This past week I spent several days at the Beartree Recreation Area, which is part of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in southwestern Virginia. My wife and I enjoy that part of the Appalachians and we end up there at least once a year.

One day we decided to take the short hike from the road at Backbone Rock Recreation Area to see Backbone Rock Falls. This impressive waterfall plunges down into a small narrow canyon that's about 100 feet deep. The gorge is full of poplars and hemlocks. One of the poplars near the very bottom of the little gorge was worth photographing. I had no way to measure it, but I thought you ENTS folk would like to see the photo. The tree is not impressive in girth, but is very tall and has grown completely beyond the lip of the gorge and beyond.

James Smith