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| Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (orchid) |
We found a great variety of new things on this trail. The downy rattlesnake plantain, a type of orchid, was prolific and in bloom. Just gorgeous. We also saw partridge berries, wild strawberries (no berries), and black berries (still sour). There were many, many different kinds of mushrooms and in all colors, too.
I saw some type of larger wildlife-- about the size of a medium dog and gray-- could have been a large racoon, a fox, or a coyote. We also saw a very large rattlesnake. It had just shed its skin and was very vivid. Old and wise, he sat very still as we went by.
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| Little "sea anemones" |
The trail was easy with a few patches of moderate difficulty. Its' hard to give up when a group of 70-year-old ladies come back the other way from the falls. It culminates in a large climb up a rocky hill; you can see the falls at the middle of the hill.
The 2.5 mile trail makes a total hike of 5 miles.
On our way back, the thundering clouds that we had ignored began to rain with gusto. It was very cold and miserable while it rained. The lightening was close, and a tree fell across the trail. But after we dried out, it was not so bad. The return trip went much faster than the trek in-- we didn't stop to see every plant and mushroom in the rain.
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| Cool Mushroom |
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| One of the many smaller falls on the trail (Dodd's Creek) |
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This picture can't do justice to the color contrast--
the black log , the white water, and the red rock. It was simply beautiful |
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| Hornet's nest |
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| Cairn |
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| Downy Rattlesnake Plantain |
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| Orange mushrooms |
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| Rock formation at the main falls |
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| Raven Cliff Falls |
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| Alan climbed to the very top |
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| Sedimentary Rock |
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