Today's hike was to be a coalition of 3 MeetUp groups and the Uwharrie Trailblazers, leaving from a Wildlife Resources Commission property to Cedar Rock Mountain with stops at Camp 3 and the Dowd Mines. As the week and forecast unfolded, it ended up being just 5 of the Trailblazers leaving from Tot Hill Trailhead. We had to forgo all but the Cedar Rock destination due to some time constraints for a couple of the hikers. So, our route was from Tot Hill on the Birkhead Trail to the trail to Camp 3 Trail. I'm sorry to not have a name for this trail. It has evolved this way without a name. About half a mile along this trail is an old road leading left with a berm across it. This is our route to Cedar Rock.
At the .7 mile mark on this trail, just after crossing a small creek, there is a chimney fall with foundation on the left. Among the debris here is an old iron kettle. This is also our spot to leave the old road and just head up Cedar Rock. It is a short climb. Today, it was icy and the two of us with Katoolah Microspikes had a definite advantage. Above is the scene from the top. It is quite different from any other Uwharrie spot. We could clearly see Mt Shepherd today.
Our group of 5 parted ways here. Deb and I explored the area near the base of the mountain while the other 3 headed needed to retrace the route and head to Little Long Mountain for a scout project. I had previously seen many rock outcrops in the area and wanted to explore them more. We headed in the direction I remembered them to be. In the distance, what appeared to be a chimney, could be seen. Almost fully intact, this is a rare find in the Uwharries. It looked to have been a substantial home with a partial rock wall on one side.
We continued on, in the opposite direction in which I had intended. I wanted to see what else might be out here. We encountered a number of rock outcrops with piled rocks around them. Also, we spotted the two stone walls below which also were atop small rock outcrops. It is my guess, the area was cleared for pasture land.
We followed a creek for quite some distance beyond the rocky area. Finally, I decided to take out my gps and see if I had Tot Hill as a waypoint. I did and we were only .9 mile away. The creek we had been following is Betty McGee Creek. We needed to hike over to the Talbot Branch drainage to get to my vehicle. This turned out to be a rather nice walk in mature forest. We did encounter an old road and walked on it until it ended at a spot very near the footbridge over Talbot Creek. We made our way down the hill to the trail and were back at the trailhead. Total miles were between 5 and 6.
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