I hiked the Schoolhouse Gap Trail and the White Oak Sink Trail a number of years ago looking for Yellow Ladyslippers, which were at one time reported to be abundant on the Sink Trail. This year I heard rumors that the Yellows were no longer there, and that the season was early, and any Yellows would have already finished blooming anyway.
When I didn't find any near where I knew there were Pink Ladyslippers, I was determined to go all the way to the 'Sink' and see if any were there.
I walked up a steep trail along the mountain's edge and came to a high spot where I could see that the trail went down a couple hundred feet and kept going down.. Knowing that it would be a long hike up and then down again on the way back, I decided that I didn't really need to go any further. On the way back, I found where some Yellows were growing, but not in bloom. There were other wildflowers to see and photograph, though, so I thoroughly enjoyed the hike.
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| A fence keeps horses from going down the White Oak Sink Trail. |
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| Even though there were no Yellow Ladyslippers in bloom, these 2 Pink Ladyslippers made my day! |
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| Clintonia Lily in Bloom. |
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| Galax with bloom stalk. |
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| Partridge berry bloom in bud. Two flowers come out together and make one berry |
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| Partidge berries. |
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