High Meadows Trail

Steep Mountain Meadows

As we left Seneca Creek falls we hiked up the Horton Trail and headed northeast on the High Meadows Trail (TR 564). the deep valley pictured here contains the Seneca Creek. The trail crosses steep mountain meadows. Rock cairns and trail blazes are infrequent through the meadows, and the trail is lightly used. As a matter of fact, my Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide, 7th Edition lists this trail, while the 6th Edition does not have the trail. I always wondered what the differences between the editions were. I just got a new one because the pages started to come apart. I guess that the trail is not well known.

Cool Red Flower

We took our trip in early August and found more flowers than we ever expected. This red flower was abundant. Does anyone know what it is?

Canada Thistle

The Thistles were commonplace, especially in the meadows. These seemed to be larger and more sinewy than those that you normally find in the lowlands of the eastern US.

Bovine Backpacking

We found numerous cows throughout the region. As a matter of fact, the first cow we spotted was wandering in the woods. I spotted it from a long distance and was briefly in a panic to identify what kind of strange bear or deer could be so large and have such a unique color. Hiking up the High Meadows Trail we had to pass among 5 cows grazing. They seemed a bit suspicious of us, although I too wasn't particularly happy about having to pass within a small herd of cows. Humans are fragile you know.