Take a hike: Museum sponsors Earth Day hike

Dan Spaulding, botanist and curator of Collections for Anniston Museum of Natural History, will host an Earth Day hike to Almond Rock granite outcrop in Randolph Co. on April 22. The hike is part of a series of excursions to examples of the four types of outcroppings found in Alabama.

Spaulding has already taken a group to a sandstone outcropping and is planning hikes to limestone and dolomite glades. Each of the four types of outcroppings have a different mineral content which is inhospitable to many types of vegetation, making for a relatively easy trek.

Shallow mineral soils, bare rock surfaces and sparse vegetation cover allows high water runoff. These conditions make the granite outcrops like islands of desert within a sea of surrounding forest.

“The scenery itself is breathtaking,” said Spaulding of the moon-like outcrop, which in April will be alive with the colors and textures of spring wildflowers, mosses and lichens.

These outcrops provide unique habitats for the few types of plants that are able to adapt to this special habitat. Certain plant species can only be found on Piedmont granite outcrops, and many are rare or endangered. Environmental conditions there are harsher than in the adjacent forest. Temperatures on the outcrops are typically higher due to heat absorption in the rocks.

Unfortunately, local landowners and government agencies alike view most of the granite outcrops as relatively worthless land, since it cannot be used for construction, agriculture or grazing. This has frequently led to the land being used as dump sites for household or construction waste. Others have been destroyed by quarrying or have been covered by water after the construction of a dam (e.g., Lake Wedowee). The museum hopes the Almond Rock outcrop, one of the best granite glades left in Alabama, will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Granite outcrops are exposed rocks, found in the Piedmont and Appalachian Mountain regions. Geologists estimate this exposed granite in the Piedmont of the southeastern United States to be approximately 300-350 million years old. The outcrops were formed by the intrusion of molten granite into pre-existing rock below the surface. Over millions of years, erosion removed thousands of feet of overlying rock, exposing the more resistant granite.

The hike will cost $35, and participants will meet at the Anniston Museum of Natural History. They will then take a van to Almond Rock. Since seating and parking at the site are limited, the museum is requesting that participants make reservations to attend.

Hikers should bring water and a sack lunch and should wear sturdy shoes. Tennis shoes are acceptable, but not recommended.