Sunday, April 24, 2011

Spring has sprung!

There are some really good reasons why I live where I do. I live here because I want to. One of my favorite things about East Tennessee is that I can drive an hour or less in just about any direction and have top quality hiking. Its not the most majestic of places I've hiked, but there is something really special about the southern Appalachians.

I've done the Roan Highlands more times than I can count and every time I've been over the Hump Mountains I've had bad weather from fog to the sideways sleet and hail I got on my AT thru-hike. When I saw the forecast a few days ago I knew I had to finally see the view I knew was up there. I got a pretty great view and amazing weather, but more importantly I had 24 hours of amazing wild flowers.


Vasey's Trillium. This kept me guessing the entire time. I'd never encountered Trillium this color before even though its apparently everywhere around here.


Lousewort! This is my favorite wildflower and spotting it for the first time this year had me pretty happy. Welcome back old friend.




Spring creeping up the mountain with a little more green each day.


I think this is Spring Cress or maybe a type of violet? Someone please correct me on this one! (edit: I'm being told this is probably Spring Beauty.)


Yellow Trout Lilly. One beautiful flower.


Looking trail south. It felt so wrong hiking away from Katahdin.


I felt like a fool. I got more blisters in less than 20 miles than I did for the entire 2179 of the AT. I may have to start wearing socks again. yuck.



Another Trillium.


Once again I'm stumped. Any help from you guys? Come one I'm friends with botanists for a reason! (edit: I think people are agreeing this is probably Disporum.)


Spider hanging out some some Trillium.


Maybe a geranium of some sort?


Once again I'm stumped. I need to find a better wildflower resource apparently. (edit: also another geranium.)


Phlox!


Plenty of Fringed Phacelia popped up over night! I basically did about 10 miles out and then 10 back the next day. It was really amazing that over half of this flowers weren't there yesterday when I was hiking in and they were absolutely everywhere today!


5 comments:

  1. Dang how in the world did you stand to have a tattoo on the bottom of your foot?

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  2. Thanks, Suzanne! They look all nice on my computer then when they get shrunk down on the blog they lose a lot of detail. Especially in the flowers!

    Jay Dub, the bottom of the foot was the easiest tattoo ever. It tickled like crazy, but no healing time at all. When it was done I couldn't even tell. No soreness or swelling or anything. I expected it to fall out fast since my foot was basically one big callous from hiking, but it stuck pretty good.

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  3. Maybe I should have written all of that here instead of on your facebook. Oh well.

    I am going to steal a few of these photos to put as my computer background. Especially the trillium. :)

    -Erin

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  4. Great collection of spring flowers - ours are about to blossom and flower soon-ish =)

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