Kevin Redding of Piedmont land Conservancy organized this walkabout on a recently acquired property. A small gathering met roadside to walk in on a narrow strip of the property, sandwiched between two adjacent landowners. Despite downloading maps of the property on Avenza, we manage to walk way off onto the adjacent land before correcting our error.
Once back on the property, we began our tour. Early on we stumbled upon some farm dumps, including rusting hulks of farm machinery. The forest varied from scrubby mismanaged thickets to mature hardwoods. The forest had been cruised and marked for timbering. Many of the trees bore the telltale blue slashes of those that were to be taken out. Those trees earned a reprieve when PLC purchased the property, trees still intact.
Old timber roads can be found throughout. There is a well worn 2 track creekside. The creek is Little Carraway Creek. At one point a steep hill comes right down to the creek, covered in Mountain Laurel. That spot is too steep for the creekside 2 tract to slip through. See above.
Mt Shepherd
Mt Shepherd, the highest point in Randolph County is often seen in the near distance. Elevation is listed at various heights between 1150 and 1157 feet. It may not be visible at all in the summer with leaves out.
The creek and old dam are the main attractions. The dam is very well constructed with huge stones. Check out the lintels over the tunnel outlets. I've read that this type dam is a water fence. Their purpose is to slow the water flow so silt can settle out. The design is not to impound water nor to power a mill. The center of the dam is built lower than the sides, presumably to speed up the velocity of the flow and redirect it into the creekbed during floods.
After viewing the dam, we followed the creek until the topography got too steep to continue. There was much debris in this area. Lots of plastic and glass waste littered the area.
We encountered a massive Shortleaf Pine in this area. It had a large low branch indicating it was in an open area when it was young.
Our crew follows an old road headed to the dam.
Crown of the Willow Oaks
Very impressive to me, were the number of Willow Oaks on and near the property. There were several massive ones on top of a knoll which would have had a view when it was open. There were a few bushy Eastern Red Cedars here as well which would indicate it was open at one time.
The Willow Oaks
Many thanks to Kevin for inviting me. I enjoyed the 3 1/2 mile jaunt around the property.
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