Category: Mountains to the Sea

MST-16

by mybirdwalks, posted in Mountains to the Sea, North Carolina, Walks

Barton Creek Boat Ramp to Bayleaf Church Road

March 26. 8.6 miles total. Only two more hikes to go to complete Segment 10 of the MST!

The parking area was large, but it was easy to spot where the trail began, due to this strange inflatable balloon!

Roadside hiking is never pleasant, but the view overlooking the marina was nice.

The majority of the hike was in this pretty county park.

This is Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), also known as American mandrake or Ground lemon. This entire colony of plants has grown from a single root system.

There were lots of benches for scenic views throughout the park.

Thanks, Ben, Stephen, and Justin, for the sturdy bridges!

In the center of the park there was an interesting sign-post.

Yay! That’s me!
Still a little chilly in late March, so keeping the wool sweater on.

All the bridges in the park were numbered—twelve in all.

Tiny little hints of spring as the trees are starting to bud out.

Another sign of spring in North Carolina is the abundant tree pollen!

Rue Anemone

There was another boring stretch along the road. But I had a treat at the other end, because there I heard a new MST-bird, the Yellow-throated Warbler–a spring migrant.

Lower Barton Creek, an inlet of Falls Lake

This is my turnaround point at Bayleaf Church Road. I usually take a few minutes for a small bite to eat, but this place wasn’t very pretty, so I backtracked on the trail to find a better spot.

So, back into the woods . . .

. . . a convenient rock to sit on . . .

. . . and the opportunity to contemplate one’s own mortality!