So far, 2011 has been a slow one when it comes to spotting new birds to add to my list. Other than the Red-tailed Hawk mentioned in an earlier post, I have spotted a Golden Crowned Kinglet, an American Kestrel (formerly known as the Sparrow Hawk), a Red-headed Woodpecker, a Screech Owl, and a Eurasian Collared Dove.
Hopefully, during a week on the South Carolina Coast later this summer, I will have a similar haul to last year's trip when I identified 12 birds in the span of a few days. I have 29 birds to go before I reach 100!
I wish I had more time to simply go to a birding habitat and just sit there, for hours even, watching for a flash of unfamiliar color, hoping that I can get the binoculars up and into focus before the flash disappears. I can't think of many things that are more enjoyable. If you've never tried it, go get a good bird book, pick a date and start making a list. You will get hooked.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Lack of Peakbagging
Sadly, I haven't bagged any new peaks since February 11, 2010, when I attained the summit of Cheaha Mountain, the highest peak in Alabama. For the most part, hiking has still been a steady part of my weekly regimen, until this summer.
The hyper-extending knee incident earlier this year put me on the sidelines for a while. I decided to keep my walks on the paved roads of my neighborhood, or on the not so rough paths of Meeks Park. My knee felt "loose" for many weeks and made me shy away from uneven terrain. I kept imagining an improperly placed step on a rock, or a rut and having my knee hyper-extend, this time with more severe consequences.
In fact, when I did finally venture out on the Appalachian Trail hiking north from Dick's Creek Gap, my knee did exactly that. On two separate occasions, my knee just buckled backwards, for seemingly no reason. They weren't bad enough to send me to the ground, but bad enough to make me realize that it wasn't completely healed.
Then in late spring, I caught a cold that lasted the better part of three weeks. Coughing, sinus pressure, the whole works. Once I got over that ailment, it was summer which swept in with a vengeance.
For the first part of summer, it rained almost daily here in my part of North Georgia. Then, like the flick of a switch, it stopped, and has been very dry. Right now, my garden looks pitiful due to the excessively high temperatures and lack of rain.
I have also spent a lot of time on my property attempting to control an infestation of Chinese Privet which has taken over the lower part of the lot next to Brasstown Creek. It may seem strange to a lot of folks, but I really enjoy clearing brush, as well as cutting and trimming trees without the use of any power tools.
I have three tools that I use: a pruning saw, a tree pruner (loppers), and a swing blade for non-woody vegetation. It's a slow process, but knowing that I am clearing the land without using a pollution spewing two-stroke engine, doing it the way it would have been done 100 years ago, is rewarding. Plus, it is labor intensive which provides me a bit of a workout to replace the lack of trail time I've had this summer. I also like that the work is done while still being able to hear the babbling of the creek, the wind blowing through the trees, and the kingfisher's call as it races up and down the creek.
The dogs and I finally worked the trails back into our weekly routine, just for workout hikes. We'll go an hour up the trail and return. As soon as this heat wave breaks, the goal is to add Sassafras Mountain in SC, and Mount Mitchell in NC to my list of state high points. Until then, its yard work and short walks until I have something more interesting to share.
The hyper-extending knee incident earlier this year put me on the sidelines for a while. I decided to keep my walks on the paved roads of my neighborhood, or on the not so rough paths of Meeks Park. My knee felt "loose" for many weeks and made me shy away from uneven terrain. I kept imagining an improperly placed step on a rock, or a rut and having my knee hyper-extend, this time with more severe consequences.
In fact, when I did finally venture out on the Appalachian Trail hiking north from Dick's Creek Gap, my knee did exactly that. On two separate occasions, my knee just buckled backwards, for seemingly no reason. They weren't bad enough to send me to the ground, but bad enough to make me realize that it wasn't completely healed.
Then in late spring, I caught a cold that lasted the better part of three weeks. Coughing, sinus pressure, the whole works. Once I got over that ailment, it was summer which swept in with a vengeance.
For the first part of summer, it rained almost daily here in my part of North Georgia. Then, like the flick of a switch, it stopped, and has been very dry. Right now, my garden looks pitiful due to the excessively high temperatures and lack of rain.
I have also spent a lot of time on my property attempting to control an infestation of Chinese Privet which has taken over the lower part of the lot next to Brasstown Creek. It may seem strange to a lot of folks, but I really enjoy clearing brush, as well as cutting and trimming trees without the use of any power tools.
I have three tools that I use: a pruning saw, a tree pruner (loppers), and a swing blade for non-woody vegetation. It's a slow process, but knowing that I am clearing the land without using a pollution spewing two-stroke engine, doing it the way it would have been done 100 years ago, is rewarding. Plus, it is labor intensive which provides me a bit of a workout to replace the lack of trail time I've had this summer. I also like that the work is done while still being able to hear the babbling of the creek, the wind blowing through the trees, and the kingfisher's call as it races up and down the creek.
The dogs and I finally worked the trails back into our weekly routine, just for workout hikes. We'll go an hour up the trail and return. As soon as this heat wave breaks, the goal is to add Sassafras Mountain in SC, and Mount Mitchell in NC to my list of state high points. Until then, its yard work and short walks until I have something more interesting to share.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Slaughter Mountain - Elevation 4,338'
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| View of Blood Mountain from Slaughter Mountain summit. |
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| Open granite outcrop on summit of Slaughter Mountain. |
Start - Wolfpen Gap - 3,260'el
Trail - Duncan Ridge Trail, with some bushwhacking.
Time to summit - 55 minutes
Time of descent - 42 minutes
Ascent - 1,078'
Parking my car adjacent to Duncan Ridge Road, I grab my pack and walking staff out of the back seat. Across the road, a nearly inaudible conversation is taking place between a couple of bike riders and hikers. Other than this, the two-lane ribbon of asphalt that is Highway 180 is silent in between cars that can appear from seemingly out of nowhere as they round the curves, heading either towards Suches or Vogel State Park. I step in the direction of the trail, cross the highway and begin the steady climb.
The clouds are hanging low and as I look up slope, they can be seen rushing through the treetops, obscuring whatever view of the mountain that would normally unfold. As I look back at my car, two other guys with complete packs and ski poles have come off the ridge from the direction of Coosa Bald. They begin to take a break while I disappear into the woods. The uphill climb is immediate as I step up onto and around small boulders here and there that flank either side of the trail. The goal today is to bag the summit of Slaughter Mountain, the 5th highest peak in Georgia.
About twenty minutes up the trail I begin to hear the metallic click of the ski poles belonging to my fellow hikers. Judging by their increasing volume I know that they are rapidly gaining on me. I always pull of the trail for a breather when I know someone is about to overtake me. It's good hiking etiquette for there is nothing worse than having momentum and coming upon someone ambling along and holding up your progress. They both passed me, in staggered form as one was about three minutes faster than his buddy. At this point, I was sucking air so hard that I was glad to stay put until both of them passed.
The trail finally levels out and the burning in my calves fades with each step. I look up and notice a patch of blue sky. It looks as if the clouds may burn off after all. The patches of blue become larger as I walk on. Finally, the areas not shrouded by trees are flooded with a beautiful sunlight. The contrast of the sun with the remaining low clouds is wonderful.
I knew from studying the topo map before this hike that the Duncan Ridge Trail does not cross the summit, meaning I'm in for another bushwhacking adventure. As the trail descends, I know it's time to leave it to the right and begin to fight the sparse undergrowth. The goal is simple...to keep walking up until you reach the highest point.
It appears that I have not been the only person with this goal. A clearly visible trail opens up in front of me, then I notice a faded red blaze on a tree. 'What the hell?', I thought. This was not on any of the maps I researched. Why would this be a secret? Is it an attempt to discourage people from entering this area, or simply a forgotten path? I gladly follow this trail all the way to the summit, sparing me from the normal fight with briers. A search for a USGS marker is fruitless.
Like most of the peaks in GA, there is not much of a vista. Like Coosa Bald, there is a small granite outcropping near the summit that provides a small window in the direction of Blood Mountain. The clouds slowly blow through the gap between Slaughter and Blood Mountain, finally revealing the highest point in GA on the Appalachian Trail. I sit on the outcrop and soak up the sun for nearly an hour before retracing my steps back down to Wolfpen Gap.
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