off trail view - upper layers of cribbing can be seen to support the trail around the rock. (Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)

Bench Rock -  This rock is just up the trail and within sight of Picnic Rock. It looks exactly like a nice bench and is a great place to sit and take a break.

(Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)

The Fern Fields - Ferns abound in this section which is the last 'straight' stretch of trail approaching the last switchback on this section. The forest floor is covered with fern and when the sun shines through the fern fronds, it is a gorgeous sight. The ferns are right up to the edge of the trail and even if they hang over, they're too pretty to cut back. If they were larger, you might think you were hiking through a mini-Jurassic Park.

Belle's Rock - The AT Regional Resource Manager at the time had a wonderful dog named Belle (Golden Retriever?). She went everywhere with him, including on trail crew. He was working in a rock field and one of the rocks was quite large, flat, in the shade ..... and cool. This became Belle's favorite spot from which to watch 'her person' at work in the rocks above 'Belle's Rock'.

Looking 'down' the trail at Belle's Rock (North) (Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)

Looking 'up' the trail at Belle's Rock (South) (Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)

Signs at the south end of this section:

Going south on the AT up the back side of Humpback Mtn., when you get to the top, you will see this sign. To continue south on the AT, turn left (white-blaze) .... to go to Humpback Rocks trail/sign, turn right and take the blue-blaze trail (.3).  (Photo: Merlot)

Going north on the AT & approaching Sec. 7 you will see this view of the sign .... bear right to stay on the AT (white-blaze) .... stay to the left & straight to take the blue-blaze trail to the Humpback Rocks trail/sign. (Photo: Merlot)

 

 

Wildlife, flowers, etc.:

 



An interesting 'burl' tree. (Photo: Merlot 11-17-2012)