Feb 24 Forty Acre Rock Showcase Tour

 

The main flat rock

A warm end to winter brings those early spring blooms out earlier. The parade of flowers at Forty Acre Rock has begun. With no particular plan in mind, I left the lower parking area about 10am in clear 65 degree weather. Some rocks off trail caught my eye about 10 minutes into the hike. The next four images are a sampling of the boulders I encountered in this off trail jaunt.

Very similar to the boulders we have encountered on the other side of Nature Reserve Road, these seem more concentrated in a smaller area. Upon reaching the powerline which bisects the Nature Preserve, a decision was needed. I was eye level with the wire themselves and could see rocks on the other side of the cut also at eye level. However, to get across the power line cut required a steep descent and then a rock climb which did not appeal to me. I made my way to the powerline cut at a higher spot and followed the cut out to the trail I had started on. 

In just a few minutes I was at the base of the main rock and Naked Falls Waterslide. Trout Lilies were abundant with a number already blooming. The water from this waterfall comes off the main rock above. A short distance below the waterfall, the water enters a larger but still small creek which drains the ancillary flat rocks and Cambridge Falls. Climbing up beside the waterslide reveals a narrow channel in a rock cut above. The water races through here on its way to the waterslide. 

While doing some trail building during the past year, there were many Trout Lilies which came up in the trail about this time of year. Thinking I could dig a few out of the trail and transplant them, I learned they have tiny bulb shaped like a tooth, The bulb is attached to a root resembling a string several inches long. The bulb can be inches below the surface, generally the length of the flower stem. All that made it quite difficult to transplant and take hold again. Normally, when you see one, you see hundreds if not thousands. These beds must take a long time to develop. 

The waterslide at Naked Falls

Now, it is on to the main rock. Almost every description of Forty Acre Rock is quick to point out the rock is 14 acres in size. Of course that is the surface size above ground.

Enlarging this photo will reveal pry marks on the rock. Apparently, some of the rock was quarried at one time. 

Vibrant moss with a Bluet

One of the first mentions of Forty Acre Rock dates to 1843 when William Gilmore Simms, famous SC author, referred to the place as "Flat Rock". He commented that the circular depressions like this one, were carved by Native Americans to grind corn. Growing up in Connecticut, I saw a rock with a much smaller depression - about the size of a mixing bowl. It was described as a bowl for grinding foods, the modern day blender, then a mortar and pestle. That made a lot more sense then these huge depressions being used for that purpose. 

Moss, lichen and Eastern Red Cedars make up the periphery of the rocks before transitioning to hardwood forest. 

The highest part of the rock resembles a gorgeous wild garden. What a lovely backyard this would make.

The round depressions come in all sizes. Some are holding water and some just have water when it rains. The amount of water and how long it stays determines how much vegetation will grow in it. With Elf Orpine and Puck Orpine, the wetter the depression, the more vibrantly red the vegetation is. 

These pools at the high end of the rock, provide a store of water. As the water slowly seeps out of the vegetation and makes its way down, it can fill other pools or cut shallow water paths down the rock surface.

Although, the rock gets its share of vandalism, mostly in the form of paint, this is not graffiti. The two depressions with Elf Orpine look like a pair of sunglasses. 

 

Elf Orpine up close. I did not see any blooming. The next phase is a small white flower atop the red structure. When seeds have fully formed, the plant dies and withers away during the summer. In the fall the seed pods open and spread the seeds for next year's crop. 

After leaving the main rock, it is a short hike to a series of other smaller flat rocks. They don't get visited as much but enough so they get some graffiti and campfires. One of my biggest takeaway's from this visit was how fragile some of the vegetation is and how few people visit here. Any uptick in visitation is going to have a detrimental effect, particularly on the ancillary flat rocks. I found myself trying to sidestep moss and lichen but not everyone does that. The shallow bogs that develop, often had pathways cut through them. Unlike many other areas of fragile vegetation, this place has no delineated pathways over the rock surfaces. I'm afraid that will lead to damage and restrictions on visitation. 

There is a flat rock far enough removed from the others, that it has escaped much visitation. That would be a good one to close off and fully protect. I did not visit it during this tour.

Please don't love this place to death. 

There is a faint pathway leading off from the smaller flat rock complex which leads to some rock. As I approached the rocks, I thought these might be the ones I observed earlier when the powerline cut thwarted my advance. Sure enough these are the same ones I saw from the other side of the powerline. 

My lunch stop

The faint trail leads back to a spot I recognize near Naked Falls. That trail leads to Cambridge Falls and the Endless Cave complete with wall to wall graffiti. I was told there was a second cave here. In the images below, it does appear the rock overhang has an opening which could be considered a cave. I have only visited here when there was plenty of water but it has to be dry for long periods during the summer. That would make that cave more accessible. 

The cave entrance below Nate's graffiti. 

Retracing my steps back to the parking area leads to another trail on the property. A circumnavigation of Beaver Pond is not passable at this time due to a bridge being out. It has been that way for a few years. So, I just walked along part of this path to a nice rock with this nice view. A pair of binoculars would have revealed a lot more here. 

Do you want to see Bloodroots? This is the place. A decommissioned section of US 601 and this 1926 bridge over Flat Creek is a huge breeding ground for the showy Bloodroots. 

A drain time dump along the old road.

It's 2:30 and the end of my tour. This is one of those places that provides lasting memories. there is so much to see in this incredibly diverse preserve. 

Feb 9 Several Obscure Birkhead Homesites

 

I call them obscure since they are offtrail in and in an area not often visited. Within about 20 minutes of Tot Hill, not far off the Birkhead Mountain Trail is this chimney right next to a small creek. How long will it remain standing? Hmm, looks like not long. It is a small spot and does not appear to have been a farm due to the terrain.

This area is bisected by a tract of private property which was just timbered late last year. Part of this private tract was purchased by Three Rivers Land Trust and is destined to transfer to the Uwharrie National Forest in the future. It includes at least 1/2 mile of the Birkhead Mountain Trail and part of Coolers Knob. The north slope of Coolers Knob remained private and was part of this timber cut. I tried to locate the plane wreckage but assume it got swallowed up in the timber cut. 

The next two homesites are well onto Forest Service property. According to Joe Moffitt's book, one of these is likely to be the "Old Game Farm". In the 1930s many of the birds and animals in the game farm, escaped including a Black Panther. Joe writes that he met up with the cat a few times and even treed it once. It jumped out of the tree and the dogs were afraid to chase it. 

This place has a nice chimney and a number of Yucca plants in the yard.

The third homesite, is just a pile of rocks and some daffodils now. I tried to locate the fourth homesite I know is in the area. That one eluded me. I guess it is time to gps these places. 

Magic Sourwood

Feb 7 Bald Mountain

 

Located in Davidson County, near the former town of Newson, this NCWRC property is sporting a new hiking trail to the top of Bald Mountain. There is a small parking area with a lone sign indicating it is 1.2 miles to the top. At 950' Bald Mountain fits right into the nearby topography. 

I was not able to locate the quarry conveyor which is still located on the mountain. The quarry operated during the time period that the nearby dams were being built.

The trail begins in an recent timber cut and transitions to a mature forest loaded with American Holly. The trail zig zags up the mountain and is not blazed. Try to stay on the trail. With leaves off trees, I was looking at Tuckertown Reservoir most of the time. 

USGS survey disk is near the top. Limited views west and north are here. My peakfinder app showed the Grandfather Mountain area but a slight haze prevented me from seeing it.

The view Northwest has Tuckertown and maybe High Rock lakes. High Rock Mountain takes up much of the north view. 

When Badin Dam was built, a railroad serviced it. It is built right alongside the lake. It looks like you could follow the railroad tracks to access the Bald Mountain trail too. 

There are two homesites on the property that I found. One is small and probably a small cabin. There was a short line of daffodils marking the site entrance.

A more extensive home was offtrail. The area had many daffodils popping up and a couple Trifoliate Orange brier bushes. 

Near the home I found an embossed beer bottle from the Darley Park Brewing Company of Baltimore. They were in business for just a couple years around 1900. This huge tree trunk blocked my way back to the parking area. Many large trees are still standing in the forest nearest the lake and railroad tracks. Everywhere else has seen a more recent timber cut and a fire must have burned underbrush at some point in the past 10 years.