Poplar, chestnut, blueberry, elm, birch, sourwood, black locust, ash and redbud were also notable. The last half mile was quite steep, but the hike is not as grueling as most report it to be. The fire tower is a welcome reward. The view is splendid. We were both walloped more than once by the pugnacious steel beams.
Bees are abundant and pounce hungrily upon packed lunches.
But they will rarely sting the calm hiker. The view of the lake is gorgeous. Our trip up Shuckstack was in the second week of June. White rhododendron was sparse along the paved roadside, azaleas occasional at elevation. We made the nine mile round trip in five hours at a leisurely pace.