What a beautiful day for a hike! Shadow and I took our first thike to the Devil’s Nose rock formation in Sleepy Creek WWA. This portion of Sleepy Creek is in eastern Morgan County. WV. The trailhead is only 13 minutes from my house. Bob Dean who is one of my birding mentors first mentioned “Devil’s Nose” many years ago as a cool place to visit. I never made it there. However, now that I live so close and see the diversity in habitat there will be many visits in the future. The immediate area surrounding the rock formation and cliffs has a surprising population of healthy Hemlock which is the dominate conifer. Virginia Pine is usually the conifer de jour in the area. There were patches of snow still visible sitting on Rhododendrons lining Meadow Branch which is the creek that runs through the gorge. This small area seems to have a unique microclimate (speculation on my part). The mini-canyon with the cliffs, rocks and trees remind me of Blackwater Falls State Park in the high mountains of Tucker County, WV. Today I saw three FOY Eastern Commas during the hike. I can’t wait to go back.
