Just up the road from our host’s abode is a trail to the Spruce mountain fire lookout in L.R. Jones State Forest. The trail is rocky and wet – this country seems like it would be a giant swamp if the mountains weren’t here to keep the water flowing. The summit is windy, making the old lookout tower sway and creak while it delivers excellent views of the surrounding country.
Spruce Lookout View
Pidgeon Pond
On way down I enjoy some smaller features of the area like mushrooms, pumpkins, and Scottish highland cows.
Big Tree Mushroom
Pumpkins
Highland Cow at Sunset
2 responses to “Spruce Mountain”
nice photos. that is where the east coast fall colors look the best: pictures.
what is your opinion?
i was not nearly as impressed as i was hoping i’d be. just kinda “Eh.. Ok. But have you ever been in the CASCADES? Or how about the SIERRA NEVADA? What about the MOJAVE?”
seriously, imo, fall colors are overrated. even in West Virginia, wonderful, amazing singletrack bike trails. full-on fall colors, trail mostly covered and pretty funky to negotiate.. just “Uh.. ok, this is nice. You ever see the PACIFIC Ocean?”
We didn’t make it a point to go “peeping” where the colors would be best. This hike was pretty, but the colors weren’t astounding. The best I saw were actually a little later, driving to Schenectady.
We definitely discovered that we are “from” the West. This was interesting to feel since neither of us has felt very strongly rooted anywhere before – the feeling seems to have risen on this tour.
The sense that will stick with me from the East, more than pretty colors, is that this is a place where the land can provide food. I liked taking a part in activities that feed people. That’s definitely something I never experienced in the West.