Of course I like to observe the change of seasons on the Hawksbill Mountain hike, but another thing I find interesting about it is the clusters of evergreens along the way - I have a couple of photos of them to post today. But first, here is a view of Bird's Nest #2, one of the wayside shelters along the Appalachian Trail.
This photo is taken just as you get to the crest of the hike, where the access trails meet the AT. A second note to mention is that for the past couple of years, there has been a nesting pair or pairs of ospreys coming to these cliffs. The Park Service has closed about 200 yards of the AT, detouring hikers around the nesting area to protect the birds.
The two unusual evergreen species that we have here are red spruce and balsam fir. Virginia is the southern extent of their ranges, although some trees can be seen here and there in the mountains in North Carolina. In the Park, they are all above 3,500 feet or so, and usually they are seen clustered in little groups of a few trees.
Oaks are the main trees seen in the Park these days, so during the winter there is not much foilage. That's one of the reasons these trees stand out so much. With average temperatures climbing, I wonder if they will begin to recede to the north.
Last photo is from the summit, looking northwest to the Shenandoah Valley. Luray is visible below.
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