I needed a break from studying so Michelle and I hiked to the top of the mountain behind our house via Caney Island and Mike's Branch. Our route was straight up the mountain and after a long, hard 1500 foot elevation change we reached our goal. We hiked an old mine bench and came out Mike's Branch. Winter is setting in but we still found some insects and flowers blooming along the way. The birds were active and we found 29 different species including Swamp Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Junco, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Phoebe, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.