Perry's Peak, Richmond

Tuesday, we walked south from Rte 20 in Hancock over Perry's Peak and down to the cemetery on Rte 41 in Richmond. It was foggy in the morning, so no views at the top. Later the fog burned off, and at a large field we enjoyed a view of Lenox Mountain. The trail is not easy to follow in places and has some damage from 4-wheelers which should not even be using the trail. It's less than four miles, so we took our time and enjoyed the ambience.

Be sure to check out the photos below of a tree-within-a-tree!

The morning was foggy and the trail lush with ferns.

The hobblebushes had black & bright red berries.

Luckily, the fog lifted and we were rewarded with beautiful views
of Lenox Mountain. Bartlett's Orchard is at the center left. You can just barely
see the Lenox Mountain fire tower at the highest point of the ridge.

Here, you can see, with me for size reference, that this locust is huge.
And the limb coming out of it is a birch tree trunk that has been
completely surrounded by the locust trunk. See the close up below
to confirm that the birch is actually enclosed.  By-the-way,
both trees are thriving!