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It’s springtime in Alabama
Posted on | March 25, 2009 | 26 Comments
Don’t blink, or you’ll miss it. SB and I went backpacking last weekend – a short trip to the Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve about two and a half hours northwest of Birmingham, in Colbert County.
The Preserve is owned and operated by the Lacefields – a husband/wife team who have been steadily buying up property adjacent to their home over many years – it now encompasses 433 acres. It is open to the public with no charge, and the Lacefields are incredibly accommodating landowners – they supply a large cooler of cold well water at the picnic shelter and even offered to bring firewood to our campsite! They’re able to do this because the majority of trails in the Preserve are old logging roads, suitable for ATV traffic. This was also the only downfall to hiking in the area – being “on the trail” loses its charm when you’re hiking on a gravel road as opposed to being on a soft, pine-needle-covered trail in the middle of the woods.
Many of the wildflowers are already in full bloom. L-R, there’s purple phlox, yellow trout lilies, rue anemone and the green leafy beginnings of oak leaf hydrangea. The oak leaf hydrangea is growing underneath a sandstone bluff – the grains of sand in between the layers of rock hold moisture and release it during dry conditions, enabling plants and flowers to grow in an unlikely place.
Not that there’s a shortage of moisture this time of year. My favorite part of the weekend was hiking the Under Bluff Trail, which travels beside and underneath a long section of sandstone bluffs. Waterfalls make great showers but cold! omg, it was cold!
I love the funky patterning of the rocks, caused by years of water erosion. Or aliens.
It was so nice to get in one last backpacking trip before summer hits. It was warmer than forecasted but the clouds kept it a comfortable temperature and the bugs haven’t quite woken up and begun their annual quest for world domination. Ah, the time is near though, Friday’s forecasted high is 80 degrees!
Enjoy it while it lasts, folks.
Comments
26 Responses to “It’s springtime in Alabama”
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March 25th, 2009 @ 10:10 am
beautiful!
March 25th, 2009 @ 10:14 am
Springtime!? We’re back to winter! At least we have something to look forward to next month.
March 25th, 2009 @ 10:24 am
How beautiful! Thanks for sharing such a lovely adventure.
March 25th, 2009 @ 10:42 am
Glad you were able to sneak a hike in before it got too warm! I love the rock pictures – they are my favorites!
March 25th, 2009 @ 10:46 am
Gorgeous photo of your hike!
March 25th, 2009 @ 10:58 am
Gorgeous photos.
March 25th, 2009 @ 12:05 pm
*picks jaw up from floor*
Wow. Your photos just blew me straight away. What a gorgeous place to live!
March 25th, 2009 @ 12:07 pm
Ah springtime. Wish it would get here. It’s been rainy and cold out our way.
LOVE the eroded rocks. What a neat pattern the water made. Thanks for sharing your hike. =)
March 25th, 2009 @ 12:33 pm
Beautiful photos of your weekend! Thank you.
March 25th, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
We do live in a beautiful state don’t we? Thanks for the tip on this preserve. I’ll make plans to check it out!
March 25th, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
Mighty purty. Thanks for the pics!
March 25th, 2009 @ 2:51 pm
Wow Elizabeth! Those shots are beee-you-tee-full!
Spring is here in NC, but only kinda sorta!
Glad you got out in it all!
March 25th, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
GREAT pics. I’m kind of completely jealous, I have to say! One of these days, when I retire and probably won’t be able to hike, you’ll have to take me to these great locations and we’ll pack a lunch of brie, bread & wine and have a girls weekend maybe. As long as there are no bears. I can’t hang with the bears.
March 25th, 2009 @ 4:40 pm
Sigh…just lovely…beautiful pics! The first photo says it all…Nice to see the earth waking up down there in Colbert County!
Thanks!
March 25th, 2009 @ 7:06 pm
Brrr. A cold waterfall shower. Your pictures are lovely.
March 25th, 2009 @ 7:44 pm
Those pictures are beautiful! I love the one of the waterfall.
March 26th, 2009 @ 6:24 am
Elizabeth, what a wonderful hike! The pictures are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing. Things are slowly waking up here in Michigan. The birds are coming back which is my favorite part. You don’t realize how quiet it is until the birdsong comes back. The snowdrops have already bloomed and the crocus are making an appearance. I love spring!
March 26th, 2009 @ 7:02 am
That was just the best treat. What a lovely magical place. Thank you.
March 26th, 2009 @ 10:08 am
Thanks for sharing the pictures! I am showing them to Ellie so that she will work harder at this walking thing.
March 26th, 2009 @ 3:58 pm
Wow!! Those are some FABULOUS photos!!
March 26th, 2009 @ 4:49 pm
Gorgeous! We had crocus and the plum tree was blooming, but today we have 8-10 inches of snow :-) Really it is okay though as we’ve had very little this winter and are far, far behind on moisture for the year.
March 27th, 2009 @ 11:08 pm
Great pictures! Hard to look at someone else’s spring right now, but you give me hope.
March 29th, 2009 @ 6:07 pm
Gorgeous pictures – it looks like an amazing place to hike!
March 30th, 2009 @ 3:56 pm
Gorgeous photos, Elizabeth! I love things like water-patterned rocks, too. I’m always looking for patterns, textures, and contrasts to shoot.
Thank you for reading my blog and leaving your encouraging comment! I’ll take you with me in my mind… writing your name on my hiking pole as soon as I finish this!
April 2nd, 2009 @ 2:35 pm
Your pictures always make me want to pack up and head outside!!!
April 4th, 2009 @ 7:57 pm
Gorgeous photos. I love the eroded rock formations. Thanks for identifying the wildflowers — I would have bugged you for their names if you hadn’t.