Whitehead X-ing Area Photos 02

Another day, another Whitehead Crossing area hike. This day I simply had to head up to Howl’s Ridge to investigate that super mysterious seeming 4th Way path again. Who made it? Who if anyone maintains or even walks it these days? Why was it made (since it only seeems to lead to the Woods of Howl, with nothing within)? Also, the night before I found out that the path is actually not in Frank Park (or Herman Park) but lies on private property, and the same property that the smaller of the 2 houses at the end is situated upon. The tax value of the house and property seemed way too low for all the acreage (over 16). What was I dealing with here?

But for the below photo, we’re still on the way up to the Woods of Howl. A quite large, gray snake is at the base of that dead tree. I don’t see many snakes that large in these parts — mostly I encounter garter snakes and the like. However, this one had to be 6 feet in length. It was obviously trying to stay warm in its patch of sun on this rather cold, spring day in the mountains. I think it may be a young blacksnake but I wasn’t quite sure. It wasn’t poisonous; I knew that. The dead tree automatically becomes Snake Tree until if and when I think of a better name.

Faint but pretty tracable trail leading up to the ridge and past the big snake.

There’s some poison ivy on the ridge, but it can be fairly easily avoided.

What I did this day is attempt to figure out where that path across the ridge leads to. It seems to dead end in the rhododendron I stand away from of while taking the below picture, a large-ish rock acting as aterminus sentinel of sorts. Mocking or Mock Rock?

The path didn’t seem to continue past the rhododendron. I’ll have more to say about this mysterious end soon enough. I believe it could be a haunted path.

It was on this day that I visited a side ridge of Howl’s Ridge that seems to have become a personal center in the woods, and also appears to have a separate energy from Whitehead Crossing. Smaller and separate — more personal. Look at the beautiful ladyslipper that greeted me when I reached the flat part of this side ridge. And more were just around the corner!

This is the center of the area: a type of parallelogram of small trees near a large pine tree on the edge of surrounding rhododendron. I do not have a name for the tree yet, but it is another center.