What a great day to cast real-world reponsibilities aside and head for the woods, a gentle hike up to Raven Cliffs Falls. We saw the falls. And heard them…. We neither saw nor heard ravens. At dusk, off the trail and over in Lumpkin County, we heard owls hooting, and even a whippoorwill (Caprimulgus vociferus)….
Confirmation: the hemlocks are going fast. The hemlock woolly adelgids are the culprits…. The woods will smell different, and the feel underfoot will change. The thick duff under hemlocks is different from that generated by deciduous leaves.