Shrewsbury Peak/BlackSwamp/Canty Side Trails

I was unable to get out for an overnight hike on the LT this weekend, so I took Sunday, June 3 as a chance to hike a few side trails. I start out at 11:00 am on the Black Swamp Trail (2,300 ft). For the first 0.8 mile this trail follows the woods road pictured above. The road is closed to vehicles until mid-July because this area is a favorite place for Black Bears. I keep my eyes peeled but do not see any. I do see a few tracks that were either bear or large dog. I'm not sure as my tracking skills have deteriorated ever since I stopped watching Fess Parker - TV's Daniel Boone - Now he could track a bear!
I do come across a number of piles of Moose droppings. I can't resist and take a picture of one of the piles. For those of you who have not seen it this is about the usual quantity although I have seen as much as twice this amout in one spot. After leaving the road I follow a traditional trail as it steadily climbs up the east side of Shrewsbury Peak. At 1.8 miles I came to Shrewsbury Peak Shelter, a log lean-to built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). It was not in very good shape on the inside - I wouldn't want to spend a night there.
I reached the peak (3,720 feet) at 2.1 miles where I am treated to a nice view. Also along the way I came across a frog sitting on a rock. He never moves as I get out my camera and take a picture from 2-3 feet away.It was my intention to come off of the Peak to the North side and hike 2.1 miles to the intersection with the LT. Unfortunately, the trail is not well marked on the Peak and I instead come down the west side on the Shrewsbury Peak Trail. Fortunately, there is a trail I still must do, the Bucklin Trail, that will put me in position to cover the missed ground. The trail down is steep and not nearly as well-developed as the other teails I have been on. On the way down I came across a shelter that is not on the map or the trail guide. It had a name plate calling it the Russell Hill Shelter. I could find out nothing more about its history. A bit further on I came to a break in the woods that was growing up with many ferns. This shot doesn't quite do justice to the beauty of the field.
As I near the trailhead I come across an old homestead with its chimney still in place. The floor of the house was slate rock and I can walk around it and get a good feel for its dimensions. I reach the trailhead after a 1.9 mile descent from the peak. I now have to walk 1.5 miles along a CCC road to get back to the Black Swamp trailhead and my car. Along the way I cross a babbling brook that I take a picture of from above. When I reach my car I have hiked 5.4 miles. It is only about 2:00 so I decide I can hike another trail that starts about a 30 minute drive away. I find the Canty Trail with only a little difficulty as the trailhead is not well marked. It is a 4.8 mile (round trip) trail that climbs to the Peak of Blue ridge Mountain (3,278 ft.). This trail is not an official side trail of the LT but it is on the map and I figure I should hike all of the trails on the map before I'm finished with this challenge. It is hot today and as I start out, I realize I have sweated a lot of water. I've been drinking a lot but not enough to keep up with the heat. After about 3/4ths of a mile the trail connects with an old woods road and begins to climb steeply up Blue Ridge Mountain. I pass a woman and her dog coming down and ask her if she went all the way to the top. She says, "No - just to the Waterfall - that's enough of a climb for me". Now I have something to look forward to...a climb and a waterfall.The waterfall turns out to be today's highlight. Perhaps it is better labeled a cascade. My guess is that it falls about 35-40 feet. I soak my bandana at its base and continue to climb. I leave the woods road and continue steeply upward on the trail. Several times I think about turning back but I'm determined to reach the top. When I do the view is impressive, and my picture doesn't do it justice. I sit on the ledge for 10 minutes and eat some trail mix and drink some water. My legs are sore and I'm feeling worn out. The climb down goes very quick although I have one problem. As I step up to go over a fallen log my right calf siezes up in a massive cramp that immediately takes me to the ground. I get up and try to walk it off, with some success, but it continues to pester me for the remaining 1.5 miles of the hike. I get back to my car by 6:00 pm and am ready to call it a day. I have covered 10.3 miles on a day when the temperature exceeds 90 degrees with high humidity. I have climbed two mountains totalling 2,900 ft of climbing and descending.