Pisgah Pink Beds
These are some pics from our Sunday hike in Pisgah Nat'l Forest. This was the private hunting preserve of the Vanderbilts adjoining their massive Biltmore estate. They built a 17-mile long road from the chateaux to a hunting lodge in the mountains, and this land surrounded it. We had never partaken of this country, but a day hike fit in perfectly between our wedding plans and more social plans in Maryville, TN.
Pink Beds in a picnic ground with the 'Pink Beds' Trial leaving the north end.
The terrain on this trail was reminiscent of that on our Pine Mountain trip a couple summers ago- Pine, loamy sand, fern, roots, 2nd and 3rd growth forest. It's all very Appalachian. Both the boys and I felt like we would see Sam and Frodo somewhere along this area.
Tall Pine
Sick Pine.
A beetle is ravaging pines throughout the South. It was even more evident while driving through the Smokies (G.S.M.N.P.), where you could see the green of deciduous contrasted with stands of kindling dotting the hillsides.
Fern Forest. This area was quite enchanting.
The culprit and explanation. There were so many ferns b/c this little valley had been damed up by a beaver. The map we retrieved from the ranger station alluded to this, but the blockage was more substantial. I didn't take a pic of the beaver dam b/c I spent my time trying to find the 'blue' trail that we needed. It was across the beaver pond. We were to take the 'blue' cut-through to give us a 3-mile hike; the 'orange' P.B. route was a 5-mile+ hike. Perhaps it wasn't my first choice, but families are compromises, right? So we turned back and had a very nice return leg.
Dappled trail
Meadow near the end. We would have come back this way. This route is also marked 'hiking/bicycling'. Pisgah is full of logging roads and trails for mt.bikers. That would be fun, no? I sure do love a stand of grass.
Pink Beds in a picnic ground with the 'Pink Beds' Trial leaving the north end.
The terrain on this trail was reminiscent of that on our Pine Mountain trip a couple summers ago- Pine, loamy sand, fern, roots, 2nd and 3rd growth forest. It's all very Appalachian. Both the boys and I felt like we would see Sam and Frodo somewhere along this area.
Tall Pine
Sick Pine.A beetle is ravaging pines throughout the South. It was even more evident while driving through the Smokies (G.S.M.N.P.), where you could see the green of deciduous contrasted with stands of kindling dotting the hillsides.
Fern Forest. This area was quite enchanting.
The culprit and explanation. There were so many ferns b/c this little valley had been damed up by a beaver. The map we retrieved from the ranger station alluded to this, but the blockage was more substantial. I didn't take a pic of the beaver dam b/c I spent my time trying to find the 'blue' trail that we needed. It was across the beaver pond. We were to take the 'blue' cut-through to give us a 3-mile hike; the 'orange' P.B. route was a 5-mile+ hike. Perhaps it wasn't my first choice, but families are compromises, right? So we turned back and had a very nice return leg. 
Dappled trail
Meadow near the end. We would have come back this way. This route is also marked 'hiking/bicycling'. Pisgah is full of logging roads and trails for mt.bikers. That would be fun, no? I sure do love a stand of grass.(One of these pics was taken with a different camera. See if you can guess which one.)
And that was that. A great little hike and enough to wet my whistle to return to this area. Pisgah is full of options and is found within driving distance to G.S.M.N.P., Nantahala Forsest and that whole outdoorsy area. Great stuff.
Comments
I enjoy seeing where other people ride.
Keep it up.