Dolly Sods
Today we ventured out to Dolly Sods. We had done a fair amount of driving on Tuesday, so we wanted to stay relatively close to home. Dolly Sods is only about 1 1/2 hours away from the cabin, so that fit the bill. However, what we failed to realize was it was 1 1/2 hours away from the edge of the large Dolly Sods Wilderness Area. It took a lot more time over gravel roads to reach some of the hiking trails we had in mind. But the extra time was rewarded with beautiful views, once again. I've shared some of our photos from the day below.
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| The Dolly Sods Wilderness Area encompasses several different kinds of topography and plants brought about by a combination of nature, over-logging, and fires. |
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Some of it is a bog and has plants that are found usually much further north.
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Freezing and thawing during glacial times created large "rivers" of rock.
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Dolly Sods was used for mortar and artillery training during World War II. It was supposed to prepare the soldiers for fighting in Northern Italy. There were several warnings posted to be on the lookout for shells that might still be around and possibly live.
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The Sods, or open mountain meadow, is the highest plateau east of the Mississippi at 4000+ feet.
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As we saw at Spruce Knob, the prevailing west wind here is causing flagging of the trees. You can also see the numerous weathered Pottsville Sandstone boulders.
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We could see at least six ridges in the distance.
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| This area forms part of the eastern continental divide. Rivers west of here flow into the Mississippi and rivers east of here flow into the Chesapeake Bay. |
Do you and Ward research possible areas to explore on your vacations, or do you do more of a wandering approach? My husband loves to dig into what he jokingly refers to as the "dark web" for lesser known areas of interest. Each day you do such fun things!
ReplyDeleteWe do do research for our vacations, but usually don't have a set itinerary. We let the weather and our mood be our guide. However, Ward does love exploring, so there's a certain amount of that, too. This time our only goal was to see some of the outdoor activities and scenery that the area had to offer. All of the history was an added bonus.
DeleteRivers of rocks! I've never seen that, before! Such lovely scenery, too.
ReplyDeleteI've seen dry creek beds that were rivers of rocks, but not exactly eroded rivers of rocks. There were many beautiful scenes on that hike.
DeleteThat is fascinating. And beautiful. How the sods formed. First forests that were overlogged, ravaged by fires and now the sods. I read when I was reading about wildfire control, thinning specifically, that forests can actually change, from moist to arid, if overthinned, as too much sunlight reaches the forest floor, creating a completely different biosphere with completely different plant life.
ReplyDeleteThere's a desert in ME that was formed that way.
DeleteLooks a little different than rain soaked Houston. When I lived there, I really missed seeing rocks as a regular part of the landscape.
ReplyDeleteYou two did some great exploring. Really neat to see all the photos, in areas that I've never been close to. Sounds like you had pretty good weather, too. Also, glad you both were able to get out and "away" for a bit. Nice to get "recharged" these days!
ReplyDeleteThe weather was perfect and it was very good to get away. You have been more adventurous and have really gotten away. I'm glad you were able to visit with your family.
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