There is a reason why I no longer go camping without my camera. It is the same reason I love hiking West Virginia’s backwoods - the scenery.

Of course I can’t go into the Peachtree area on a photo taking adventure and not stop at Peachtree Falls.

Last but definitely not least, this turtle was practically begging for his picture to be taken.

I have another hike coming up and now with the trees blooming the scenery is going to be awesome. This next hike coincides with the morel (mollymoocher) hunting season. This year should prove more productive in finding the elusive yet very tasty mushroom. Last year the weather remained dry up to and through the normal time to find the morel. Which is in the early spring and usually following a good spring rain.

Recipe -

DEEP FRIED MORELS

Fresh Morel mushrooms
Egg wash (2 eggs beaten with 1/4 c. milk)
Crumb mix (1 c. crackers, 1/2 c. corn flake crumbs)
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt to taste

Split Morel mushrooms lengthwise. Rinse in several changes of cold water and drain. While heating oil to 370-375 degrees, dip Morels into egg wash, roll in crumbs. Cook Morels 4-5 minutes, stirring and turning while cooking. When golden brown and floating, remove to rack to drain. Salt to taste. Place on paper towels.

—

Warning - Morels should never be eaten raw because they contain a volatile compound that can be removed only by cooking or drying. Some “false morels” are poisonous. Also, morels have a hollow center, which can harbor insect larvae, so be sure to cut all mushrooms in half to check for bugs.

I finally got to go on my hike. It wasn’t a multi-day hike like I originally intended but it was an all day hike. Two days later I am still feeling this first hike.

I took a lot of photos covering more than one subject. If you go to the Stop MTR blog you will see photos I took of the mountaintop removal site in Clays Branch. If you go to the BackWoods drifter site you will see photos of a ramp (wild leek) patch I happened across. On this site, I have some scenery to show you.

All of these photos and the ones on the other blogs were taken from the ridge that separates Drews Creek from Clays Branch.

The first photo below was captured on top of Peachtree Ridge. The way the light was filtering through the trees made me think of West Virginia’s old motto Almost Heaven. The second photo was captured in Breckenridge Hollow and is immediately adjacent to the winding paved road in the Country Roads post. I really don’t think I need to explain why I took that photo. The third one needs no explanation either. It is another photo from the Bolt Mountain overlook.

The first photo below was taken at Lake Stephens. In the second I was near the top of the mountain in a place called Spring Hollow. The reason I shot this one was not so much the view but that every flower here seemed to be turned towards and enjoying the view as much as I was. The last photo was taken from on top of Peachtree Falls. I thought it was kind of cool how the flower at the end of the log seemed to be defying life and determined to exist against overwhelming odds. I think we could all learn a lesson from this simple flower.

The first and last photos of these three were taken in the head of Drews Creek Hollow. The church is at the end of the paved road and the house is the very last house in the hollow about a half mile beyond the church. The center photo is from the head of Peachtree Hollow and I took it because of the Rhododendron. It is at the last house in Peachtree.

Have A Great Day!!!