Today's hike is two pronged. We shuttle cars to be able to walk downhill on this gorgeous stretch of the AT. The first big attraction is this wonderful gorge on Laurel Fork.
Bleeding Hearts were in bloom by the river. Such a pretty flower I don't see that often.
The trail heads down a series of rock steps built by volunteers after a rock slide took the trail away. This is quite a steep climb down to the river where you are rewarded with this wonder waterfall. It was running full steam today,
After leaving the waterfall, the trail follows the river and seemingly disappears onto this ledge just above the rushing water. AT backpackers with acrophobia will not like this spot. I even spent special attention to what I was doing here. A tumble would not be pleasant.
One of the rewards today was this Scarlet Tanager perched below eye level.
Not far from the Tanager were Painted Trilliums.
The AT crosses Laurel Fork on this cool wooden bridge. It is a great spot to cool off too.
The gorge continues along Laurel Fork. We had hoped to find some morels in area. Not today.
After having lunch in Hampton, we headed back to the trailhead at Dennis Cove to hike in the other direction on the AT. We encountered many AT hikers on this section. By mid afternoon, most were headed for Kincora Hiking Hostel a popular spot on the AT.
In the area of this barn were some large American Chestnuts. I saw many burrs on the ground.
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