When I wasn't writing, I spent most of my time on Beech Mountain visiting the town-owned park called the Emerald Outback. Located near the peak of the mountain, this beautifully laid out trail system provides stunning vistas both large and very small. Shown here is mosses, lichens, and fungi hiding in the gravel at the edge of Bailout Road, a gravel track that runs down the center of the park for easy and quick trips home once you wear yourself out on the more woodland paths.

Weather up there changes on a dime, so be prepared. I visited twice for a few hours apiece, and in that five hours or so spent on the mountain I enjoyed blazing sunshine, pea-soup fog (which I'm pretty sure was actually low-lying clouds), and a brief storm. Based on the height of the main canopy --- probably no more than twenty feet above the ground --- and the windswept appearance of brave emergents, I suspect the park often sees pretty windy conditions as well.

Over much of the Emerald Outback, the forest floor is lushly covered by soft-leaved sedges that remind me of a well-managed pasture. Boulders are common as well, and in several places the trees perch on the edge of rocks as if they sat down to rest for a spell and forgot to get back up.

Wildlife includes tremendous numbers of deer --- I think I saw more than a dozen during my first hike. The astute visitor will probably also notice juncos, which are winter residents at lower elevations but stay year-round on the mountain in order to raise their young.

If you're more into the big picture, the Southern Ridge Trail includes three overlooks, the last of which is the best. Blueberries all along the trail, but especially at this final overlook, were just beginning to set fruit when I visited, so I'm guessing you'd get a trailside nibble if you hiked the mountain in late July or early August.

All-told, this is one of the most beautiful parks I've been to in a long time! Plus, I could walk to the entrance from my hotel, which made for a perfect commute. If you're interested in following in my footsteps, you can read more about the Emerald Outback here.

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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