10/24/13 Bald Bluff Mtn. and Ducktail Pond

Cool ( 40's) and quite windy but sunny day. We had not done Bald Bluff in quite awhile so we started with that. The trail head is reached by continuing on the the road that takes you To Partridge and Ducktail. The trail head has been moved a bit to the right  because the old trail  " crossed private property". The new trail was very pretty with the sun and all the leaves.

A short distance after the new trail rejoins the old trail there is a side trail to the overlook

from which, are the nicest views on this trail

Back on the main trail you climb to the summit which has an open area but is surrounded by trees and so offers no views

If you continue on the trail a short distance down the other side there is another ledge which offers views through the trees

Back down we headed toward Ducktail and saw a sign at a side road that said " dead end - scenic view" - we drove a short distance and parked and began to walk it. There were many barriers along the way - piles of gravel, large boulders, trenches with streams or standing water. Here is an example

Kelley had some difficulty getting around some of them and here she is contemplating one of them

and the view

We walked further down the road and did some bushwhacking off to the side looking for other views but found nothing better and returned to the car and headed for Ducktail to have lunch. There is a short trail to the pond .

A pretty good outing, with some things we hadn't seen before, on a pretty day. 2  1/2 hours