Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness Area (Apr 18)

We met others from Mountain High Hikers at the rest stop in Andrews and then caravanned to the parking/picnic area at the trailhead. We hiked the memorial loop and poplar loop which together are about two miles. The poplar loop has some of the largest Tulip Poplars on the east and would take three men stretching their arms to reach around them. There has never been logging here. The wildflowers were spectacular. Many of the hemlocks have died from Wooly Adelgid infestation and were presenting a hazard, so to preserve the natural feel of the place, instead of sawing them, the blew off the tops at about head height with sticks of dynamite. It made it look like a tornado had passed thru.
After the hike, we returned to the picnic area and had lunch. The group then went on another hike, but we had enough for our first hike of the season, so we left to check out Snowbird Creek, which is nearby, and try some fishing. We drove back several miles on Snowbird Creek Road and passed a NF campground. We passed a hatchery truck with two men stocking the creek. By the time we got to the end of the road, we could see where they were putting the fish, so after they left we tried to catch them. We each lost more than we caught, but we each caught a nice trout, with Joan catching the larger one. We went thru trying most of our flies and found that the would at first take, then refuse a fly after they had seen it a few times.
Click this picture to go to photo album.










- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone