FLT - Delaware River to DEC Horse Campground

 
If you saw the pictures I put on Facebook you know that our big goal for the day was to hike over Houck Mountain. I think the final descent was down the back side of Bear Spring Mountain, but the peaks aren't labeled very distinctly on the map. Anyway. I don't want to repeat pictures, and there are plenty to show. It's hard to pick a few. The rain was going to be ours to own for the rest of the week. It was still fairly warm, and we hiked up in the rain, and then down through wet grass. Even though the rain had stopped by then we continued to get wet, just from the bottom up instead of top down. I chose to remember other things.

Like the wild columbine.



We did see some wildlife on this hike. Nothing very unusual, and I didn't get pictures of anything even out of the ordinary, but here's a whitetail deer. It's as wet as we are.



Of course, we had to do at least one of the requisite stupid self-pictures. It gives me Popeye arms, and Marie is always stunning in a fashionable veil. But it proves we were both there, wet and being gnawed.



Spotting snakes is always a treat. Here's a harmless and happy juvenile Blue Racer. I'm pretty sure that's what it is- they are patterned before they develop the blue color. He didn't stick around long enough to identify us very thoroughly either.



Back to the flora. We saw a lot of trilliums. One of the best parts of New York hill hiking for me is that we see fewer white trilliums and more red or painted ones. Not that white ones are bad... I just see a lot of them in Michigan. This is a nice painted trillium.



Finally, just a reminder that one finds beauty in the oddest places. This is just a dead Norway spruce tree. But look at the wonderful form!

Total miles for the day, 9.5.

	See Fletcher Hollow Road to the Delaware River
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