Oct 20 Uwharrie Trail Celebration 2018

The 6th Annual Uwharrie Thru Hike gathers at Walker's Creek Trailhead for the Uwharrie Trailblazer's and Three Rivers Land Conservancy's annual Trail Celebration. Some light afternoon rain kept the crowd to about 80 people, 60 of whom were thru hikers. The hike event began early Thursday morning, still in darkness, at Asheboro Airport. Hikers began arriving early for registration and shuttling to the hike start point about an hour away. Asheboro Airport has parking space for about 15 vehicles. We had 40 and then another 6 or 7 volunteers. We parked vehicles along a 1/4 mile stretch of road on the airport property. 

The NC Zoo provided 3 buses to transport everyone. Zoo buses have an area for stowing wheelchairs which was perfect for stacking backpacks. The fist bus left about 8:15 followed by the second at 8:40. The final and smallest bus left just before 9 and it was filled to the gills.

Live auction items for Trail Celebration

Thursday's hike begins at the Woods Run Trailhead on Rts 24/27 near the Lake Tillery bridge. It is about a 10 mile hike to a NFS primitive campsite, Yates Place. Here the hikers checked in and located a suitable spot to set up. There was a group campfire and libations as everyone celebrated the first day on the trail. We started the day with 64 and had a couple drop out after completing the first day.

Raffle items at Trail Celebration

Second day is the toughest and longest at 11 miles. The recent twin storms, Florence and Michael, left their mark on the forest. Major blowdowns between Dusty Road and Rt 109 will have to addressed soon. The day's hike ended at Jumpin Off Rock. We had cleared an area nearby for a firepit and temporary trails to access a flat area suitable for tent and hammock camping. After spending the previous 2 years at the trailhead parking area, we wanted to limit our impact on the area. We also provided a portalet, although it didn't arrive until 8pm.

Third day on the trail is my favorite. We had about 20 day hikers which we shuttled from Walker Creek trailhead to Jumpin Off Rock. One of the highlights today is the overnight shelter on top of Little Long Mountain. With long range views, this is a great spot to spend the night. The Trailblazers and Land Trust were instrumental in obtaining this property, transferring it to the Uwharrie National Forest and made it possible for a shelter to built as an Eagle Scout project. We dedicated the nearby trailhead to Uwharrie Trail pioneer, Joe Moffitt. From here the trail goes up and over King Mountain, the highest point on the trail. Florence took out an old culvert in the section which will require a rerouted trail soon.

The hike then heads off onto a 2 mile section which we are currently building. It will become part of the Uwharrie National Recreation Trail within a year. The hike ends on private property, owned by the NC Zoo Society. This property will transfer to the Uwharrie National Forest within the next year. Two years ago, we received grant money from the Randolph Hospital Foundation and A3 Healthy Communities organization to build a parking area on the property. A scout project set up fencing and built a kiosk.

Food lineup at trail Celebration

Saturday night is time to celebrate the trail, fellowship and our vision for the future. All the partners mentioned thus far, are engaged with the Forest Service to maintain the current trail and connect it to the Birkhead Wilderness, just a mile away. At one of our future celebrations, we'll be celebrating that connection.

REI stores in the Charlotte area were on site with some hammocks for display, cornhole game and a smore station. They also provided a metal firepit for the evening. REI generously provided a number of items for our raffle.

Four Saints Brewing donated beer for the evening. The Forest Service had a couple folks there. Local trail enthusiasts were present including Uwharrie legend, Mike Chisholm. Travis Morehead with the Three Rivers land Conservancy spoke about its role in the Uwharries. Former Uwharrie specialist with Three Rivers LT and now Executive Director with Piedmont Land Conservancy, Kevin Redding was in attendance as well.

David Craft conducted the ceremony, finishing with this year's presentation of the Trail Champion Award. Don Childrey, author of , our trail bible, Uwharrie Lakes Region Trail Guide  received the award. Don has been a longtime supporter of the trail and is the only person to complete all 6 thru hikes. 

Don Childrey, accompanied by his wife, received Trail Champion Award

The final day of the event, starts out with a 2 mile road walk. This is why we are so dedicated to closing the trail gap to the Birkheads. Hikers start out on blacktop and then the half mile gravel road to the Robbins Branch trailhead. Our event's official route is on Hannah Creek Trail but some participants choose the shorter route on Robbins Branch Trail. Downed trees on both trails are going to require much work. Since motorized equipment is not allowed in Wilderness Areas, it is likely, some of the bigger blowdowns are going to remain with the trail skirting around them.

The first hikers arrive super early, around 10:30am at Tot Hill trailhead. By 2pm, everyone is off the trail and on their way home.

Dave Gardner's 70 gal water tank provided water throughout the hike

There's Dave in the rattlesnake banded cowboy hat

Travis Morehead tells us about the Land Trust's role

This is one of the signs we'll be using to replace the old and sometimes, inaccurate trail signs in the Birkhead Wilderness. Other signs we had made for the trail outside the wilderness, were treated wood with routed lettering painted yellow. In the wilderness, we decided to make the signs out of natural cedar and leave the routed lettering unpainted.

Til next year.

Sept 13-15 West Highland Way

Trail starts right behind this bench

On the eve of our WHW hike, we made our way via taxi to the Glasgow suburb of Milngavie. Our first lodging is at the Premier Inn. Over the course of late afternoon, we assemble the rest of our party. Will, Mary, Nanci and I have spent the day together. Robin, Allen and Jim and Carol have arrived separately. We all walked the half mile into Milngavie center to have dinner at Gavie & Company. 

Off and walking

After a pleasant breakfast, we retrace the route into Milngavie center, locate the small obelisk which marks the start of the WHW, take the obligatory group photos and begin the hike. We are in and out of residential areas for a ways and then follow, loosely, the Allawander River. We are in and out of forests, roadwalking some and in an open field, getting wet at times.

Middle Earth

Someone's vacation cottage takes on a hobbit house look. Unlike a Hobbit, the owner drove off in a BMW.

The large open area gives us some great views of the mountains ahead. It starts to rain and we don our waterproofs. This section of the trail is also part of the John Muir Way.

Is that blue sky?

Late in the morning, we follow alongside a sewer line, pass the Glengoyne Distillery and end up at the Beech Tree Inn for lunch. This is a quirky place with lots of kid attractions. We sit outside in a sheltered area for lunch.

Back on the trail, again we are in an open field for some time before exiting onto a lonely country road alongside a rushing creek. We walk along this road for several miles, finally taking a short shortcut into the town of Dryman. Will and Mary are staying at a separate accommodation this evening, so we make plans to reconvene at 5 to look for someplace to eat.

Dinner at this old pub

We end up eating in this cozy place. We were warned that we would need reservations but somehow we managed to get chairs and a table in the bar.

The tunnel outside Dryman

A rather late start today at 9am. After a short roadwalk, we travel through this tunnel of hedgerows. Then it is back into an open field. For a couple miles we pass a reforested area in which separate tree species were grown in a series of monocultures.

From Conic Hill

The trail makes a dramatic change, entering a huge open meadow. We reach a low point and then begin the big climb up Conic Hill. It is an extremely slow walk up. On top, we can see Loch Lomand for the first time. The largest fresh water lake in the UK will be at our side for two days.

Loch Lomand from Conic Hill

Say cheese

Steps descending from Conic Hill

The descent utilizes steps. I wish I had brought my poles for this. We see several people foraging mushrooms in the forest. Finally, we descend into the village of Balmaha. There is a huge parking area here. Tour buses and many passenger cars disgorge day hikers looking to hike along Loch Lomand or up Conic Hill. We enter the local and only pub, Oak Tree Inn for lunch.

Alongside Loch Lomand

The afternoon's hike is alongside Lock Loamnd. It also follows a road which narrows to a single lane. There are two good uphill pulls on this section. We stumble into the Rowardennan Inn. This is near the end of the road and has a remoteness to it. The attached pub, the Clansman, is the only WiFi in the area. I enjoyed my meal here that evening.

Morning on Loch Lomand

Second night, Rowardennan Inn

"Clansman" means something different in Scotland

We are off and walking rather early. All morning we are on an easy trail in the forest. One area takes on a magical feel. We make a short side trip to a bothy (shelter). There is a ruin here and we notice the bothy has smoke coming from the chimney. A quick peak inside reveals what appears to be a birthday celebration set up waiting for the participants.

The falls at Inversnaid

Inversnaid is a small village alongside Loch Lomand, accessed by a spur road from the east. There is a rather large hotel with a fancy pub where we had some lunch.

Scrambling near Rob Roy's cave

The afternoon's hike is again alongside Loch Lomand and is considerably rougher. We have to scramble up and down rocks. At one point, Will and I make a side excursion to see Rob Roy's cave. I hardly think anyone would occupy this cave for anything more than shelter in really bad weather.

Continuing on, we pass many waterfalls and a series of creeks on very well built bridges. It is wet and rocky. In the blink of an eye, we exit the forest and are in the open on easier trail. Of course it is raining and the puddles are getting bigger.

Bothy ruins

A bit wet this afternoon

Another bothy and a ruin beside it occupies a scenic spot. I look inside the bothy. How dark and dank it looks. After a long afternoon, I make it to the Bienglas Farm for the evening.

It is raining rather hard and we opt to eat in the attached pub rather than walk to nearby Drovers Inn. After eating I walk the very short distance back to the room. I note that my knee feels a but stiff and think that I should walk a bit to loosen it but the rains says otherwise. That night, about midnight, I wake and have terrific pain in my right knee. I can barely move it and barely can walk.

Sept 16
In the morning, my knee has shown no improvement and I realize my hike is over.

Robin has been shadowing our hike in a rental car and offers me a ride to our next night's accommodation. Allen chooses to ride as well. That evening in Tynedrum, I am able to ice my knee. It has swollen significantly.

Sept 17
Our next day is a rest day spent in Tynedrum. Everyone else opts to go to Oban by train while I stay behind to ice my knee.

Sept 18
From Tynedrum I take a taxi to the Inveraron where everyone else will end up after a 9 mile hike. That night there is a storm which knocks out the phone service. Here is my commentary for the next day:

Sept 19
The night at Inveraron House our mood was lively. After dinner nightcaps were sipped in the hotel lounge with a couple other WHW trekkers. It was the only accommodation without WiFi but that didn't seem to matter. Sleep came early, only to be interupted by a thunderstorm, a rarity in Scotland I'm told. The solid stone building held firm in the accompanying gale force wind. The satellite dish, anchored by massive hunks of concrete, shook back and forth but survived. I tried to see how the tenters were doing on the lawn outside but couldn't get a view. The night before, rescue teams had to evacuate the tenters as their area became submerged in rising water.

Morning came. Breakfast was served by the Eastern European staff, cheerily telling us we'd have a great day.It was raining, but when is it not raining? At 8:30 we filed out the door, Mary, Will, Allen, and Jim and Carol headed on the WHW for a 9 mile ridge walk to Glencoe Ski Center. Nanci and I planned to get to Bridge of Orchy and then take buses to Kinlochleven. We wanted to call a taxi to not injure my knee further but the phone service had been knocked out by the storm. We opted to walk the 3 mile single lane road to Bridge of Orchy. My pace was slow using hiking sticks to keep as much pressure off my knee as possible. It was slow and it was raining but wind was not a factor. That abruptly changed with about a mile to go. Suddenly, we were being pelted by rain and wind so violently we could barely see and move. My poncho bellowed in the wind, unsnapping all the snaps. We got that under control and walked into the wind, barely able to look ahead as rain pinged against us. I could see the Bridge of Orchy hotel. It was so big and close, yet so far. Finally there, we entered and headed to the bar for tea. I went to the gents room, took my boots off, poured the water in them into the urinal, twisted the water of my socks and went sockless for the rest of the day. Once on the WiFi, I received a warning from Mickledore, telling us about the weather event we were experiencing. Of course it was send the day before when we were without WiFi.

It was about an hour until the bus was to arrive. Dripping wet trekkers made their way in, piled their packs high and made decisions on how to get to their destinations. A group congregated in the bar doorway waiting for the overdue bus. Even though it was fashionably late, the bus was a warm refuge from the wind and rain. We rode about 45 minutes through the most stunning scenery. Cliffsides were a menagerie of water falls. Everywhere you looked there were white and silver ribbons of water streaming down the mountains. They all converged alongside the valley road in a torrent of whitewater. This was possibly the most stunning landscape I've ever seen. Water streaked across the bus windows making photography unsuitable. The memory will stick with me.

We made a bus switch in Glencoe. There was a small covered bus stop. We could have competed for a Guinness record of most people in a bus stall. The local bus arrived and we all piled in for the 20 minute ride to Kinlochleven. Once there, we headed to a local pub. As I ate my toasty, I saw the TV news. We were experiencing Storm Ali. 80 mph winds and more rain was in store. Trains had halted on some routes due to fallen trees. A woman in Ireland was blown off a cliff. The stories went on and we realized this was a serious storm affecting all of the UK. My thoughts turned to our friends out in the open mountains. They were to be picked up at 4pm by taxi at the Glencoe Ski Center. I was on edge until they arrived at the B&B by 4:30. Everyone was ok and in good spirits despite their ordeal. Will briefed me on the day and said they were right on the edge of danger. Walking with the wind at their backs was the saving grace. So forceful was the wind, they had lean back into the wind when going downhill or be blown down. For much of the day, two of our group braced umbrellas on their backs, acting as sails to propel them along until the umbrellas fell apart. The stories of the day were told at dinner. We heard about the deep puddles, knee deep stream crossings, water filled boots and much more, all involving water it seemed.

Many accommodations here have drying rooms for guests' wet gear. The drying room here at Allt Na Leven did it's job. Now, everyone is safe and dry and off again on another adventure as I lay here with ice on my knee and nothing better to do than be the trip's chronicler.

Sept 20

While I stay at the B&B to ice my knee, the group arranges for a tax to take them back to the Glencoe area eliminating a 4.5 mile section, and starting off right at Devils Staircase. Once again it is raining. They climbed the staircase and descended into Kinlochleven.

Sept 21

Our final day of hiking. I take a bus to Fort William which most everyone else begins the final day. The hike along the WHW is 15 miles to Fort William but the group opts to take a shortcut into town on the Old Military Road, shortening the day by several miles.