The goal of the trip was to find a good spot to read a book in the glory of the woods. I must say, I was blown away. In an attempt to keep this organized, let's start at the beginning. The trail head.
Look familiar?
Once upon a time, Silver Mine Lake was a popular ski destination. It has since been abandoned, but the lifts remain. Pretty cool.
Underside of one of the abandoned ski lifts...in surprisingly good condition
We scouted both sides. The little trail on the side of the lake nearest the parking area led to a beaver dam with ample evidence of their activity.
Beaver Dam
Gnawed Trees
After I found a spot, I set to reading. It must be caterpillar season or something though, because within 15 minutes I was covered in caterpillars. I kid you not. I had at least 5 crawling on me and more on the rock I was sitting on. It kind of creeped me out so I decided to explore the trail a little.
The trail itself was awesome. I'm not sure this was typical or because it rained recently, but the trail itself was very wet. Too wet for the shoes I was wearing. So I had to hop from rock to rock to go down the path. It was kind of like a game of real life "hot lava" that everyone seems to play as a kid.
Complete with impromptu streams
Along the way I saw some pretty irises and some crazy big millipedes.
I know that definitely won't be my last visit to Silver Mine Lake. Next time I go I'm certainly going to be better prepared and will hopefully have my actual camera with me, not just my the cell phone. I also intend on going a lot farther in. What's extra neat about the trail is that it is actually a section of the Appalachian Trail (the AT), so camping is permitted on it. In fact, it even has one of the famed shelters named the William Brien Memorial Shelter. It explains all the hiking groups I saw dressed in fancy hiking gear and stacked up like pack mules with camping goods..
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