Most people hike Molly's Knob at Hungry Mother State Park for the beautiful view at the top, which is no doubt stunning and worth the effort, but what about the journey along the way? As a Master Naturalist and birder, I tend to be a slow hiker because I want to stop all along the way and get a close-up look at every interesting thing I see… and oh, did I see some cool stuff along the trail here!  

View from the top of Molly's Knob

Peaceful off-season, weekday hiking 

It was extra peaceful because I hiked during a weekday and in the off-season. And it was early spring before the leaves really grew in. Unobstructed views and a quiet atmosphere are ideal for a naturalist because I could hear and see birds very easily (along with far-off stunning views of the valley below). It also meant I was the only one on the trail for the 2.5 hours I spent on it.  

Unobstructed views along the way

A bird and something bubble-gum-pink  

One of the birds I enjoyed hearing regularly all along the trail was a blue-headed vireo. I even got a chance to see it, after getting teased the whole time, when I was on my way back and stopped for the second time at the observation deck at the 0.4-mile mark.  

Blue-headed vireo (Photo by Andrew Rapp)

A trail as steep as Molly's Knob, over 1,000 feet of elevation gain during 1.9 miles one-way, means I was also naturally hiking slower due to trying to catch my breath from the incline. During these moments when I had to stop to catch my breath or the naturalist in me caught a glimpse of something neat, I kept seeing unique things each time I took a break.  

One unique thing I saw was this bubble-gum-pink lichen (pronounced like-en), the first time I've ever seen this colored lichen! I was wearing the same-colored shirt, so clearly, I was lichen it (naturalist jokes are worse than dad jokes, you've been warned). By using the iNaturalist app, I identified it as pink earth lichen. 

Pink earth lichen (Dibaeis baeomyces)

What is lichen? And why it is fascinating? 

You may assume that lichen is a type of fungi (well, it's a fun-guy, but I digress), but that’s only partially true. Lichen is a complex life form of two organisms living together as one, also known as a composite organism. Usually, lichen is the partnership of a fungus and one or more algae. However, the secondary partner can also be a cyanobacteria. 

I am fascinated by lichen for a few reasons; one is that it looks weird and comes in so many interesting forms, with around 3,600 species in North America. Another reason is it can be ancient. For example, map lichen in the Arctic has been dated to 8,600 years old — making it one of the oldest organisms in the world. Another cool factor is that lichen filters the air, and when there is a lot in an area, it's an indicator of good air quality.  If you want to learn even more about lichen, check out this article from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.  

The thing is, I really had to look closely to see the pink earth lichen! The following picture shows what it looked like when I was standing straight up. If I wasn’t paying close attention to my surroundings, I would’ve missed the most interesting thing (to me) on the trail. 

I also saw this red-tipped lichen with the common name southern soldiers that I had seen before, but I still took the opportunity for a closer look at this seemingly otherworldly thing. I also spotted another kind, called kidney-fringed lichen, in the mix of moss.  

Southern soldiers (Cladonia didyma)

Butterflies everywhere 

All throughout my hike, I kept seeing a little dark brown butterfly. It stayed still long enough for me to take a photo, which helped me identify it using iNaturalist. I found out it was a duskywing butterfly. At a glance, they look black and flutter by quickly. But on close inspection, you can see they are quite detailed in shades of brown.  

Juvenal's duskywing (Erynnis juvanalis)

I also had a magical moment on the summit of Molly's Knob. Not only was my breath taken away from the view (and steep trail) but also by a butterfly photobomber. I set up my phone on a tripod (as a social media manager does) to take a video of myself at the top when the first eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly I had seen all day flew right toward me. After that, I saw a few more at the summit. The swallowtails must also like that view. 

Neat rocks 

Another neat thing I noticed was a lot of rocks that seemed to be perfectly cut into squares. I don't quite understand the phenomenon here, but I found it so interesting. I also saw purplish and yellow-tinted slate rocks. I was the little kid who collected buckets full of rocks.  But today, I understand I should leave rocks and anything I find where I see it in nature. So, I just admired and kept on.  

I saw a lot of neat rocks along the trail.

A mysterious ball 

One more perplexing thing I noticed was these hollow balls, which were light as a feather and the size of the palm of my hand. A tiny perfect hole made me think an insect had been in it. I guessed they were seed balls because I saw some hanging from a tree. Later, I discovered using the iNaturalist app that they are actually larva pods made from oak leaves by gall wasps. Wow. Nature is so cool.  

Oak galls

Happy trails! 

So, if you're looking to just get to the top of Molly’s Knob, be my guest! But I encourage you to be curious about nature and take your time on the trail, otherwise you’ll miss a lot of interesting things along the journey. (Let that be your excuse for hiking to Molly’s Knob slowly, since it's a difficult hike anyway.)