Hawks Nest State Park in Ansted WV

Hello, how fortunate I am to return to this part of Appalachia and experience the natural gifts as well as the fine people in this section of our country.  The folks at Hawks Nest SP were overly kind and accommodating from the check-in Tuesday evening to the server(s) in the restaurant that served us throughout our stay.
The ironic thing about the location of this beautiful area is that it sits in the heart of coal mining country, most of this mining now done by Mountaintop Removal (see ilovemountains.org), which ultimately takes all of it away, the mountains, streams, wildlife, and any economic value of the community. 
So again, I am grateful for having the opportunity to have experienced the people and other natural gifts of this region, before it is all gone. Peace

Views along the Walk

The kids have returned to school so there has been a big drop in the number of folks visiting the GSMNP, and I welcome this time. Shortly there will be thousands more as the leaves change and people from all over the world will roll the dice as they make reservations for "that peek week", when the fabulous portraits of plant life are in transition with the earth. Until then I'll continue to hike as much as possible without the distractions. These pics are from some of my more recent day hikes. Last week I got to hike in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area which sits just north of metro Atlanta. It was a really nice area that is appreciated mostly by the urban and suburban folks who live nearby and walk the dog friendly trails. There were lots of different plants and animal life, with the river home for trout, bass, catfish and some 20 other species of fish. The Chattahoochee River is the southernmost trout river in the United States. As I began my hike I spoke with a Volunteer In The Park (VIP), who gave me a brief verbal description of the park and shared some stories on being a volunteer at the Chattahoochee. I will hike this park again, while I am working in ATL, and I'll remember my camera. This Fern plant continues to grow in this log each year. I wonder how it will change when, and if, it outlast the log?