Snakeroot Ecotours

18/10/2024

Here at Snakeroot, we are still absorbing the loss of the Celo Inn to Helene's floodwaters. We have so many fond memories of hosting nature retreats in the cozy confines of the Inn, including our final one -- less than two weeks before the storm. I've been continuing to blog about Helene's aftermath. You can follow along if you can figure out how to subscribe. When I find more time on wi-fi, I'll work on making the subscription path easier.

7 am Friday; crystal clear skies and 25 degrees in the valley, the barely waned full moon sets over the Blacks. Now, three weeks since the storm, some normalcy has crept into corners of Celo Community. Power has returned for about 80% of residents, many people are getting decent cell service (not me...

16/08/2024

Hosted an foray today in the cool and moist upper reaches of the Toe River valley. We had a wonderful group of 20 mushroom enthusiasts ranging from newbies to PhDs. Identified over 80 species and had a couple hundred more left on the unidentified tables. A few highlights: a lovely family of unidentified Amanitas, a cool on a gilled bolete, and the world's largest . Thanks for letting us scour the campground, !

Guests arrive tomorrow night for a 3-day weekend fungi-fest hosted at the . Contact us if you'd like to join mushroom hikes, orchid walks, and waterfall cold plunges on Saturday or Sunday. We'll savor wild mushrooms at lunch and dinner.

01/08/2024

One room just opened up for our upcoming August 17-19 nature retreat at the Celo Inn! Join us on a weekend-long mushroom and waterfall hunt. We'll learn - and feast - from the forest. The room can be a single or double, and we also have day-only spots available for local residents: $200/day for Sat or Sun, $360 for Sat & Sun, or $420 for the entire 3-day weekend (Sat-Mon). All meals included.
https://www.snakerootecotours.com/blue-ridge-nature-retreat

26/07/2024

A few years ago in mid-August, we stood outside my friend Jeff Goodman's home and watched a horde of yellow jackets manically devour a sawfly larva (see comments for video). It was one of those sights that make you shudder in both horror and awe. He turned to me and exclaimed, “There’s a lot of energy in the system right now!”

Solstice was a month ago, but according to Jeff, July 22 is the day to celebrate “peak summer.” The energy in the forest continues to build for a few more weeks, but many species have begun the slow slide towards autumn. Decay outpaces growth.

This year, July 22 was the night that the chorus of katydids transitioned from smattered song to cacophony. Multitudes of mushrooms, in unimaginable shapes and colors, emerge overnight from the forest floor. In the foggy mornings, hummingbirds and their fledglings throng the jewelweed patch. When the sun shines, the joe-pye-weed sways under a rabble of swallowtails. The slow tide of green that has been rising since spring is at its crest and will soon begin to ebb.

Come celebrate the forest’s abundance of stored solar energy next month (Aug 17-19) during a Summer Headwaters Nature Retreat. We’ll spend mornings studying the diversity of Appalachian mushrooms, and afternoons we’ll hike through cove forests and cloud forests to bathe under waterfalls and picnic on mountain peaks. At night we’ll stroll under the moon in search of foxfire and other forest-born luminescence. https://www.snakerootecotours.com/blue-ridge-nature-retreat

Check out the Snakeroot blog (https://www.snakerootecotours.com/post/in-appalachia-it-s-the-apex-of-summer) for high resolution photos.

16/07/2024

Mushroom forays and waterfall cold plunges. Just two rooms left in August and one for September. Day spots available as well. Reserve your place now.
https://www.snakerootecotours.com/blue-ridge-nature-retreat

19/06/2024

We took Margaret Renkl and her family out to see some of my favorite species of firefly a couple weeks ago. She crafted the experience into this beautiful piece in the NYTimes.

There were no trees. There was no road. I was the trees, and I was the road. That darkness was like no darkness I’ve ever known.

13/06/2024

With the permission of Celo Community, I worked with Drew Perrin to install these signs, artfully crafted by Carly Todd of Camp Celo, marking the historic high water events of the South Toe River. You can read all about it in the most recent post of the Snakeroot blog. https://www.snakerootecotours.com/post/high-water-marks

28/05/2024

For a second I thought this robber fly had snatched an EAB, but I think it actually got a green tiger beetle (Cicendela). Entomology-minded folks should chime in if they know better or can be more specific (it is a type of robber fly, right?). I'll also post it on iNaturalist (insta for nature nerds), where we're more likely to get answers. In any case, the Red Eft Hiking Camp kids got a kick out of it on their first day exploring the mountain forests this summer. Also 72 salamanders (representing 10 species, the kids claim) were spotted, an ancient looking box turtle, a short tailed shrew, and countless laurel blooms. Birds heard included: black, and green, -throated warblers, ovenbirds, black-and-white warblers, and blue-headed vireos.

18/05/2024

If you've not experienced the blue ghost fireflies, now's your chance. Their displays are peaking right now, even in bright moonlight. We have a few days left on our calendar with spaces available.

Take a guided night walk with Snakeroot and experience the Blue Ghost firefly--many consider this a once-in-a-lifetime event.

07/05/2024

All my piedmont friends are posting cicada pics and videos. In the mountains we have to wait until next year (2025) for our 17-yr emergence, but lots of critters are emerging right now as the earth and waters warm and the days settle into their summertime length. Next week will be our first Blue Ghost Firefly walks of the season. Join us to experience this one-of-a-kind Appalachian phenomonen. Link below is the first natural history article I wrote for Mountain Xpress from 2017. Link for walks is in the comments.

"Let their mysterious glow enchant you. And as you enjoy the spectacle, learn to think like a firefly: Imagine that every artificial light interferes with your ability to serenade a mate. Make friends with the darkness."

03/05/2024

Lady slippers will headline Monday’s Orchid Walk. We should see 4-5 species in bloom, plus you’ll be introduced to the foliage of several of our other shy native orchids. And Blue Ghost Firefly walks are now on the calendar.
https://www.snakerootecotours.com/calendar

17/04/2024

Unless you're a member of NC High Peaks Trail Association the only spots left for ephemeral wildflower walks this spring are for the one tomorrow (Thursday) at 3 pm, or an all-day space in the Chasing Spring retreat on Sunday April 28. Message me for a last minute discount code for tomorrow's walk. For NC High Peaks Trails members, there are still spaces in Saturday's walk.

01/04/2024

And it's begun! Spring ephemeral wildflowers are erupting on the scene, filling the Appalachian rich coves with their annual superbloom. The Hepatica, bloodroot and trout lilies are peaking, and the Dicentra and Trillium have just begun. We've got 1 room left at the for this year's Chasing Spring nature retreat. The chef just sent me a supper menu. You won't want to miss it. Link in bio for more info.
UPDATE: the Inn is now fully booked, but there are spots for locals to participate (everything but the lodging).

22/12/2023

Wrapped up 4 days paddling the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers. Crystal clear spring waters met the tannins of the (slowly flooding) Santa Fe. Piles upon piles of sunning turtles. Cold nights drove manatees up the swimmably-warm Ich. Nothing like waking up to mist rising from the river as the sun rises between live oaks and cypress trees.

14/12/2023

We’re returning to Cumberland Island in March. This is Snakeroot’s only guided adventure off the mountain: a spring backpacking trip through the wildest barrier island on the southeast coast. The magical maritime forest of live oaks, spanish moss and palmettos is one of the great forests of the world, and Cumberland is its finest manifestation. We’ll spend 5-days exploring the forests, beaches, and natural history of Cumberland Island’s 10,000 acre wilderness area. A portion of the proceeds from this trip goes to support the work of Wild_Cumberland and we’ll visit with Carol Ruckdeschel, the unrelenting defender of Cumberland’s wilderness. Past participants rave about this trip – one called it the “opportunity of a lifetime.” Trip will be March 17-22; link in comments for details and registration information.