After spending the day Saturday first waiting for the rain to stop and second standing by to make sure that the folks working on the pool had everything they needed, on Sunday Mary and I decided to pack a picnic lunch and take a ride up to SNP and take a little walk in the woods. We checked out the day hikes book – since we were getting a late start we picked Limberlost, which is an easy 1.5 mile hike between Skyland and Big Meadow. We also decided that if time permitted we would check out the views from Crescent Rock and Betty’s Rock, which are easily accessible from a pull-off on Skyline Drive.
Here is a description of the Limberlost Trail, taken from the National Park Service website:
“Limberlost Trail (milepost 43), is ADA accessible, with a crushed green walkway on a gentle grade. This circuit hike of 1.3 miles is for people of all ages. The trail passes through forest and a stand of mountain laurel - stunningly beautiful when it blooms in June. The forest is ever-changing! Once tall hemlocks and oaks shaded this trail, but most have been killed by insect invaders: the wooly adelgid and the gypsy moth. Recent storms have felled many of the dead trees. Today, notice what lives, including birches, maples, white pines. Look for wildflowers, from the bluets and violets of April to the yarrow, yellow hawkweed, and wild columbine of summer; discover ferns and mushrooms; listen for birds. And contemplate the resilience of nature.”
We made a quick stop to visit the folks at Evergreen Outfitters, where Sunday was a busy scene. After a nice chat with Howard, we picked up some “bloks” – Wild Cherry flavor – and headed up to the Park.
We arrived at the trailhead to find, as expected on a Sunday, the Park was full of visitors and this accessible hike was attracting large groups. After our picnic in the car, Mary and I decided to start out going in the opposite direction from most of these groups.
The first view above, of the trail, shows how well tended this trail is. There are benches for stopping and enjoying the scenery – it is a beautiful patch of forest, after all – and gathering places for ranger talks. In particular Mary and I like the fern glades that you come across here and there. We’d like to get the cabin’s front yard planted with these.
We crossed a small bridge, spotting black eyed Susans and bee balm down in the ravine. Then, about
halfway through our walk in the woods, we encountered a bunch of kids coming towards us. “Did you see any bears?” they shouted. “No bears today, just chipmunks and bunnies, kids” was my reply. They went shouting back to their parents the news of wildlife on the trail ahead.
When the parents got close I asked if there had been news of bears today. The kids answered, “Yeah! A guy just told us he saw a bear today!” This enthusiastic response was loud enough so that we had no worries…if the bear was hungry and aggressive, it would likely take the kid, unless the shouting scared it off.
We kept walking after that, hearing the kids talk about the chipmunks behind us.
Here is a description of the Limberlost Trail, taken from the National Park Service website:
“Limberlost Trail (milepost 43), is ADA accessible, with a crushed green walkway on a gentle grade. This circuit hike of 1.3 miles is for people of all ages. The trail passes through forest and a stand of mountain laurel - stunningly beautiful when it blooms in June. The forest is ever-changing! Once tall hemlocks and oaks shaded this trail, but most have been killed by insect invaders: the wooly adelgid and the gypsy moth. Recent storms have felled many of the dead trees. Today, notice what lives, including birches, maples, white pines. Look for wildflowers, from the bluets and violets of April to the yarrow, yellow hawkweed, and wild columbine of summer; discover ferns and mushrooms; listen for birds. And contemplate the resilience of nature.”
We made a quick stop to visit the folks at Evergreen Outfitters, where Sunday was a busy scene. After a nice chat with Howard, we picked up some “bloks” – Wild Cherry flavor – and headed up to the Park.
We arrived at the trailhead to find, as expected on a Sunday, the Park was full of visitors and this accessible hike was attracting large groups. After our picnic in the car, Mary and I decided to start out going in the opposite direction from most of these groups.
The first view above, of the trail, shows how well tended this trail is. There are benches for stopping and enjoying the scenery – it is a beautiful patch of forest, after all – and gathering places for ranger talks. In particular Mary and I like the fern glades that you come across here and there. We’d like to get the cabin’s front yard planted with these.
We crossed a small bridge, spotting black eyed Susans and bee balm down in the ravine. Then, about
halfway through our walk in the woods, we encountered a bunch of kids coming towards us. “Did you see any bears?” they shouted. “No bears today, just chipmunks and bunnies, kids” was my reply. They went shouting back to their parents the news of wildlife on the trail ahead.When the parents got close I asked if there had been news of bears today. The kids answered, “Yeah! A guy just told us he saw a bear today!” This enthusiastic response was loud enough so that we had no worries…if the bear was hungry and aggressive, it would likely take the kid, unless the shouting scared it off.
We kept walking after that, hearing the kids talk about the chipmunks behind us.
More on the Limberlost walk in the woods tomorrow.
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