Credo; “Learn something new everyday”. Such a rich way to live. What could be better than hiking in the mountains on a clear, brisk and windy day. The hike of the moment–Craggy Gardens along the Blue Ridge Mountains, a bit north of Asheville, NC. We were about to wander into a strange habitat, noted as globally unique to this area. This geological feature is labeled Mountain Bald.
A bald is defined as “a treeless area located on or near the summit of a predominantly forested mountain.” Furthermore, Balds may be grassy-covered with a “mix of grasses and wildflowers” or they may be covered with low growing vegetation or “communities of of varying plant life, often including rhododendron, mountain laurel, blueberries, and flame azalea.” The Craggy Garden Balds fall under the latter category.
Their unique features are based in the “5,500 foot elevation, severe weather conditions harboring strong winds, ice storms,and a short growing seasons.” This dwarfs, twists and stunts the development of the trees. We hiked past gnarled hardwood forest of beech, birch, buckeye, and mountain ash. Most noteworthy though are vast forests of rhododendron and mountain laurel. I have never seen such dense collections of these trees in one place. The buds were just forming. The scene was still clothed in winter browns with bare trunks, dwarfed, twisted, gnarled and stunted, as promised.
In June, the site description foretells of the vibrant blooms of the rhododendron, azaleas, mountain laurel and wildflowers with berries and mountain ash blooming into the fall. We learned that no one cause forms Mountain Balds. They most likely exist due to a combination of forest fires, era-long climate change, and severe weather conditions. The chance to trek along this trail filled with new knowledge and a heightened appreciation for our earth made the cool temperatures, high winds and subdued colors tolerable. I pulled the chin strap of my hiking hat tighter and jaunted down the trail.
Ann Carol Goldberg