Making Mistakes

MST – Day 16 – Balsam Gap to Old Bald – 11.1 Miles

(Photos from today are by Danny Bernstein.)

Nice day, early start, on the trail by 7:50 a.m.. We parked at the spot we scouted the day before, the Balsam Gap Maintenance Center where the BRP crosses Highway 74/23.

Wildflowers began very quickly with yellow violets and Danny exclaimed at the first sighting of an unopened bloodroot. We thought flowers would be sparse as we gained elevation, but on the east-facing slopes was a profusion of spring beauties, along with squirrel corn, purple violets, hepatica, more bloodroot (some fully opened), trout lilly, cut-leaf toothwort and trailing arbutus. We saw emerging foliage for mayapple and even trillium (not sure what type). Very exciting (and time-consuming) taking many photos as the flowers increased.

Hiking was a gradual and steady uphill with the ribbon of BRP far below on the left. We had a bit of trouble keeping track of where we were “on the ground” with our combination of Scott Ward’s and Walt Weber’s books. Finally we realized we were moving slowly and blamed it on the wildflowers. It was great weather and we had all day.

We finally placed ourselves by Scot’s line descriptions when we climbed very steeply up and over the Parkway’s Pinnacle Tunnel. There were no more white blazes after this so we concluded that “this must be the trail.” After about 10 minutes of descent I stopped to put on sunscreen…and realized that my camera had fallen out of its case that is clipped to my pack’s waist strap. Thus began a series of poor decisions on my part.

Without giving it much thought, I dropped my pack, told Danny I was going to “go back” for my camera and I began to backtrack, running through my head where it could have slipped out. My record for cameras is not great (I’ve broken one, lost one) so I am now fairly consistent in touching the case to insure that it is still with me. So how far back could it be? Well…the real question is how far is too far to backtrack? It’s an expensive camera versus a little bit of my time. I walked back down the Pinnacle Tunnel stretch – no camera. Then I walked back to a serious blowdown that we had navigated, thinking that it had slipped out while I was bending and climbing – no camera. I continued on back to the last place that I knew I had seen it, which was a snack break – no camera. It was gone for good.

Then I looked at my watch and realized how much time had gone by – perhaps 20 minutes of downhill backtracking was going to equal 30 minutes of traversing the same ground for the third time now. I was carrying no water, no food, no nothing. As I hurried up the trail I guessed that Danny would probably be coming for me at some point…and she did meet me about 5 minutes from where I had left her. Fortunately she was at the concerned stage, not yet at the angry stage. The list of mistakes I made as an experienced hiker: walked away without checking the time, didn’t take my pack or even a bottle of water, made no plan for turnaround time. Not hard to see how an inexperienced hiker can get into trouble. Danny did take time to think before she decided to come after me – you can read her story about the day here.

Thus I added a couple of miles to my day and wore myself out with the hustling back and forth. I will always remember that mile of the MST!

 From that point the hike stretched out and I had a hard time resurrecting my enthusiasm of the day before. But looking back at Danny’s photos, I am reminded that the woods are beautiful even if you are distracted.

Cimbing up and up

A very gnarly resident of the forest

Something yummy must have been living in this tree before an ambitious woodpecker got to it

At the Grassy Ridge Overlook the trail intersects with pavement and we took a well-deserved sit-down snack break. Two cyclists were also there, trying to set up a timed photo, and I offered my services. They reciprocated with this photo of Danny and me, undaunted and ready to press on.

Long ending to this day. It took nearly 8 hours to complete the 11-mile section (plus my 2-mile backtracking. But even the last mile afforded knock-out views and interesting obstacles and twisted trees.

I can see for miles and miles and miles

Frequent blowdowns - all in a day's walk after the harsh winter

Be sure to duck your head

Mountain sculpture - Danny wanted this for her front yard

However, I was indeed relieved to see the orange bandanna we had placed the previous day to signal the end of this section.

Reward: dinner at Soul Infusion in Sylva, NC, a truly unique place. We shared a pot of blood orange tea while enjoying the eclectic surroundings and chatted with the owner. Following that we stopped in at the City Lights Bookstore. Sylva is a great little town, lots of interesting restaurants and shops, seems like a nice place to live. ‘Night!  

We may never pass this way again ~ Seals & Crofts (unless you're looking for a camera...)

I Can See The Smokies From Here!

MST – Day 15 – 4/6/10 – Blue Ridge Parkway: Plott Balsam Overlook to Scott Creek Overlook – 9.8 Miles 

(Note: All photos for this day are by Danny Bernstein.)

Can I get an amen from the faithful? The Blue Ridge Parkway is open! Danny and I had a Plan A and a Plan B for our next MST segment, but we went for Plan C with the opening of the western- most part of the Parkway. So GREAT to be back in the western NC mountains!

We picked up where we left off back in November at the Plott Balsam Overlook. Today was all road walking, but welcome because there were no dogs and very little traffic, plus those unparalleled mountain views. The skies were blue, the temps were warm, and I thought I would burst with the joyful feeling of being outside again. Thank you, God, for giving me the health and strength to walk and walk and walk.

The first two miles down to Soco Gap went by in a blink. Debris on the roadside hinted at the tree damage from the severe winter and the amount of human effort that was expended to clear the Parkway. The following days as the trail wound through the woods would bring many more reminders of how Mother Nature does her pruning.

Packs are ready for the road

From Soco Gap we ascended up, up, up to Waterrock Knob. A fellow on a bike passed us going up very slowly, making a monumental effort. Later he whizzed by us on his return down to Soco Gap – the reward for all that work. Every cyclist reminds me of my husband’s epic BRP ride last year.

 Did I say the temps were warm? Try hot, hot, hot on the road with no tree canopy for protection. Soon down to shorts and a tee shirt, and the backs of my knees got badly sunburned, as well as my forearms from the position that I held my hiking poles. I remembered sunscreen for everything else.

At one overlook we talked to a family visiting from Michigan. They asked for directions to waterfalls in the area, but they had a very outdated map of western NC . We directed them to Dupont State Forest but I’m not sure they “got” our instructions. The man made a remark about the harsh winter and “what global warming” and was not amused when we responded that the extremes in weather were indeed evidence of that. Oh well…

We enjoyed lunch in the shade at the intersection with the Waterrock Knob side road, a great spot to wave to motorcyclists, convertibles and other cars passing by. On the search for a discreet bathroom spot, I discovered the unmarked side trail up to Yellow Face, one of the SB6K peaks. So I suppose I will be back here again sometime as I work on that challenge.

One of many great Balsams at this elevation of the Parkway

A great book cover photo, I think

One of many rock slides along the Parkway

We reached our end point by 3:00 p.m. and drove back to the Waterrock Knob VC to check out the scenery. From this parking area you can see Mt. Pisgah to the east and the big peaks of the Smokies to the west (Clingmans Dome, Mt. LeConte, Mt. Guyot) – awesome! I miss the Smokies.

We then spent the next two-plus hours determining tomorrow’s beginning and end points – always better to do this the day before instead of the morning of your hike. Believe me, you sleep much better knowing where your trailhead is! The end point was tough to find because of a map-reading error on our part combined with a genuine error on the map. (We are using Walt Weber’s Trail Profiles and Maps for the mountain sections, along with Scot Ward’s The Thru-Hiker’s Manual.) We eventually found the correct side trail at Old Bald (blue blaze) and left a bandanna tied to a tree at the intersection.

Home away from home was the Sylva Inn. After a nice dinner at Lulu’s, we retreated to our room, dragged out the maps and planned the next couple of hiking venues after we finish with this series. Tired and beddy-bye!

(Read Danny's story about today's hike here.)  

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. ~Soren Kierkegaard

A Soggy Ending On A High Note

MST – Day 14 - 3/28/10 – Taylor Road to Hanging Rock State Park VC – 10.5 Miles

A half-mile walk on the road this morning took us from our parking area to the Taylor Road Section 4 of the Sauratown Trail. If your storage building falls down, just put another one beside it.

As we walked through Sections 3, 2 and 1 there were a few items of interest:

A victim of the harsh winter - this tree was bent in half by heavy ice and snow

A bit of wasteland - this section had been clear-cut

Vade Mecum Creek

Hunting stand

After crossing into Hanging Rock State Park, we detoured a quarter of a mile to investigate Tory’s Falls, looking invigorating on this chilly morning, and Tory’s Den, a fascinating part of North Carolina’s history. Sign boards in the parking lot detail the story of more than a hundred British Loyalists hiding in this cave during the Revolutionary War. Spoiler: they were found!
 

 I was surprised that this very accessible waterfall was deserted when we arrived.

 Danny outside Tory's Den

 Danny inside Tory's Den

Hanging Rock State Park is really a jewel of our state park system, one of only two state parks that has cabins for rent. It was built by the CCC between 1935 and 1942 and includes a lake and bathhouse, car camping and 18 miles of hiking trails.

 After Tory’s Den we met our first real elevation challenge for this trip. As we began to climb, the rain began to fall and the previous three days’ efforts caught up with me and I labored up the trail. The payoff at the top was Moore’s Knob firetower…but the view was zilch as the clouds enveloped us. We ate a less-than-adequate lunch under the ledge of the tower and then walked down elaborate stone steps towards our trail terminus. As often happens, the last mile was an exercise in mental endurance. After winding our way through the lakeside parking area, we finally reached the visitor center, where we changed into dry clothes and Danny and I parted ways. The bad weather continued and later that evening there were reports of multiple tornadoes in the central Piedmont area.

So three triumphs for this venture into the Piedmont: another section of the MST completed, another firetower visited (although I need to go again to do it justice) and another NC state park visited. Can you tell I like checking items off my lists?

For a great book on North Carolina's fire towers, look here.

(Read Danny's blog about today's hike here.)

Great things are done when men and mountains meet. ~William Blake

Dog Day Afternoon

MST – Day 13 – 3/27/10 – Mountain View Restaurant to Taylor Road – 15 Miles

Our day began at 8:35 a.m. outside the Mountain View Restaurant, a cool 36 degrees. We walked through Pilot Mountain, a town with a lot of personality (loved their fire hydrant decorating competition). We stopped to chat with three guys outside a restaurant enjoying their morning cup of coffee.

We walked on out of town, completing our last road miles with Pilot Mountain continuing to dominate the horizon, and stopped for a snack. A friendly black dog with no collar slowly inched across the field, checking us out, finally close enough to sniff at Danny’s food, signaling time for us to move on. We finally stepped into the woods on the Sauratown Trail and our first white circle blaze. A hundred yards later we were facing our first stream crossing, Crocs required – the Little Yadkin River.

Sauratown Trail is divided into sections, each one the distance between road points, thus sections are short and pass quickly. The Sauratown Trails Association has an excellent map you can order – but plan ahead. I ordered several weeks in advance and they arrived at my house while I was on the trail. Fortunately Danny had a copy. Our first bit was Section 11, two miles of pleasant wood walking at last.

On Section 10 we picked up a new friend – Heidi, a black-and-tan dog with a bushy curving tail and perky ears. She ran to us as we passed her house, like every other dog we have passed, and her owner called to her from the porch. Heidi ignored him and the owner was not inclined to leave the porch to pursue her. We could hear his calls long after we had passed his property. We turned left onto Mazie’s Lane and Heidi trailed at a distance as we passed cows and donkeys. When we re-entered the woods, Heidi was with us. She followed us for the next eight miles. She never barked once and would not come close enough to be touched, so we could not read her tags. She cavorted through the woods, sometimes running ahead of us, and sometimes she would disappear, only to come racing up from behind at breakneck speed. After the first few episodes I was no longer startled. Heidi splashed in the streams and sniffed at everything. When we took breaks, she waited for us. Danny and I walked about eight miles – Heidi walked about 25. Danny contended that she has been this way before, and indeed she followed the trail well.

Section 9 was hit-or-miss trail signs on an interesting trail, creeks and rhododendrons. At one point I could see six trail signs at once – but most of this trail we hunted long for white markers.

Section 8 was about a mile walking on a gravel road, one car passed us. This looks like a favorite road for trash dumping of objects large and small, couches, toilets, car bumpers, and the everyday stuff of life. You probably don’t notice the trash from the front seat of the car, but it’s hard to miss on foot. Sections 6 and 7 are side trails leading to a large parking area for unloading horses and are not part of the MST.

The Sauratown Trail was very well maintained, thanks to volunteers who have worked hard to overcome the effects of the severe winter. Section 5 still needs work – a bridge is missing (which we fortunately knew from reading their website) and required Crocs again for crossing. This section also has a few blowdowns to contend with. This and the lack of white circles made the trail hard to locate at times.

We popped out on the road at the end of Section 5 and oriented ourselves towards our parking area. Heidi followed us all the way to the car – and then disappeared into the woods and did not return. Now, she had waited patiently for us at every trail break. We had formulated a plan to lure her into Danny’s car and return her to her home – maybe she didn’t want her adventure to be over yet? I felt uneasy just leaving her there, several miles from home. Maybe she knew the way, maybe she didn’t, but after all, she was someone’s pet. So we drove back to the owner’s home to let them know where we had last seen her. No one was home, but the folks next door were very kind and we relayed the info about Heidi’s whereabouts and our adventures of the day.

Moral of the story : Be careful what you profess to dislike on your journey – you may have to live with it. So what’s tomorrow – llamas on the trail? Perhaps we will have a menagerie by the end!

Read Danny's take on our "dog day afternoon" here.

We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are. ~Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin & Hobbes

Who Let The Dogs Out?

MST – Day 12 – 3/26/10 – Blackwater Presbyterian Church to Mountain View Restaurant, Pilot Mountain – 12.2 Miles

We started out on a cool, clear morning back at the Blackwater Methodist Church on Ararat Road. Now we knew that the walking would be easy and fast-paced, with the major challenges being the ever-present dogs and finding discreet bathroom breaks.

Scot Ward’s book lists many landmark buildings along the road route. Our first snack break was on the steps of the Eldora Ruritan Club steps. Soon after, we paused to check out the Mount Zion Baptist Church, built in 1880 as a schoolhouse.

 Next we crossed the bridge over the Ararat River and the town of Ararat came into view – a few houses and a post office. The dog alarm sounded as we approached. Are “town” dogs better behaved than country dogs? They certainly are just as vocal! We could not have been more noticeable with a high school marching band preceding us, dogs in nearly every yard on both sides of the road – but none of them set foot on the pavement. We went inside the teensy Ararat post office (room for only two patrons at a time) and chatted with the postmistress, then took a photo and went on our way.

Passing the New Hope Methodist Church, we met an elderly couple visiting the adjoining cemetery. They said they had noticed us on the road the day before and we explained that we are walking across the state. Meeting the locals is a big part of the fun of walking through these communities.

More animals

Old homes

Outbuildings

and barns

The countryside was peaceful and quiet – for a while. Then a black lab, a basset hound and a little mutt like a Chihuahua spied us and took to our heels, barking, baying and yipping. Of course the noise reached the golden retriever across the road and he joined the parade. They followed behind us in full chorus, close enough to make me worry, and way beyond their property boundaries. How far would they go? Danny walked at a quick pace in front of me, holding her hiking stick horizontally with the business end ready. I kept looking behind to see how close the dogs were and it was rather comical – it felt like a Disney movie (remember Napoleon and Lafayette, the sheriff and deputy dogs in “The Aristocats”?) I wanted to take a photo but was afraid to stop to do it. The posse finally grew bored, conferred amongst themselves, and turned homeward. But now the apprehension was ratcheted up another notch.

The remainder of Community Building Road and Tom’s Creek Road went by quickly with glimpses of Pilot Mountain around every bend. Unfortunately, the MST route passes north of the great landmark and does not enter Pilot Mountain State Park. I encourage readers to visit it and enjoy the trails there.

Our last road of the day was the busiest one – two miles of NC Highway 268 into the town of Pilot Mountain. The road shoulders were a little bit wider but the traffic was much faster. We had one last scare from an unchained dog, and here we could not run across the road because of the traffic so we hustled away as quickly as we could. We waved at every car to make ourselves visible and finally walked on the very narrow, non-pedestrian-friendly concrete strip of bridge spanning Highway 52 and into the Mountain View Restaurant parking lot where Danny’s car was waiting. At the McDonald’s next door I bought the largest cup of iced tea I’ve ever consumed in my life – wonderful!

Our walking was done early – now it was time for car shuttling. With the help of some local residents, we scouted out the parking area we needed for the end of the next day’s section, and then we headed to Hanging Rock State Park and our home-away-from-home, Cabin #4. As the rain began to fall, we cranked up the heat, cooked a hot meal and settled in for the night.

Read Danny's version of today's hike here.

Lafayette: Okay, let's charge!

Napoleon: Wait a minute. I'm the leader! I'm the one that says when we go.

[pause]

Napoleon: Here we go. Charge!

Pilot Mountain and Beyond

MST – Day 11 – 3/25/10 - Dobson County Library to Blackwater Methodist Church – 7.3 Miles

After a frustrating season of record snowfalls, inaccessible roads and tree-littered trails, Danny and I are back in business on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. By email we planned a series of hikes encompassing the Sauratown Trail that connects Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock State Parks. But before the joy of the trees and trail we put in some miles of road walking.

Scot “Taba” Ward has just put out an update of his guidebook “The Thru-Hiker’s Manual For The Mountains–to-Sea Trail of North Carolina,” in both eastbound and westbound versions. Ward did a yo-yo hike of the MST ending in October 2009. We’ve decided to trust his notes and follow his lead. Thus I found myself pulling into the parking lot of Blackwater Methodist Church, midway between the communities of Dobson and Pilot Mountain. We left my car and placed Danny’s car at the Dobson County Library. After convincing Cindy the librarian to take our photo, we began our walk through town. Ward’s book is in note format and easy to follow once you know where you’re starting from and includes some maps of towns you pass through. We checked out the Food Lion, the Tlaquepaque Mexican Restaurant, waved to drivers as we crossed Highway 601 and then headed into the countryside down Turkey Ford Road.

The sky was overcast but not raining and a comfortable 60 degrees. It’s no secret that I was not excited about the road portions of the MST, but I must report that it was more pleasant than I anticipated. The route follows less- traveled country roads and we passed one lovely pastoral scene after another, rolling hills and fields with the occasional modest ranch home or farmhouse with barns in the back and outbuildings filled with tools and farm equipment. More than once we passed two-story white farmhouses just like the one my mother was born in and that stood just a quarter of a mile from my own home in rural southern Virginia. Horses, cows, sheep and even llamas are part of the farm life in rural North Carolina.

The edge of the road is a scary place so we were outfitted to stand out from the landscape. Lenny, Danny's husband, had outfitted us with orange vests from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy with "Don't Shoot, I'm a Hiker" printed on the back (used for hiking during hunting season but great for the road too). We also each carried the North Carolina state flag stuck in our backpacks for good measure. We walked facing traffic and usually we waved to the drivers and they waved back – no near misses today. Several people that we talked to on subsequent days mentioned seeing us on the road.

So the down side of road walking is not boredom – the long-distance views are outstanding and imposing Pilot Mountain is nearly always on display as a guiding beacon. I can’t tell you how many photos Danny took of Pilot Mountain. Nope…the down side of road walking is the dogs.

Big dogs, little dogs, barking dogs, growling dogs, yipping dogs, silent dogs, stalking dogs, tail-wagging dogs – I could not help but feel apprehensive and defensive. Country dogs are not chained and there is no such thing as an electric fence. How do these dogs keep from getting hit by cars? Some seemed trained to stay within the bounds of their property and we quickly learned to cross the road as soon as the barking started. But what do you do when there are dogs on both sides of the road?? We kept our hiking sticks pointed and swiveled our heads 360 degrees as we hurried past. I learned that dogs will let you pass and then fall in behind you and follow, sometimes for quite a while. I learned that they are bolder when they have friends with them.

The walking went very quickly, perhaps with help from the dogs. Blackwater Methodist Church came into view and we finished our first day in a bit over 3 hours. We retrieved our car from the Dobson Library (said hello to Cindy again) and headed for our hotel in Pilot Mountain. We had plenty of time so we explored downtown Pilot Mountain. Most of the stores were closed (it was past 5:00 PM) but we peeked in the windows. Dinner was at the Mountain View Restaurant (yes, they have an excellent view of Pilot Mountain) and I highly recommend their strawberry shortcake. Tomorrow – 12 more miles on the road. How many dogs??

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road 
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go

So make the best of this test and don’t ask why 
It’s not a question but a lesson learned in time 
It’s something unpredictable, but then again is right

I hope you had the time of your life  ~ Green Day

Do Not Enter

MST – Day 10 - 1/16/10 – N.C. 50 to Six Forks Road – 14.5 Miles

Another early start, on the trail by 8:05 a.m., temps in the mid 30’s. Kate’s husband, Dan, joined us today. This section of the Falls Lake MST is more than ten years old and very easy to follow. There were fewer old home sites, more road crossings (I’ve started to think of them as trail intersections) and it seemed that we blew through the sections at lightning speed, not rushing, but easy walking.

Random images from the day:

I hope it's not hiker season

A welcoming grapevine wreath and one of the trail builders' signature bridges

A surprise -The Norwood cemetery

Look closely - the white line between the shore and its reflection is ice

A very impressive bridge and steps project - you won't see this in the Smokies

That's one big tree

The day warmed up nicely and people poked their heads out for a breath of air. Blue Jay Point County Park seems very popular and it was nice to see families out enjoying their public spaces. Of course, along with the people were their pets – dogs galore and a couple of them not on leashes. Ah well…The most egregious incident was when I came upon a man with a very large dog doing what dogs do when they get outside, and the man looked at me, turned away and moved on without cleaning up after his pet. Don’t you wonder sometimes what people are thinking?

Kate and Dan taking a break

Love the irony: A white dot blaze on a "do not enter" sign.

I enjoyed today’s hike very much and thought how fortunate the residents of the Triangle area are to have 50 miles of trail to walk on. I have great appreciation for the trail builders and maintainers in this neck of the woods!

We continued our by now familiar ritual of shuttling cars, returned to Kate and Dan’s home to clean up, and went out for a well-deserved Chinese dinner. Just as we were ordering dessert, I received a call from my husband that our son had been in an auto accident – he wasn’t hurt but the car sure was – so I decided that I should skip the final day of hiking and get home to be a wife and mom. Danny and Kate completed the Falls Lake section the next day and you can read Danny’s account of that here.  

Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow. ~Henry David Thoreau