Spring Wildflower Trip 2025-- Day 3 Big Sunk Cane and River Trail With Rick and Sharon

above pale pink hepatica in bloom at Big Sunk Cane

Spring Wildflower Trip 2025

Day 3 Big Sunk Cane and  River Trail With Rick and Sharon

Sunday April 13, 2025
Kenny & Dana Koogler
Sharon McGee 
Rick Timm

Photos are Here 

  We got up on Sunday morning and drove back over to Sharon's.  We had breakfast with her and Rick. It was delicious.   I brought a bunch of fresh fruit and avocados sliced up. Sharon fixed eggs and bacon.  We warmed up some cheddar bay biscuits from the previous night's dinner.  It was perfect.  We got our stuff together and went out to hike to Big Sunk Cane.  Rick had never been before.

Below: looking across Sunk Cane

Above and below: Big Sunk Cane Falls Kenny and Rick in the bottom image. 

Below:  the trail to the falls

Below:  toothwort emerging 

Below:  bloodroot bloom

Below:  vertical composition of Big Sunk Cane Falls 

above:  trilliums at Big Sunk Cane 

     Below is a video of the falls at Big Sunk Cane 

  We enjoyed the flowers, forest and waterfall at Big Sunk Cane.  It was pretty, but not as spectacular as I have seen on previous visits.   Once again it seems the cold weather has delayed bloom season.  

  We headed  back home and had a quick bite of lunch and set off once more to go riding.  We opted to try the river trail today. It was close and Rick had only been once and only up to the second crossing of the river.   Recent flooding has changed the river trail in ways that are hard to comprehend.   We were to find out a bit more today just how much. 

Below: East Fork River 

Below: reflection of bluffs on the river

Above and below: more crossings of the East Fork River. It splits into side streams

   The first major change we noticed in the river trail was that the river and trail are one near the start. This used to be the case only during flooding events. Now it is that way before, during and after flooding.   During lower water times it is manageable to ride. During a flooding event you'd not get anywhere close to it.  

  

    A second major change was the washed out gully before the blue hole was worse than ever.   It is going to have to be bridged some way and soon.    Today Kenny made us all get out and he and Rick did some finagling with logs and rocks.  It was scary.  He got back in the machine and with Rick and us girls spotting he proceeded across the gap.  He made it just fine.  The new carnivore tires helped a bunch. It also was a matter of considerable skill.   

The third thing we noticed as we proceeded was that after crossing # 2 the trail becomes increasingly hard to follow.   The large piles of debris, downed trees, rocks and sand bars have obscured the way.

 It is guess your best.     There was some chain sawing and guess work in our travel.  It became more and more difficult the further we went. We made it to crossing #5 and we were all ready to do something else.   I don't mind a challenge. I don't mind riding, but when riding turns into JUST riding I become bored, restless and dissatisfied.   I need to be seeing stuff. Doing Stuff. Getting out to walk around every little bit.  Once the ride becomes an endless rabbit chase I am over it.  I have been married to Kenny long enough to know that look in his eyes. He loves nothing better than aimless riding.  We are miles apart when it comes to our dispositions in this regard. 

      

Below is a video of the River Trail in segments showing how it is and how it has changed. 

     

     Once we got done being passengers on the Struggle Bus Kenny spotted a trail just past the Big Gully that went sharply uphill.   He turned there and avoided having to recross the gully.  Our hope was that it would put us out in the Wilder Subdivision and we could pick another way back home.   It was a pretty ride for sure.  We covered some ground I know we'd never seen before. One wrong turn and we were not in the subdivision, but below it.  We were on a trail like a rollercoaster in deep forest gloom with minimal sunlight peeping through at times.   We passed some pretty spots with streams flowing.  Some good wildflowers in passing only.  Finally the trail trended downward. I knew this didn't look right. 

The next thing we knew we popped round the bend and were looking at the little Octagon House!  We ended up heading back toward the river trail and up higher on the crossings than we had been.  That was NOT reassuring after what we'd already seen of it.   It meant turning around and going back up the mountain, finding the spot where we made a wrong turn, and heading into Wilder subdivision.  We made our way around to Manson Road finally.  Once there Kenny brought us down the new trail from Wilson Ridge to Bill's Creek.  I had heard about it from when he had the guys day riding.  I was happy to finally be seeing it for myself.   It was pretty and is a good trail.  

above and below: more shots of the river in all its glory and chaos.

Below:  a mossy, beautiful side stream in our wanderings below the Wilder Subdivision

Below:  Back at the Octagon House. Hoo Boy! 

  Once down the new trail we made our way down to Boatland Road and back to the house.  I swore I was done with days of riding chasing rabbits. I made myself very plain spoken on that matter.  

I   have decided that next Spring will mean I restructure my wildflower trip very differently.  

It may mean no four wheeling at all.  It may mean two separate trips. One weekend of four wheeling and one of hiking.  Whatever comes I want to go someplace very different. It is time to chose a different location.