Out and back repeat repeat repeat. Plus ticks.

Thursday May 3 I thought I'd finish up some trails in the North district that don't connect to other trails.  To minimize my driving, I decided to hike most of them from Skyline Drive which meant hiking down first then up to finish the trail.  Psychologically it's harder for me but it made more sense to drive along Skyline Drive to hike the trails.

I started with the Jenkins Gap Trail which went through a recent burn section.  I wonder if the "Jenkins" in the name refers to Walker Jenkins, a tenant farmer who had been promised tenancy until he died but was evicted dramatically and bodily to make way for the National Park.  Many sad stories like this surround the origins of the Shenandoah National Park. 

This seems to be used largely as a horse trail because there are lots of small rocks scattered throughout the trail.  Although some views were still possible through the expanding leaf cover, it wasn't a particularly scenic trail.  At the bottom it went along a stream but otherwise it was an unremarkable trail.  Detracting further from the walk was the overgrown nature of the trail (I'm very wary of ticks, which I associate with long grass growing in the treadway) and a scattered pile of garbage near the top of the trail.  Some thoughtless passerby probably just dumped their trash a short walk down the trail.  I walked only as far as the park boundary where the post said 1.2 miles to the parking lot (the guidebook says 1.0 miles to the road) and the map say 1.6 miles.  I'll record it as 1.2 miles.

The second trail, the Browntown Trail (ne Browntown/Harris Hollow Road)  was even more overgrown than the Jenkins Gap Trail.  Exotic invasive Japanese stiltgrass and garlic mustard crouched in over the treadway for long stretches.

Once again, I was unhappy and tried to avoid touching the vegetation along side the trail but it was impossible to do.  I met a friend along the way who was a cute as could be:

Although the guidebook had promised Mountain Laurel in early June, half way down the trail I started to see blooms.

I also saw Squaw Root and Louse wort not quite in bloom

 I found a plant I need help identifying.  It looks to me like a fern.

If any readers know what that is, please illuminate me.

I hiked the Browntown Trail as far as the Park Boundary (2.3 miles each way by the guidebook and guidepost).  By this time the day was getting quite hot and the leaves do not yet quite provide full shade, at least up on the ridge.  So en route to the next trail, I stopped at Elkwallow Wayside (which had just opened for the summer) to get a cold soda.  A small group of thru hikers was entertaining the tourists at a couple of picnic tables.

Next up, the Rocky Branch Trail, another trail used largely by horses, I suspect.  True to its name, it was pretty rocky.  As far as I'm concerned it had no redeeming hiking value even though it might make a good horse trail.  I parked at the Pass Mountain Overlook and walked back along Skyline Drive to the trail, first descending as far as the Park boundary (0.8 mile each way) and returning, then along the trail as far as the Hull School Trail.  Little shade, lots of rocks in the footpath, and no wildflowers.  After it crosses the A.T., the trail goes through an open field (in the blaring sun) where I saw some huge black birds surfing the air currents.  I think they might have been red headed vultures.  Once I finished the trail (another 2 miles) I decided I'd prefer to walk back to my car along Skyline Drive.  You know it's a bad trail when walking on Skyline Drive is appealing.

Once I got back to the car, I did a turn around the so-called Pass Mountain Stroller Trail (a wheeled stroller would be unhappy with the stairs and the woodchips).  Just after I started the trail, I saw a juvenile bear who seemed scared by me.  I got out my camera and tried to quietly continue along the trail but the bear kept stopping, seeing me again, and crashing further away in the woods.  I never got a good shot of him.  Nice view from the overlook, though.

View from start of Pass Mt. "stroller" trail

I had, I thought, saved the best for last.  I left the park at Thornton Gap and drove back along 522 toward Front Royal so I could hike the Jordan River Trail.  Since it was such a hot day and I had been hiking up and down the ridge all day, I was really looking forward to a dip in the Jordan River.  Not so fast, Judo.  It was a bit difficult to find the start of the trail, which is on private land and unsigned.  The map and book together didn't make it clear exactly where to go but eventually I found the trail.  Much to my dismay, the trail does not go close to the Jordan River within park boundaries and even then it doesn't have any good pools for dunking.  Luckily though, the Jordan River Trail was a delight to hike and I saw several wildflowers.  Mostly the Showy Orchids were out all around the trail

Showy Orchid (Orchis spectabilis)

Plus the mayapples were in bloom.

Mayapple bloom

Another plant identification needed.  Unfortunately this is not a good picture but is has a long drooping trumpet.  By the end of the day, I had completed 5 new trails, 15.4 miles of which only 6.8 are unique sidetrail miles.  For all my care in where I stepped and use of Deet and a tick check after I got home, I discovered a tick on my toe the next morning.  It's going to be a long summer. 

Name this plant!