Saturday ~ Kate's Mountain

   This morning the little man and I took a drive up Kate's Mountain.  I'd heard it was beautiful but had never been, and wasn't sure what to expect.  

  The mountain was named for Catherine "Kate" Carpenter who took refuge on it with her daughter, Frances, in September of 1756 after Indians attacked the settlements along the Virginia border.  Her husband,  Nicholas, had gone for help to Fort Dinwiddie on the Jackson River but was killed when Indians then attacked the fort.  Kate decided to relocate to Staunton, VA where Frances grew up and married, later inheriting her parents' 950-acre property in White Sulphur Springs, which became the site for the [link>] Greenbrier Resort.

Looking down at the Greenbrier Resort

  It is the highest peak (3,280 feet) in the Greenbrier State Forest and the type location for [link>] Kate's Mountain clover, Trifolium Virginicum.  Kate's Mountain was also the inspiration for a 19th Century poem that was published in its entirety in 1895, titled [link>] The Mystic Circle of Kate's Mountain.

  On the one hand, it was more than I expected.  Almost like being in a rainforest, it was thick and lush with old-growth trees and so much greenery.

  I saw sumac, daisies, milkweed, several different types of clover, and sweet pea flowers.  We stopped a few times to listen to the birds, and I was able to add two new species to my life list [links>]: the Eastern Wood-Pewee and the Blue-headed Vireo.

  When I got back, my neighbor said she was surprised I hadn't seen any bears, and quite honestly, that was something in the back of my mind the whole time we were up there also.

  On the other, it was just a little bit on the creepy side.  The road was only one-lane, and I had no way of knowing if there was anyone coming down the mountain.  There was a steep drop-off with no guard rails.  We've had quite a bit of rain in the past week, and today's weather was iffy for more.  I definitely did not want to get caught in a sudden thunderstorm up there, especially since no one really knew where I was (including me!).

  When I reached a point where I could safely turn around, I still wasn't at the top of the mountain, but the road in one direction was blocked by a fallen tree, and I wasn't sure where the other road would lead.  It had begun to feel like I was intruding on nature, and on the wildlife, just with the sound of my car crunching on the gravel and shale road.  It was time to go back down and go home.