daLunartik
09-17-2006, 07:48 PM
While hiking up Fir, I kept expecting to find stands of some sort of evergreen - be it a spruce, pine, hemlock or actual balsam firs. Instead, it was a relatively open, fern filled forest. In fact, there were ferns from the trail, all the way to the summit.
I’d started from the Biscuit Brook trail head, originally intending to do Fir, Big Indian and Double Top. Since I still haven’t figured out how to sleep in and get an early start, I had already scratched Double Top from the agenda. Made it to the Lean To in no time - definitely have to come back for an overnight :tup: Glad I stopped, as a Ruby Throated Humming Bird started buzzing around. We played camera tag during the short break - every time I touched the camera, off it flew. Put the camera away, and it would hover 5 ft away.
Walked along the trail a bit, figuring to cut a little off the bushwhack. BAM - woods explode in noise and commotion - total adrenaline surge - defensive crouch - d#@n Grouse! The adrenaline got me jumpy, and instead of jumping off into the woods, I stayed on the trail too far and actually encountered the last stream crossing - startling a Great Blue Heron in the process.
The way up Fir was a bit steep, since I had taken a bearing that kept me below the ridge line. Working my way up, I encountered one fern covered cliff (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2668792630090556846AnMjjL) after fern covered glade (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2102304340090556846uMVMRB) after another (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2711816180090556846nZBiSj). Struck the summit and found the cannister in no time. After a lunch break, I set off for Big Indian. Gravity sucked me down too quickly and I ended up skirting the cliffs for a bit before having to reclimb a bit. Once I hit the col, it was a fairly straight shot to the summit of Big Indian, where I stopped for another sandwich.
Hitting the trail was nice - not having to route find essentially turned my brain off and I cruised down the trail. On the way down, I encountered my the first human of the day, camped illegally in an unmarked/designated campsite 50 feet from the trail and 50 feet from a raging tributary to the Biscuit Brook. Had he been the required 150 feet from the trail, I probably wouldn’t have seen him - not that the 30 seconds of a tent or the passing “howdy’s” detracted from my hike in any way. It’s just one of those things I notice in reflection - at the time, I was just happy to be on a trail.
As I was approaching the trail head, I heard a crashing noise. Looking over my shoulder, the top foot of a 6 foot birch stump that was 10 feet from the trail, had broken off and rolled down the hill. There was no wind, no critters that I could see or hear, nothing to indicate what caused this to occur. It was rather Spooky :eek:
And of course, I’ve added to my fungal collection - a nice cluster (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2890547770090556846lSMCov) on the trail, and later while bushwhacking, a choral mushroom and yellow earth fingers (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2040515750090556846tvZmdw).
I’d started from the Biscuit Brook trail head, originally intending to do Fir, Big Indian and Double Top. Since I still haven’t figured out how to sleep in and get an early start, I had already scratched Double Top from the agenda. Made it to the Lean To in no time - definitely have to come back for an overnight :tup: Glad I stopped, as a Ruby Throated Humming Bird started buzzing around. We played camera tag during the short break - every time I touched the camera, off it flew. Put the camera away, and it would hover 5 ft away.
Walked along the trail a bit, figuring to cut a little off the bushwhack. BAM - woods explode in noise and commotion - total adrenaline surge - defensive crouch - d#@n Grouse! The adrenaline got me jumpy, and instead of jumping off into the woods, I stayed on the trail too far and actually encountered the last stream crossing - startling a Great Blue Heron in the process.
The way up Fir was a bit steep, since I had taken a bearing that kept me below the ridge line. Working my way up, I encountered one fern covered cliff (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2668792630090556846AnMjjL) after fern covered glade (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2102304340090556846uMVMRB) after another (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2711816180090556846nZBiSj). Struck the summit and found the cannister in no time. After a lunch break, I set off for Big Indian. Gravity sucked me down too quickly and I ended up skirting the cliffs for a bit before having to reclimb a bit. Once I hit the col, it was a fairly straight shot to the summit of Big Indian, where I stopped for another sandwich.
Hitting the trail was nice - not having to route find essentially turned my brain off and I cruised down the trail. On the way down, I encountered my the first human of the day, camped illegally in an unmarked/designated campsite 50 feet from the trail and 50 feet from a raging tributary to the Biscuit Brook. Had he been the required 150 feet from the trail, I probably wouldn’t have seen him - not that the 30 seconds of a tent or the passing “howdy’s” detracted from my hike in any way. It’s just one of those things I notice in reflection - at the time, I was just happy to be on a trail.
As I was approaching the trail head, I heard a crashing noise. Looking over my shoulder, the top foot of a 6 foot birch stump that was 10 feet from the trail, had broken off and rolled down the hill. There was no wind, no critters that I could see or hear, nothing to indicate what caused this to occur. It was rather Spooky :eek:
And of course, I’ve added to my fungal collection - a nice cluster (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2890547770090556846lSMCov) on the trail, and later while bushwhacking, a choral mushroom and yellow earth fingers (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2040515750090556846tvZmdw).