Category Archives: Whitehead Crossing

My back feeling better and better almost each day, I decided to risk a steeper descent to the head of Whitehead Stream. It’s White Head, then? This interesting tree was found nearby. Not sure of the species.

This is the actual head of the stream.

Nearby logs, one of which which appears to create the visage of an approaching dragon or huge snake in the below photo.

Old overturned pot found at the source, which appears very similar (a double?) to the one just down the stream found in a number of earlier Crossing photos, most recently in this one.

Head of Whitehead Stream again. Getting very green in the woods now.

Small campsite near Maine Trail just downstream. The head or source of the stream lies perhaps a football field west of where it meets this trail.

Beautiful day here in Blue Mountain fer sure!

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.

Rock in the area: tempted to call it Tooth or Toothy Rock for obvious reasons. Maybe Snaggletooth Rock.

There are 3 large piles of rocks on the slope nearby. I believe Hucka D. is warning me off about using these rocks for some type of art happening.

Low or Long Rock again, not far up the hill from Ladyslipper Ridge (prelim. name).

Small rock carn greets me at the beginning of the Maine Trail, heading toward Whitehead X-ing once more.

But today, as was the case with the last visit I believe, I didn’t even make it to Crossing proper but got sidetracked on Howl’s Ridge. Below is a quite interesting, long and low rock on the western edge of the forest, a rock I seem to run into during almost every recent visit to this ridge. Magnet Rock might be a good name due to this attraction property. Low Rock is another possibility, or Long Rock. Whatever, it’s by far the largest rock found near the Woods of Howl.

Here’s the thick of that piney woods. Sir Roger Pine Ridge would probably feel right at home here.

Here one of those amazing Crossing area finds: I emerged from the Woods of Howl on the north side of the ridge, following a faint but obvious path through upper part of these woods. Then the path continued downhill, *cut through a thicket of rhododendron*. It was obvious that someone put a lot of work into this path. But where did it lead? I had rough ideas when I headed downhill through it (still cautious of my wonky back, since I was suppose to avoid downhill walking when I was more in the early healing stages). On and on it went, chopped through rhodododedron, and still a path in pretty good shape although I can’t imagine who would use it.

Angular set of rocks encountered on the path, which I’m calling the 4th Way, since it has become the 4th pathway into The Crossing.

The path became steeper toward its terminus. Soon I was on flat ground, and spied a large house through the trees. I knew where I was. The path continued between this house and another, smaller house, which I’ve earmarked for further investigation. A nesting spot for woodsy aliens?

Large rock just beyond end of path, where it meets a dirt road. Almost hieroglyphic in nature.

The house at the end of the path in question. Beautiful setting, no?

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So many things to see, so many things to learn about The Crossing. Like this tree: Is this Marked Tree? At any rate it lies within what I’m calling Weed or perhaps The Weed, for obvious reasons. And the weeds are sprouting up quickly in the greening forest.

A central limb formation of The Weed, as yet unnamed like much else in the area. I’m tempted to call it The Angel or Winged Angel.

The Angel is actually another upturned root of a tree, twinned in this case, and perhaps of the tulip/poplar species I’m guessing because of their straightness.

And here are more obvious tulip/poplar trees, at the heart of the Contemplation Loop.

This flower, found just off the Contemplation Loop, may be Gay Wings, but that’s just a guess.

Looking down the length of Little Whitehead Stream, as I’ve done so many times before now.

Another classic Whitehead X-ing photo: the pot near Rock’s Meadow from the personal trail connecting The Crossing with Maine Trail.

The rock I use to cross Whitehead Stream, still on the way to Maine Trail.

Another shot of Hucka D.’s old Beehive entrance.

Back on Maine Trail.

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Other oddities now: The multi-colored yarn left in the tiny Rainbow Forest between First and Second Trees has created kind of “children” clusters of thread. I don’t know how this happened on the surface, but I’ll leave a small place for rational explanation here. But I don’t think there is one. The Other has left yet another calling card.

Here’s another, similar example, this time of a blue-green hue.

Peculiarly symmetrical stick laying on the forest floor nearby.

Looking toward Long Branch and The Aardvark/Double A. Also you can better see the crossing effect this Aardvark has with a neighboring tree: a distinct “X”. Pendulum Branch is right center; we are looking from the position just in front of First Tree here, I would suspect.

This is First Stick (pointing to First Tree), which has been doubled by another, similar sized fallen branch sometime during my 4 year interaction with Whitehead X-ing oddities. This makes a distinctive “V”.

Another peculiarity: a perfectly balanced stick on a log was found just east of First Tree.

Carolina hemlocks of 4 Sticks.

Pocket Rock, Grey Feather, and First Hole. An oracle rock? (probably)

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A quartz formation on one of the larger rocks of this line-up, perhaps the largest overall. Again: no name yet.

Close up.

Split second later comes this close up in sun.

Old, rotten pots near Hucka Doobie’s 50 bottles.

And here we come to another oddity. How did this pine cone get trapped by these 2 branches simultaneously? Fact is, it most likely couldn’t; someone or something placed it there. We must first turn to an alien style explanation of course. Yes, I believe it to be (yet another) sign from The Other in The Woods.

This is the east part of the larger of the 2 sticks holding the cone. The upturned end of the stick at the top of this photo creates a more unusual Crossing formation called The Aardvark, or perhaps just Double A.

Here’s the same from a slightly higher camera angle. To the right is The Pendulum Stick already discussed before here.

Longer cone trapping stick looking the other direction, or toward the west. Pine cone itself exists upper left center.

Long Stick (think I’ll just name it that) bends several smaller trees with its weight. Interesting effect.

The Aardvark accompanied by a little white rock, on the other side of the small tree from it. Just to note: together this tree and Aardvark make an “X”, as in The Crossing itself. Microcosm of some sort?

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