A day out in the Mountains

I had a day out today, something I haven't done in a while. I decided to combine Geocaching with Trout fishing and general sightseeing. I loaded a bunch of waypoints on my GPS receiver, bought some nightcrawlers, and headed out. I don't have a fly rod, so I do "country boy" fishing, though I do my best to not injure them, and toss them back, keeping them only if I hook them too deep for survival.

I brought my cache stats to 101 found - that makes it just over 100 for the year I have been in Geocaching.Geocaching Web Site And, I caught 3 trout, a Rainbow first, a little "native" (one hatched in the stream - Rainbows aren't native here), a Brook Trout of fair size, and a Brown Trout. The Brown might have been native, but I doubt the Brookie was; they don't do well when the water heats up in the summer.

Here's a photo of the Brown Trout I got. By color and size, I would say he was hatched in the stream. He was the third one I caught; I went back to the van and got a camera.

The Brook Trout is not a Trout at all, but a Char, a genus that circles the arctic (Salvelinus if you're interested). The Brook is a fish of the Eastern America from Canada to the higher mountains of the Southern Appalachians. It requires clear cold streams to thrive, but is in danger from its relative the Rainbow Trout, which is also not really a Trout, but a Pacific Salmon (genus Onchorynchus), and is from the Pacific drainages, probably from Alaska to southern California. Brookies are also in danger from Brown Trout, which are in fact the only true Trout in these waters. Browns are from Europe, where they are widespread.

Rainbows and browns were brought into this area over 100 years ago to provide sport; the Brooks were not considered "sporting" enough. They are not terribly wary, like the Brown, and are not given to aerial displays like the Rainbow. They are, however, a jewel of the Southern Appalachians, and are by far, when breeding, the most beautiful of the three species found here.

If you are interested, more information can be found by going to NC Wildlife, and go to the fishing section. Another fun thing is to Google "Southern Appalachian Brook Trout", and see what you come up with.
See you later!

Alex

Colors of Spring

Spring has so many colors here in the Southern Appalachians; more so it seems than in the fall, and just as ephemeral. I was struck by the colors of the Spanish Oak (Quercus falcata. Spanish Oak this year was a yellow green that defies description.

When you look at a hillside here in the early Spring, when the leaves are just coming out, you will see a palette of colors that simply cannot be described, and which boggles the mind. Each individual tree seems to have its own shade of some pastel color, and all the colors which can be seen in the Fall are muted. There are pinks, yellows, purples, reddish browns, and of course the greens, from emerald to pale yellow green.

You only see this sort of color show for a short time, so I will keep this post short. The colors have lasted about a week, and have been the prettiest I have seen in many a year, probably due to having plenty of rain.

If you live in Western NC, and want to see them, you need to get out. Travel the Parkway from Brevard Road to the Folk Art Center. When you are nearing US 74A, look on the eastern road bank for a small patch of blue which is Birdfoot Violet (Viola pedata), and a large shrub with orange flowers which is the Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum).

And, of course, enjoy Nature!