Nov 3 TRLT Outdoor Challenge Day 3

 Blue Heron Loop Trail at Haw River SP

I'm doing an AM and PM hike today. Haw River State Park is one of the newer state parks, having been established for only 15 years. The main hiking trail is a 4 mile loop which borders for about a mile along the Haw River wetland.

A different geology going on here. The rusty red rocks here must be responsible for the the trailhead's name - Iron Ore Belt Access. 

the wetland

Once the trail crosses a power cut, you enter a forest sprinkled with massive Eastern Red Cedars. They are very impressive trees and somehow escaped the sawmill. There was a very successful mill in Greensboro, specializing in Eastern Red Cedar products, back in the day. In 1954 my father built what became our family home in Guilford, Connecticut. He lined the two closets in the master bedroom with cedar. Last year (2019) when I was cleaning out the home and preparing it for sale, I ran across a box of leftover cedar, obviously saved from the closet construction in 1954. The back of each piece is embossed "BROWNS SUPERCEDAR CLOSETING-GREENSBORO NC".

NC Zoo has Hiking Trails too!

The Purgatory Trail has been around for a long time. It leads from the zoo's overflow parking area, up Purgatory Mountain. The mountain gained some fame as the hideout for young Quaker boys forcibly conscripted into the Confederate army as told by Bill Johnson in his historical fiction "Moon Over Purgatory" novel. 

We follow the newly constructed Middle Mountain Trail to its other end on Woodell Country Road. I am surprised to see a large parking area and signage. Although, it does not appear anyone has hiked here recently. It is a pleasant forest experience and the trail has been constructed with an excavator, smoothing it out nicely. 

An observation tower above the canopy in planned. Wow!

Now it is up Purgatory on a rocky trail, where we see the sign indicating an observation tower is in the plans. That would make this a wildly popular trail. 

After retracing back partway, we take the next trail, Moonshine Run. This is an out and back adding a mile to our hike. Lots of rhyolite outcrops along here. 

Overall, this is a 5.5 mile hike. That is very impressive and so close to Asheboro.