Max Patch with Gabe

Little Falls Branch at the foot of Max Patch

Max Patch with Gabe

 Sunday 12/29/2019

Kenny, Dana & Gabriel Koogler

Pix are here start with this frame then advance to the right

     Another one of the long overdue blog entries from the end of 2019. 

A condensed version and the best I can do with not recalling all the details.

    Sunday after Christmas we decided to take our grandson Gabe to the mountains. He'd been asking to see waterfalls.   We were all still recovering from some awful respiratory illness. Said to be Type A flu, but now wondering if we all had the corona virus prior to knowing it even existed.   We were having to do something that required minimal exertion.   We were building our stamina up after that fiasco the day after Christmas.   

     We had long been talking about taking Gabe to Max Patch and to see the waterfalls over there.  We figured now was as good a time as any to see it through.   The day was warm for December so we packed a picnic and took off for Max Patch.    It takes about an hour and fifteen minutes on the interstate to get there.    We arrived and the creeks were flowing very nicely.

    Above: Papaw and Gabe.. standing on the rocks

   We pulled up to the trailhead for Little Fall Branch Falls a quarter mile one way hike on almost level terrain.   Lots of people here today, but not crowded. We arrived to find a large group just before the falls. They were gone before we got done visiting and exploring the waterfall.  Gabe fussed when he thought he had to walk, but when I told him I needed someone to show me how to get over the logs and find the path... he was all about it.  He is bossy like his Papaw and wants to tell people what to do.   

Below: People enjoying the waterfall with their dog who was so pretty and fuzzy! 

Above: Little Fall Branch Falls



Above: Gabe throws a good sized rock into the creek


Coming back down the trail from the waterfall with his camo britches

Above:  Gabriel age 3 is in his seventh Heaven in the woods and outdoors! He is the cutest little fellow.

   We went down to the picnic area next to eat a bite of lunch.   We got our tummies full and let Gabe play.  Important to keep those little legs stretched and burn off some energy after a car ride.   The folks from up at the falls were also picnicking there!   Finally we picked up all our belongings. We had another stop to make an a good bit more driving to do in the country. 

Below: Papaw is toting out stuff.  Gabe eats a cookie for dessert.

Below another family at the picnic grounds with their dog

Below: The creek flows past the picnic tables.  Fun to play in when it is hot.

    We headed up the mountain ever so slowly.   Once we got to the pond just past Max Patch summit we stopped so Gabe could get out again.  We have passed this spot many times over the years and not til today did we stop and check it out. 

Gabe gets ready to throw rocks into the pond!

Below the pond is shimmering in the low light

Below: Gabe is all boy. 

Reknowned Rock Thrower

If you look closely you can see the big splash from the rock!

Running back to the jeep

   Once we got done with the pond visit.. Kenny let Gabe sit on his lap and "drive" on our way to Wasp and Wolf Creek Falls.   It helped a lot to keep him happy.   He liked the spots where we had to drive through mud holes and the creek.     We didn't see another soul all evening long.  We had the falls to ourselves.  We pulled up to the campsite. We walked down over the bank and around the corner to a view of the falls. 

above: first view of Wolf Creek Falls

but if you walk down a few steps further you get this vantage point of the falls

My how different they look from here!  

 Gabriel loved the falls and the little rock outcrop near it.  He was thrilled to finally see some waterfalls today and this was a big one!

Above: Silky shot of the water flowing out of the plunge pool area and on down the stream

    We enjoyed the falls.  We headed back to the vehicle.  We let Gabe "drive" til we got back to Round Mountain Road. We buckled him into his seat belt and continued on to Del Rio and round to Newport.   We stopped for a quick bite of supper and hit the interstate and headed home.   We were all exhausted and went straight to bed once we were home.   What a fun day, but we were wiped out!

It felt good to be together. It felt good to finally keep our word about doing something with this sweet little man.   He finally got to see his waterfalls.

below is a short video of Little Fall Branch Falls and the pond 

Finally a video of Wolf Creek Falls

Max Patch Hike

Painted trillium at Max Patch

Max Patch Hike

Thursday May 16, 2013

Dana Koogler solo

Pictures are here starting with frame 86
Max Patch Pix 

   I had a chance this season to visit Max Patch Mountain during Spring wildflower season.

Max Patch is a mountain where the Appalachian Trail crosses right over the top of an open, grassy bald with expansive views.  It is located at Harmon Den, North Carolina.

Harmon Den is one of those exits off Interstate 40 where a person might wonder "Why in the world would I want to get off the highway here?".  It has no businesses in sight.

It is out in the boondocks.  Lucky for me I happen to be from the boonies and love it there.   It is a place with lots to see and explore.

       Max Patch is known to me to have an excellent display of Spring trilliums.

I've been there before and enjoyed it a lot.   Today I wanted to take time to do some checking on trillium hybridization as a follow up on the previous blog I wrote on the topic.

It was the kind of day where I knew I'd be better off alone than accompanied.  My husband can only stand so much of my botany studies.  I packed a nice picnic and 

drove over to spend the day.

      I stopped first at the base of the mountain to walk over to see a pretty cascade along the dirt road. Next I stopped to see the waterfall on Little Falls Branch. We've had ample rain lately and the falls was flowing heartily along.

I stopped by a spot where Adam & Eve orchids bloom only to find they are up, but just in bud. It will be another week or more before they are open well.   The trilliums at the base of the mountain were just about gone, but several other types of wildflowers were in bloom.   I saw wild geraniums, Canada mayflower, umbrella leaf, solomon's plume, golden alexanders, wild stonecrop, jack in the pulpit, squaw root, Canada violet, marsh blue violet, and wood anemone, foam flower, and wild heartleaf.   Ferns were abundant in varying types. I saw one dried up morel mushroom. 

Cascade along the gravel road.

Little Falls Branch waterfall

High above Little Falls Branch were ledges filled to overflowing with wildflowers!
This ledge has masses of Solomon's Plume.

      I saw other pretty things today.  The fields for picnics were filled with buttercups.
I saw yellow and black butterflies everywhere.  I also saw several kinds of flowering trees and shrubs.   Todays bloom list of those includes:  flame azalea, wild cherry, tulip poplar, yellow buckeye, black locust, cucumber and large leaf magnolia, silverbells, and sweet shrub.


Sweet Shrub growing along the road at Max Patch. Bruise the bloom and warm it in your hands to get a good scent!


Native Magnolia tree in bloom in the forest.  I am working on learning to tell the difference between the four native species of magnolia trees in our area. Its hard!

     I stopped by the picnic area when I realized it was 12:30 already.  I figured I'd sit down at the picnic tables by the creek and eat lunch now and have plenty of energy for hiking the rest of the day.   I brought homemade chicken salad, grapes, potato chips, and green tea.  I am recovering from a giardia infection and my appetite is better, but was not 100% that day.   The antibiotics for the cure have messed with my sense of taste.

     I began driving up the mountain after lunch to see what I might find along the way.
I knew the upper elevations would have lots of trilliums still around.  I was not disappointed.  The slopes of the mountain began to fill up with large swaths of trilliums in bloom.  They were not long left to bloom and some had aged pink in varying shades. They ranged in color from pale pink to almost red!   
Waves of trilliums in the forest


Beautiful pastels

    I had just purchased and begun reading the Trilliums book by Fred and Roberta Case.
I learned about trillium species, hybridization, mutation and disease processes that can cause odd looking flowers!   I was driving along the mountain road and pulling over every little bit to park and get out to walk in the woods. I was my own boss today so I could do that without anyone fussing about it.  I indulged my curiosity to the fullest.  I began to wear myself out with all my gawking.  I finally got back in the jeep and decided I'd best head on up the mountain a bit faster than I had been.  I came around a turn and there was another spot down in the woods where trilliums bloomed among lots of mayapples. For some reason I did something unexpected. I just stopped immediately. I left the jeep sitting in the road and grabbed the camera and went down over the bank.  I had left room to go around me, but it was abrupt and uncharacteristic.


     Down in the middle of all this patch of trilliums I began to see something I'd not witnessed before except in photos. The colony of trilliums I was standing in had the disease mycoplasma.  It was just as described in the book!  I saw three or four Trillium grandiflorum which had the odd rosette shape the disease causes. It also gives the flower a greenish white tint.  Very pretty but very weird!   I don't know what radar caused me to stop, but I was glad I did!
Here is the trillium that has the most impressive look for having contracted mycoplasma.


    I calmed down at last and quit snapping pictures long enough to go move my vehicle to a pull off a little ways down the road. I then walked back and resumed checking the surrounding flowers for more evidence of disease or hybridization. I did not see anymore of either at this point.  I then decided to continue up the mountain.   Its worth noting that at the biggest intersection on the way up there is a great place to pull off and see wildflowers.   I saw tons of showy orchis in peak bloom there. I also saw yellow mandarin, wild geranium, golden ragwort, dwarf crested iris, buttercups, violets, perfoliate bellwort, and large flowered bellwort.   All this was in addition to the great patches of trilliums!



Showy orchis. I saw a dozen plants of this in one immediate area.


Pink striped trilliums. Second place I've seen this striped pattern this year.


  I was checking for oddities and found in this patch of trilliums both the striped pattern of pink and white which suggests hybridization between two Trillium grandiflorum parents. One regular white and the other Trillium grandiflorum var. roseum.. That is a trillium that opens pink to begin with. It doesn't simply turn pink as it ages. 

Mutated trillium.  It was found in this patch across from the intersection sign. It
has six petals and five sepals.  It does not look like it has mycoplasma, but merely extra genetic material. I've run into this before on Porters Creek Trail and Hyatt Ridge Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains.  It is odd, but not as odd as the infected ones!
Not one other trillium in this area showed any mutation or disease.

   I stopped here at this intersection in a nice large pull-off to check my map.  I remembered Kenny and I had made a wrong turn last trip and I didn't want to waste time back tracking.   I quickly confirmed I needed to bear left and continue up the mountain.
It is worth mentioning that the last time we were there we arrived during a wedding party. The couple was being married atop Max Patch. They were staying at a local lodge and the lodge was providing trips up and down the mountain for the elderly guests too feeble to hike.  We watched them pack down a track on the mountain and watched the bridal party traipsing along in fancy gowns.  It was not as fun a visit as we'd hoped.  A few months later was when it was reported that vandals on ATV's were caught shredding the mountain side.  We are ATV enthusiasts but we stick to areas designated for that purpose.
Today I knew that I should arrive well after the area was reported to be repaired.

  
Patch of painted trilliums on the way up the mountain.


   I stopped twice more on the way up.  I pulled over to check out one of the biggest patches of mountain bellwort I'd seen to date.  It was all along the rim of the gravel road.
Very pretty. I also saw numerous patches of painted trillium. I was especially pleased to see the painted trillium since so far this Spring I hadn't seen any!   Both were healthy and beautiful.


Large patch of mountain bellwort.

     I finally got up top to the big parking area for hiking to the grassy bald of Max Patch proper.   The parking lot was crowded, but not as bad as it sometimes is.  I could at least park in the main lot.   I did see the area cleaned up from the ATV damage and they have planted some rhododendrons.  It looks nice and will naturalize in time.  I headed out to the spot around the back of the mountain where I'd seen the most interesting hybrid trilliums another year.  I hoped I'd be able to find the spot again and determine if they reproduced the same color pattern.  
Repair Work in the parking area


I found the exact trillium flower in the same spot with the same hybrid color pattern repeated! Success! It is not as fresh and perfect as the previous year, but I will take it!

    I hiked around the hip of Max Patch and satisfied my curiosity. I noticed the old spring box below the trail. I know I had to see that last time, but I did not recall it.  I saw chipmunks and birds.  I noticed great carpets of Canada mayflower covering the ground and the last of the trout lilies for the year.  I finally turned and headed back to the jeep.
It was only 4:30 pm. I sat there in my jeep wanting to continue my days adventures.
I wanted to drive to Round Mountain and visit Wolf Creek Falls.  I hoped to find some yellow lady slippers there. My wander thirst was about to take me on a continued flight of fancy.  My grown up side recalled that I had a husband who would be coming home and expecting help to pack for a camping trip. I could indulge myself and keep galivanting or go back home like a considerate person and help pack?  I had talked Kenny into taking a day off work and finally heading out to Royal Blue Resort for a weekend of camping
and four-wheeling and exploring.   It would not be very nice of me to put it all on him. He was coming home at a good time today to get packed.  It will have to wait for another time.  The call of the wild has to be silenced now and then or I'd be like the Flying Dutchman never making my home port.

    I enjoyed the views today as well as the forest the trails and the flowers.
I had the most extraordinary experience caring for a lady with Alzheimer's Disease. The patient, her daughter and myself were in her hospital room one evening.  The patient.. and elderly woman.. had a lucid moment and was able to communicate with us where she went when she was absent and wandering in her mind.  She told us these words "In my mind are GOOD THINGS! BEAUTIFUL THINGS!". She had been a nature lover, a mom, a friend, wife and teacher of English literature and lover of poetry and music.
She conveyed that when she was not able to be clear in mind and interact with us that she was in her own mind and that it was a good and beautiful place filled with lovely memories and goodness.  We all hugged and held hands and cried tears of joy.  I took her advice quite seriously. I fill my mind with those good and beautiful things and memories regularly.
I hope I never find myself trapped inside my memory palace, but if I do.. I want it papered and decorated with places and sights like today.  Fill it with the good and beautiful things. You may need it later. It will nourish you now too.




I could stand in my memory palace on the slopes of Max Patch with great lichen covered boulders and clumps of trilliums and be quite happy.


Or stand in my memory looking out at a view like this and be satisfied and quiet in my own thoughts.

Good Things. Beautiful Things. All of it.