Spring greens were everywhere a couple of weeks ago along the Tugaloo River. In our attempt to get outside but also social distance, we stayed close to home. This is a little hidden hike of about three miles round trip. We made it longer by crossing a river and then walking out through a wetland overflowing with native plants. It was amazing and a totally different world than where I live 7 to 10 miles from here.
Native azaleas have long been a favorite! These were absolutely beautiful.
The mountain laurel was just beginning to bloom!
We walked the road bed and ended up traveling into a place that once was home to people living in the Yonah Dam area.
There were large clumps of red wake robins (Trillium erectum) along the slopes of this Appalachian Mountain region. These appear only in the spring.
We came to a rain swollen stream that flows with clear water into the Tugaloo River. What fun it was to take off our shoes and cross over!
More wild flowers along the way. Then the road turned and up we went to a place where you could see Lake Yonah.
Not a clear view of the lake but it is there. We turned back after seeing Private Property signs.
On the way back we noticed this track in the sandy soil. It is either a dog or more dramatically a bobcat . . . or a mountain lion. Their tracks show four toes on the front foot and four toes on the hind foot. Bobcats have been seen in the daytime, but do a lot of hunting at night. And they are in this area. They hunt small mammals, such as mice and squirrels, but can take an animal as large as a deer. I did find out that this track—perfectly impressed in the sand—is of a dog.
Walking back out through an amazing area.
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