Carolina Thread Trail: Blue Star Trail - Anne Springs Close Greenway

Carolina Thread Trail: Anne Springs Close Greenway – Blue Star Trail/Steele Creek Trail – 7/20/18 – 4 Miles

 
On a steamy, humid but free Friday morning before the weekend got hijacked with other plans, I ventured to Anne Springs Close Greenway nature preserve to check out a segment of the Carolina Thread Trail.  There are pieces of “thread” scattered throughout a 15-county area surrounding Charlotte; the threads will eventually be tied together, though completion will be after I am hiking in heaven.  But…pieces waiting to be connected are often parts of larger parks and greenways, so no need to wait for the big picture to be revealed.  For example, the Blue Star Trail at ASCG is 7.2 miles long, and 1.4 miles of it is designated as a CTT segment.  It’s easy to map out a loop (or multiple loops) to include this portion of the Blue Star. I arrived at the Dairy Barn parking lot ready for a walk in the woods.

Only 8 miles from my home, across that SC state line in the town of Fort Mill, I forget how convenient Anne Springs Close Greenway is and how much there is to see and do.  There’s a $5 day use entrance fee for hiking and mountain biking all trails and exploring 2,100 acres.  [A bummer, though, that you can’t buy a day pass to the Mary Warner Mack Dog Park.  They offer a couple of fee-free days each year; otherwise you need to have a membership.]

Check the main website for the fascinating history of the property AND be sure to check just before you visit for current openings and closings of sections of the property due to construction.   

I paid my $5 and then was told by the nice volunteer that the swinging pedestrian bridge across Steele Creek (the creek bisects the property) was closed for construction.  My hiking loops options were greatly reduced, but never fear!. The trail map features several loops, so I took the Steele Creek Runners’ 5K Loop that combines the Blue Star and North Steele Creek Trails.

I can get around national parks really well, but not-to-scale maps of county parks and local greenway trail systems are often hard to interpret, as symbols and language are not standardized. After locating the bathrooms (not easy) I needed the nice volunteer’s help pointing me to the Blue Star Trail (the gravel road) as it crosses Highway 21. Join me now and enjoy nature up close on this engaging Piedmont hike. Maybe we’ll see a snake today!

First, cross the road

So far so good

Follow the arrows across the freshly mowed field…

…and into the woods

Little brown jug foliage, no blooms

A good thing I didn’t have my heart set on hiking the whole Blue Star Trail today

 

Steele Creek Trail passes back underneath Highway 21 at its bridged crossing of the creek, a bit soggy, a little creepy, less canopy and more dense weeds here. Any snakes yet?  Nope.

Pokeberries

I have a healthy respect for spiders as they conduct the good work of controlling insect populations, but I like to see them before they are within arm’s reach.  This ominous funnel web was about 3 inches in diameter (no, I didn’t measure it).  I couldn’t spot the architect of this masterpiece and I didn’t get close. [BTW, if you try spiderweb identification via Google, one of the first sites that pops up is Orkin Exterminators.]

Beautiful patterns of bark on live trees and dead trees

The trail skirts the creek for a while. The water level was very low but the height of the bank shows how much water can flow after heavy rainfall.  This tree is hanging on by a massive root system.  When it lets go, there will be a big change.

On the edge of another freshly mowed field that almost looks like muddy water

At this intersection, Blue Star Trail turns left and is interrupted by bridge reconstruction. The creek is knee deep but muddy. I wanted to see a snake, but not in water that I am also in. At this point, Blue Star is a wide gravel road lined by fenced green pastures, and Steele Creek Trail stays in the trees as it parallels Blue Star. I opted to stay on Steele Creek Trail to complete my route.

 

As a bonus, I walked the Nation Ford Loop, a handicap accessible surface that passes by two restored cabins. One is known as the Graham Cabin, once the home of the grandfather evangelist Billy Graham.  (The cabin was relocated from about 2 miles away and then restored.) The second is the Faires-Coltharp Cabin, also relocated from about 3 miles away. You can learn more about both structures here. 

Graham Cabin

Faires-Coltharp Cabin

Summary:  lots of perspiration on a sweltering day, about 4 miles walking (almost none on the Blue Star), 2 trail closures, no snakes, a very intimidating spider’s web, all before noon on a Friday.  Well done!

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” ~ Annie Dillard

Benton MacKaye Trail: The Hangover and The End

Benton MacKaye Trail in NC – Hunt Camp to Big Fat Gap – 6/25/18 – 7 Miles

 

We early birds were out with the sunshine (yay!) and retraced the forest roads to Wolf Laurel Hunt Camp.  Mike left us there and went off to do whatever he does until time to meet us at Big Fat Gap, about 7 trail miles away. We figured about 4 hours.

Ready to hike out - boots are still wet – goodbye, Donley Cabin

Here we are again

Up Wolf Laurel and Stratton Bald Trails to the ridgetop, then a right turn onto the BMT and Haoe Lead Trail northeast running simultaneously.

Remember, NatGeo 781 map does not have the current BMT route marked through Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness.  It does show trail numbers but no corresponding trail names (it’s a Forest Service thing).  SO it is quite helpful of the BMT folks to put trail numbers AND names on the signage out there. But you gotta know your numbers! [The BMT trail guide recommends Trails Illustrated Map #784 or the USFS map for JK-SW.]

Next intersection - notice how high the foliage is

A view and a short stretch of open forest at Naked Ground campsite, just enough to gain some confidence.  Hey, this is why we came! Hiking is fun after all!

The BMT trail guide does a good job of narrating directions but it does assume using a GPS for mileage and waypoints, which we didn’t have.  Totally our responsibility for being underprepared and a hard lesson for the future.  When the trail guide says things like “there are several trails that intersect” and “at the big flat vertical rock, go left downhill” you had better pay close attention.  Especially when the lush forest is growing a mile a minute and overtaking everything.

Still on track

Hangover Lead Trail plunges down, down, down and it ain't over until
 the Big Fat Gap Lady sings.

In addition to the highlights of Bob Bald and Naked Ground, the BMT reroute passes the short side trail to the Hangover. The green tunnel opened up to heaven. Wow!  We needed some views today, even with those threatening clouds (but the clouds kept us from going farther out).

 

All cheered up by our success to this point, the next three miles descending Hangover Lead Trail hammered some humility back into us. The trail was devastatingly difficult, narrow, rocky, steep, and seriously eroded. At times the extensive overgrowth made those conditions hard to see, so we felt our way along step by step.  Hiking poles were a hindrance rather than a help, as we needed hands to grasp tree limbs and roots. I slipped several times, and once in particular I bent my right knee forward so far that I sort of probably screamed.  Poor Carol! For both of us, the thought of a trail rescue was stomach-turning.  But we kept going. Trail blazes were sparse and a couple of times we simply stopped to consider whether we had lost the trail. If this was the BMT, how can it be so in need of maintenance, especially when we’d seen a crew two days before on a section that was in better shape?  [If the BMT folks read this, I’m just telling our thoughts in the moment. You’re all volunteers that work many hours and can’t do it all. More volunteers needed! If anything, this renewed our appreciation for trail volunteers.] 

 

Slow going and concentrating on our footing, but blooming galax and fungi and mossy quartz rocks are part of the wilderness too.

First sign since the Hangover, a welcome sight

Overdue for our rendezvous with Mike, we couldn’t estimate how much longer we would be on the trail. Then the miracle happened – we ran into a group of young folks from the Southeast Conservation Corps! They were based out of Big Fat Gap for a week and were clearing their way up Hangover Lead Trail with wilderness tools.  Carol and I thanked them profusely and blessed them for their work. And from there on it was smooth sailing.

 

We were two hours late and Mike was glad to see us emerge at Big Fat Gap.  Without fanfare, we picked up Carol’s car at Tapoco Lodge and then, as we had planned because it was on the way, we stopped at Fontana Dam to use their free showers. Clean hair, clean bodies, clean clothes – what a great feeling!

Carol began her long drive to her home in South Carolina.  Mike and I headed towards Charlotte, with a little detour to Nantahala Outdoor Center for cheeseburgers.  The usual afternoon thunderstorm arrived when we did and everyone was running for cover.  Sitting by the restaurant’s window overhanging the Nantahala River, we watched with great empathy as paddlers in rafts and kayaks desperately tried to get to shore in the gusty winds and driving rain.

“Four days, 35 miles, and we’re done with the Benton MacKaye Trail for a good long while.” ~Smoky Scout