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Shadow Mountain Escape
Nature Trail Guide
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Point
1: The trail begins by the Colorado blue spruce at the edge of the
lawn in front of the Lodge (step off the steps of the Lodge and look left).
At the entrance of the trail you will see a tree sign signifying the beginning
of the trail. |
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Point
2: About 20 meters from the beginning of the trail you will pass over
an old loose stone wall – walls like this are products of some of the
Hollow’s earliest settlers who stacked stones to create barriers for live
stock and to remove the rocks from the soil to make planting gardens, fruit
trees, crops, etc possible. A local “old timer” once explained to
us that most of the rock rows found throughout the mountain slopes of the region
were built by “parties” of men who would assemble together to more
rapidly clear the rocks and build the walls… with a little help from some
of the local “mountain dew” (moon shine). Most of the rocks used
in the stonework found throughout SME came from this loose rock wall which was
built in the late 1800’s or very early in the 1900’s. |
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Point
3: Grape Vine Row. Once you pass under two large Red Cedars you will
pass by numerous wild grape vines (you will step over two large ones laying
over the path). A glance around you will reveal the many wild grapes crawling
up into the canopy of the surrounding trees. The wild grapes (ripening in Sep
– Oct) are edible with thicker skin than store bought grapes. The lead
vines can become quite massive – from time to time you may see one nearly
12” in diameter and spreading into the largest trees for over a hundred
feet. |
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Point
4: Fox Rock. Soon after you pass across the electric
line easement, you will see a large boulder on the left side against the trail
with an interesting enclave at the bottom. When this rock was first discovered,
it was obvious that smaller mammals were using it as a “bed down”
location - by all indications, probably fox or bobcat. You can just picture
a fat red fox curled up in the leaves in the dry little hole at the bottom of
the boulder. |
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Point
5: Fern Grove. Just Before you enter the stream bed area, look to the
left and notice a small grove in the woods filled with native fern. During certain
times of the day and seasons, this fern grove can have a mystical aura about
it – particularly when the mist hangs low in the forest. |
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Point
6: Hemlock Bridge. Use the wooden bridge to cross the “dry”
stream bed. The mountain stream changes course from time to time; since the
early 1990’s the stream has re-routed itself two times within the stream
bed area you are now entering. The bridge passes over one of the former stream
locations. During flooding periods, this “dry” stream bed will again
flow. During dry periods, it will nearly dry up completely. This marks a favorite
spot for various varieties of salamanders. In the spring and summer, watch out
for snakes in the nearby rocks. Once you pass over the bridge you enter a native
stand of evergreen hemlock trees mixed with white pine and some native varieties
of hardwood trees. The hemlocks, unfortunately, are slowly being destroyed by
a pervasive type plant scale (insect) – look closely at some of the hemlock
branches and look at the small white “cotton looking” specks. Those
are bugs that suck the life out of the trees. Fortunately, there are still numerous
big and small hemlocks living relatively healthy along the stream bed –
hopefully they will outlast the scale infestation. |
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Point
7: Stream. You can’t miss it. The trail walks directly to the
stream which is one of two streams that runs down the length of Jewell Hollow
to merge and form the larger stream known as Pass Run. The water coming from
the mountain runs all year long – it is cold, clear, and you can drink
it. Believe it or not, the water flows from natural springs that reach deep
below the rocks. Because of the purity of the water, the stream is home to protected
species like the Native Brook Trout. Other creatures found in and around the
stream include crayfish, salamanders, snakes, frogs, and many waterborne insects.
Once you arrive at the stream, make a right and follow the trail along the bank.
Point 8: Shnapse Log. As you walk along the
stream, you will soon encounter a large cut log about 4’ long sitting
near the water’s edge (it makes a natural bench). This log washed downstream
in the rains of the last Hurricane and was set exactly where you see it by
Mother Nature – as if to invite us in to take a seat and relax by the
stream side for a while. In cold weather, it is highly recommended to indulge
in a sip of “Shnapse” to warm up the “insides” while
resting here. It is just past here where the trail breaks right again –
into the woods.
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Point 9: Giant White Pine. Just after crossing
the electric easement, you will encounter a huge white pine with multiple
trunks. Don’t spend much time under the canopy of this tree as it is
in decline due to its old age. You will notice, it is slowly dropping its
branches. As is typical in the forest, the countless woodpecker and insect
holes in the trunk of this tree mark the beginning of the death cycle for
this monster tree.
Point 10: Brook Trout Pool. As the trail
picks up along the stream again, look to the left and notice where the water
cascades over a rock outcropping into a pool area. Stand off behind a tree
and look carefully – in all these pools are brook trout. They spook
easily and are very hard to see because of their natural camouflage. In almost
every case, they will be facing the current waiting for insects to pass by
them. The largest are 9-12” long. Most are smaller. In the spring and
summer, when you’re in no hurry, look for a May Fly or Stone Fly hatch
(evident when many small flying insects are hovering over the water in what
seems to be a loose cloud). Find a comfortable inconspicuous spot and just
watch for a while – you may get the special treat of watching a brook
trout spring completely out of the water and snatch a fly from the air. Do
your best not to disturb these fish – they are a threatened species.
Point 11: Garden Plot. When the trail breaks
to the right away from the stream, just before the road, you will notice the
Shadow Mountain Escape garden on the high ground next to our home to your
right. In late spring through fall we’ll begin to harvest a variety
of crops from this small garden plot to include potatoes, tomatoes, peppers,
squash, herbs and onions.
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Point
12: Old School. Before you’re even with our home on the right
side, look closely across the road to your left. If you have a sharp eye, you’ll
see a stone foundation near the stream on the other side of the road. This used
to be the Jewell Hollow School. We have a fantastic old photo from the early
1900’s of several locals, as small children, standing in front of the
school when it was functional. Not surprisingly, the majority of the pupils
were of the Jewell and Sours family – families still heavily associated
with the Hollow and represented throughout Page County and beyond.
Point 13: Black Bear Lane. The trail will place you back
on Black Bear Lane (the gravel road that circles through Shadow Mountain Escape).
It is no mystery where the lane got its name! During some years, Black Bear
are often spotted strolling down the lane before they quickly fade into the
surrounding forest like ghosts. At this point, take a right and walk back
to your cabin. By the way, if you see a black bear – move away and observe
from a distance. We have personally witnessed their tendency to stumble directly
toward you … as if to test your resolve! That’s a significant
life event you need not experience! If at any time a Bear begins to show any
signs of aggression (like “huffing” in a deep voice, shaking his
head, hair standing up), no matter how far away he is, leave immediately and
go to a safe location and inform the owners. Remember, they look slow, but
are actually very, very fast and even a small bear can easily over power a
large human.
Hope you enjoyed your journey through the woods!
Email Us: goriddle@hotmail.com
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Bumble
Bee / Dragon Fly /
Butterfly / Attractions / Directions
/ Rates / Reservations
/ Contact Us |
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This
site titled Shadow Mountain Escape was created by
Shenandoah Webs Custom Web Services
© Shenandoah Webs 2000 By viewing this site you agree to all legal
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