We have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather in our area. It seems as if we are spending more time outside than inside these days. :)
A couple of weeks ago, hubby suggested we hike what is locally called "2nd Mountain". It's not too far from where hubby and sons turkey hunt. And the top of the mountain just happens to be directly across from our house. The girls and I had never hiked this mountain before, and we were expecting a nice, wide path to hike on. Well, there was no path at all. And it was rough terrain the entire time, with steep inclines, rock scrambles, and thickets to get through.
But in spite of the 3-hour work-out, it was alot fun. We saw so many interesting things along the way. And the best part was when we got to the top, we looked towards the east and saw our house. :)
Here are some photos of what we saw.
We crossed small streams as we hiked...
Wild irises were everywhere...
We fought our way through thick briars and underbrush..
The mountain laurel wasn't blooming yet...
Plenty of lichens..
Interesting brown moss..
Acorns scattered about..
And acorns sprouting everywhere..
Even on a rock!
Rock scrambles..
We all had our trusty hand-made hiking sticks with us, which were a great help on these rocks. :)
Beautiful ferns..
A dead pine tree, loaded with pine cones..
Hmm...wonder what lives in there?
Or there?
We wondered what (or who!) made the holes in these rocks..
We couldn't identify this little plant, but the pink bell-like blossoms were lovely..
When we finally made it to the ridge, the view was breath-taking..
There was evidence of the pine beetle's damage..
But thankfully, there were plenty of pine saplings everywhere on top..
And this little guy..a juvenile Black Rat snake..
Not sure what these interesting-looking plants are. Anyone?
Our final destination was the creek, and it was a very welcome sight..
Time to cool off, watch the butterflies, and catch crayfish..
And this beautiful tree was growing beside the creek. Lovely!
It was a wonderful day enjoying the beautiful creation of our Awesome Creator. :)
"O Lord, how great are your works!" ~ Psalm 92:5
