Jan 9 Three Sisters and Sheeprock

With hiking partners Deb and Will, I set out on this interesting traverse of Hanging Rock Ridge including the Three Sisters and Sheeprock.

Beginning at the Visitors Center, we walked up the wide trail to Hanging Bluff. Just past where the trail reaches the bottom of the bluff, Will pointed out the old route to the top of the bluff. He had visited the park several times in his youth and remembered the route prior to all the stone steps being added. 

After climbing the stone steps, we turned right on what now is a recognizable trail leading out Hanging Rock Ridge. We are treated to views to the south. Flat Shoals Mountain, part of the park, stands by itself. The rest of the landscape is flat. We can easily see Duke Power steamstacks at the Belows Lake powerplant. The skylines of Winston-Salem and Greensboro take a bit more searching to see and High Point is discernible with a little keener eye. On the north side we can see the Blue Ridge from Fishers Peak to the Roanoke area. The only mountains I can identify are Buffalo and Bull. Will can reel almost all of them off. He also points out the ridges and mountains not part of the Blue Ridge.

Hanging Rock Ridge very slightly slopes down in the direction we're hiking but doesn't deviate much until the pronounced drop between the HRR and the First Sister. Along the way, we scramble over rock and pass through a keyhole. It is much fun here.

On the way down to the saddle before the First Sister, we pick up a flagged route which eventually leads to the site of the 1963 plane wreck. Seeing this wreck up close reminds me how fragile a small plane can be. I recall the metal swingset we used to have, had a sturdier metal frame.

Leaving the plane wreckage, we decide to go straight up the First Sister. This was our first battle with greenbrier, laurel and rhododendron. Long before we reached the top, we encountered a faint manway and followed it up. At the top, we ate lunch on an outcrop. Then moved below some bluffs before finding a way up. The outcrops here are much smaller than those of HRR. 

In the saddle between First and Second Sister, we see an old roadbed choked with laurel and rhododendron on the north side. We climb the Second Sister and see the Third Sister ahead. The next saddle is not as deep. We make our way up and over the Third Sister to a very interesting spot. The south side of this ridge has some great bluffs leading on down to Sheeprock. We explore them all.

This is the first bluff we encounter. The east end of Flat Shoals is in the background.

Here is the second bluff we explore. This is part of a series of bluffs.

At this bluff, Will and I scramble down to see this keyhole. 

Will looks through the keyhole. There is also a small cave in this vicinity.

On our way back, we see an old roadbed in very nice condition on the north side of the Third Sister. We follow this road, bypassing the climb up and down the Third Sister. In the saddle between Third and Second Sister, we see the road continue around the north side of the Second Sister. It is so alluring, we take the bait. You may recall we saw the other end of this road earlier and I described it as "laurel and rhododendron choked". As you might guess, we ran into that mess and struggled through it. Next time, I'm going over the top.

Back on HRR, we look for and find the rock, Will has described as a balanced rock. It is also the site of a stealth campsite. We scramble down to get a close look. The rock is huge; the size of a double garage but its footprint is only a fraction of its circumference. It was quite interesting to walk around it. Will mentioned, Dave Cook had led an outing here and continued further, staying low on the bluffs to a cave a couple hundred yards east. 

Before returning, I mention the route we have just taken is being considered as a trail route to Danbury. Will thinks it would be included in the Mountains to Sea Trail bypassing the current road walk into Danbury. He says it would be the most talked about section of the MST in this area. I agree it would be a spectacular trail but also would like to see some areas of the park remain free of trail development. 

Jan 5 Waterfalls at South Mountains State Park

Today's hike at South Mountains State Park was led by David Memory. Although the hike ended up at the same place we started, it included parts of  7 or 8 different trails. Early on, crossing Shinny Creek presented a bit of a challenge for our group of nine. However, only one wet foot was reported.

As we walked the ridgeline, we were treated with several good views. Using my peak finder application, we could identify, Roan, Grandfather, Beech and without it, it was easy to identify Table Rock and Hawksbill. Our view South was limited and did not include the Charlotte skyline as hoped.

Our hike ended after passing the top attraction in the park, High Shoals Waterfall. The elaborate wood staircase alongside the multiple drop waterfall, makes for a relatively easy ascent or in our case, descent. Climbing in this area without the staircase would be a difficult scramble. The granite here is a type which fractures both horizontally and vertically. So in the event of an earthquake, more granite will break apart than normally would. Over time, that has happened here. Note the photo to the right and the large number of boulders. 

Jan 2 Rock Castle Gorge

This is the standard 11 mile loop from the CC Camp Road. It is windy and bit cold today. We encountered some snow as we reached the top of the ridge. Walking in the open meadow was windy. I managed to warm up at the stone shelter with some hot tea.

For the next few miles we are in and out of the wind. For some reason, the hills took their toll on me today. I was glad to see the last one before heading into the apple orchard. Once back on the old road along Rock Castle Creek, I began to see many signs of homesites and old fields. The land next to creek often was flat enough to farm. It was the only land here that could be farmed. We saw remnants of an old bridge across the creek, an old roadbed reinforced with a stone wall to keep it from washing away and what appeared to a  terrace by the creek (right at the primitive camping area).

Jan 1 2015 Haw River State Park

Every North Carolina State Park offers at least one first day hike. Haw River State Park is a place I've never ventured to so I chose this hike. It is led by Kelly King, Park Superintendent. We are hiking a a new trail in a section of the park not currently accessible. The road we drove in on is gated but open today for our group of about 70. 

Kelly leads a slow hike on farmland recently owned by a Richardson family. Their ownership dates back a couple hundred years. The farm borders the Haw River. Although, if you are familiar with the Haw River as it flows through Saxapahaw and Bynum on its way to Jordan Lake, you'd not recognize it at all. Here is is 20 feet across and resembles a creek. Creeks are not defined by their width, but by their length. If you look along the NC coast, there are very wide creeks. Some as wide as a mile but they are very short. 

Eastern Red Cedars on this former farm are huge. I also note many hickories and beech in the area. As we approach the creek like river, there is a wetland of several acres. Beavers have constructed a lodge at the edge of the wetland, partly on sound ground and partly in the water.

After 4.5 miles we are back where we began. the plan is to build a parking area in the vicinity and open this part of the park up. For now you can still access it but from the other side.

Dec 28 Stone Mountain State Park

A beautiful day for the wide open views atop Stone Mountain. Recent rain provided full creeks, waterfalls and every rock had water streaming off it. From our lunch spot above, we could see Grandfather, Table Rock, Hawksbill and perhaps Black Mountain. My peak finder application said so!

It looks like easy walking up here and it is. However, as you get lower, it drops dramatically.

It looks like a wall next to this old farm at the base of the mountain.

The waterfall was excited today. As you climb up you can see more of it as it snakes it way down the rock face.

Dec 20 Kindred Spirit

A couple miles of beach walk from Sunset Beach will lead you here. Originally this mailbox was on an island, Bird Island. It is no longer an island since the inlet filled in. I am told, in order to reach the island and mailbox when the inlet existed, you had to plan to walk there during low tide. The water was just deep enough, and the out current strong enough, to prevent access during other times. Now you can barely tell where the inlet was. 

Back when it was a chore to get here, the mailbox really was for kindred spirits. Poems were left in the box. Interesting stuff was there, I am told. Today it is chock full of notebooks filled with messages. Some ask Santa for gifts. Some ask for help with the car payments. Dear Kindred Spirit, give me the strength to find a job. Ok, there is some good stuff but who wants to wade through notesbooks of drivel to find it.

So popular is the Kindred Spirit mailbox, another impostor mailbox has sprung up nearby. It doesn't have the same cachet. 

Dec 18 Cedar Rock Mountain

Cedar Rock Mountain is on the eastern fringe of the Birkhead Wilderness in the Uwharrie National Forest. There are private homes on it and a cellular tower. I hiked in from Tot Hill trailhead. Technically offtrail, there is a rather nice two track leading to it off the trail to Camp 3. A few trees have fallen across the old road but it is still an easy walk. As I approached the base, there are 3 rock outcrops on the left. Behind them is a chimney fall. I noticed an old rusted kettle in the leaf litter nearby.

It is an easy hike up to the exposed rock which caps the mountain. A few cedars eke out an existence in the rock. There is a very limited view toward Asheboro. I think I was seeing Mt Shepherd and the Klaussner water tower. Finding a viewing spot took some time. You have to find just the right spot.

Returning down the mountain, I decided to look around the old homeplace. A short distance away is a series of rock outcrops. Several have stones piled high on the base, as the photo above shows. It appears this area was cleared of rocks for some purpose.

The rock outcrops continue. I guess the area was about 5 acres. A small creek nearby led me back to the old road.