Along The Trail To Bear Spring

 

We were greeted by this cheery Black-eyed Susan wildflower

 at the Humpback Rocks Parking Lot.

It was a beautiful hike to Bear Spring on Saturday. There were too many pictures to add to the post regarding the actual project work, so here are pictures of what we saw on the hike down the blue-blaze Howardsville Turnpike to the AT and up the back side of the mountain on Section 6 to the spring. A few photos were taken in the Bear Spring area.

 

Common Milkweed blows in the wind that is generally present at the HB Rocks Parking Lot.

 

Another unidentified wildflower just off the HB Rocks Parking Lot. From a distance, it looks like Queen Anne's Lace, but it's not.

 

 A closeup of Black Cohosh which was along the upper part of the Howardsville Turnpike blue-blaze.

 

 A view of the Black Cohosh growing in abundance.

 

 There were several 'patches' of gorgeous Tall/American Bellflower.

 

 In one area just off the AT/Howardsville Turnpike, the forest floor was full of small, bright orange mushrooms.

 

 Some of these orange mushrooms were growing on the very edge of the trail. A possible identification is Cantharellus cinnabarinus (a Chanterelle - edible) or a Jack-O-Lantern which is poisonous. It's best to leave mushroom ID to the experts.

 

Another interesting fungus(?) along the AT, shortly after leaving the Howardsville Turnpike road bed.

 

Just off the trail where the temporary water bar was installed, Indian Pipe or Ghost Flowers were growing.

 

 A stick insect ended up on a rock at the end of the log backstopping the temporary waterbar. It was tiny and pale green and obviously very unhappy at being so exposed, repeatedly trying to find a way off the gray rock. It got a ride on a glove finger to a green plant nearby where it became motionless and blended right in.

 

A closeup of the stick insect (cropped photo).

 

Several bear sightings have occurred in the Bear Spring area recently. We noticed several fairly large rocks in the trail on the hike to the spring and it was obvious a bear was pulling them off the hillside, looking under them for grubs, ants, etc. At the spring, a bear had been pulling rocks out of the switchback 'junk rocks' that discourage hikers from cutting the switchback - the largest dislodged rock is above with the dirt spot just to the top left, indicating where it originally had been placed. A large piece of Big Tree stump that was piled nearby was also moved and partially in the trail. We did find bear scat in the woods nearby while hunting waterbar rocks. Bear Spring is living up to its name!

(All Photos: Merlot, July 20, 2013)