Seven Islands Birding Park

Above: Lonicera sempervirens in bloom

Coral Honeysuckle. 

Seven Islands Birding Park 

(this blog is one that falls into the perfunctory , catching up category)

Dana & Kenny Koogler 

9/16/2021

2 miles round trip hiked 

Seven Islands State Birding Park 

    I had long wanted to see Seven Islands Park.  I looked at the map and realized it wasn't that far from us.   We had no plans for this particular day so we decided to go for it.   It was hot and sunny, but we waited until later in the day to try it.   The route we took to reach it via Seymour from home had us  going around our elbow to get to our asses.  It was a bad choice, but a pretty drive through some country we'd not seen before.  It would have made far more sense to take Boyds Creek to Kodak and go in from that end.  It is closer and a better road.   We learned something today. 

      It is a popular destination and there were quite a few family groups taking advantage of the park today.   It is a good place for families, folks who want to ride bikes, and folks who want to walk their dogs where they are allowed.  

 The  display of Summer wildflowers was really something to see.  Lots of butterflies, but bless my soul, we did not see a single bird today!  

Above: quilt barn at the parking area

 Above: A large patch of phlox in bloom

Above and below: huge patch of zinnias and goldenrod 

Above: Obedient plant in bloom. it is a native, but this was likely planted here.

Above: native grasses and bird feeder with a squirrel baffle

Above: close up of goldenrod blooms

Above: thistles in bloom

Above: wild cotton bloom 

Above: First glimpse of the bridge over the French Broad River I have long wanted to see.

above and below:  two views of the bridge as I crossed.

Above and below: two vistas of the French Broad River

Above: section of trail once across the bridge

Above: passion flower in bloom along the path.

   Our opinion of Seven Islands was that we liked it. It is nice, but it was hot!  

I would try it again in a different season and plan on hiking or paddling some different areas than this.  We for sure will not go round through Seymour next visit.  

  

Stroll Up Lexy Lane

Pair of yellow trilliums along the trailhead

Stroll up Lexy Lane 

Dana & Kenny Koogler

Tuesday April 24, 2018

Hike distance 3/4 mile round trip approx. 

  We took a short stroll just prior to Kenny's back surgery.  The doctor had told him that

gentle exercise in the form of walking would be good for him if he could tolerate it.  He was not

having so much pain as it was weakness and numbness in the left foot and leg prior to the surgery.    He wanted to get out of the house and at least try to go for a walk one day.    I had not  been up a certain manway in the park that lead up to Little Brier Gap in awhile. I mentioned it to him and he said that would be a nice short walk. He thought that was just right.

We drove round to a back road in Wears Valley that has a pull off and just enough parking

for a greyhound bus. No kidding.   I've seen one there before.    It is one of those back ways into the park.  I have hiked it numerous times, but never early enough in Spring to catch the wildflowers in bloom.  I would always see trilliums going to seed etc.   I figured this was my chance to see what the wildflower bloom was really like on this unofficial trail.

     It is a gradual uphill grade. It is not bad at all.  Kenny found the rocky, uneven terrain

very tiring for him.  He did not last long until he was uncomfortable and ready to turn back.

I continued on a ways further solo.    I did not want to tarry since I knew he was discouraged.

I did not want him sitting in the jeep waiting on me and brooding or being uncomfortable.

The exercise was good and it was nice to get out for even a short stroll together. The wildflower display along this path is so so.  Not much variety in the flower types and there aren't nearly so many as I'd believed.   It would not be worth making a special trip just for this especially if you had to drive far to get here.   We are not that far away though so not a big deal.

    

 Purple phacelia growing near the road

 Stream trickling down the mountain side.  This path is rough and the stream and the creek are one and the same in a couple places.

 Nice patch of yellow trilliums

 Dwarf crested iris

 Above and below: This is one BIG patch of yellow trilliums down near the start of the trail.

 One flowered cancer root blooms on this path. It is a bit more rare.

 Fire pinks

 Wild stone crop

 Sweet white trillium

Pretty cascade. You can see the trail just to the right of it. 

 Ferns and trilliums and violets

 Trilliums by a small mossy cascade

 A little island of land with a creek on each side.. was populated with iris and yellow trilliums.

Downed tree across the trail which is also the stream here. 

 This was as far as I went today.   If you continue you climb up on a switchback that soon leads to the gap.   Once you are on that part of the path there is one downed tree after another to go over or under!   

Our Walks & Drives

Spotted Mandarin blooms aka Fairy Bells 

Our Walks & Drives

  Lately we've been sticking around home more and getting out for short walks and drives.

Kenny's back is recovering and he is building up his strength.  We're busy trying to show Gabriel the beauty of the world. We're also trying to help him come to tolerate longer travel

in the confines of a vehicle.   He has his Nanny's disposition. Springs in his butt and can't sit still.   He comes by it honest. I do not like car trips.  Hyper hypo!

    I can't write up individual trip reports for things that may last 30 minutes or so.

I figured I'd roll them into one and make an entry to include these mini trips in my blog.

While they are short they are usually lovely and some are funny.

Cades Cove to Rich Mountain 

Today we drove to Cades Cove, did not go fully around the loop, but turned off onto Rich Mountain Road.  We came out in Townsend.  We pretty much had it to ourselves! 

 A glimpse of Little River on the way.

Above a pair of yellow lady slippers we ran across in out travels.

 Above and below... we were heading to Cades Cove to drive out Rich Mountain Road. We saw this bear up walking on a stone wall. By the time we pulled alongside it.. he had jumped down and was shuffling along browsing.  It was a nice fat bear!

Below is a view of Dry Valley viewed from Rich Mountain Road.  

  

 Large clusters of Mountain bellwort see along Rich Mountain Road

We found a profusion of Sweet White trillium blooming on the slopes along Rich Mtn Road.

 Canada violet

 Large flowered bellwort

Catesbys trillium blooming beside a stream

 We picked enough morels to fry up a mess this year!

 Huge patch of dwarf crested iris along the sides of Rich Mtn. Road

 Gabe got a kick out of getting to sit on Papaw's lap and "drive" for a little bit.

 Gabriel out for a leg stretching break from the car seat with us.

Pretty stream on Rich Mountain

 Another pretty stream with a small cascade. We got out and walked up here.

 Yellow trillium

 Fire pink 

 I stopped near this meadow in Dry Valley. There is a spot where these yellow trilliums, blue phlox, and two shades of dwarf larkspur all bloom together!  

Mayapple blossom in Dry Valley

Schoolhouse Gap Evening Stroller Disaster! 

 We took Gabriel and the stroller and decided to take an evening walk on Schoolhouse Gap Trail.  We have one of those nice big wheeled strollers for rough terrain.  Kenny pushed Gabe and I took photos.   Every little bit I'd hear Gabriel holler out.  He was angry. Now he's ok. Now he's angry again.  I got closer to see what the deal was?  Every time they hit a bump.. which was often... it made Gabe hit his head on the side of the stroller. He was pissed off.
We kept the walk short on account of his aggravation level. We made it to the top of the hill and turned around to head back. I was pushing now and trying to be more careful.

 Gabe and Papaw. He is not impressed so far.

 Stream beside Schoolhouse Gap Trail

 Maiden hair ferns on the banks. 

Stream lined with ferns and mountain laurel. The photo shows how misty the evening was getting.   Thunder started to rumble so we knew we'd best hurry up.  Now Gabriel was hacked off again at the bumping his head and rattling him around in that stroller.  This was a bad idea.    We made it back to the jeep just in time!  We put Gabriel in the vehicle before the rain began pouring down.  Kenny and I were trying our best to get that stroller collapsed and back in the jeep.  It was not collapsing. We had forgotten how to make it fold up.  It is awful being old and dumb about baby stuff.  We have forgotten everything we ever knew about raising kids and the paraphernalia it takes to wrangle them.   Kenny was really getting ticked off. We are getting drenched to the skin trying to figure this out.  Finally he gave up in frustration and got in the jeep.  I took over and tried a different attack.  It folded right up.  If I had to collapse that stroller right this minute... (It was six weeks ago that I last folded it up) I couldn't remember how to do it if my life depended upon it!  Once we got in the car we burst out laughing at ourselves.  This is why you have kids when you are YOUNG!    Poor Gabriel.   We won't be repeating that stunt anyways soon.