Ohio Valley Flooding

The latest winter storm, which dropped a quick 4-5 inches of snow along the Front Range yesterday afternoon, raced eastward and brought flooding rains to eastern Kentucky and much of West Virginia.  Of course, the heavily dissected terrain of the Appalachian Plateau exacerbates flooding along streams in that region.

South of the flooding zone, strong thunderstorms raked the Southeast while, north of the rain belt, an ice storm created havoc from the southern Great Lakes to the Atlantic Coast.  Farther north and behind the storm, heavy snow will fall.

February has long been characterized by flooding in the Ohio Valley.  Heavy precipitation, in various forms, falls on frozen ground, producing rapid runoff and stream flooding.  Climate change will likely augment both the intensity of precipitation and the severity of flooding. 

Southern End of the Appalachians

As one drives northward across the Piedmont of central Alabama, prominent ridges are noted in Metro Birmingham.  These represent the southern end of the Ridge and Valley Province of the Appalachians.

North of the city, Interstate 65 negotiates the southern end of the Appalachian Plateau, dipping, rising and curving through this heavily dissected terrain.  Along the northern edge of the Plateau is the broad valley of the Tennessee River; the highway crosses this major stream within Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, where, on cue, a pair of sandhill cranes cruised above our vehicle.

North of the river's floodplain, an appealing topography of low hills and ridges border the Interstate, drained by the Elk and Duck Rivers of Southern Tennessee; flowing westward, they are major tributaries of the Tennessee River, which curves northward toward the Ohio.  The Duck River, designated a Wild and Scenic River, is the longest stream totally within the State of Tennessee.

See also: The Western Appalachians 

Little River Canyon National Preserve

The Little River rises on the Appalachian Plateau of northeast Alabama and carves a scenic canyon through the Plateau as it flows southwestward toward Weiss Lake.  Most of its winding course has been protected within a National Preserve since 1992.

The Little River Canyon Center, east of Fort Payne on Route 35, is managed by Jacksonville State University and the National Park Service; maps and other information on the Preserve's geology, flora and fauna can be found there.  It is also the starting point of an 11-mile scenic drive that winds along the north rim of the canyon, offering pull-offs and viewpoints (photo).

Our side trip to this beautiful river and its canyon was all too brief but we had to get back on the Interstate. A rendezvous with the Subtropics beckoned.

 

Cloudland Canyon State Park

Heading south for the Holidays, we took a detour to a couple of parks on the Appalachian Plateau.  The first of these was Cloudland Canyon State Park, established in 1938, in the northwest corner of Georgia.

Renowned for its scenic, Y-shaped gorge (photo), carved from the Plateau by Daniel and Bear Creeks, it is accessed by an extensive network of trails that run along the rim of the canyons, across the valley floor and throughout backcountry areas atop the plateau.  Waterfalls occur along the creeks and also plunge from the steep canyon walls.

Due to our limited time at the Park, we settled on a pleasant hike along the canyon rim but more adventurous visitors will find many more miles of trails to explore within this 3538 acre refuge.  Information, maps and supplies are available at the Visitor Center, near the main entrance off Route 136.

Clipper Dynamics

Alberta Clippers are low pressure systems that originate in the Canadian Province of Alberta and rapidly drop southeastward across the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes region and Northeastern U.S.  Due to their rapid movement, they are generally not associated with significant amounts of snow except for lake-effect squalls along the Great Lakes, high elevation snow down the spine of the Appalachians and coastal snow once the counter-clockwise winds of the storm pull in Atlantic moisture; these onshore winds may also lash the shoreline with powerful waves.

South and west of the low pressure center, strong north winds drag frigid, Arctic air southward.  Last night, these backside winds shook the treetops and rattled windows here in central Missouri.  By this morning, despite bright sunshine and calm conditions, the outside temperature was 15 degrees F.

Since these Clippers depart as rapidly as they arrive, warmer air soon moves in from the west.  We expect afternoon highs near 60 degrees F this weekend.  

Appalachian Flooding

Following a long period of drought in the Appalachians of northern Georgia, North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, the remnants of Hurricane Helene dropped 12-24 inches of rain on the region, leading to historic and catastrophic flooding.  Of course, the major impact has been along the primary streams and rivers of that mountainous terrain.

This alternating pattern of drought and flood is occurring across the globe as our climate warms.  While coastal damage from wind and storm surge is the immediate concern when hurricanes and typhoons come ashore, inland flooding, often far from that landfall, has become a significant complication.

As the remnants of Helene spin above the Ohio River Valley, another storm appears to be developing in the Caribbean.  Its future path is not yet known but its wrath will likely be felt well beyond the pristine beaches of the Gulf Coast.

 

Crossing Glacial Landscapes

Returning to Missouri from Northeast Ohio, we crossed a series of glacial landscapes.  While the term "glacial terrain" brings to mind rivers of ice, carving mountains or calving into the sea, past glacial effects are not as evident to the casual traveler.

Having spent a week atop the glaciated region of the Appalachian Plateau, we initially dropped onto the vast Lake Plain of Northern Ohio, the product of Pleistocene glacial erosion and a post-glacial meltwater lake (Lake Warren, the much larger predecessor of Lake Erie).  Angling southwestward  through Northeast Indiana, we soon passed the site of The Maumee Torrent, which marked the birth of the Wabash River Valley.

The remainder of our journey was across the Glaciated Plain of the Midwest, where the Pleistocene glaciers pushed southward, flattening the terrain.  As they retreated, they enriched the soil with glacial till, setting the stage for prairie ecosystems that have since given way to crop fields and cattle ranches.  Of course, the massive sheets of ice also determined the course of the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, which now drain the central U.S., from the Rockies to the Appalachians.

 

A Walk on the A.T.

Since we are spending two days in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Georgia, we decided to take a hike on the Appalachian Trail.  Though we never managed to hike the entire route of the A.T., we have covered sections in several States over the years.

Our morning hike was from Woody Gap, on Route 60, to Preacher's Rock, a distance of just over 1 mile with an elevation gain of 460 feet.  From the large rock outcrop (elevation 3600 feet), one enjoys a broad view to the south (see photo).

It is always an honor to hike on that famous trail but one soon realizes that many others seek the opportunity as well.  While the trail itself was not congested, the parking lot was nearly full and we were joined by several groups atop the Rock.  The Appalachian Trail is not recommended for those seeking solitude (especially in popular day-hike areas). 

Along the Plateau's Edge

Chattanooga, Tennessee, spreads along and across the Tennessee River Valley.  Just west of that city, the high wall of the Appalachian Plateau marks the west edge of the Valley, where the River itself begins to wind through the Plateau's forested expanse.

It was along this abrupt change in topography that we visited two State nature preserves yesterday afternoon.  After winding up the steep edge of the Plateau and then zigzagging through attractive, upscale neighborhoods atop Signal Mountain, we finally located the Falling Waters Falls State Nature Sanctuary, where a short trail leads to the Creek's spectacular waterfall.  Unfortunately, low water in the creek diminished the falls but, from its crest, we enjoyed a broad view of the rock-rimmed valley below.

Even more scenic was our hike through the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge, a few miles farther north along the Plateau's edge.  There we followed the Creek upstream, passing and climbing atop massive slump blocks that have eroded from the cliffs to produce a ribbon of pools, riffles and rapids along the course of the beautiful, clear stream (see photo).  More from the Appalachians over the next few days.

   

The New River

Last October, while traveling through the Blue Ridge Mountains, I was fortunate to encounter the North and South Branches of the New River in northwest North Carolina.  The New River is actually quite old, perhaps the oldest river in North America.

From the junction of its two branches in North Carolina, the New River drops into the Ridge and Valley Province of the Appalachians, flowing northeastward.  Near Radford, Virginia, the river angles to the NNW, slicing through the Appalachian Plateau of West Virginia and eventually merging with the Gauley River to form the Kanawha River, a major tributary of the Ohio.  Having completed my medical residency at West Virginia University, in Morgantown, I was fortunate to experience a couple of canoe trips on the New River back in the late Seventies.

Geologists know this ancient river as the Teays, the predecessor of the Ohio River.  Before the glacial advances of the Pleistocene, the Teays (now the New, Kanawha and central Ohio Rivers) continued to flow northwestward across Ohio and northern Indiana, eventually entering the Upper Mississippi.  When the Pleistocene ice sheets blocked that course, the Teays diverted southwestward, forming the current Ohio River Valley.  See: From Teays to Ohio 

Nova Scotia Bound

After attending a family wedding in Cincinnati, my wife and I set off for Nova Scotia today, heading northeastward through Ohio, crossing the northwest tip of Pennsylvania and then driving eastward through New York.  There we will visit the Adirondacks and the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River and then cross northern New England.

In eastern Maine, we plan to wind up the Atlantic Coast before entering Canada.  Much of our road trip will involve a journey through southern New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island, all new territory for me.

Our first stop was at Letchworth State Park, in western New York, which harbors "The Grand Canyon of the East."  To be more specific, this scenic gorge (see photo) was sculpted by the Genesee River as it flows NNE from northwestern Pennsylvania to Lake Ontario at Rochester.  The walls of the gorge are composed of Carboniferous and Devonian strata of the Appalachian Plateau.  Three scenic waterfalls along the Genesee also grace the Park.  More details on our road trip over the next two weeks.

Addendum: Hurricane Lee may alter our plans; stay tuned.  

Through Georgia's Blue Ridge

Leaving Murphy, North Carolina, on this sunny but crisp morning, we climbed southward along the Hiwassee River, a major tributary of the Tennessee River.  Our initial destination was the summit of Brasstown Bald in the Blue Ridge Mountains; rising to 4783 feet, it is the highest peak in Georgia.

A winding, paved road takes visitors to a large parking lot a few hundred feet below the summit; one can take a van ride to the top or walk up a paved, "half-mile" trail.  After a couple of days in the car, we opted for the hike, climbing through a forest of rhododendron shrubs.  An observation tower on the summit affords a spectacular panorama of distant peaks and ranges, illustrated with labeled photo maps in all directions.  It was one of the better viewpoints we have ever encountered and I highly recommend a visit.

From Brasstown Bald we continued southward, crossing a low divide (2900 feet) between the watershed of the Hiwassee River (to the north) and that of the Chattahoochee River (to the south).  We descended along the latter river to Helen, a German town currently in full Holiday mode.  Following lunch in that festive community, we drove southward across the rolling Piedmont and will spend the night in Perry, Georgia, at the northern edge of the vast Coastal Plain.

Detour through the Mountains

Returning to our Florida condo after a prolonged absence, we decided to detour through the Southern Appalachians of southeastern Tennessee and northern Georgia.  Heading east from Cleveland, Tennessee, on US 64/74, we crossed the Ocoee River, a tributary of the Hiwassee River, and soon followed the northern shore of its scenic lake.

The Ocoee River itself is renowned for its high grade rapids and beautiful gorge; indeed, the river was used for whitewater competition during the 1996 Olympics.  Rising in the Chattahoochee National Forest of northern Georgia, it is known as the Toccoa River in that State.  Unfortunately, since the Ocoee is part of the Tennessee River watershed, it has been a victim of the TVA Hydroelectric network; as a result, three dams disrupt its flow.

After ascending eastward through the Ocoee River gorge, we entered North Carolina and will spend the night in Murphy.  Tomorrow, we'll head south through the Blue Ridge of northern Georgia before continuing our journey to the Subtropics.

On to West Virginia

This morning, we climbed back onto the Appalachian Plateau, west of Harrisonburg, Virginia.  We then undulated across the hills and valleys of the Plateau, fording the upper tributaries of the Potomac River.  Our plan was to visit some of our old haunts, having completed our medical residencies at West Virginia University some 43 years ago.

Our first stop was at Spruce Knob, the highest summit in West Virginia (4863 feet).  A 12-mile, winding ascent takes visitors to a summit parking lot, where a forest of red spruce and spectacular overlooks greet the visitor.  The next destination was Seneca Rocks, about 20 miles to the north, where outcrops of Silurian sandstone loom above the Seneca Creek Valley.  Finally, after crossing the Eastern Continental Divide, we visited Blackwater Falls State Park, near Davis, where a long series of wooden steps lead down to views of the beautiful cascade.

Tomorrow we'll stop at Dolly Sods Wilderness (see Almost Canada) for the first time in four decades before heading north to stay with good friends near Morgantown (whom we met during our residency).  Overall, it will be an inspiring and nostalgic return to the Mountain State.

Shenandoah National Park

After descending back to the Ridge and Valley Province of the Appalachians, we traveled to the northeast, crossing the New River twice as it flowed toward the Ohio Valley and also crossing the James River, which flows to the Chesapeake Bay.  Our destination was Shenandoah National Park, in Virginia, which stretches for 105 miles atop a segment of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Early this morning, fog shrouded much of the scenery but rapidly burned off in the bright October sunshine.  On our winding journey northward, we stopped for two hikes but also pulled off at dozens of overlooks that are spaced along Skyline Drive.  The scenery was spectacular but the crowds were significant, especially for a Monday in late October.

As at all National Parks, tourism is overwhelming the resources and stressing the natural ecosystem; the central road, overlooks, trails and visitor centers were all heavily congested.  Furthermore, as scenic as the Park may be, there is little variety over the course of the day-long journey and wildlife viewing is almost nonexistent due to the widespread human activity.  When it comes to experiencing nature, I'll take a secluded, unheralded refuge over a National Park any day.

Into the Blue Ridge

Entering the Blue Ridge Mountains south of Elizabethton, Tennessee, we ascended along the Doe River, following its channel into Roan Mountain State Park and beyond to the high peaks that surround Roan Mountain.  On this chilly morning, frost and light snow coated the summits, most of which exceed 5500 feet in elevation.

Our next stop was Elk River Falls, just south of the North Carolina line.  This river is part of the Tennessee River watershed and its scenic falls, east of Elk Park, is reached by a short hike.  From this beautiful cascade, we moved on to Grandfather Mountain State Park, advertised to be the most popular tourist destination in the State; that claim was confirmed when we found a long line of cars at the entrance and learned from a road sign that visits to the Park must now be scheduled in advance (yet another indication that we are loving our Parks to death).

Diverting to the Blue Ridge Parkway, we enjoyed a short loop hike to Flat Rock and stopped at several spectacular overlooks as we traveled eastward.  Throngs of tourists crowded most of the viewpoints, apparently drawn to the Parkway by the brilliant autumn colors; solitude was not an option on this cool afternoon.  We will be attending a cultural festival near Ferguson, North Carolina, over the coming days before resuming our travels along the Blue Ridge. 

Through the Ridge & Valley Province

After hiking at Fall Creek Falls State Park and the Obed Wild & Scenic River Preserve (both of which I recommend) we headed east and dropped from the Appalachian Plateau, entering the Ridge and Valley Province of  the Appalachians.

As its name implies, this middle Province is characterized by parallel ranges (relatively low in elevation) that are separated by stream or river valleys, all of which (in Tennessee) eventually drain into the Tennessee River.  Indeed, as we drove eastward and then northeastward through the Province, we crossed the Clinch and Holston Rivers, two of the larger tributaries.

Nearing Knoxville, we could see the Great Smoky Mountains to the southeast; these well-known mountains anchor the Blue Ridge Range, the easternmost Province of the Appalachians, which rises across northern Georgia, northwestern South Carolina, southeastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and southern Pennsylvania.  Tomorrow, after a night in Johnson City, we begin our exploration of that Range.

October Scenery

On our drive from Missouri to Tennessee today, all of the cities, towns and homesteads were beautiful and the varied landscapes were spectacular.  Sponsoring this delightful scenery was the month of October, offering its brilliant sunshine, clear, cool air and colorful foliage.

In addition to the autumn splendor we encountered other sightings that made the road trip especially pleasant.  Among these were five major river crossings (Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers), plenty of rustic barns, placid livestock (free of summer insects), hundreds of turkey vultures soaring in the deep blue skies and a lone osprey hunting on Rend Lake (in southern Illinois).

We climbed onto the Appalachian Plateau (locally known as the Cumberland Plateau) east of Nashville and will spend the night in Crossville, Tennessee.  Hiking and more travel in the coming days.

Crossing the Lake Plain

Heading for my wife's family cabin in northeast Ohio today, we decided on a northern route to avoid urban congestion.  When we reached Ft. Wayne, Indiana, we were in the uppermost watershed of the Wabash River and soon dropped across the vast Lake Plain of northern Ohio, flattened by Pleistocene glaciers and later covered by vast meltwater lakes.

Lake Maumee covered the northwest corner of Ohio and initially spilled to the west, sculpting the Wabash River Valley (see The Maumee Torrent).  The Lake Plain from Toledo to Cleveland was covered by glacial Lake Warren, the larger predecessor of Lake Erie.  Driving eastward across the Plain, we crossed numerous rivers, large and small, all draining toward Lake Erie; indeed, as we left the Wabash River watershed and entered the Lake Plain, we had crossed the Eastern Continental Divide.

As we neared Cleveland on the Ohio Turnpike, a massive ridge of thunderstorms loomed across the eastern horizon.  Adorned with a rainbow, it seemed to promise milder air during our week on the Appalachian Plateau. 

Ida Stretches Out

After causing devastation in Louisiana, the remnants of Hurricane Ida will inject copious moisture across the Tennessee River Valley and as far to the northeast as Southern New England.  Augmented by a cold front that is dipping across the region, the heavy rains are expected to produce widespread flooding, especially in areas where the soil is already water-logged.

While hurricanes are best known (and most feared) for their high winds and storm surge, inland flooding is often their most deadly consequence, especially in areas where hilly or mountainous terrain concentrates the run-off.  Ida's tropical moisture may thus prove to be most problematic in the Southern Appalachians.

Of course, our warming climate is, once again, playing a role in this scenario.  The warming seas fuel the tropical storm or hurricane and the warmer air carries more moisture to distant landscapes.  Meanwhile, out west, the forests bake and wildfires rage.