Cherry Mountain/Owlshead

After spending a few days at a yoga workshop with my teacher from India, I knew my legs were going to be tired today.  So even though this was a moderate trail, between the yoga, and the many cool distractions on the trail (false morels - Gyromitra esculenta, the beautiful but deadly false hellebore - Veratrum viride,  the spring call of unknown birds, and many wild flowers including the show-stopping red trillium -Trillium erectum, and the relatively uncommon, Painted trillium -Trillium undulatum, my hiking was slow today. The trail was dry with the exception of a few avoidable muddy areas near the beginning of the trail. There was a minor blow down about 10 minutes into the trail and two others on Martha's mile trail.  All an easy walkover. 

It’s a beautiful woodland trail.  The views were somewhat limited on Cherry Mountain due to cloud cover, but were beautiful on Owlshead.  Just as we were moving toward the summit of Owlshead, unpredicted rumbles of thunder sounded overhead.  Nothing makes me more nervous than the sounds of thunder on an unprotected summit.  We scrambled up the rocks to the summit, took a few photos, enjoyed the views and darted back down as the sound of thunder drew nearer. 

Purple (red) Trillium

Painted Trillium

False Morel - deadly - do not eat!

Cherry Mountain

A quick, tie the camera to a tree, timer selfie on Owlshead :)

Lightly steamed, purple trillium leaves with a little olive oil and salt.  It taste like a cross between spinach and arugula.  When harvesting, only pick ONE leave per plant.  Do NOT pick Painted trillium leaves.