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After enduring 4-5 inches of snow in Charlotte ,it was time to head to the mountains and play in what was left while the temperatures were rising up through the 70s! The perfect choice was the Mount Mitchell Trail in Pisgah National Forest. True, the intent was to scale this eastern behemoth, which is the highest peak east of the Mississippi at 6,684 feet, but it just wasn’t in the cards this day. Read the rest of this entry »
So today we took a trip northeast from Charlotte to South Mountain State Park. The park boasts 40 miles of trails with heights nearing 3,000 feet and an 80 foot waterfall, among other features. Joy, Lisa and Alison were my partners in crime this time, but you won’t see any pictures of them because we were having camera issues that day. My batteries died about 15 minutes into the hike and Joy managed to drop hers twice. The second fall was fatal. Read the rest of this entry »
Today’s trip was Congaree National Park, just under two hours south of Charlotte in Columbia, South Carolina. Read the rest of this entry »
Morrow Mountain State Park is a great nearby hiking destination often overlooked by the Charlotte crowd. It’s no secret that the “go to” hike (with any elevation that is) would be Crowder’s Mountain State Park, just 45 minutes to an hour west of Charlotte. But Morrow Mountain is just as easy to get to, but easterly out of the city about an hour and fifteen minutes in Albemarle. It’s located in the Uwharrie Mountains, although you may view them more as molehills since the maximum elevation change is just under 1,000 feet. Read the rest of this entry »
What an amazingly beautiful day to be climbing the Granite Dome at Stone Mountain State Park, North Carolina! Read the rest of this entry »
This weekend was my first outdoor climb. Thanks to CHOA, which has harnesses and gear for beginners thinking about getting into the sport, I was able to try it out. Also, as usual, big props to Tito Menjivar, a great person, leader and mentor for a lot of my outdoor excursions (and Gayle for taking these pics). A great workout, and definitely something I’m planning on getting into more. Likely in the following month during trips to Stone Mountain and Table Rock for overnighters. Read the rest of this entry »
So there’s a new big kid playground down in South Carolina, about an hour south of Charlotte, called Carolina Adventure World. My understanding from one of the lead Ziplining Gurus is that the gentleman that owns Wilburn Auto Body in Charlotte got bored, so he decided to take this 2600 acre expanse and make 100+ miles of ATV trails, a three-station zipline course, and 10-15 miles of planned mountain biking trails. Read the rest of this entry »
OK. I’m gonna let the pictures to a lot of the talking, but I’ll give you the finer points! This hike definitely pushed my limit, as I’m a little out of practice – and maybe shape!
This was my first trip to Linville (Pisgah), sad to say, but I made the first one a good one. Did about nine miles, from the Mountains to Sea Trails at marker 210, up to Table Rock, down to the river via the Little Table Rock Trail, then up the Connely Cove Trail, only to double back to the river and then out the Spence Ridge Trail. Rain was in the forecast, so we had gear to cover up, but only needed it on the last ascent and back. Read the rest of this entry »
The Horsepasture River and the falls that adorn it are part of the Gorges State Park in/near Brevard, North Carolina. Seems like the general population calls this place Horsepasture Falls, so if you hear either, they’re probably referring to the same place. Although there are technically five falls in the area we were hiking, I believe I only saw three of those, but possibly four, since two are supposed to be fairly close to each other.
I digress. Getting to the river isn’t the easiest feat. Rumor has it (from the chaps I was hiking with) that the land is state owned, but the parking is supposed to be maintained or supplied by the county. Unfortunately it seemed like the locals weren’t to keen on the agreement, because all access points were closed and heavily patrolled.
But, once you find a place to start and actually get hiking, it’s quite scenic and fairly leisurely. The first trek down to the water is fairly steep, thus a little strenuous for the weekend hiker types. This is an out and back hike, only about 4 miles or so for what I’m reporting, although I understand you can go a couple miles further before hitting a service road. Regardless, this is not a loop, and not marked once you’re on the trail. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s the lowdown on Stone Mountain State Park, from my first trip there a few weeks ago. It’s a beautiful mountain with a unique peak. The first trek up the granite dome is fairly strenuous, but unfortunately it’s been cluttered by steps for about 70% of the trip. Never a big fan of steps; kinda takes the fun out of it.
