the heebie jeebies hike.

[JV3]

the hike started out nice and relaxing...lots of bees buzzing around tons of flowers.

reminds me of a bison with a spider's face.

peek-a-boo!

the only mushrooms i saw on the trail.

lots of elevation changes on this trail. goes from gentle slopes...

...to chest high boulders i needed to climb to stay on the trail. i felt like bear grylls was nearby filming.

if you look closely there's a bird dead center, upper third of the pic. there were three big ones flying about there. i just couldn't get a good enough pic of them.

the heebie jeebies started right about here. it reminded me of a school field trip where we went to a science center and saw a heavy smoker's preserved lungs on display. it was covered in black veins all over...ugh.

this one caught my eyes. it's a huge dead log with a sapling growing inside it. kinda neat that the dead is now supporting the next generation.

...more.

 

[JV3]

huh...an unusually sharp angle on this one. it almost looks man-made but a cliff is in front of it just a few feet away. there's nothing in the surrounding area that stands out like it.

about 1/4 mile away yet another un-natural looking shape & arrangement.

a couple of hundred feet later...yet another really un-natural shape! an almost rectangular hole an inch deep in a rock. my esse-4 serves as a scale reference. this particular trail has lots of steep terrain and confusing twists so it's easy to get lost too. i doubt lots of hikers go through here since it's not particularly scenic.

a couple of hundred feet later i notice this circular dead patch.

i mean really dead patch. not a single sapling is growing in this circular area even though the surrounding area is covered in green. if i were to dig a massive hole, put spikes in it and cover it with netting and leaves it'll look just like this! not that i've ever done something like that...not yet anyway

it also reminds me of the first episode of the x-files when billy steps onto a similar patch out in the forest and suddenly a bright light sucks him up into the alien ship. now i'm really getting the heebie jeebies. at this point i'm kicking myself for not bringing my machete along

...more.

 

[JV3]

too bad i screwed up the focus on this one. he just wouldn't stand still. big, bulgy eyes and a massive, green-looking mustache.

a more patient model.

my internet commando instincts told me it's a trap! the squirrels have been giving me the stink eye lately.

another potential lunch for when i get sick of snacking on energy bars

a potentially good emergency shelter.

...that is if you're not freaked out by spiders.

it's a green house!

...more.

 

[JV3]

forget the machete, i think my 1911 or ar-15 would be a better hiking companion. i picked it up to check the caliber but made sure to wipe my prints off of it. the caliber is too weak for deer or bear i think. not sure if this hunter was hunting another two-legged creature

i really need to learn about wild edibles. there was only a small patch of these berries. i'm not sure if these are safe.

the trail parking lot is shared with an equestrian club.

this is by far the biggest horse i've ever seen in person! talk about horsepower. the spine was well over my head so i'm guessing it's around 6'5" or more. i'll need a ladder to get onto the saddle with this horse.

i didn't want to take too many pics of the ranch since i drove a heavily tinted, black suv there. i stuck out like a sore thumb and the people might think i'm either investigating someone or worse, went into the woods to tend to some funky plants

i need to go back there soon. horses/equestrian tend to attract really fit hotties or bored house-wives

 

[Joe Grimace]

I'm pretty sure those berries are blackberries. We use to pick them a lot whn I was a kid. The "black" ones are the best. The red are kinda sour. Great pictures by the way. Looks to be a pretty fun hike.

 

[texastonydobbs]

Great pictures.. I love Dragonflies..

 

[Doc13]

Very nice pics JV3:thumbup:

I like the narration of your pics, lol. You're right, their are some pretty odd things out in that area

Btw, where is that?

 

[MVB]

It is possible that the "circle of death" you found is an old "fairy ring". (No rude comments, the term is over a hundred years old...)

What happens is that a mushroom starts out in the center and as it grows underground it absorbs all the nutrients in the soil. As it grows outward it puts out more mushroom caps around the edge which is where the "fairy ring" name comes from. Eventually the mushroom (the underground part) gets too large and it dies. In a forest, where the soil may already be poor bacause the trees use most of the nutrients, a ring like that can remain barren for months or years. (In a lawn it doesn't affect the grass, which makes it seem more "magical'")

That, or another hiker spilled the gasoline from their camp stove there...

End of science lesson.

 

[DH1]

I'm pretty sure those berries are blackberries. We use to pick them a lot whn I was a kid. The "black" ones are the best. The red are kinda sour. Great pictures by the way. Looks to be a pretty fun hike.

That was my impression also...the blacker (or purpler) the better! Late in the summer watch out before you grab one, I've noticed bees sit on them and I'm guessing eat them.

 

[eloreno]

Cool post

Your commentary is always top notch. :thumbup:

 

[oruacat2]

Great pictures.. I love Dragonflies..

Same here. Did you know that dragonfly larvae are just as badass predators as the adults? They've got a hinged lower jaw that extends in a snap, like a harpoon, to snare prey - mainly mosquito larvae.

One of my favorite "nature moments" - backpacking in central CA's Henry Coe State Park, we were sitting around one of the few large water holes deep down in this otherwise arid valley, it's getting close to dusk, and we notice about a dozen dragonflies patrolling above the surface of the water. Every color you can imagine - red, blue, green, etc - some I'd never seen before back in KY, and they're all flying big, looping figure-8s just inches above the water, hunting mosquitoes. We watched those guys for a good half-hour, just fascinated, until they disappeared just before it got too dark to see - and that's when the bats came out and began replicating those same figure-8 patterns. The dragonflies knew exactly when it was time to get the hell out of there. Awesome. I wish I'd had a camera and the skills to use it like our OP here on this thread. Thumbs up, man.

KD

 

[jsdvnc]

I'm pretty sure those berries are blackberries. We use to pick them a lot whn I was a kid. The "black" ones are the best. The red are kinda sour. Great pictures by the way. Looks to be a pretty fun hike.

Black raspberries, actually. Also known as black caps. They aren't ripe till they're dark colored. I picked about 10 pints of them today.

 

[insomnia]

Great photos, but the only thing here that gives me the heebie jeebies is the bee.

Being allergic to them sucks big time.

Kyle.

 

[JV3]

thanks, guys.

I'm pretty sure those berries are blackberries. We use to pick them a lot whn I was a kid. The "black" ones are the best. The red are kinda sour. Great pictures by the way. Looks to be a pretty fun hike.

thanks! i'll try to go back there again next week and pick some.

Very nice pics JV3:thumbup:

I like the narration of your pics, lol. You're right, their are some pretty odd things out in that area

Btw, where is that?

haha. i try to write a story so someday when i'm too old to remember what the heck i did, i can just read my own story. this was in harriman state park in ny near west point.

It is possible that the "circle of death" you found is an old "fairy ring".

interesting theory. the next time i go back there i'll dig up a few surrounding saplings and re-plant them in the dead zone and see if they survive.

Cool post

Your commentary is always top notch. :thumbup:

thanks. it's my programmer side. i'm so used to writing down my thoughts all the time. the text messages i send to my female friends when i'm drinking is another story

Same here. Did you know that dragonfly larvae are just as badass predators as the adults? They've got a hinged lower jaw that extends in a snap, like a harpoon, to snare prey - mainly mosquito larvae.

One of my favorite "nature moments" - backpacking in central CA's Henry Coe State Park, we were sitting around one of the few large water holes deep down in this otherwise arid valley, it's getting close to dusk, and we notice about a dozen dragonflies patrolling above the surface of the water. Every color you can imagine - red, blue, green, etc - some I'd never seen before back in KY, and they're all flying big, looping figure-8s just inches above the water, hunting mosquitoes. We watched those guys for a good half-hour, just fascinated, until they disappeared just before it got too dark to see - and that's when the bats came out and began replicating those same figure-8 patterns. The dragonflies knew exactly when it was time to get the hell out of there. Awesome. I wish I'd had a camera and the skills to use it like our OP here on this thread. Thumbs up, man.

KD

that is way cool. when we were kids we used to tie a thread around the dragonfly's tail and let them go flying around and around. yeah, i have some not so good influence uncles

nothing special about taking nice pics. i'm using an 8 yr old camera. start by just taking lots of pics at different angles. eventually you'll get a feel for what works in what situation. then start playing with the built-in camera modes, etc. when i go out i usually take 100+ pics and only about 30 of it are decent enough to post here.

Black raspberries, actually. Also known as black caps. They aren't ripe till they're dark colored. I picked about 10 pints of them today.

thanks. what do i need to take home if i wanted to plant one in the backyard? just grab the berries or dig up a root?

 

[resinguy]

Great pics, and commentary. :thumbup:

Same here. Did you know that dragonfly larvae are just as badass predators as the adults? They've got a hinged lower jaw that extends in a snap, like a harpoon, to snare prey - mainly mosquito larvae.

One of my favorite "nature moments" - backpacking in central CA's Henry Coe State Park, we were sitting around one of the few large water holes deep down in this otherwise arid valley, it's getting close to dusk, and we notice about a dozen dragonflies patrolling above the surface of the water. Every color you can imagine - red, blue, green, etc - some I'd never seen before back in KY, and they're all flying big, looping figure-8s just inches above the water, hunting mosquitoes. We watched those guys for a good half-hour, just fascinated, until they disappeared just before it got too dark to see - and that's when the bats came out and began replicating those same figure-8 patterns. The dragonflies knew exactly when it was time to get the hell out of there. Awesome. I wish I'd had a camera and the skills to use it like our OP here on this thread. Thumbs up, man.

KD

We live at least a mile from any water source, and normally do not have dragonflies around. But one time I noticed a number of them hovering over the front lawn, a few feet off the ground, and occasionally dive bombing down near ground level. Intrigued, I sat on the front steps to observe and try to figure it out. After a little while, I realized that there was an ant nest there in the yard, and they were swarming up out of the ground. Many were winged, and taking flight, only to be picked off by the dragonflies. Never seen that before or since, but I always wondered how the predators knew to gather there for the feast.

 

[foxrider]

thanks. what do i need to take home if i wanted to plant one in the backyard? just grab the berries or dig up a root?

just dig some up replant they spred like wildfire tho, then cut the old dead growth every year and leave the new runners, those are great for making jellies n jams if you have enough

 

[DH1]

thanks. what do i need to take home if i wanted to plant one in the backyard? just grab the berries or dig up a root?

Look for fresh chutes coming up out of the soil near the big main tangle of the berry vines. Dig up as much of the root system as you can and re-plant that. Watch out for the thorns though.

They grow and spread fast, and tangle around anything near them to grow higher, so beware of where you plant this monster!

 

[Mistwalker]

Great photos! What camera do you use?

That "ring of death" reminds me of areas I find often around these parts. They are almost always in depressions like that one and in wet weather some, but not all, hold water. Can't be sure from the one picture but the berries look like black raspberries....I've only seen them once while in Illinois, they don't grow down here.

 

[willworship]

Great photos, but the only thing here that gives me the heebie jeebies is the bee.

Being allergic to them sucks big time.

Kyle.

I hate bees, and anything that resembles them or stings like them. As a kid, I had a run-in with some yellow jackets after my brilliant friend stuck his head in a hole looking for a bird that he shot. 12 stings from those little turds, and I could barely move in a few hours from the swelling. Every bee/wasp I encounter is marked for death because of that day...

 

[kg4miq]

JV3, where were these taken? Some of this looks MIGHTY familiar.