The Legend of the Fairy Stone

It is said that long, long ago fairies inhabited a certain quiet and remote region in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

The fairies roamed freely, enjoying the beauty and serenity of that enchanted place.

One day as the fairies were playing in a sunny glade, an elfin messenger arrived from a far away city bearing the sad news of Christ's death.

When the fairies heard the terrible details of the crucifixion, they wept.

As their tears fell to the earth, they crystalized into little stone crosses.

Though the fairies have long since disappeared, the little stone crosses, known as "Fairy Stones," still remain as mementos in that enchanted spot, in and around the boundaries of what is now known as Fairy Stone State Park in Virginia.

And so it was that as I took Thistle on his daily hikes in that area, I perused the ground for these stone crosses or "staurolite" crystals.

On my first try I found Mountain Laurel in full bloom along the roadway.

This park road adjoined the road leading to the campground where I stayed.

Notice how these trees start out as one at the base.

A little fairy peephole between the two trunks.

I didn't find any stone crosses that day, but I did find this heart-shaped stone that was pretty cool too.

So I kept it and made it into a magnet.

Then I googled what the fairy stone crosses should look like when found in nature. I learned they are composed of iron, aluminum, and silicate, formed under an exact combination of heat and pressure provided by the folding and crumbling of the earth's crust during the formation of the Appalachian Mountains.

As the staurolite-bearing schist is weathered away, the more resistant crystals are uncovered and found exposed on the earth's surface. Cleaned up and polished, they are often made into jewelry.

So I paid a visit to the nearby state park to learn more. I learned the legend and the science. I also learned of a designated place to go look for them. But it was a beautiful day, and the state park also had a lake. I saved the fairy stone search for another day.

Passing under a Tulip Tree on Fairy Stone Lake.

Tulips in the Tulip Tree.

The lake has many coves just waiting to be explored by kayak.

I called this one Turtle Cove.

I saw a pair of Kingfishers, but the only photo I got was this blurry bird in flight.

Checking out another quiet cove.

The main lake was a little windy, but the coves were calm.

And the steep banks were covered with Mountain Laurel.

There are cabins for rent on the other side of the lake.

Pretty blue skies and a crow flying by.

I was hoping for loons, but all I got was a pair of Mallard Ducks.

Another lakeside cabin.

Another kayaker with her dog.

After kayaking, I stopped in the gift shop where I bought two fairy stones, in case I couldn't find any on my own. You can see these are still partially embedded in the surrounding schist.

These are the most common shapes of the stones. I believe the two I bought are both Roman, or possibly the one on the right is Maltese.

Another day I drove to the hunt site I was told about.

A storm was coming, so I didn't stay long.

But I picked up a few stones from under the tree roots to examine.

And I do believe one of them has a single crystal embedded in schist, as seen on the left side in this picture. 

So I deem it a successful venture. While the science behind the staurolite crystals is interesting, I find the legend of the "fairy stones" more fun.

Graveyard Fields

Found this in the gift shop at Mt. Pisgah Lodge. It fits, so I took a picture.

My RVing friend Claudia was traveling in the area, so she stopped by for two nights to go hiking with me! Thistle was happy to see Howdy again. He never knows when or where members of his "pack" will show up.

We took the car about 10 miles south on the parkway to a popular hiking place called Graveyard Fields, so named by the remains of fallen trees years ago. But the trail is mostly about waterfalls.

You start out by descending several stairs and pass through this tunnel of rhododendrons.

Then more stairs that lead to Lower Falls of a stream named Yellowstone Prong.

For generations these waters have turned mill wheels to grind corn for mountain residents.

Yellowstone Prong is also home to the Appalachian's only native brook trout, known locally as speckled trout. Thistle was looking for them.

Native azaleas are blooming along the trail.

Azaleas

More stairs lead down to the base of lower falls, a popular swimming hole in the summer months.

You can see the falls through the trees.

Lower Falls. There's a deep pool at the base beyond the rocks, but I couldn't get it in the picture without scrambling over the rocks.

Next we climbed back up all those stairs and took the trail through Graveyard Fields to the Upper Falls, near the headwaters of the Yellowstone Prong.

Through the area know as Graveyard Fields.

Across some boardwalks.

Along some bedrock...

Through lots of wet and muddy places where spring runoff is occurring.

Over some rooty areas.

God's bouquet of trillium.

There were a few creek crossings.

Rock-hopping

Forget-me-nots and ferns.

More mud.

The trail was eroded in several spots.

I'm guessing the shallow roots are due to the bedrock beneath.

Pretty ground cover.

At last we could see the falls through the trees.

We cannot see the top of the falls from here. 

The water falls farther up and cascades a long way over these rocks.

We stopped to rest and eat a snack before attempting to go higher to see the top.

And we must have really wanted to do that! Howdy went under the log, but Claudia is making her come back and go over it with her.

This is the best view we got near the top of the Upper Falls. 

Trees were in the way of a better view, and we both declined to go higher.

On the descent.

Thistle had to sample all the water.

We finished the Graveyard Fields Loop trail back to the parking lot.

More rhododendrons and more wet spots.

Trillium dotting the forest floor.

More information about the history of Graveyard Fields.

The hike was about five and a half miles with lots of variety to make it interesting. I enjoyed having Claudia and Howdy as hiking companions.