Ridges Mountain

Ken Bridle led this New Years Day hike on the Ridges Mountain property. Several years ago, Piedmont Land Conservancy with several partners raised money to purchase this property. Title was transferred to the state and it is now administered by the North Carolina Zoo. Permission to enter the property must be secured through the zoo. The main attraction are the huge boulders on adjacent land owner, Ben Crotts' property. Mr Crotts has compiled some historical information and photos on a website owned by John Wesley College in High Point, NC. Ridges Mountain

The boulder area is leased to a climbing or bouldering club. Several members were present, climbing the boulders. Many of the boulders had white chalk markings in cracks and crevices where climbers had attempted to scale them. I was glad to see a couple mattresses on the ground beneath the climbers. One fellow landed with a thud on a mattress after a 6 or 7 foot fall.

Historical references indicate the area was prairie when first encountered by European travelers around 1700. Thus, the rocks would likely have been visible for some distance and likely were visited often. It appears to me, the rocks could easily have been made into homes or structures by Indians, simply by leaning some poles up against them and adding some roofing material. Early references to a large cave here, could have been such a structure.

Touring around the site, many stacked rock formations are seen and change as you view them from different angles. It appears rocks are on top of rocks in some cases. It is a wonderful place to visit.

In addition to the rocks, the property also contains several upland or vernal pools which harbor many salamanders or other amphibian life. With no fish, it is a perfect place for such creatures to live. Although the pools appear to dry in the summer, it is still damp enough to continue a life support for these amphibians.