Black Rock, another nice trail to hike

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Our second hike of the day was the Black Rock trail. This is another easy trail of only about a mile round trip. The trail begins with a gradual ascent but soon becomes level and remains level for the rest of the loop. The mountain drops sharply away on the right and is heavily wooded until the peak. Here the view opens up. Other than lichen nothing grows on the rocks both above and below the trail. On the far side of the loop there are a few gnarled, stunted trees. Because of these gnarled shapes they are beautiful to see.



Several birds were whirling, dashing and diving through the air. Nancy thought they were Kestrels. Their speed was amazing as was their maneuverability. I tried not to be jealous. It must be wonderful to be able to move in what looks like such an adventurous and free way.



The trail leads to a peak of jumbled rocks. You can climb to the top if you want and dare to. That would be difficult and there are warning signs to watch out for snakes if you climb to the top. The trail skirts around this

jumbled peak giving wonderful views of the valleys and mountains beyond.

In typical fashion Nancy wanted to go back down by an alternate route through the rock piles. We walked this path until it became evident we would end up on the other side of the mountain somewhere down in a valley. So we climbed back up and returned on the same path as the one we had used for our ascent. She never seems to be finished with a hike and always wants to push on and on.

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Photos

Black Rock Trail
The trial is flat most of the hike.