It's winter all around in the United States, and that means the Appalachian Mountains are going to be tipped with frost for the next few months! Last night was our first snowfall of the year, so it was a perfect opportunity to take pictures on a mountainous trail while it was still safe to do so.
Almost directly above the town of Cedar Bluff, Virginia, you'll find its Overlook Park. With an elevation of almost 2500 ft, 760 ft hike up to the summit, and -another- 700+ ft walk to the Nature Conservancy Property. On the summit, you'll find a deck overlooking the town, and a birds-eye view of the surrounding mountains. The Overlook's deck hangs directly over US 460, and for that reason I couldn't stomach taking any pictures looking straight down from the deck. That deck is not for the faint of heart!
Along the trail are some informative signs, many of which I couldn't get good shots of, simply because the morning sun was at that perfect angle to make anything reflective unreadable. I was able to get a shot of the Clinch River sign that tells you what makes Clinch River so special. There's also a shot with the river as it runs alongside a railroad bridge. There were a couple of signs hung on trees at the Nature Conservancy Property that identified some of the trees in the area. I also tried to make a few friends, but unfortunately they weren't keen on me getting any closer! I also saw a few canine-like tracks along the trail, and tried to follow them. They started out small, then there were a few I found that were large! They were definitely bobcat and coyote tracks! I was able to take a good one of the coyote track. We do have coyotes and bobcats (and bears, but no tracks this time!) in the area, so if you do happen to hike here, make sure you bring protection.
In the following photos, you'll see signs of animals, informational signs, a view of the town of Cedar Bluff (including an old schoolhouse building that I need to take pictures of later!), the trail itself and, of course, MOUNTAINS!
Information on the elevation and the trail itself:
Information on the Clinch River:
Views of the trail as you're walking:
Coyote track:
Something has been messing up this tree! Look at all those marks:
Information about the trees:
A few friends I encountered on my hike:
(It's hard to tell, but these are vultures waking up and warming their wings up!)
A view of the highway directly below:
Railroad tracks run alongside the Clinch River:
Views of Cedar Bluff:
And views of mountains far in the distance:
Thanks for viewing my post! Upvotes, resteems and comments are always appreciated!
Have you ever been up to the Adirondacks? As a 46er myself I must say that out of all the mountains I have climbed all over the world, i still am a firm believer that my home still has one of the most scenic mountain ranges of them all!!
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I've been to VT, however I don't think I made it quite that far into New York. We have a small town here, Burke's Garden, that's basically a bowl in the mountains. It's really neat to see it from an aerial perspective!
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Congratulations @arrelaine13!
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Thank you!
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I have pictures from the overlook there in Cedar Bluff, too. I might have to dig them out and share them. Same view, but different time of year. This is a nice collection. Worth your climb. :-)
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Thank you! And yes, it is! Just don't do it in the winter. lol!
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