Pine cones are "little treasures that drop from the trees and wait like new friends to be found. Pine cones show us that we are all different, all beautiful, all perfect in our imperfection." (unknown) We took a day off from painting the interior of our home and hiked the Homestead Loop at Red Top Mountain.I found this particular pine cone along the trail and noticed the thorns/spikes. Most other pinecones didn't have these thorns.
