Faoilleach: a Gaelic term used to describe the last three weeks of winter and first three weeks of spring
3-10-19 Wildflower season arrives earlier in the Blue Ridge Escarpment, prompting us to travel to the Foothills Trail in the upstate of South Carolina. We arrived at the trail around 10, a bit delayed due to “spring forward”. Bernie backpacked the entire Foothills Trail last year when I was recovering from knee surgery. My last trip to the Foothills Trail in March 2017 marked the painful shredding of my meniscus during a 10.4 miler on the Canebrake Trail, down and back to Lake Jocassee.
This section began, once again, in the mist. We crossed the road to head up the trail, and Taz pulled up beside us, offering a card for the Foothills Trail shuttle service (contact him at 864-431-0447). This section of the Foothills trail provides a steady rollercoaster of ups and downs, without big climbs or descents, but winding through chestnut-oak forest and pine-oak-heath plant communities.
There were a few early signs of wildflowers: Pussytoes (Antennaria plantageniflolia) and Robin’s Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) or fleabane, and Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) had just begun blooming. Due to the amount of rain that has saturated Western NC and Upstate SC over the past few months, there was no lack of water on the trail.
We continued just past the Laurel Fork Heritage Preserve, for a total of 8.6 miles. During our trek, we encountered four backpackers- mother/daughter and father/daughter duos- all very excited to be immersed in the beauty of the trail. The father/daughter team told us they expected temperatures in the mid forties. My guess is they were not familiar with the fickle temperatures of the Southern Appalachians, where the weather can go from below freezing to warm in just a few hours.
Thank you to the Boy Scouts for their significant improvements to the Flatrock campsite, with enhanced water access for hikers and backpackers. This site also now includes a fire ring and benches. It was a great place to refuel.
Leaving the trail and going south on Rt. 178, I was on my way to visit my mom, with a quick stop at Devil’s Fork State Park beside Lake Jocassee to see if the Oconee Bells (Shortia galacifolia) were blooming. It was wonderful to discover some early blooms, and there were very few people on the short 1.5 mile loop that is one of the remaining sites where Oconee Bells are found in the Southern Appalachians. You can find more information on Oconee Bells here: http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/shga.html
I also found the blooms of Heartleaf Ginger, Hexastylus arifolia. This flower is hidden under ground litter and below the waxy, variegated, heart-shaped leaves. I could spend hours crawling about the understory, brushing away the leaves to find these lovely and unusual flowers!
This combined 10.1 mile hike is just the beginning; spring is nearly upon us. I am so stoked about the next hike and future wildflower explorations. Happy Trails to you!
