Mark your calendar for a great time to get out of your cabin an on the mountain.
February 15, Saturday, is an one day Naturalists’ Rally by the Friends of Roan Mountain.
Join us by the fireplace with Jay Leutze, author and fly-fisherman, and Jerry Greer, outdoor photographer and book publisher, and Bryan Stevens, wild bird photographer, and Lisa Huff of the Tennessee Natural Areas.
Your choice of after lunch hikes with three great naturalists: Jamey Donaldson, Marty Silver and Tim McDowell.
The best description for the fall weather on Roan Mountain is crisp. The cool days and sometimes cold nights tend to clear the air on the mountain. This is a great time to explore the tails that have been leaf covered all summer. The leaves have passed their peak color on the higher elevation and, except for the marcascent beeches (thanks Jamey), have fallen from the trees.
On a recent visit to see the fall colors on Roan, I stopped by the Dave Miller Farmstead. The Miller Farmstead is part of the Roan Mountain State Park and located on Tennessee Highway 143. Coming up on the Events at the Park Calendar is the Old Time Yule at the Farmstead.
The Old Time Yule at the Farmstead is November 9, Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m.
Park Interpreter Beth Ann Jarret shares with us some of the ways that will celebrate the Old Time Yule.
One of the Old Time Yule decorations she talks about is the Princess Pine for Christmas decorations. I’m familiar with Running Cedar from the North Carolina side of the mountains. I’ll take some “running cedar” to the Old Time Yule at the Dave Miller Farmstead and compare it with the Princess Pine.
Also, if you are on the Roan stop by Beth Ann and Harold Jarret’s Apple Orchard.
LINKS:
Jarrett’s Orchard – Turn LEFT, off of Hwy 143 at Jack’s Store.
Variety of Roan Mountain grown apples and cabbage.
Closed Sunday.
Roan Mountain Color Tracker (Jamey Donaldson) report for October 17:
Roan Fall Color Update from October 15, 2013: While it clearly depends on your viewpoint, here are some general trends. Color-rich exceptions to the elevation ranges noted below may be due to variable exposures (north, south, etc.) and moisture regimes (hot and dry vs. cool and shady and other combinations). And don’t forget the oaks at lower elevations (Northern Red and Scarlet Oaks putting on fine display).
On the Tennessee side of Roan Mountain as generally viewed from highway 143 driving up to Carvers Gap: keep an eye out for the Staghorn Sumac peaking around 4000 feet elevation.
Fall colors are generally peaking from 3500-4500 feet elevation with dominant yellows finally sharing the slope with richer oranges and reds of maples. Although many other trees have dropped leaves above 4000 feet, Sugar Maples are finally starting to show richest colors in this range.
Colors are past peak above 5000 feet, lots of trees lost leaves due to high winds last 1-2 weeks, including the bronze Beeches which are marcescence (tardily deciduous) under normal conditions.
Up on the balds, the golden graminoids (grasses and sedges) are highlighted with gentian blues and blueberry reds really standing out among the goldenrods and blue and white fall asters.
At higher elevations, most yellow seems due to birches (or White Ash and maples that haven’t run full course). At lower elevations, most of yellow due to Tuliptree (Yellow Poplar). Also at lower elevations, maples, Sourwood, and Blackgum will fully develop their red arrays if we are lucky.
Roan Mountain Color Tracker
Information from Jamey Donaldson, October 17, also posted on Blue Ridge Parkway Daily.com.
Notice when you scroll down through the Parkway reporting sites, that Roan Mountain has been included on the 305 Milepost along with Grandfather Mountain.
Eric McCarty shares his Blue Ridge Parkway Daily .com Fall Colors Tracker with us and talks about how to use it for Roan Mountain.
Jamey Donaldson says that the color at the 4,00 ft elevation on Roan is “Patchy”. He says that the red highlights are from the maples and red oaks with some yellow from birches and tulip poplar. (These were October 10 observations.)
The Friends of Roan Mountain 2013 Fall Naturalists Rally was great. The Conference Center was full on Friday evening for Dr Frosty Levy’s presentation of his exciting discoveries in the Doe River Corridor. He presented evidence of many rare and surprising plants as he explored from the mouth of the Doe near Hampton, Tennessee, to the Highlands of Roan Mountain.
The weather for the weekend was perfect for outdoor activities, and the attendance at the hikes on Saturday were evidence of that.
I joined Tim McDowell, professor of Biology at East Tennessee State University, and Carol Ann on the Hughes Gap-to-Carver’s Gap hike over the top of Roan Mountain. It was the longest hike on the schedule. The hike progressed from cove-hardwood forests up through the spruce-fir forest of Roan Mountain. Many thanks to the trail crews for the recent improvements to the trail.
Tim picked out a great lunch spot on a rock outcrop where we could spread out and enjoy the view. It was after our lunch that I spoke with Carol Ann and learned what an inspiration she is. The hike had already been fun, but getting to know her made it delightful.
Check out the podcast to hear her ideas on “Motion is Lotion”. She made a believer out of me.
Mark your calendar for a great time to get out of your cabin an on the mountain.
