Not many of us have gotten a chance to travel for funbecause of COVID. For me, this Spring Break, I finally got to travel and we went to the Smokies! I had a great time and want to share the experience with all of you.
So today was a sore day, but it was fun. So it was sore-ta fun! We did an 8.8-mile hike called Charlie’s Bunion. For breakfast, I had FROOT LOOPS, which is a treat. I NEVER get to eat them at home. The Froot Loops came with the cabin we rented as an extra perk. I packed my daypack, and we set out for the day.
The drive was beautiful with a bunch of valleys and mountains, but my mom had motion sickness. This is understandable because the roads were pretty crazy. I almost got nauseous too! When we got to the parking lot for the trailhead, my mom was very green, like the color of spinach or kale. Green.
Fun Fact: Charlie’s Bunion and the AT actually cross paths.
For about 4.4 miles, we hiked up the mountain, saw a bunch of moss, and smelled the forest. Mom even became a moss-head. And, I did too. It was hilarious. And. don’t worry, no moss was harmed in the process of taking these pictures.
Me wearing the moss.
Mom wearing the moss.
This moss looks like the stuff Mom and I put on our heads.
More moss!
Right before we reached Charlie’s Bunion (a rocky outcrop), there was greenery hanging from the rocky cliffs like hanging gardens. Once we got to the Bunion, we stopped for lunch. Mom wanted to eat Funyuns on the Bunion, but unfortunately, she didn’t get an opportunity. It got too cold, and we wanted to get out of there. Plus, the view was… white. We were swimming in milk soup, a.k.a. clouds. All that work for a not inspiring view.
Right before we got to the Bunion.
My mom holding her Funyuns on the Bunion. 😑
After sitting, relaxing, being frozen, and enjoying the view of milk, we headed back down the mountain. Boy, did my feet hurt. I even thought had bunions after that and checked my feet when we finished the hike. Luckily, no bunions, but Mom still had the bag of Funyuns.
Before we drove back to our cabin, we went to the bathroom and also checked out an overlook. As we walked up to the overlook, my mom and I probably looked like penguins disguised as humans because our feet HURT. Dad made it up to the top just fine, which made me jealous. There was actually a view to see because we were below the cloudline.
After enjoying the view, we made our way back to the car and returned to the cabin. Once we arrived, we ate dinner and I read Serafina and the Black Cloak. Mom and I even found time to sit outside on the porch to look for bears. Sadly, we couldn’t find any. Dad says, “That’s probably a good thing.”
I hope you enjoyed this post and if you want to see more from the Smokies, stayed tuned. Onward!
Quarantine. No one likes to be in quarantine. If you are like me, that means no school, which sounds great, but it really isn’t. Because it also means, no sleepovers, no parties, and no playdates. I still have to do my schoolwork, but without the company of my friends or the guidance of my teachers. I miss them all, especially my math teacher. She’s awesome, kind, and smart.
Some days during social distancing, I breathe too much indoor air. And it’s melting my brain. I just need to relax outside. Mom says I have CABIN FEVER. To beat it, our family goes straight for the outdoors. This can mean anything from hammocking to hiking to gardening; just as long as it is outside and obeys the rules of social distancing. The good news is that this is easy to achieve when you are in nature.
Normally, when we go hiking, we set a goal to find a certain number of some kind of natural object. This could be flowers, fossils, mushrooms, or weird-shaped rocks. It just depends on the season. So we decided to expand this into a scavenger hunt. And the Yonder Outdoor Scavenger Hunt was born. I like to call it YOSH!
Fossilized crinoid stem cluster. Crinoids are also known as sea lilies, but they are not plants. They are actually animals loosely related to starfish and sea urchins.
So far, I’ve spotted several items from the list and even got pictures of them. My favorite finds include cedar waxwings (bird), crinoids (fossil), and turkey tails (mushroom).
Cedar Waxwings are named after the red tip on each wing. But when they’re 1 year old, they lack the red tip.
I’ve also come across deafening waterfalls and serene pools. And the most disturbing item on the list, arthropods. Arthropod is a fancy way of saying an invertebrate with an exoskeleton, segmented body, and paired jointed appendages, or BUGS! Millipedes are one example, which is what we saw just the other day.
Appalachian Mimic Millipedes snuggling and loving on each other.
And you don’t want to forget about the flowers. Due to all the rain and warm Spring weather, the trails are surrounded by flourishing flora. An abundance of flowers such as squawroot (cancer root) to trillium to rue anemone are popping up on the forest floor. This is the best part because they are just magnificent.
Toadshade Trillium just before it blooms.
Squawroot, also known as American cancer root, does not photosynthesize.
Rue anemone
Want to join me? Alright, all you need to do is print out the YOSH list at the bottom of this post and get outside. Don’t forget to share your finds with #YOSH on Facebook or Instagram. I’ll be doing the same. Onward!
Me being silly on our St. Patrick’s Day hike to Balance Rock at Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve.
Rain, rain go away! Come again another day. Kailani wants to getaway. Rain, rain go away!
This month, thick and looming clouds casted dark shadows over our region and bombed innocent people with fat raindrops. At times, the rain poured down in torrents. Other times, it fell gently but relentlessly for days… days… and more days. It’s been raining A LOT here in the Southeast. So much so, that we had indoor recess almost all week at school. But these clouds have a silver lining: our waterfalls are bursting.
This weekend we continued our quest to complete the 2020 Alabama Outdoor Adventurer State Parks Challenge and went waterfall hunting. We visited our third park, Oak Mountain State Park, to see the famed Peavine Falls and its seasonal 65-foot foss. Foss is Icelandic and Norwegian for waterfall. And I just like using it because it sounds fancy… f-AWE-ncy.
There are several ways to reach Peavine Falls, we used the Green Trail, the Green-White Connector, and the White Trail. From the parking lot, Green Trail ascended steeply along the ridgeline, followed by a rapid descent down the connector until we reached the White Trail and the creek. From there we crossed the creek and followed the signs to the top and then to the bottom of the falls. The creek crossing was the perfect place to test my new boots and how water impermeable they are, which is a fancy way of saying waterproof. At the top of the falls, we found pretty purple flowers called Bird’s Foot Violet. I know this because I had my wildflower field guide. The trip down to the bottom of the falls can best be described as wet and steep, and kind of slippery. Be careful going down.
Peavine Falls is magnificent and thunderous. When I crossed the pool at the base, I could feel a chilly gust of mist blowing from the cascade. We spent a lot of time taking pictures and exploring the area. If you go, plan on staying by the waterfall for at least 30 minutes so you can enjoy its beauty and a picnic lunch. You can sit on one of the many boulders. I recommend you bring a sweater to stay warm and a butt pad if you have a tender bottom. However, leave the hammock in the car because there are not many trees at the base of the falls.
I learned a new skill during this hike: how to photograph silky smooth waterfalls. When you take a picture of a waterfall, instead of it being more detailed and choppy, you can use a few tricks to make the water look smoother, like cascading silk threads or a bride’s wedding veil. To achieve this effect, you will need a tripod or sturdy surface to support your camera, a camera set to manual mode, and of course moving water. This is not a tutorial and I am not going to dig down deep on this subject. There are lots of great tutorials online. The gist of it is low ISO, small aperture, slow shutter speed… and lots of stabilization.
Peavine Falls frozen in time with a fast shutter speed.
Peavine Falls smoothed and gentled with slow shutter speeds.
So, I hope you enjoyed my tips and photographs. Definitely, check out Oak Mountain State Park and Peavine Falls for yourself. It’s absolutely worth the trip, especially after a rainy week. Onward!
Rain, rain don’t delay! Come and fill the waterway. Kailani wants to snap away. Rain, rain don’t delay!
I want to stay here. You guys go ahead without me.
-Yonder Girl at the Best Tree Ever
I have accepted the Alabama Outdoor Adventurer 2020 State Parks Challenge to visit and photograph 15 of 19 eligible Alabama State Parks. Remember my New Year’s resolution to hike 100 miles in 2020? Well this will definitely help me get there. A State Parks Challenge means lots of new-to-me hikes, trails, sights, and adventure! Time to see Alabama and get out on the trail! I’M SO EXCITED!!! I’m going to be singing a lot because we’re going into the UNKNOWN… (hehe Frozen 2.)
Into the UNKNOWN!!!
This weekend we went to TWO of the nineteen eligible parks: Lake Guntersville and Bucks Pocket State Parks.
Lake Guntersville from the Lodge Lake Guntersville State Park #2020ALStateParksChallenge #AlabamaOutdoorAdventurer
At Lake Guntersville, the Cutchemine Trail was an aquamarine, teal, and brilliant blue hike along an arm of the lake that ends at Dry Creek. All 5 miles of it out and back were spectacular! Our hike did not start off well: we trekked through 0.5 miles of wilderness on the faint, easy-to-lose Lower Cutchemine Trail from the parking lot to the Cutchemine Trailhead. We stumbled and crashed through the underbrush like hypercharged bowling balls just trying to stay on the trail, “Is the trail here? Is the trail there? Is that the trail? Do you see the road?” I got pricked 500 times and tripped 10 times. Thank goodness, Daddy walked back to get the car, so we didn’t have to hike through that again on the way out.
Once we got onto the Cutchemine Trail, it was an obvious, wide, cleared path. From the bank, we could see flocks of waterfowl. My favorite spot is the towering Y-shaped oak tree. I could sit in the split and read all day. And sing all day. And draw all day. And hang out with my tiger, Stripes, all day. You know what we forgot to bring that would have made this day perfect? OUR HAMMOCK!
The Best Tree Ever
Cutchemine ends at Dry Creek, which is an awesome place for a picnic. the rocks make the perfect place to spread out your lunch and rest your legs.
Lunch break at Dry Creek
Bucks Pocket was… well, dark. We did a quick drive-by and mad dash down the boardwalk to photograph the famous tree at the end. We made it just in time to see the gradient, fiery, sunset canyon view. This is actually our second visit to Bucks Pocket. The first time we hiked from the bottom of the pocket to the lookout we visited this time. The hiking trails are currently closed for renovations. I’m really excited to see the repaired trails when they reopen.
Where the Boardwalk Ends Bucks Pocket State Park #2020ALStateParksChallenge #AlabamaOutdoorAdventurer
Who knows what the other 13 Alabama State Parks will be like? I’m hoping that they will be beautiful, with some mountains and valleys, and maybe even a sandy saltwater beach. Into the unknown. And ever, ONWARD!
Hi! If you’re coming to my blog for the first time from Rocket City Mom, welcome! In my most recent RCM post, I wrote about my 6 Adventurous New Year’s resolutions. One of them is to hike more! My hiking goal for 2020 is to finish five new-to-me hikes and log 100 miles. Phew! That’s a lot of miles. But how is that going to happen? Here are the five hikes that I want to check off my list this year. All to get some more mileage and see new sights, get me outside, and get me some good ADVENTURE!!
Pulpit Rock Trail has vast views and tremendous rocks for climbing. We’re really excited to go here because NONE of us have ever been here before. However, we know it’s fabulous from pictures taken by our friends. The feature I’m most excited to see is the Pulpit Rock. It looks like a delicate overhanging rock, but it’s really one sturdy boulder perfect for sitting and relaxing. The view is not bad either. 😉
Ever since Mom and Dad did this hike, they’ve been telling me that I should do this hike too, but they still haven’t taken me. Hmm? This trail gets its name from the colossal crack in the rock wall. The two enormous halves of the Stone Door flank a staircase that looks like a secret passageway. Bonus: there are great hammocking trees!
Last time we hiked in the preserve, they were still building Ranger Trail. Now that it is completed, we’re curious to see where it goes. The Ranger Truck abandoned on the side of this trail is how this hike got its name. Creative huh?
On Alum Hollow Trail near Ranger Trail. There are lots of really great sticks on this hike.
When we hiked here last, Mom ran out of water. We didn’t want to take any risks and therefore didn’t make it to the scenic viewpoint. And now I want to finish that hike! I think the best time to go will be Spring or Fall. In the Spring, there are colorful wildflowers and the forest is blooming. Achoo! Sadly, I get allergies. Sniff. Sniff. Maybe, I’ll go in the Fall instead to see the beautiful leaves. Sorry Spring. You are too much for my little nose.
Early evening fall hike at Blevins Gap.
Look at those springtime purple Sneeze Activators. Don’t forget your allergy pills!
Nuh. This is a really ambitious goal, the most ambitious of this list. The Fiery Gizzard Trail is 10 miles full of snakes, rocks, and more rocks. Mom calls it psychologically damaging and claims she once heard disembodied children giggling by the creek. I’m really hoping the noise was just from the water and songbirds. Did you know some birds like the MacGregor’s bowerbird can mimic the sound of playing children? Creepy! And definitely COOL. This trail is also full of vibrant spring flowers, waterfalls, and unparalleled beauty. After last summer vacation, where I hiked over sharp, rocky, rocking, boulder-strewn trails, Mom and Dad think I can tackle this challenge. Me? I’m not so sure. We’ll see.
Vibrant tyrian purple carpet Sneeze Activator. Tyrian purple is a fancy way to say royal purple. Quick fact: real tyrian purple dye is made from sea snails. It takes 4.5 MILLION of these creatures to make 1 pound of this priceless dye. I feel so bad for those snails.
So, how about you? What do you hope to do this year? What are your resolutions? Share them in the comments on this post. I’d love to know what you’re planning. I just might borrow your ideas. Remember, hit the trails because if wishes were horses, beggars would ride*. I’ve already logged 6.5 miles this year. See you out there! Onward!
*If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. I learned this proverb recently, as in for THIS post. It means wishes don’t mean anything unless you act on them. Better to try and fail, then to sit at home on the couch. Unless you’re reading my blog, of course. HAHA!!!!
Four years ago, I went to my first cave. It was dark at first, but then they turned on the lights. Since this was in Cathedral Caverns, a commercial cave, lights are placed in it; so it is much easier to see. On this visit we were walking down a dirt trail, and I thought I was going to fall because it was so steep. Later we got to the point where we couldn’t see any sunlight, but we saw beautiful formations on a pond like puddle. The formations were connected to the top and bottom of the cave. It was a solid piece of stone which reminded me of teeth. As the lights from beneath the water hit the formation, the colors changed allowing me to see the most brilliant accumulation of minerals. This scene is why I’m interested in caves. Plus, caves are a lot of fun because you can get muddy, crawl, slide, and climb inside holes and hidden passages.
This is what I love best about caving: tight passages and lots of crawling.
Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve
The first time I visited Stephens Gap, the spectacular scenery made my jaw drop from its sheer beauty. It looked like something out of this world. It was just too beautiful!!! My eyes were greeted with rainbows from the waterfalls and sunlight streaming in through the entrances above us. If you are claustrophobic, which is a fancy way of saying scared of tight spaces, this is a good cave for you.
Watch your step! It’s cool to sit in a sunbeam, but you’re taking a big risk. Tether up!
To get to the cave, you hike a short and steep trail a quarter of a mile to the cave. There is a creek beside the trail that originates from the waterfalls in the cave. Stephens Gap has two entrances: one in the ceiling and one walk-in entrance just above the pit floor. We used the latter, which required us to traverse a steep pile of loose rocks while paying close attention to our footsteps. For experts only: you can rappel through the ceiling entrance.
The two entrances of Stephens Gap: one rappel and one walk-in. The light rays that come through are spectacular.
When you get inside the cave, you will see really cool features. The most prominent is a 150 foot tall waterfall!!! The water flows from a fissure in the limestone. A popular formation is the stone pedestal. You may be tempted to pose on it for the perfect picture, but it is very dangerous because you can easily slip and tumble down to the sharp rocks and freezing cold water below. You may see people standing on the pedestal formation and even want to do the same thing, but be safe and always use safety ropes. Another cool feature is the small network of short tunnels toward the top of the dome. You can crawl around and explore, but be sure to wear a helmet.
To visit Stephens Gap, please visit the Southeastern Cave Conservancy to obtain more information, permits, and directions.
Bluff River Cave
This is my mom’s favorite wild cave because it is so wet that you will get your feet soaked and wade through waist-high water in a few parts. Kids will need a piggyback ride because the water is cold and deep. So, be prepared to get wet and be amazed! This cave route follows an underground stream bed over a mostly level elevation. Expect to traverse varying terrain including flat travertine, wet rocks, slippery mud slides, and breakdown.
Speleothems of all kinds can be found along the underground stream bed of Bluff River Cave.
To get to the cave, we hiked a quarter of a mile through the forest. At the entrance, we climbed down a short tunnel full of flying insects. Yonder Girl tip: Keep your mouth closed or the bugs will start bugging you!
OMG! I’m holding a cave spring crayfish! One quick second and I put it gently back in the water. Look how big it is! These guys, unlike cave crayfish, wash in from above ground and don’t live their whole life in the cave. A licensed biologist helped me hold this guy correctly. Normally, I wouldn’t and you shouldn’t pick up or touch any wildlife in caves. They are delicate.
We saw several kinds of animals; most were new to us. We came across two species of crayfish: cave spring crayfish and cave crayfish. Not only that, we also saw two species of salamanders: cave salamander and Tennessee cave salamander. Tetracion, also called cave millipedes, were the oddest animals we saw. However, the oddest organism we encountered was mold growing on a dead cricket. If you are like me, a person who is scared of wiggly things, such as worms, beware of the mud pile near the entrance because it is full of worms. I discovered this unpleasant surprise when I started climbing the hill to explore an upper passage. To me, it was gross. EWWW!!!!!
Moldy cave cricket. This is not the one we saw, but that’s pretty much what they look like. Photo credit Alan Cressler.
Caves are mysterious and full of wonder, but they are also very delicate and easily damaged environments. The formations are cool, but delicate. The prettiest formations (in my opinion) are the calcite pools. Can you guess what happened that made me really mad and sad? What happened is that people destroyed some of the formations! I don’t know if they did it on purpose, hopefully they didn’t. We saw several examples of vandalism: trampled calcite pools, some NOT accurate words scratched into a fossilized rock, and muddy handprints on pure white calcite. The damage done will most likely last long past our lifetimes.
Look at these amazing speleothems! Stalagmites, stalactites, drapery, soda straws… Photo Credit here and featured image belongs to Sunguramy Photography.
Sorry, I can’t tell you where this cave is. If you want to see it, you will have to ask a member of the Huntsville Grotto.
Be Prepared
It is important to be prepared before spelunking, which is a funny word for caving. You will need proper equipment and supplies, important information about the cave, and recent weather reports. Always remember it is never safe to cave alone, so you need to go with at least three other people.
Cave in groups of four or more.
Inside a wild cave, it is pitch black because you are underground. Therefore, you should always have three light sources: just in case you lose the first and the second light, you still have a third. Your light sources can be from a headlamp, a phone, a flashlight, or a combination of these. Without light, you won’t be able to navigate, which is dangerous and terrifying.
You never know what terrain you’ll encounter. Being prepared is very important.
You need to dress appropriately, so that means not wearing your fanciest gown or tuxedo. One reason you should dress appropriately is because there are usually wet or cold conditions, tight spaces, uneven terrain. Like hiking, clothes worn for caving should be quick dry. Remember: cotton kills. I wear a non-cotton base layer to keep warm and comfortable. Over that, I wear sturdy shorts and shirt to protect my base layer from tearing on the rocks. While caving, chances are you will be walking over rocky terrain. For better traction and warmth, I wear hiking boots and thick wool socks. Wool stays warm when wet: so if your feet get wet, they won’t be cold. To protect from bumps and abrasions, you will need a helmet, gloves, and knee pads. In some caves you will need to use elbow pads. Yonder Girl tip: get soft knee pads for extra grip.
Layers are key to staying warm and comfortable.
Caving uses a lot of energy. Keep up your energy by bringing… FOOD!!! Surprisingly, one snack that is good for caving are peanut M&Ms because they have protein and sugar. The next thing you will need is water. You should have enough water to last the whole trip.
Basic Caving Gear: What I Wear
Body Base Layer: quick dry long sleeve shirt and pants
Body Outer Layer: tough T-shirt and shorts
Helmet with headlamp
Elbow pads (sometimes)
Gloves
Knee pads
Wool socks
Grippy shoes with ankle support
Basic Caving Gear: What I Bring
Snacks and lunch
Water
3 sources of light, including your headlamp
Before visiting a wild cave, you must get permission from the owner of the cave before you go exploring. That means getting a permit or talking to the owner first if there is no permit system. In a wild cave, bring a map of the cave with you, or go with an experienced caver that knows that cave. Cave maps are a little different than trail maps. They often contain critical information like ceiling height, cross-sectional view of major features, water depth, and landmarks.
Want to Know More?
For more information about caving safely, please visit the Huntsville Grotto and the National Speleological Society for resources. Huntsville Grotto periodically holds beginner cave trips, this would be a great way to start wild caving. If you enjoyed Sunguramy’s photos please visit her website and facebook page for more amazing, jaw-dropping cave photography. For classes on Single Rope Technique (SRT) for vertical caving not covered here, please visit the Huntsville Cave Rescue Unit (HCRU).
If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a gift to HCRU. They are a very important resource for not just the caving community, but all outdoor sports enthusiasts in North Alabama and beyond. Their members have led me safely through wild caves and taught me a lot about cave geology. YAY!!! They are all volunteers and save people in bad situations because they are just really kind. I have pledged a whole month of my allowance to them. Can you match my $25 or more please?
Today, I am
talking about something that is unfamiliar and unusual to me: quartz mining! We
went mining in Arkansas at two mines: Twin Creek and Ron Coleman. Mom and Dad
took me to the Ouachita Mountains as a surprise. This all started when we
discovered geodes during a hike at a nature preserve. I wanted to keep them,
but I couldn’t because that would be stealing. Stealing is wrong. So I asked
Mom where we could go find cool things AND keep them. That’s when Mom suggested
mining.
Yonder Girl digging through tailings high up the quarry walls of Twin Creek Quartz Mine.
What is Quartz?
Did you know that
quartz is a very common mineral? Quartz is a type of silicate, which means it’s
silicon and oxygen in a mineral form. Silicon and oxygen are both elements.
Quartz has a hexagonal crystal structure, which is a fancy way of saying the
crystals have six sides and the points have six faces. You can find really rare
quartz crystals called Herkimers, which are double-pointed. Quartz can also
come in different colors. Amethyst is purple quartz. It’s not purple because of
magic. The color comes from iron impurities. Citrine is a kind of quartz that can
be yellow, orange, or reddish-brown. Ametrine is a multi-colored crystal that
is half amethyst and half citrine. My favorite is Ametrine.
See the hexagons that the quartz crystals make?
Twin Creek and Ron Coleman Mines
Both Twin Creek and Ron Coleman are famous quartz mines in Arkansas. Twin Creek is in Mount Ida; Ron Coleman in Hot Springs. They are both active commercial quarries. When you pay the general digging fee, you can dig in tailings at both mines. Tailings are mining leftovers; basically muddy clay full of quartz. Twin Creek’s tailings are in the quarry itself. You can mine from the quarry walls, but it’s really hard. The quarry’s terrain is steep. Be careful. You can easily slip, slide down the quarry walls, and break your limbs. OUCH!!!!! For experts only: you can pay more (a lot more) to buy a fresh pocket, which means you dig directly from the intersection of two quartz veins and get first pick.
Digging in the tailings along the steep quarry walls of Twin Creek Quartz Mine.
At Ron Coleman, you can’t mine in their quarry. Instead, big dump trucks transport loads of tailings to a field. You don’t have to worry about your footing as much; the field is flat. But beware: there are still mounds you can slip on. If you want to dig in fresh tailings, go during weekdays because the tailing trucks don’t run on the weekends.
Ron Coleman quarry. Employees only!
Tailings from the Ron Coleman quarry are transported by dump truck and spread across a large field.
Tools and Supplies
Mining is fun, but hard work. It’s important to have the right
tools. You will get really dirty. There is a lot of digging. For us, it was
easier to mine by digging in the loose tailings than facing off the rock wall.
We used shovels, trowels, and a hand cultivator. The best tools for mining from
rock walls are crowbars, chisels, and rock hammers. Do not use a rubber mallet
because you don’t get full force from the hit. If you decide to go to Twin
Creek, you will need to bring your own storage like bags and buckets; Ron
Coleman provides one bag per person.
Bring digging tools, bags, and buckets to unearth and store your treasures.
In addition to mining tools, you need to prepare for the hot sunny
days of Arkansas, safety, and comfort. Let’s see what you need. Bring an
umbrella for shade, water, hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen to protect you from
the hot sun. For your safety, you should have safety glasses, sturdy shoes, and
gloves. You will get hungry, so bring a snack. Wear comfy clothes you can get
dirty because red clay stains. Butt pads and bug spray are items that would be
useful too.
It was a hot sunny day at Twin Creek. Thankfully, we had our beach umbrella to provide shade and lots of water to drink.
By having the right tools and supplies, we had a safe and fun
time mining, but we still made mistakes. For example, at Twin Creek, our beach
umbrella fell on me. Then, I accidentally knocked over Mom’s bucket of quartz! It’s
OK because I helped pick it up.
Our Experience and Finds
Even if you don’t know how to mine for quartz you can still come home with your own pile of treasures. At Ron Coleman it took us a while to find quartz, but at Twin Creek you can find crystals in the parking lot! In the end, we walked away with about the same amount of crystals from both mines.
Digging and digging and digging Twin Creek Quartz Mine.
Digging and digging and digging at Ron Coleman Quartz Mine.
We got lucky at Ron Coleman because it rained the night before. Water is not just for drinking; it’s also good for cleaning. We could wash our crystals in nearby puddles as we worked to make sure we were bringing home a nice piece of quartz instead of a rock. We didn’t have to walk to the wash stations and back. We were also lucky to have the tailing piles turned over by bulldozers. This meant we could find crystals hiding at the bottom of the pile without having to dig all the way down.
At Ron Coleman the puddles aren’t deep so you can use them to rinse your finds. The water pools at Twin Creek were off limits to the general public.
We found quartz of all shapes, sizes, and clarity. This trip, I found the best crystal ever! I call it Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Winner Winner Chicken Dinner is big and clear with a nice point. It is slightly bigger then my palm with smooth sides. We have other big crystals and also small crystals like the one my friend is wrapping in wire for a necklace. We also have clusters, big and small. Clusters are bunches of crystals held together by rock. We found both milky quartz and clear quartz. Some crystals are so smooth that they feel oily. Others are sharp and pointy. Now that you know what we found, let’s see how to clean them.
This is Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! The best crystal of the trip!!
Beautiful sparkly quartz points.Milky quartz cluster after we rinsed off all the red clay.Sometimes you can find points still embedded in the rock matrix like this!
Cleaning Quartz and Its Uses
To clean your quartz crystals, you need to wash off all the
mud and remove the iron stains. First, clean off as much mud as you can. Do this
outside. Washing muddy clay down a sink can clog it up. You can use a
paintbrush to help get the mud out of the grooves. For bigger crystals you can
use a hose and buckets. Next, let it dry completely. Then, repeat the first two
steps until you can’t rinse off any more clay. Last, remove the iron stains
with an acid bath. Removing the iron stains is a job for adults ONLY. The acid
can be very dangerous. Skip this step if it makes you uncomfortable.
Washing reveals the beautiful crystals under the mud. This one needs a bit of scrubbing.
Quartz crystals can be used for making necklaces or doing more complex things like glass making. They would also make great art works. The really clear crystals we saw at the shop were making rainbows when sunlight shined through them. It is so cool!
There’s more…
I want to go mining again because I can have fun in the dirt
without worrying about worms, and I love quartz. I’m hoping to get a chance to
try other mines. There are a lot of mines in the Ouachitas. I hope someday I
will get to mine for emeralds, amethysts, and jasper too. I heard there are places in North
Carolina and Georgia that you can mine for them. It would be fun to see what I can find there. Mining is very
cool and neat, but also hot and dirty.
All of us with our own Winners of the day! WOW!
I hope you enjoyed my blog this month. Come back again for more adventures and
see you again! Onward!!!
Gratitude: I was so thankful for everything I had. Fortitude: I needed to use fortitude at Cumberland Island. Attitude: I needed a good attitude to get through this hike.
Last time, I told you about our LONG hike to Brickhill Bluff and all the shark teeth we found. Since that post, guess what? Mom accidentally threw them away! We DO have some shark teeth we found a few years ago on Morris Island that Mom DIDN’T throw away. Morris Island is near Cumberland Island so the teeth are black too.
Black shark teeth from Morris Island , SC.
Back to Cumberland Island, during our “rest” day I had to hike 5 miles round trip to a different beach. On the way, we saw alligators, giant sand dunes, marsh grasses, cool trees covered with Spanish moss, and “monge”.
Monge is what we call a mossy sponge that we saw along the trail to the beach. I touched it! It’s so cool. Well, it’s not really called monge. That’s a made-up name that we thought of when we saw reindeer moss, which is really not a moss either. In fact, it’s a lichen.
Giant sand dunes: They were so big I couldn’t see over them. They were taller than me. The dunes are very important. They protect the island.
Spanish moss: A draping moss, but it is not a moss at all. It is a flowering plant native to Mexico, Central America, South America, the US, and the Caribbean. But don’t hug it. There could be lots of bugs hiding in it.
Spanish moss on oak trees“Monge” or Reindeer Moss. It’s actually a lichen.
The beach is HUGE!!!!! But I couldn’t play in the water because the waves were too big and strong. There weren’t many people. A non-crowded beach!
There was so much to find on the beach. Mom and I found knobbed whelks, giant cockle shells, sand dollars, horseshoe crab skeletons, and angel wings. We couldn’t bring them all home because it was too much weight. We saw something cool, sea foam! It is so spongy. I touched it! Coolest thing! I found the only lightning whelk and mom found what we think is a reverse spiraled lightning whelk. They are all so beautiful! Especially my lightning whelk. It has the colors of the rainbow.
Horseshoe crab shellSea foamSand swag!!
You can tell the difference between a knobbed whelk and a lightning whelk by its spiral. Knobbed whelks have a dextral spiral, which is a fancy word for right-handed spiral. Lightning whelks have a sinistral spiral, which is a fancy word for left-handed spiral. Shell experts guess 1 out of 10,000 lightning whelks spin the wrong way. Here you can see juvenile lightning and knobbed whelks side by side.
When we got back, we set up the hammock. There were so many gnats! So Mom and I rushed into the hammock for shelter. We have a Eno DoubleNest hammock for two people. It was big enough to cover us both and so comfortable. Mom fell asleep after eating a snack. 20 minutes later, I got out and went exploring with Dad. We found a bunch of fiddler crabs along the shore further away from our campsite. I ran back to tell everyone about it, but Mom was still asleep so I went back to the beach to my dad. It started to rain while we were there so we had to run back. When we got back, Mom was still asleep, so I had to wake her up. Then she realized it was raining. She had to get out of the hammock and go into the tent. She can move fast if she wants.
Before Mom fell asleep in the hammock, she played a quick peek-a-boo for this picture. We were surrounded by gnats.
Our friends set up a hammock fly so we could cook our dinner in the rain, but we had a problem . . . The gnats were attracted to the light from our headlamps. We hung a lantern in the rain to lure the gnats away. Problem solved! It also helped that we switched our headlamps to red light because they didn’t like it as much as white.
The next day it was time to leave. I was both excited and not excited to leave. I knew I would miss the beach but my left foot was a bit sore. After we ate breakfast, Mom and Dad packed everything and we set off on the trail. When we got back to the main trail, I didn’t want to leave because I would miss the beach. Here’s a cool look at the same spot on the main trail: one at low tide (the day we arrived) and one at high tide (the morning we left.)
Low tideHigh tide
At first, my foot didn’t hurt, but then it started hurting later. When cars passed, I was able to rest. Our camping friends offered Tylenol to me, but I said “no.” Soon it was time to move again. Later, we stopped somewhere (I don’t remember where it was.) That’s when I realized I needed the Tylenol. I was lucky that I was able to get some. After a while my foot felt a little better, but still hurt.
Sore sore legs, but still going.
When we were close to Stafford Field I made up a game called “Racing Horses. How to play: each person is one horse unless two people want to work together. If you choose to work together one person will pretend to ride a chariot. There will be different rounds. There can be as many rounds as you want. No pushing or shoving and no cheating.We played until we got tired. What surprised me was everyone played along with me. While we were playing, we ran about 2 miles. When we got to the end of the meadow, we saw . . . HORSES!!! Real, live horses!!! I was so excited. We also saw armadillos. Sorry, I didn’t mention it this post.
We took some pictures and found a place to rest. We looked at the map and I was overjoyed to find out that we were more than half way there! Then Dad started to run, and I chased him. We got pretty far ahead of the group, so we stopped and waited for everyone else to catch up.
Getting closer… the palmettos are a clue.
Soon we had hiked about another 3 miles, but it felt like we were still 100 miles away (even if we were probably less than 2 miles away). I was so tired, but we were trying to get to the ferry (a kind of boat) before it left. Pretty soon we got to a fork. We looked at the map and went right. I knew we were close, but I was hurting so much that I started to cry. I was starting to have a breakdown very near the end. We saw a pickup truck from the nearby Greyfield Inn that they use to transport their guests. Mom got in the middle of the road and flagged down the driver. After she explained how I tired I was, the driver let us hitch a ride in the back. Mom and I got on, but Dad decided to keep on hiking. In the back of the truck, we met some of the guests and started telling them about our adventure. We soon learned that we had already hiked super close to the end and only rode the truck for less than a quarter of a mile. Soon we got to the dock and waited at the entry for Dad. Then he came! We greeted him by hugging him and giving him kisses. The best part about finishing the hike is using the RESTROOM with actual toilets that flush and sinks to wash your hands. CIVILIZATION!!!
One of our friends decided to go on a short hike to a nearby beach while we waited for the ferry. I wanted to go, but Mom wouldn’t let me. It might be because I had already cried about hiking earlier. Instead, Mom and I went to the dock and beneath the dock were more crabs! We watched the crabs for a while. I observed the crabs bumping and fighting each other, and they were really mad at each other. They were CRABBY!!
An hour later it was time to leave and catch the ferry. I was sad to say goodbye to the crabs. And the beach. The whole island.
Sunset ferry ride back to St. Mary’s.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Come back next time for more adventure. Onward!
Nope! This is not my spelling list for the week. (THAT is a lot longer. I have 20 words on that list!) Besides, I like these words. They are like me. Also, these are what I needed to get through the longest hike of my life. So far. For Thanksgiving Break, we went on a two night backcountry hike with friends. I hiked 26 miles! It was so hard and challenging, and my feet hurt so much the last day that I wanted to (but didn’t) quit.
The morning of Thanksgiving, we boarded the ferry to Cumberland Island. While we waited to board the ferry, the park ranger let us pre-load our backpacks. We took the 45-minute ride to Sea Camp Dock. The first animals we saw when we arrived were TURKEYS! They were not stuffed, and there were no mashed potatoes with gravy. In fact, these turkeys were very much alive… and skinny and fast! After a quick restroom break with the last toilets for DAYS, it was time to hike.
Yonder Girl and her Sherpa hiking Cumberland Island’s Main Road
We followed the Main Road to Brickhill Bluff through maritime forest. Live oaks, palmettos, Spanish moss, and ferns surrounded us. How beautiful! The road was flat, sandy, and wide for a trail. Every once in a while we would have to move to the side of the road because there were cars driving by. Sometimes the drivers would stop to chat and ask if we knew where we were going. As we hiked, we also came across armadillos that were really cute. Did you know that when startled armadillos JUMP?!? We saw several armadillos foraging. Foraging is a fancy word for searching a wide area for food. You should not touch a wild armadillo because it might carry the bacteria that cause Hansen’s disease, which is a not-fun infection.
Lunch break!
Cumberland Island has something really amazing, wild horses! The first time we saw some, they were grazing at Stafford Field. They were so far that we could hardly see them, but their sorrel coats gave them away. We only saw two horses up close. People riding ATVs really fast startled the two black horses, which in turn startled us when they ran across our path. Our friend’s quick thinking kept us from getting trampled. She told us to move to the side of the trail. QUICKLY!
Wild horse of Cumberland Island! Whoosh!
We found a bunch of shark teeth on the road. All the ones we found were black. When we went to the visitor center at the end of our trip, I asked a Ranger why. He said it was because during fossilization the sediment (a fancy word for solids that fall to the bottom of a liquid, like sand in the ocean) around the tooth did not have a lot of oxygen. At home, Mom and I found an interesting website that helped us learn more about shark teeth fossils. You can read it too by following this link.
It took us 6 hours to hike the 10.5 miles to Brickhill Bluff! When we got to the entrance, my feet hurt so much. I felt like crying, luckily there was a sign that said, “BRICKHILL BLUFF TRAIL.” Then I started to lean on the sign. Mom always says, “You should stand on your own,” but even she thought it was okay this time. After a quick break, we started again. It was less than a quarter mile until we got there. I LOVED it because there was a little beach! Right away, Dad set up the tent while Mom and I explored the beach and giant driftwood.
Brickhill Bluff Trail AT LAST!! I carried Mom’s pinecone for almost 5 miles.
At our campsite, the muddy sand beach had holes in the sand. I didn’t know what they were until I saw the little spheres of sand and tiny tracks surrounding the holes. That’s when I realized that the holes belonged to little shy crabs that ran away if you got too close or made a sound. They were fascinating and gray. I loved watching them because I wanted to learn something about them firsthand. They walk sideways and always bump into each other, and make each other mad and start fighting.
Fiddler crab sand spheres.
We picked this campsite for a few reasons. One, very few people hiked this far, so we had plenty of space to ourselves. During our two nights there, we only saw two couples. Two, we could get water easily because the water pump was in the campsite. Warning! Important information. The water is non-potable, which means you need to filter, treat, or boil it before drinking or using. I am now super thankful for civilization. Three, we were right by the beach!
Scouting for a beachside hammock spot at Brickhill Bluff
Hey guys! Thank you for reading this post. My next post will be about our trip to the big beach and the way back. See you at the next post. Onward!
House sized boulders. Rock climbers. Hidden tunnels. Lots of trees. Swarms of lady bugs. Views for miles. This is what we found at Cherokee Rock Village in Leesburg, AL and it was all so BEAUTIFUL!
Right away, you see giant boulders from the parking lot. We spent plenty of time climbing up and down the rocks. At the top of the rocks, you are treated to fantastic views of lakes, forest, and the town below. Sometimes it took a few tries to make it to the top, but it’s always worth it. On some of the rocks, there were swarms of lady bugs that kept crawling on us. WARNING- Ladybugs bite.
Climbing down a house sized boulder at Cherokee Rock Village.
Down in the rocks, we discovered lots of cool features like holes, crevices, tunnels, and caves. This means it was also a great place to play hide and seek, but no good for tag because you could trip on tree roots and little rocks in the ground.
Walking through a tunnel between boulders at Cherokee Rock Village.
The giant rocks here are great for climbing, but can hurt your hands. They were studded with little white oval pebbles, like concrete with pebbles in it. It made climbing the rocks easier because your shoes could grip better onto the the little pebbles.
Grippy shoes and studded rocks make for gravity defying climbing fun.My favorite boulder is in the Bluff Area of the park. It is so perfect because it has a bowl-shaped hole that is just the right size for me. Even better, it has both back and leg rests! It’s like a recliner, but made out of rock. Mom tried to sit in it too, but she didn’t fit well. It was way too small for her. She got stuck!! (hee hee hee)
Resting up while cradled by my favorite rock. My favorite rock is PERFECT!!!
We saw lots of people camping along the Bluff Area and Boulder Area of the park. I want to go back and camp. Mostly, I want to sit in my favorite rock again and look at the stars. Mom says she’d camp here because the bathrooms and showers are clean.
