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| The bridge leading to the lodge. |
If you're ever near Crossville, TN, take a break and walk one of
the trails at Cumberland Mountain State Park.
On this Winter Solstice, I decided to walk on the Pioneer Trail,
south of the bridge.
I parked in the lot next to the lodge.
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| To get to this trailhead, face the lodge from the parking lot and walk to your right down the road until you see this sign on your left. Refer to the map (below) at any time as you read this post. |
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Every year I try to take a good walk on the Winter Solstice, remembering that this is the day with the longest amount of darkness. After today the arch (path) of the sun gets higher with each day, bringing more direct sunlight which means more warmth!! This was a great time for celebration for ancient cultures and, also, for me as well as other people who observe sun/earth events. I consider this to be New Year's Day, because this is the beginning of a new solar cycle. See my blog post below for information about the seasons. Click here for Info on The Solar Calendar For this walk I parked at the lodge (see fork/knife icon on map) and walked along the lake past the Overlook and to the suspension bridge. I then crossed the bridge and walked back along the other side back to the lodge. This is only a small portion of the Pioneer Loop. Click here to see a map of all the trails. |
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| There are beavers, here. Many of the trees have been carved at their base, telling you that they are here...somewhere. Gnawed tree trunks in snow; Fresh hour-glass cuttings... A beaver is near. Information on Beavers |
I heard and saw many Cardinals,
like this female, below.
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| Photo taken from the Cornell website, below. Information on Cardinals |
Mosses grow year round. These look like tiny pine trees.
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| A frosty Polytrichum species of moss. Information on Polytrichum moss. |
Mini-pine trees,
Covered in snow and ice;
Juniper moss.
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| Believe it or not, mushrooms were growing on this frigid day, like this one, covered in ice! Looking like Fungal ice sculptures; Frozen mushrooms! What you may not know is that the main body (mycelium) of the fungus lies within the fallen tree, decomposing the wood. When it decides to reproduce, it creates this structure that we call a mushroom. The mycelium is there, year round, absorbing its nutrients. |
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| I'm way up high, now. You can see the lake far below me from this point. |
I heard the soft ringing sound
of a golden-crowned kinglet.
The photo above and information about
this species came from here.
There are many conifers here at Cumberland State Park. A conifer is a tree that bears cones. These cones are produced instead of flowers, but they perform the same function...reproduction.
White Pine trees possess very large cones and dominate the conifers, here. Another trait of white pines is that their needles are in bundles of 5. One needle for each letter in "w-h-i-t-e."
Information on White Pines
Then I descended to the level of the lake.
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| Photo taken from the website, below. |
Then I descended to the level of the lake.
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| At this point I could have continued straight (see map), but I decided to turn left and cross the suspension bridge. |
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| As you can guess it was slippery. |
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| The view from the middle of the bridge. |
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| I then turned left and headed back toward the lodge, but I will be on the other side of the lake (see map). |
Tulip trees are everywhere. They are also called tulip poplars and
yellow poplars, although they are not poplars. They're called
tulip trees because their flowers and their seedpods both
look like tulips.
you'll see the seed pods sitting upright on the limbs.
Information on Tulip Poplar
Moss grows during all the seasons, in Kentucky. You can see their
gametophytes here, with ice stalactites extending down below them.
This is a fantastically beautiful walk, with the hemlock trees and the
rhododendrons growing side-by-side. It's a magical landscape!
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| I'll have to come back when the rhododendrons are blooming in June. |
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| More hardy mushrooms next to some moss, neither of which make flowers. Mosses are nonvascular plants, not fungi. They are different from plants that you are usually familiar with, in that they do not have vessels (xylem and phloem), and they reproduce by spreading spores, not seeds. They are different from fungi (the mushrooms) in that they can make their own food through photosynthesis, while fungi cannot. |
Just look at this magical sight!
Hemlocks are another common tree, here. They produce cones,
as do the pines, but the hemlock cones are only about one inch
long, while pine cones are many inches long.
I was very lucky to run across this rare plant!
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| Here's an uncommon fern called Climbing Fern. Ferns are different from most other plants in that they do not make seeds. They reproduce by releasing spores. These spores will grow into a different looking plant, which is still a Climbing Fern but it's the gametophyte of this species, meaning it produces sperm and eggs (gametes). The gametes will fuse, forming the sporophyte of the species, which is shown in the photo. Information on Climbing Ferns |
There are some very neat little ferns growing on that boulder ahead!
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| This is Mountain Spleenwort (another fern). Its fronds are one inch long or less. Information on Mountain Spleenworts |
Here is a plant captured in ice!
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| A small waterfall...one of my favorite sounds. The lake is right behind me. |
It was very quiet here...something that I cherish greatly!
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| I like the reflections of the trees in the pond. |
Going across this short bridge tells you that you
are close to the lodge. Stop and take a minute to
just look around you. Listen and smell the trees
and stream and watch the birds.
If you're lucky, like I was, you might see a
Hermit Thrush scratching for food in the leaves.
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| Photo taken from the Cornell website, below. |
Now you can see the lodge just across the pond.
You'll have to cross the bridge to get to your car.
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The bridge is just ahead. I like the design.
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| Continue to the right until you reach the road; then you can cross the bridge, returning to your starting point. |
The next time I come here I'll walk the trails north of the bridge
and might have to stay at the lodge.
If you dress appropriately you can stay warm on
a cold day like today.
If you dress appropriately you can stay warm on
a cold day like today.
Get out and explore your natural habitat!
