Tar and Fungus - Day 73

  Two warm days in a row have melted a lot of the snow. Yesterday we passed by Tar Hollow Fire Tower.

The snow had a glaze from being partially thawed and re-frozen. This was the best way to get down a short, steep slope.

By contrast, this was my favorite scene from today. All of the trail in this area followed a winding ridge. We climbed up at one end and down at the other. (Except for the extra up and down we had to do in the middle to break this into two days).

Tar Hollow gets its name from the fact that Pitch Pine used to grow here, and settlers would collect the pitch, also called tar, to use as a sealer for boats, roofs, etc.

Today, it's primary gift was fungi. Can you see what this one is?

It's an adorable little bird's nest fungus. There are several kinds. I don't know which this is.

I'm pretty sure this is Wood Ear Fungus. It's new to me, but the somewhat hairy gray (or darker) exterior and light interior seem to fit. Actually, the inside was plain brown when the sun wasn't shining through it.

And finally, just a jelly fungus. Not sure what kind, but they are always weird enough to be fun.

We had a visit tonight with a lady named Roxanna. She's a hiker and a Girl Scout leader.

I'm really tired, so I'm keeping this post short. We finished Tar Hollow despite none of their roads being open yet. We had to walk a total of 5 extra miles to do it, but it was worth it to be able to move on. As it turned out, we could have completed it all in one day, but with conditions so iffy, we sure didn't know if that was possible.

Miles today: 7.3 that count (9.8 total). Total miles so far: 940.

See Hocking Canal & Haydenville