Feb 28 Mayo River Hikes

 

I think this is a Cayuga duck. While sitting in the picnic pavilion at Mayo River State Park, this guy and his mate approached and patiently watched as we ate lunch. Obviously, he was expecting a handout. I'm sure that would have resulted in a circus of other ducks to descend upon us. 

The large pavilion on the right has a number of picnic tables and massive fireplace. The shelter on the left has a wood fired grill. There is a two mile loop hiking trail from the parking area.

Bench cut from a large log.

For most of the two mile hiking trail, we were in an unexciting forest recovering from a timber cut some decades ago. However, the upper part of the loop had some interesting mature trees like this giant White oak. There was a significant amount of iron ore through here. 

Next up on our journey through the various Mayo River State Park tracts, is the Hickory Creek access. I love this tract but due to time constraints, we only walked a short distance to this log cabin with what appears to have a tree chimney. 

Finally, our last stop is the Deshazo tract, right at the VA/NC border. The picturesque waterfall, Falls Creek Falls, is located just a few minutes from the parking area. Just a few minutes more on the trail and you are at the Mayo River.

What is exciting about this area is that both NC and VA are actively acquiring land along the Mayo River. The NC park has a head start and more developed infrastructure. Very near the border, the South Fork Mayo and North Fork Mayo confluence forms the Mayo River which flows south to the confluence with the Dan River at aptly named Mayodan. 

In 1728 William Byrd camped near this rock, now known as Byrd's Ledge. He wrote of the beauty of the area in his journal. His journal is a treasure trove of knowledge about life in that era. Byrd recorded so much in his journal including minutia like what he did everyday and what he ate for each meal. That information gives us an insight into what life was like at that time. 

There have been discussions or perhaps, fantasizes, about building a pedestrian bridge across the river here, connecting the NC and VA state parks. 

The confluence

Feb 23 Caraway Mountain & Dam

 

We've been looking at Caraway Creek basin dams for a couple years. This is the largest, estimated at 600 feet across. It has a similar design as the other check dams we have visited. The one difference is that this one has mortar and is not dry stacked like the others. Last year the dam was hidden in a thicket which has now been cleared away.

Jan 2024 photo of same dam

Slanted spillway with spillway abutment in background

Mortared wall

The creek used go through the dam at the spillway but now has rerouted around the far side where it has blown out. The 1954 Hurricane Hazel may have caused that as it did the last dam we visited in the Uwharrie basin. 

Cement slab may have been a footing for a tower.

Next up, is the scramble up Caraway Mountain. There is a road going almost to the top but we decided to take the more adventurous route from Camp Caraway. We walked through open forest, pine forest and thickets, not seeing much of interest on the way up. At the top, were limited views to the east. Back Creek Mountain was about the only view we had. There appears to have been a tower of some sort here. Also, we saw piles of rock and holes. 

The top had stone walls on both the east and west sides. The stone walls paralleled each other but did not create an enclosure. 

We headed down a very steep hillside and picked up an old road which led us to the shooting range below.

The shooting range had both short and long range targets. It had been dug out of a hillside with the excavated dirt used to create an impact area. From there we passed a pond and then a thicket which finally deposited us back at Camp Caraway.  

Poor guy