Monday, October 05, 2009

My World Tuesday #51: Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve


"Walking the Walk"
Cary, NC - November 2000 (Click to embiggen)

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Hemlock Bluffs is a state nature preserve managed by the Town of Cary (NC). The preserve's claim to fame is a "disjucnt population of Eastern Hemlock", meaning "trees that are growing where nobody cna explain how they got there. Apparently the Eastern Hemlock is not indigenous to the area, and how these trees wound up inhabiting this little pocket of woodland is a Great Mystery. All I can tell you from personal experience is that once you get to the bottom of the valley cut by Swift Creek, the temperature is a good 10° to 15° (F) cooler than at the top. The "trails" are all boardwalk like you see here, in order to protect the "visiting" flora from the trampling feet of visitors. (Of course, I have to wonder how much of it was trampled and otherwise wrecked by the installation of the walkways.) If you're in the area -- especially during the fall months -- and looking for a way to pass an afternoon, the park and the adjoining 3,700 square-foot Stevens Nature Center are worth thinking about.
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18 comments:

Sylvia K said...

Great looking place, Mojo! What a great place to walk and you can surely feel fall in the air. Marvelous photo, as always!

Have a great week!

Sylvia

Unknown said...

I love boardwalks like that! Those trees look pretty amazing - I wonder how they did get there!

Anonymous said...

a lovely looking walkway...and yes, agree with you as to the havoc wrecked by installation of said walk.
have a wonderful day.

Snap said...

Looks like a wonderful place to take a walk. Lovely!

Unknown said...

You don't usually boardwalks on a wooded nature trail like that in the Northeast. They probably knew what they were doing, though.

I love this type of outdoor space.

eileeninmd said...

What a wonderful place for a walk. I love hemlock trees, we have a park here with some pretty big Hemlocks.

Martha Z said...

Lovely, makes me want to go for a walk.

Carver said...

Thanks for the linky help. Ours were both up so apparently the issue you mentioned was fixed.

I love this shot of Hemlock Bluff. I used to go there as a teenager before it was really a park, at least there weren't planned trails. It was very wild which I liked. I was amazed when I went there a few years ago to see how many trails were put in as well as the community center.

Janie said...

Looks like a beautiful place to take a walk. It's always interesting to contemplate how isolated species got where they are.

SandyCarlson said...

Those nature trail boardwalks are interesting. It's like our human feet will taint the landscape. Like we're visitors. They can be slippery buggers after a rain, too.

Love this photo.

Arija said...

How incredibly beautiful both the trees and the boardwalk covered in leaves are! A bit treacherous underfoot when wet but worth every slippery stem none the less. I'd love to take my camera for a walk there. Thanks.

Redzlan aka Tabib said...

Lovely world and great picture.

Marites said...

i love these kind of places and would love to walk along that trail. your picture is really a good capture. my world entry is up here.

Anonymous said...

Love the leafiness of the boardwalk.

magiceye said...

fantastic composition! love the detail

annalarssonphotography said...

Pure beauty!!

I just love this boardwalk leading into the woods.

And hey!
I'm back home :)

Anonymous said...

It is interesting that the hemlocks are there in your area. Looks like a beautiful spot to hike!

Maude Lynn said...

That looks to perfect to be real! Gorgeous, Mojo!