Back To Cowrock Mountain & Wolf Laurel Top Or Fall Hiking The AT

Well, recently (October 17 in fact) I took a trip back to Hog Pen, Tesnatee Gaps, Cowrock Mountain and Wolf Laurel Top on the Appalachian Trail (AT). I love this hike and I chronicled it here and here but this is the first time I have been here in the autumn. So here are some pictures of my trip.

Headed up GA 348 (The Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway).

Vista from the overlook on the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway.

Sal Mountain (foreground) and Currahee Mountain (background).

Hog Pen Gap sign now has a Hornets Nest.

With the Hog Pen rock.

Up close shot of the Hog Pen Gap AT rock.

Clouds over Chatuge Lake.

Brasstown Bald from Hog Pen Gap.

Sign at Tesnatee Gap

Fall Phlox.

Headed up the AT into the Mark Trail Wilderness.

At Tesnatee Gap.

Fall Mushrooms.

Headed on the AT...

...through one of my favorite spots.

With AT blaze.

Fall colors.

Sun on the trail.

It is Halloween time and here is a spooky tree.

AT blaze & trail.

Headed up Cowrock Mountain...

...to the Cowrock outcrop...

...& panorama at Cowrock.

At outcrop with south vista.

Wildcat & Yonah Mountains.

With east vista.

Dandelion.

Levelland, Blood & Slaughter Mountains from Cowrock.

Back on the autumn trail.

Foreground: Black & Big Cedar Mountains; Background: Springer Mountain.

AT heads on.

One of my favorite trees on the AT.

Aster.

With another AT blaze.

Hiking the...

...during fall...

...on the AT.

Another cool mushroom.

AT blaze & the trail.

A large tree had fallen over the AT.

NE Wolf Laurel Top vista & the observation deck at Brasstown Bald.

Headed to Wolf Laurel Top summit.

Wolf Laurel Top panorama.

At Wolf Laurel Top here...

...& here.

The lower Wolf Laurel Top vista.

Headed back down from Wolf Laurel Top.

Panorama of Brasstown Bald.

Another nice shot of a mushroom.

Some of the fall colors.

The beauty of the AT here...

...& here.

With the AT blaze.

My favorite AT trail picture of the day.

I have been through here on two other occasions & didn't see...

...this log with AT symbol craved into it.

I liked it so much I sat on it.

I could see Sawnee Mountain, but it is hazy (Atlanta can barely be seen in the distance).

Green Cliff Top panorama.

Black, Big Cedar & Springer Mountains.

In the distance Mount Oglethorpe.

Sawnee Mountain & Atlanta.

With Green Cliff Top vista.

Headed back to Cowrock.

Cowrock south vista...

...east vista.

Yonah Mountain.

At Cowrock outcrop.

Cloud over Blood Mountain.

Panorama at Cowrock showing the trail down to the left.

Headed down Cowrock.

Switchback.

Headed through Mountain Laurel.

More fall colors.

AT blaze.

Looking back the way I came.

Logan Turnpike Trail.

Autumn at Tesnatee Gap.