Wildflower Hike Apple Orchard Mt to Petites Gap, Saturday April 26, 2014.

        Nineteen folks joined hike leader Mike Seth on this perfect spring day including C.J. Woodburn, John Brandt, Andy Willgruber, Briana Taylor, Iva Gillet, Brian Muszynski, Sunny Choi, Dan Ralston, Jeanne Densmore, Jeanne’s mom and dad- Tom and Barb Miller, Dave Borszich, Clai Lange, Kelly O’Rourke, Susanna Williams, Marty Snell, and Dave and Nancy hiking with the group for the first time. This was supposed to be a joint hike between the Cville and Southern Shenandoah chapters but only Mike Smith who rode with Mike Seth came from the valley.  We dropped some cars for at Petites Gap at MP 71 on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then started at the Apple Orchard parking lot at MP 78.4.  About ten minutes into the hike we split into two groups.  Dan Ralston led seven other hikers on the shorter 7.3 mile hike on the AT and eleven hikers opted to join Mike Seth for the longer version that included a 3 mile out and back to the falls with the plan to meet at the top of Apple Orchard for lunch.  

        Unfortunately Liberty University was having 350 students running along the trail up from the falls so the long group decided for longer Cornelius Creek Trail.  That way we would do a five mile loop rather than an out and back and although it added a couple miles no one seemed to mind.   We took our time looking at whatever was blooming.  The long hikers tried to contact Dan to suggest that the short hikers proceed without us but couldn’t get through.  Jeanne and her father, and C.J. sacrificed the last descent to the falls to catch up with the short hikers while Kelly led the rest to the falls which were quite impressive after a heavy rain.  The short hikers lingered for a while on Apple Orchard Mt, the highest point on the AT between Mount Rogers and New Hampshire, and proceeded to move on when Jeanne and C.J. arrived.  Eventually the long hikers caught up with most of them. Iva, Andy and Briana, Dave and Nancy, Sunny and CJ scurried ahead while the rest made their way slowly along the trail; it was getting toward seven when we all finished.  Eleven folks had supper at Don Tequilo’s in Buena Vista.

        Although billed as a wildflower hike due to the unusually late spring most of the wildflowers were only blooming at the lower elevations, especially around Petite Gap.  We saw large numbers of Dutchman’s breeches, trillium grandiflorums, toadstool trilliums, several species of blue, yellow and white violets, fire-pinks, bluets, wood-bettony, bloodroot, early meadow-rue, rue anemones and coltsfoot.  There were lots of gallax, lilies and May apples waiting to bloom. We could see the march of spring along the mountain sides lush and green trees and shrubs at the base giving way to a still leafless forest further up.