June 3, 2003 ~ A Day in My Life, Illustrated, Part III
(continued from Part I and Part II . Mouse-over images for commentary.)
As Ridgetop Trail turns toward the summit and starts a steep switchback, there is a standing stone next to the trail. It's not natural; I'm pretty sure that a student set it up (there is a student who has set up many similar natural stone "sculptures" and "arrangements" around campus):
As I neared the summit, the overwhelmingly rich smell of honeysuckle, even though it was wet and cool (when it's hot and the humidity is so thick you can lean into it, the smell of honeysuckle can literally make you lightheaded). The vines were everywhere:
A few fire pinks near the summit. I noticed that the fern fronds (whose little tender fiddleheads I was eating just a month and a half ago) are now bursting with spores. And the day flowers were hiding their heads in their hoods. You can't blame them, really. They only live for one day, I'm sure they wouldn't want the rain to cut their precious time short:
  
Looking back down, through the woods:
At the summit. It's rather anti-climactic, really, for there is no view, only the trees. Oh, but, the winds will come swiftly over that crest, and the trees will dance. Imagine even those thicker trunks bending and swaying:
Just as I started back down, the wind suddenly picked up and through a gap in the trees, I could see a dark cloudbank approaching. I weighed my chances and decided to stay out longer anyway. The hike down the mountain generally takes at least a half an hour anyway, and that's if I hurry. The storm would be here by then anyway, and I'd honestly rather hike through it than drive home in Pokey in it. So I made my way to the overlook a ways down the other side of the summit.
As I broke through the trees, a swallowtail butterfly swooped over my head and fluttered among the crown vetch flowers in the clearing.
The view from the overlook was spectacular, in spite of the cloud cover (or perhaps because of the cloudcover):
Heading back down:
 
The rhododendrons are starting to bloom on the mountainsides. I bet Craggy Gardens will be amazing in a few weeks:
I took the connector trail from Davidson down to Rhododendron Ridge, and followed that until I reached Ruins Trail:
There is one segment of this trail that I love very much, where several tall tulip trees grow in a row right along the trail:
Nearby is another chimney whose house is long gone, peeking through the trees, and I wonder if perhaps the tulip trees were intentionally planted as well:
Near the end of the ruins trail, the sun briefly broke through the clouds, but that was the first and last of the sun that I saw during the entire hike.
Almost back to the trailhead, further ruins alongside the trail:
Say goodbye to the trees, especially that old oak in the center:
It turns out the storm skirted me to the north and continued on eastward. Good thing, too, because I didn't want to drive home in it either:
It's about 5:45 p.m. I hiked for over two hours. (That's about normal) Time to go home.
...retreat to Part II OR continue to Part IV...
A Day in My Life, Illustrated. Series.
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV
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