Kentuckiana Hiker’s Review

When I started hiking in earnest several years ago, the Appalachian Trail (AT) became sort of a mythical beast to me. I’ve read about it (Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods I can’t recommend enough) and I’ve heard a lot about it from my sister, who has hiked sections of it. She even knows a few folks that have hiked its entire length from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt Katahdin, Maine. It was something I couldn’t quite fathom, the enormity of it all.

It has occupied my mind for some time now. Could I actually hike the whole thing? How could I attempt it? But like every great adventure, you have to take the first step. After two years of regularly visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I finally made my first real venture out onto the AT this past weekend (July 11th).

The 4 miles of the AT from Newfound Gap to Charlie’s Bunion is probably the busiest section of the trail in the park. For one, it’s a very manageable day hike at just a little over 8 miles out and back. For another, Charlie’s Bunion is an amazing lookout affording views that must be seen to be believed. In addition, other than Clingman’s Dome (the highest point in the park), this section of the AT is also the only length that penetrates the 6000 ft elevation barrier. All of these things make this hike quite attractive to hikers of all skill levels.

On a cool Saturday morning, we drove up to Newfound Gap, watching my car’s outdoor thermometer drop from 75 degrees in downtown Gatlinburg all the way down to 62 degrees at the Gap. The weather called for possible showers, but that is the norm for the Smokies in July. At altitude (over 3000 ft), you can get a mix of clouds, rain, wind and thunder on any given day, but it never panned out that way for our hike.

The trailhead for the AT is at the northern end of the Newfound Gap overlook parking lot, just above the restrooms. Be prepared for going uphill for a while. The trail starts at just above 5000 ft and for the next almost 2 and a half miles, rises above 6100 ft. When you reach the Boulevard Trail split, you’ll begin your fairly steep descent of the last mile and a half or so to Charlie’s Bunion.

The AT Trailhead at Newfound Gap

During the first two miles, I was amazed at the lush vegetation even at high altitude that adorned the trail. Ferns were abundant, along with rhododendron and the moss and lichen were thick wherever there were rock outcroppings. To say that it was humid should really go without saying. If you hike anywhere in the Smokies, you would be hard pressed to find a day when it wasn’t humid. The park is practically a temperate rain forest and the reason its flora and fauna are so remarkable is the abundance of water.

Be prepared for walking uphill

Just after the Boulevard Trail split, you’ll pass very close to the highest hiking shelter (5900+ feet) on the AT at Icewater Springs. This is a nice place to check out and even stop for a snack. During our hike, we arrived at the shelter well before noon and it was unoccupied. If you hike later in the afternoon, please be mindful of backpackers and thru-hikers who might be setting up camp for the evening.

The Icewater Springs Shelter sits in a blackberry bush filled glade. Near the beginning of August, the berries will be ripening and bears have been known to frequent the area, so just be aware. After passing the shelter, you’ll come upon a pipe where an actual spring is located. If you have a filtration system or water purifier, you can refill your water supply at this point. For about the next half mile, you will descend a very wet and rocky trail continuing on toward the Bunion. During rainy periods, this section will be almost like walking down a creek bed.

Icewater Springs Shelter

About a third of a mile before you reach the short spur trail that proceeds out to Charlie’s Bunion, you’ll walk along a bald ridge that will afford you panoramic views of the Smokies on both sides of the trail. You can also see Charlie’s Bunion from the this area. During our hike, we came upon a patch of Turk’s Cap Lilies here as well.

Turk’s Cap Lilies on the Trail

Charlie’s Bunion is reached by a short and very narrow spur trail. During busy periods, you may see from 30 to even 50 people in the vicinity, so be patient. It is a very popular spot. The actual “bunion” is a large rock outcropping that requires you to climb to a little to a perch on the top. Since the Bunion is exposed and the drop offs are severe, be VERY careful if you bring youngsters to this overlook. Be patient if you want to see the view from atop Charlie’s Bunion, and don’t camp out too long. Take your pictures and make room for the next viewers.

As for myself, I’m not petrified by heights, but I do get a little vertigo when in close proximity to vast expanses and drop offs. The Bunion is one of those spots that can rarely give me knots in the stomach and the peculiar dizzy sensation. It’s an amazingly beautiful overlook, but seeing so many people tempting the fates made me nervous. We stayed long enough to eat our lunch and then started our hike back.

Charlie’s Bunion

The hike overall is pretty strenuous but certainly can be handled by even the novice hiker. Take plenty of water as always as well as some food and you’ll be sure to have a great time. If you take a little extra time, you will see an incredible variety of mushrooms and fungi along the trail, especially in some of the pine forest sections where spotting them is easy. Even in July, the wildflowers were plentiful and the showy Turk’s Cap Lilies provided an occasional surprise along the way. If you ever hike a section of the Appalachian Trail, probability says you’ll be most likely to hike this one. I doubt you will find a better example of the AT’s beauty and majesty.

Mushrooms are Plentiful

To view the other photos from my weekend in Smokies, check out the photo album Charlie’s Bunion.

I watched my Grand-Pop fish on the Salt River long before they were even thinking about a dam for the lake. I learned to fish at my cousin’s farm which now has the bypass running directly through what used to be their land. Even the ride to Taylorsville has some great memories, especially on the older sections of Taylorsville Rd. The trees used to grow so close together my sisters and I called it a “ride through the caves”.

Good times and treasured memories.

I’ve fished Taylorsville Lake and the tail waters many times, but I’ve never gone hiking in the State Park. When the cool weather hit this week, I figured I should change that.

When I hike a new park or any new trail for that matter, I like to check out the Internet to see if there is a trail map online. Barring an online map, I’ll head to park welcome center or ranger station to pick up a map.

Taylorsville Lake State Park (TLSP) is part of the Kentucky State Parks system and as such, shares a few online tools for maps with the rest of the state. As of July 1^st, I’ve yet to get these tools working properly with Firefox or Internet Explorer and I’m not sure it it’s a bug with the browser, the Kentucky.gov servers or the browser plugin being utilized to deliver the maps.

So even BEFORE I left the house, I was a little frustrated. But without worry, I drove the 45 minutes or so to TLSP and went directly to the welcome center. Asking the one employee present if they had any trail maps available, I was given a photocopy of the park’s trail map.

Bee Balm

Thinking all was fine, I went to the parking lot and sat in the car for a few minutes letting my eyes adjust to the light and the very tiny print on the photocopy page, deciding where I would start my day’s adventures.

To my chagrin, all of the trails on the map were marked for use by hikers, bikers and horses with one exception, a short half mile wildlife viewing loop trail, which was marked as hikers only. The wildlife viewing loop sounded like a good warm up to start with, so off I went to the trailhead.

Upon arrival, I suited up, checked my gear, applied some deet for tick protection and headed out. It was partly cloudy, barely above 70 degrees and it looked like it was going to be a great day. It took about 30 yards along the trail before I started to change that opinion. After immediately ducking under several overhanging bushes, the trail split and there wasn’t any direction anywhere for which way I was supposed to go. After a few minutes, I spotted a more worn area of the trail ahead and proceeded through about 10 yards of brush before continuing along the loop.

I’m not a novice hiker, nor would I call myself an expert. I’ve never spent weeks at a time humping it with a backpack and tent, but I’m a pretty seasoned day hiker. That being said, there are certain things on trails that I am always looking for that are a comfort.

Namely: trail markers.

Taylorsville Lake State Park has ZERO trail markers. They have trailhead markers and trail junction markers (some of which are confusing or worse, misnamed) but all along the trails, not a single triangle, square or any other polygon of any color is present. And it is a little disconcerting. Your best bet if you’re lost in TLSP is to look for horse hoof prints to find the real trail. Several times during my hiking, I followed what looked like trail, but eventually disappeared into vegetation. I backtracked each time and followed the more beaten of two tracks to stay on trail.

There is no “Salt River” trail on the map

Trail but no markers

To complicate things, the names of trails on the map I was given didn’t always match up to the trailhead markers or names posted to trees at junctions. I attempted the Lake Vista Trail according to the map, but the same trail was marked the Lake Loop, the Salt River Trail and no where along the trail was the name “Lake Vista” posted.

And what I thought was a loop trail, dead-ended at a picnic table and also at the end of an access road. There was no going forward, so I started back along the access road, which showed a trailhead for the “Lake Loop” trail, which does not exist on the map.

For a while, I felt like Moses in the Sinai and wasn’t sure if I would have to retrace all my steps just to return to the parking lot.

Until these problems are addressed, I won’t be heading back to Taylorsville Lake State Park to hike anytime soon, unless I suddenly develop a severe streak of masochism.

(Trail conditions aren’t bad, but this is “horse friendly” park, so many trails are beaten up badly from horse traffic. Your best bet would be to pick one of several shorter trails, but I wouldn’t recommend TLSP for hikers or bikers. TLSP is notorious for ticks, but in the approximately 4 miles I hiked, I picked ONE tick off of my socks.)

Deer are plentiful in the park

Praying Mantis

Check out the rest of the photos from my hike in Taylorsville Lake State Park.

It was rather startling.

I was just strolling along the trail, enjoying the greenery when to my left there was an explosion of feathers and noise.

After flinching, I watched a small brownish bird, no bigger than a child’s fist, fly directly down the trail in front of me, and land, all the while screeching and squawking. After it landed, it flopped about helplessly, continuing its alarming cries. At first, I thought it was injured, but as I approached, it gathered itself and continuing its din, flew another twenty feet or so forward. As it landed, it did an encore performance of “bird with a broken wing”.

It was quite something, but I realized it was all an act.

I turned back toward the origin of the feathered eruption and after looking closely at a fern covered bank, I found the nest. 4 spotted eggs lay snuggled inside. It was a perfect example of the mother protection instinct I’ve seen countless times on nature programs, but this time it was a live performance, for an audience of one.

Concealed nest and eggs

Short Cut

I got out early a few weeks ago on a rainy morning to revisit the Two Lakes Loop Trail in Hoosier National Forest (HNF). My intention was to check out the trail that cuts the 16 mile loop trail neatly in half. The rain was heavy and the trail was muddy, but it was a great day for an 8 mile hike around Lake Celina. The short cut makes an all day hike turn into a relatively easy 3.5 to 4 hour hike that includes great lakeside scenery along with beautiful plants and animals.

I’m still maintaining that this is my favorite trail in HNF, and my short cut try out did nothing to convince me otherwise.

Fishermen on Lake Celina

Wild Rose on the Cut Off

Goose feather in the rain

If you’d like to see all of the photos from this hike, check them out in the photo album 2 Lakes Loop Revisited

2009 Firsts

It’s almost the halfway point of 2009, so I thought it would be an excellent time to look back at some the things I’ve spotted while hiking the last 6 months. It’s been a great year of firsts for me, in both the animal and plant categories.

For the fauna category, I’ve spotted the following this year for the very first time in Kentuckiana:

• Mourning Cloak butterfly

• Red Spotted Newt

• Bald Eagle

• Scarlet Tanager

• Collared Lizard (Kansas)

• Horny Toad (Kansas)

• Mating tortoises

• Sara Orange Tip butterfly

Unfortunately, I’ve still not succeeded in getting good pictures of my photographic Moby Dick, the pileated woodpecker.

In the flora category, I’ve spotted and finally named a few firsts as well including:

• Celandine Poppy

• Red and White Trillium

• Blue Eyed Mary

• Crested Dwarf Iris

• Yellow Lady’s Slipper

• Squirrel Corn

• Dutchman’s Breeches

• Smooth Solomon’s Seal

The biggest trophy plant off the year has to be the Yellow Lady’s Slipper I spotted on the Two Lakes Loop trail in Hoosier National Forest. Squirrel Corn, Dutchman’s Breeches and a multitude of Trillium all over Kentuckiana were also big surprises as well as delightful finds.

Yellow Lady’s Slipper

Use these as a guideline to avoid getting tick bites:

• Use insect repellent on your legs and make sure to spray your socks
• Never wear white, especially white socks
• Avoid light colored clothes
• Check your socks and legs after walking through grass or around brush
• Check for ticks regularly during your hike and pick off those you find
• When hiking in a group, make sure to give everyone a good check at the end of the trail

(Author’s note: I’ve read several web sites and health official’s reports that RECOMMEND wearing white or light colored clothes to help spot ticks while on the trail. This might be a good idea for some Western states, but in Kentuckiana, where the primary risk is from deer ticks, white ATTRACTS more ticks. I’ve found that neutral outdoor colors and grey hiking socks minimizes the attraction of ticks. Also, spray your socks with deet, even if it does tend to make them wear out faster.  I’d rather buy more socks than worry about Lyme disease. On a recent 3 hour / 6 mile hike in Hoosier National Forest, I removed several dozen ticks during and after the hike was done.)

But if fitness isn’t your major concern, take your time on the Scott’s Gap Loop and look at all of the interesting plants that are popping up along the trail this year.

I’ve been hiking Jefferson Forest for well over a decade and this Spring has been quite an eye opener with the new species of wildflowers and plants I’ve spotted. Most notably has been the proliferation of Jack in the Pulpit along Scott’s Gap Loop. They are literally everywhere right now, especially along the first big hill at the beginning of the trail. At the first fork uphill, continue up and look for the three-leaved juveniles that look like trillium, but the leaves are arranged vertically rather than horizontally and have no central flower bud. There are already a few mature Jacks early on the trail as well. This is the first year I’ve ever spotted any in the JMF.

Jack in the Pulpit

After hiking the initial hill along  Scott’s Gap (counterclockwise for the loop), you’ll continue along a ridge for about a half mile and you’ll find a short ascent that is almost completely covered with Dutchman’s britches and Squirrel corn wildflowers, another new find this Spring.

Dutchman’s britches

Squirrel corn

Another half mile will find you descending into a creek valley which the trail will follow for a while. In the valley right now, Celandine poppies are everywhere, along with spring ferns and a couple of different trillium species. You’ll also spot Fire pink wildflowers right on the trail. When the weather gets warmer, this valley will also have lots of frog and toad species. Skinks and fence lizards are already out along the trail, but to spot them you have to take it slow as you approach downed timber, the preferred sunning spot for these cold blooded forest dwellers.

Celandine poppy

If you are quiet enough along the Scott’s Gap trail, you will most likely hear wild turkey calls and if you’re lucky enough you might spot a foraging group. Deer will also frequent the creek valleys during the wetter months for feeding.

Scotts Gap Loop is a diverse 3 mile trail through several habitats. Try to check it out over the coming month or so for the wide variety of plants and animals indigenous to the Jefferson Memorial Forest. It can be a rigorous hour or a fascinating 3 hours of discovery. It’s just up to you how you want to hike it.

Be sure to check out the photo album Scott’s Gap Jacks.

Early spring can really throw you curve balls in the Ohio Valley, much like it did late Monday afternoon when rain mixed with a little snow was the weather throughout the day. The cold mixed with the wet made for a lonely late afternoon hike along the red trail in the Horine Reservation section of Jefferson Memorial Forest (JMF). But the wet conditions along with the cloudy skies made for excellent photography conditions, or at least for my favorite subject to photograph, water on plants.

I happened on the subject by accident this past fall when I took a November hike in the rain and noticed how the rain beaded up on the freshly fallen leaves. After taking a few pictures that I REALLY liked, it’s been a minor theme in my photography and a big motivator for me to get out hiking when the weather turns bad.

Even though the Spring is very young, it’s been quite a season of firsts for me in the JMF. Morels, newts and new butterflies are just a short list of some the things I’ve seen for the first time this year. On Monday afternoon, I added another first when I sighted a red trillium in the section of the Horine Red Trail that I like to call Mosquito Valley. Once the weather gets warmer, Mosquito Valley is about 200 yards of trail following a creek bed that can swarm with the bloodthirsty critters and it marks approximately the halfway point of the 4.5 mile loop trail.

Trillium are 3 leaved flowers that I normally  associate with the Great Smoky Mountains. This is the first time I’ve ever seen them in Jefferson County and it was a really great day to spot them. Mosquito Valley is a very diverse spring flower habitat and I look forward to hiking back to it again in the weeks to come as new plants flourish and grow. Right now, the dominant flowers in the valley are trout lillies.

I hope to see more trillium and other new flowers in coming weeks as I plan to hike the Millenium Trail in Bernheim Forest as well as other hikes in the area. I also hope to hike Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Park during their Wildflower Weekend in April.

The photo album for Monday’s rainy/snowy hike is titled April Snow Showers 09. Enjoy.

Water theme

Trout Lillies and Ferns

Red Trillium

Mitch McConnell Loop: Jefferson Forest

The Mitch McConnell Loop trail in the Paul Yost recreation section of Jefferson Memorial Forest is listed as a strenuous trail. Of all the loops or “there and back” trails in the Forest, the Mitch is definitely the toughest. With a length of 5.4 miles listed, the Mitch Loop is simply a long series of ups and downs. Every time you climb, you’ll descend again quickly and then repeat the process.

One of the cute characteristics of this trail is what I like to call “shoulders”. There are several long and fairly steep ascents that tease you with false pinnacles. As you reach what you think is the top of a ridge or hill, the trail simply goes over the hill’s shoulder and continues to climb. This is especially true if you walk the trail clockwise from the Paul Yost recreation area parking lot. Rest assured though, no matter which direction you tackle this trail, you will get a good workout.

Since the Mitch is very hilly, you will see a wide variety of habitat. Lower sections contain creeks and loads of early Spring wildflowers from Spring Beauty to Bloodroot. The cool weather of early Spring though keeps the majority of wildflowers in check until mid to late April and May.

Bloodroot

Spring beauty

Several pine groves along the Mitch were fairly devastated by the January ice storm, but the trails are clear and the forest is waking up. Be sure to take ample water when hiking this trail as you’ll need to keep hydrated, even in the cooler Spring temperatures.

Siltstone Trail: Jefferson Forest

The Siltstone Trail is a one way trail from the Jefferson Forest Welcome center to the Scott’s Gap parking area. It is divided by 2 road crossings at Bearcamp Road and Jefferson Hill Road. If you aren’t in the mood for the entire hike (almost 13 miles), you can park at one of the road crossings for shorter section hiking in either direction.

At the moment, in early April, the section with the most wildflowers as well as wild life is the 3.5 miles between Scott’s Gap and Bearcamp Road. Parking at either side, you can hike a very pleasurable 7 miles there and back along the same trail. Many spring flowers are attracting early Swallowtail butterflies including the striking black and white Zebra Swallowtail. I also spotted at least 5 more species of butterfly including Tiger and Eastern Black Swallowtails.

Zebra Swallowtail

Eastern Black Swallowtail

This section is characterized by a long hill on both road ends and then short descents and climbs along a long ridge. Conditions can get windy and in a one week period, I spotted two large 100+ lb widow makers had fallen. As always, in any of the Ohio Valley forests that suffered damage from the January ice storm, be careful and look up occasionally for possible falling wood.

If you can manage to be fairly quiet while you hike, you may spot wild turkeys, white tail deer and plenty of song birds and woodpeckers. This is also the trail section that contains lots of lizards a bit later in the year.

Purple Heart Trail: Jefferson Forest

The Purple Heart trail is a short 2 mile loop trail with spurs connecting to the Siltstone Trail and also Tom Wallace Lake Circle. When you include the Welcome Center with the Jefferson Hill Road section of the Siltstone trail and the Purple Heart Loop, you get a nice 5-6 mile hike depending on the spur from which you exit the trail.

The Purple Heart trail is an interesting contrast to some off the older Jefferson Forest trails in that the underbrush is deeper and closer to the trail than almost anywhere in the forest. In addition, the trail is also a mini-version of the Mitch McConnell loop in that it is a series of ups and downs with little or no breaks in between. This was the first time I’ve hike this loop and I look forward to what the seasons might bring in the flora and fauna.

Spring Morels!

If you’re a foodie like me, you probably know about morels, but you’ve never tasted them. Well, for the next two weeks, you’re going to find black morels in the general vicinity of hickory trees. Keep an eye out and you might be pleasantly surprised by a tasty culinary luxury.

Spring Morels

Check out the photo albums Mitch In Spring 2009 and Early Spring Hikes for all of the pictures

I’ve been looking at the ground practically my entire life.

Before I went to school, I’d watch anthills with fascination for hours. Growing up and going to Florida on vacation, I learned to beach comb searching for sharks teeth in Venice. Once I learned to snorkel, I’d spend most of my time on vacation searching the bottom of the shallow Gulf shores for crabs and snails and the occasional stingray.

I think I’m bound to it in some way. The natural reaction for many when they head outdoors is to look up or out. The scenery, the sky, it all grabs your attention.

When I’m out hiking, I tend to look down.

And it’s not because of my clumsy tendencies that sometimes have me looking up suddenly from a prone position.

Spring in Jefferson Forest is no exception. Looking down this year is even a better idea because there are more tree limbs and other debris on the ground than ever. Though I must admit that the volunteers that have helped clear Jefferson Forest trails since the January ice storm have done a magnificent job.

On Wednesday afternoon (March 25^th) I decided to check out the Siltstone Trail section of Jefferson Forest between Scott’s Gap Road and Bear Camp Road. At 3.5 miles, it makes for a nice “there and back again” 7 mile ridge line hike. The weather was typical Ohio Valley Spring with temperatures barely breaking 60 and scattered showers in the area.

The trail condition was possibly the cleanest I’ve ever experienced in over 10 years of hiking the JF. The trail was clean of almost all small debris, but the windy conditions are still knocking small limbs onto the ground, and this will probably be the case for at least a year or more. There are some serious widowmakers left hanging out there, so be careful when hiking any areas with ice storm damage.

The Spring wildflower season is at its very early stages, but there is plenty to see out on the trail. There are about 7 different species of wildflower already in bloom, but the vast majority of Spring color is still a few weeks away. Thanks to the warm weather, redbud trees are blooming a little early, but are not in full bloom just yet. When watching the trail, look for the tiny scarlet and purple buds on the ground if you want to find a redbud blooming.

In addition to the flora, I spotted some very interesting fauna.

Spring turkeys were way too fast for my camera, as were the usual songbirds including bluejays and bluebirds. The pileated woodpecker continues to be my white whale of photography, even though I saw one quite clearly (the lighting was terrible). Pileateds tend to call their eerie laughter when you are near their nesting site, but they rarely come close if you can be spotted easily.

The highlight of the hike was a first for me, and the second new species I’ve spotted in as many weeks in the forest. Last week, it was the mourning cloak butterfly, this week it was a juvenile red-spotted newt. After some research in my Audubon wildlife guides, I found that the juveniles, called red efts, are found in leaf litter along ridges and the forest floor, usually after rain showers. The conditions were perfect for this sighting and I hope to see a few more in the coming weeks before the usual lizards and toads start making their appearances.

Over the coming 6 weeks, be sure to get out to the local area parks and enjoy the awakening Spring, it is truly my favorite time to hike. And take the time to look down at the little things. Sometimes, they are the best part of the day.

I took quite a few pictures while hiking, so I hope you enjoy the photo album Siltstone Newt.

Red spotted newt

Spring flora

The ice-storm damage from January will be with Jefferson Forest for years to come. Though the trails are clear of major debris, the evidence of the storm is everywhere. Windy conditions for the next year should be approached with caution when hiking Jefferson Forest due to the widespread tree damage and the plethora of hanging limbs.

With all that being said, and temperatures in the 50s, 60s and 70s over the last 2-3 weeks, the greenery is sprouting throughout the Forest. With an eye to the ground and a patient pace, I’ve hiked the Scotts Gap Loop and Horine Reservation trails over the last 2 days. There are wildflowers in bloom, and song birds in song, and critters I’ve never seen before.

There are already butterflies about, and one I’ve never seen before is in abundance. Late this afternoon, I spotted many Mourning Cloak butterflies and they were kind enough to pose for me several times. The Mourning Cloak likes to bask in the Sun, and when you disturb them  while walking, try stopping and just wait for a few minutes. More than half the time, the butterflies returned to their basking spot within a couple of minutes.

In addition to bugs, I spotted a few cricket frogs near Mitchell Hill Lake and I also spotted Bluebirds, Blue Jays and a wide variety of Woodpeckers and song birds.

The trees are still barren, but flowers are popping up and the ground clutter is getting some green back in its color.

Over the next month, expect an explosion of flowers and life in Jefferson Forest. Be sure to make time to get out and see it.

I hope you enjoy the album Springish 09.

With mid to upper sixties forecast for today, I decided to head to Tipsaw Lake and hike the loop trail and see what the damage was like in Hoosier National Forest. It turned out to be quite an adventure.

To set the stage, we’re experiencing unseasonably warm weather for February. On top of that, the snow and ice in the area has completely melted and we’ve even had some rain, so I knew going in that it was going to be muddy. The unknown element was going to be the downed trees. All of this combined for an unusually strenuous hike around Tipsaw Lake.

The Tipsaw Lake Loop is fairly flat, but at 6 miles, it’s just long enough to be a decent workout while you also get to enjoy lake views almost all the way around the loop. With the warm temperatures, it was a great day for birdwatchers. I spotted  hawks, blue jays, pileated woodpeckers, orioles and lots of songbirds I could not begin to name. As usual with me photographing birds, they were elusive and everytime I was able to focus, the target would fly away. My hats off to ornithological photography enthusiasts for their patience. I don’t seem to have the knack.

Tipsaw Lake Loop is also a very popular destination for bikers as well as hikers. The cleanup has begun, but the trail will take a long time to recover and an intense effort will be required before biking on the trail is safe again. Many of the pine stands in this recreation area are devastated and in several spots, the trails are almost impassable. I had to hike around many long sections of trail with huge trees covering the ground. With literally hundreds, maybe thousands of downed trees and limbs to deal with, I doubt that Spring biking will be a viable option this year.

If you do decide to tackle the loop trail in the next few months, be prepared to scrabble over and around downed trees and wear long pants if you can to prevent getting scratches on your legs. If I hear of any volunteer efforts to help in the cleanup, I’ll be sure to pass them along.

I took some pictures of the damage as well as the scenery, so I hope you enjoy the photo album  Tipsaw Ice.