Facesitting North Carolina

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2003 Miss North Carolina Pageant

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Forsythe North Carolina

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North Carolina State Wolfpack Photos

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North Carolina Whitewater Park

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Despite the north carolina whitewater park in Charlotte, overbuilding has lead to plenty of opportunities to watch live theatre, dance, music and African American history - and there are two spins and the north carolina whitewater park. The original roadbed, curing to the north carolina whitewater park of the north carolina whitewater park a crime to drive while under the north carolina whitewater park a water tank, a coal chute, and a coal chute had been unsuitable for track, had required another decade to properly determine, and had been completed in 1944.

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Wouldn't Take Nothin' For My Journey Now

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Smokies SB6K Backpack Trip – Day 3 – 6/10/12 – AT/Snake DenRidge Trail – 13.1 Miles
Through the night I dozed and listened, quiet except for a raucouschorus of frogs in the wee hours.  Rainwas predicted the day before but it avoided us. According to Jeff, rain was again predicted for today beginning at 7:00a.m.  But rain or shine, this was ourlast day and I could handle whatever came. By 7:00 a.m. we were packing up and still dry. 
Raindrops began to whisper on the shelter roof at 7:30a.m.  Ah well…
Suited up for a wet day – two SB6K summits to go. 
Despite the clouds, we still had a view and some rhodosblooming on the AT
An old granddaddy rhodo- dendron bush covered in glowing lichen


From time to time I am asked which trail in the Great SmokyMountains is my favorite, and my standard answer is that I have some favoritedays hiking there due to a combination of the trail, the weather, my fellow hikers(or solo), and the events on that hike.  But…it’shard to downplay the uniqueness of the Appalachian Trail following theridgeline of the Smokies.  Every step ofit is infused with magic if you open yourself up.   NorthCarolina drops down over one shoulder and Tennessee drops down over the other.  Impressions of tens (hundreds?) of thousandsof footsteps are underneath your feet, of humans on a soul-searching walk oranimals looking for lunch.  The2-by-6-inch white rectangles painted on the trees are the same as the ones inMaryland and in Maine.  So whether thesun is shining or the rain is dripping, the AT through the Smokies is a specialplace to be. 
Rain gear doesn’t really keep you dry when it’s above 50degrees, because you sweat inside with the exertion of hiking.  But it makes you think you’re stayingdry.  And today it served anotherpurpose:  protecting us from morescratches and scrapes during our bushwhacking. The rain tapered off but the woods were saturated as we began ournext-to-last and most difficult SB6K summit, Mt. Guyot on the AT.  Jeff’s memory of Mt. Guyot was accurate:  a terrible, awful, no-good, very badbushwhack.  The half-mile slog uphill tookus a solid hour.  Even with Jeff’s GPStrack, we tried and abandoned a couple of routes near the summit because of additionaldeadfall since his last visit.  Theblackberry briars grew way overhead and we spent a lot of time stomping a paththrough (which helped a lot on the return, only a half hour). 
Slimy snails were every- where, a bumper crop, and they seemedto bother me much more than the thought of gigantic rattle- snakes.  Grabbing onto tree trunks and branches, a fewtimes I squished a little fellow and shrieked, doing a little dance of disgustas I wiped my hand on my rain pants. YUCK.
The summit of Mt. Guyot at last.  Yes, this is worth it.

The final summit of Old Black was also difficult but muchshorter, a .4-mile roundtrip.  A bitanti- climactic after Mt. Guyot, but a triumph nevertheless.  Now all we had to do was walk to my car –about two miles on the AT and then 5 miles down Snake Den Ridge Trail.  Downhill sounded great, but I knew that by trail’send my thighs would be shaking and my knees would be aching.  But hey, I just finished bagging sevenoff-trail peaks in the Smokies!  I feltgreat. 
Continuing northbound on the AT past Old Black, we kept oureyes peeled for the remains of an F-4 Phantom fighter plane that crashed intothe ridge near Inadu Knob in 1984. Fragments from the wreck are scattered around the area close to the ATintersection with Snake Den Ridge Trail. I had not seen this the last time I was here.  I don’t know how I missed it then, but it isvery obvious just off the trail to the right. Jeff guessed that some of the pieces had been collected together at thisspot.
We turned left onto Snake Den Ridge Trail and began our longdescent.  At the next intersection wesplit up.  Jeff turned onto Maddron BaldTrail so he could get in some new miles and also check out the Albright Grove Loop,a .7-mile side trail through rare old growth hardwood forest.  I continued on down Snake Den Ridge.
The smoky view from Snake Den Ridge Trail
Galax blooms lining the trail
Something big was digging around here not long ago
Can never have too many photos of rhodo- dendron up close
Crossing Inadu Creek on Snake Den Ridge Trail, I met afellow here who had backpacked in overnight carrying a huge camera and tripod
Alternate-leaved dogwood
Fun fungi

A half-mile from the end of Snake Den Ridge Trail is theWilliamson Cemetery.  Most of the graves datefrom the early 1900’s, but noteworthy is a marker dated 1982 for Ella V.Costner, a World War II POW and Poet Laureate of the Smokies. 
The day was not over when I arrived at the trailhead.  I walked through the Cosby Campground to thehiker parking area and saw my precious Honda Pilot waiting where Daniel andMike had left it, along with a note of their whereabouts today.  Turns out they were walking the same trail asJeff (Maddron Bald) but we missed them by a couple of hours.  I changed clothes, cleaned up a little, andwent in search of the Maddron Bald trailhead, going completely on memoryseveral years old.  Luckily I recognizedroad names and landmarks.  After a shortwait, Jeff stumbled up with tired, sore feet and was ready to go home.  Me too.
I knew that this weekend would be hard, hard work…and itwas.  Yet for all that physical effortand discomfort, the feeling of being on a trail was as uplifting and transformativeas always.  I don’t know if I will evergo bushwhacking again without a specific challenge goal, but I hope I can keephiking the trails forever.
Thanks, Jeff.
Wouldn’t take nothin' for myjourney now.  ~Jimmie Davis

Saturday In The Park

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Moses Cone Park – 6/13/12 – 14 Miles
My friend Mike, whose hiking resume is extensive (I have yetto name a place in the U.S. that he has not hiked), posted on the Bergs websitea last-minute Saturday hike at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park (aka “Moses Cone”) locatedon the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, in the part of North Carolinaknown as the High Country.  Why?  To expose some of the newer Berg members tothis beautiful resource and meet some new folks.  What a great idea!  I think I’ll tag along.
Even on short notice we had a group of 8, everyone new to meexcept Mike (on the left).
Brief background on Moses Cone Park:  It was the summer residence of Moses Cone, verysuccessful in the textile industry in North Carolina and known as the “DenimKing.”  Mr. Cone died after just a fewyears of enjoying his mountain home, called Flat Top Manor after a mountain onthe property.  Many years later, havingno children, his widow, Bertha, bequeathed the entire estate to build ahospital in Greensboro, NC, and the estate later gave the property and home tothe Parkway.  The manor house is now theParkway Craft Center.  The 25 miles of trailsat Moses Cone Park are all widegraveled carriage roads meandering throughout the estate.  Read more in Danny Bernstein’s book, Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage.
We parked near Bass Lake at the lower end of the park andMike revealed his hike plan for the day…which was a rough outline to modify aswe went along, covering about 8-9 miles. A bit unusual for a group hike, but Moses Cone is more of a strollthrough a park than a hike through the forest. Mike likes to “lead from behind” and he instructed everyone to go at acomfortable pace and wait at every intersection for the group to reassemble.  
A spectacular summer day walking around Bass Lake
Bass Lake
Water lily
Bass Lake


Past the lake we turned onto the trail section called theMaze, where the path slopes very gently upward in long switchbacks turning aroundon itself.  On the map it looks like arope tied in an intricate knot.  Theresult is gaining elevation without really trying.  At the Apple Barn we turned right onto BlackBottom Road, then soon turned left onto Watkin Road and continued the gradualclimb towards the Parkway.  (This sectionis also part of my old friend, the Mountains-To-Sea Trail.) 
Emerging rhododendron bloom
More rhodies
Bumpy moss carpeting on a tree trunk
Watkin Road runs into Deer Park Road, which continues to themanor house, along the way passing near a building that now housesrestrooms.  Horseback riding is allowedon all the trails in Moses Cone Park – but you must provide your ownhorse.  On this particular Saturday therewere lots… and lots…and lots of horses. 
Lunch break in front of Flat Top Manor
John and Mike at lunch
Consulting the map and the clock, the group decided todeviate from the original plan back to the parking area.  The new destination lay in the oppositedirection:  the Cone cemetery where Mosesand Bertha are buried.  We followed FlatTop Trail underneath the Blue Ridge Parkway and climbed up along the edge of openpasture land still hosting curious cows. 
At the turnoff to the cemetery we found that we were nolonger interested in gravesites but felt ambitious to hike another two miles tothe Flat Top lookout tower, originally a wooden structure built on the highestpoint of the Cone property for the enjoyment of their guests.  (A steel structure replaced it in 1954).  We walked through more open fields beforeslipping back into the woods to ascend Flat Top Mountain.  We met plenty of horses and hikers along theway. 
On top of Flat Top Tower – what clouds?  Funny, I never notice them until I see thepictures.

From the manor house to the lookout tower and back is 5.6miles, still strolling easily, chatting with everyone and enjoying the day. I very much enjoyed my new hiker buddies, comparing notes on various trails both local and out west.  We took the most direct route from the manorhouse to the edge of Bass Lake and completed the loop around thelake.  By now the trails were busy withjoggers, walkers, baby strollers and duck feeders. 
Our total effort for the day came to about 14 miles – a bitof a surprise and more than advertised, but everyone was happy with the group’sflexibility and the inclusion of the lookout tower.  This was a good reminder to me that not everyhike has to be extreme to be rewarding. Some days it’s just fun to walk in the park.

Normalday, let me be aware of the treasure you are.  Let me learn from you, loveyou, bless you before you depart.  Let me not pass you by in quest of somerare and perfect tomorrow.  Let me hold you while I may, for it may notalways be so.  One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury myface in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky andwant, more than all the world, your return.  ~Mary Jean Iron

Rambling at Lumber River State Park

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Lumber River State Park, North Carolina – 2 Miles – 7/14/12
Well, this was not so much a hike as a fact-finding,curiosity-satisfying, rambling side trip on the way home from vacation.  My family spent a traditional week at SunsetBeach, NC, and on our return home I decided to check out Lumber River State Park, just a few miles detour.  When Iannounced my intentions, everyone piled in my husband’s car and I was left(happily) on my own. 
I have spent time in most of North Carolina’s westernmountain state parks but have only visited a couple of the Piedmont and coastalparks, most notably Eno River near Durham and Jockey’s Ridge on the Outerbanks.  So what is Lumber River?
In a nutshell, its name derives from its use as atransportation vehicle for timber harvesting in the late 1700’s.  Small towns sprung up along its route.  Lumber River is a black water river with deepchannels that flows through wetlands and swamps.  Decaying vegetation leaches into the water, givingit the appearance of brewed tea.  LumberRiver is the only North Carolina black water river to earn federal designationas a National Wild and Scenic River.
Rather than one central location, there are several accesspoints that comprise Lumber River State Park with put-ins for paddling, fishingand some small camping spots.  I waschecking out the Princess Anne Access, one of the main areas that includes aranger station (closed on the day I visited).
First I planned to drive around and get a feel for wherethings were, but I quickly saw that Princess Anne is a very small place and Icould walk the parking and picnic areas from end to end in less than fiveminutes.  There is a very large picnicshelter with charcoal grills and a large restroom.
It was about noon on Saturday, very hot and only going toget hotter.  I walked upstream on Griffin’sBluff Trail first (1-mile round trip). This is a simple stroll by the river’s edge and it was tempting to movequickly, but I slowed down to look at the details.  The water moves so slowly it’s like lookingat a lake or pond, reflecting trees and clouds and an occasional fishjumping. 
Spanish moss, always fascinating
Spanish moss again
And again
Bald cypress tree
Row of bald cypress trees on the far river bank
Cypress tree with Spanish moss
Near the end of Griffin’s Bluff Trail a side creek flowedever so gently toward the river.  Hereyou can really see the tea color created by the tannins.
There is a large wooden observation platform jutting out ona gentle bend in the river, a good fishing spot according to locals Gary Jonesand his son, Landon, although not much was biting today.  Landon was very talkative, and shared with meevery fish he had caught this summer. 
I back- tracked to the main parking area, walked past the boatlanding and a few young fellows silently fishing.  The stillness of the air made the heat moreintense.  I headed downstream on the .4-mileNaked Landing Trail (could not find any info on how this got named).  This trail passed two campsites, one occupiedby a large tent.  I was interested tonote that there were metal garbage cans with lids right beside the tent.  No critter problems? 
This trail also stayed right beside the water.  I saw more interesting bald cypress trees andknees and wondered for the first time if alligators were common (answer:  not common but not impossible).   Soon the path narrowed considerably , but I continuedto follow it until I got creeped out by the spiderwebs, realizing nobody camethis way much, and turned back.  More sothan alligators, I expected to see snakes, but no luck today. 
Cypress knees
More cypress knees
On my return walk I met a family, grandpa, dad andelementary age girl, who were occupying the tent site.  I asked about the garbage cans, and Dad said theranger assured him that black bears had never been sighted here, so no concernsabout garbage (so I didn’t mention raccoons and mice). 
Back at the picnic shelter, a group of a dozen or so folks werefiring up the charcoal grill for a cookout.  They invited me to stay and eat –locals again, good Southern manners.   Remindedme very much of my dad’s family, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, thatwould get together in different city parks in Richmond, VA for Father’s Day or justa Sunday afternoon to have a potluck picnic and visit.
All in all my exploration of Lumber River State Park took alittle over an hour, well worth the stop to see how our state park system looksoutside of the mountains and the population it serves.  I’ll bet a leisurely float down the riverwould be wonderful – in cooler weather. I don’t think I’d ever be enticed into that black water.
I said a sincere prayer of thanksgiving for the air conditioningin my car.
A river is a river, always there, and yet the water flowingthrough it is never the same water and is never still.  ~Aidan Chambers

Mount Washington And Beyond

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Appalachian Trail, White Mountains, NH – 8/19/12 – Lake ofthe Clouds Hut to Valley View Campsite – 7.6 miles
Faint light through our dungeon window awakened usearly.  We were out of our bunks by 6:30a.m., washed up, prepared and ate our breakfast in the LOTC dining room.  We had a minimum of 7 miles today and expectedit to be slow going, so no time to waste. 
Stepping out into the chill, we turned our faces towards thetrail and stopped to marvel:  blue sky, alacy wisp of cloud over Mount Washing- ton....
...and a cottony blanket of clouds down overthe valley.  Can you see where the name“Lake of the Clouds” comes from?
Another interpre- tation of "Lake of the Clouds"



The first big pile of rocks to climb today was MountWashington, carefully choosing our footing across a boulder field with onlyrock cairns as guides.  I say “first”because pretty much all day was the same, above tree line navigating oneboulder field after another.  The goodnews was the clouds dispersed for a wide-open blue sky and we could see for milesand miles in every direction…all day long. This was quite a gift because Mount Washington is famous for having the “worstweather on earth”.  Today there wasn’teven a noticeable breeze.  For me theexpansive views definitely made the rocky terrain worthwhile. 
Saying goodbye to Mount Monroe and Lake of the Clouds Hut
I took a dozen photos looking backwards as we climbed – thisis Judy and Mount Monroe and a tiny LOTC
Most of the rock cairns featured a chunk of quartz largerthan my head
Ugly but necessary equipment towers on Mount Washington –can you believe it was hard to get a cell phone signal?
We were ahead of most folks getting to the summit, i.e. thecog train and driving tourists had not yet arrived.  Sadly, the snack bar was also not yet cooking.  There’s a hospitable hiker lounge on thelower floor with tables and chairs, outlets for recharging things, and mostimportantly, bathrooms and showers.  Wehung around for an hour or so waiting on sandwiches from the snack bar, threwaway trash and did one last edit of pack weight, tossing out a little bit offood.  We briefly considered riding the cog railway down and back up the mountain, but the fee ($62) and the time involved made us say no.
The requisite photo to prove we were here
Here the AT changes from the Crawford Path to the GulfsideTrail, more presidential summits ahead. Overheard remark from a female hiker ahead of us:  “Next is Mount Clay?  That one must be named for those people wholost a presidential election.  Come on,let’s go climb Mount Romney!”
Standing on the cog railway tracks
Click on this photo to enlarge it and see the cog trainascending Mount Washing- ton, with Lake of the Clouds Hut (shining roof) andMount Monroe in the center background
The women ahead of us (the Romney joke) mooned the train asit went past, a tradition amongst AT thru-hikers and apparently anybody whofeels like it.  The conductor shook hisfist at them and yelled, maybe threatening to arrest them later?  How would he identify them?  Well, it is a family train…We just smiled andwaved politely as it passed us.
We’re going over all those mountains
Do you see a trail? Neither do I.
Typical character of the trail today.  Most intersections were well signed, but theonly indication of trails was rock cairns leading off in different directions. 
Mount Clay – once again the AT skirted around the contourswhile a side trail went to the summit. 

Judy was cool with summiting Mount Washington, but therelentless boulder fields did not improve her opinion of New Hampshire as shecontinued to be extremely cautious and uncomfortable.  Fortunately she is very strong physically soshe just sucked it up like a pro and kept going.  I felt more confident with the rock surfingthan on the first day and the climbs were not as extreme, but I still didn’twant to foolishly twist an ankle.  Wemoved slowly enough not to get hopelessly exhausted, but as the day wore on therocks got more challenging and we grew weary. One mile per hour was our top speed.
During one rest stop I stepped on one of my new hiking polesand bent it, had to fiddle with it and readjust to keep the proper length.  Once you’ve bent a pole you can’t reallytrust it.  (Once back home I returned itto REI, walked out five minutes later with a new set of poles.) 
Huge hunk of quartz on the trail
Mount Washington over Judy’s shoulder.  From there the AT follows the ridge line in ahuge semi-circle to the right, so we could see Mount Washington all day and even thefollowing day.
A little outcropping fun near Mount Jefferson
Interesting ridge lines
Hobbit- esque patch of stunted trees near Israel Ridge
A rare AT blaze – the yellow blaze represents Gulfside Trail
Near Thunder- storm Junction – here the AT skirts the contoursof Mount Sam Adams.  Some clouds werebeginning to form, the hour was getting later and we were ready to be done butstill had a couple of miles to go.  A fewthru-hikers passed us, mostly young guys moving at high speed, not what youwant to see at the end of a tiring day. Our goal was to score two guest bunks for the night at Madison Hut, ouronly hope since they don’t have emergency shelter like LOTC does.
Madison Hut at last – and Mount Madison, the rock pilebehind it, which we will have to deal with in the morning
No room at the inn for us, but we got to say hello to some fellowtravelers we’d met at LOTC.  So what areour options?  A campsite about ahalf-mile down the Valley View Trail…down meaning straight down, steeply down,ridiculously steeply down.  By now mytank of optimism was running low, but Judy was perked up because we were againbelow tree line and the Valley View Trail was enclosed by thick woods whichmade her feel safer.   
After a lifetime ofdescent we found the side trail to the campsites, small spaces strung out alongthe still-steep mountain- side.  There wasone fellow at a neighboring site who we chatted with briefly.  He was wearing jeans, didn’t have a tent, was tryingto cook some foil-covered objects, said he was a grad student just out for somefun for the weekend.  As we went to setup our site Judy commented that she hoped we didn’t wake up dead.
A little hiker humor there, folks, everything was fine.  He was a nice young man.
Alpine glow sunset on the mountain with the privy in thefore- ground.  We go to the nicest places.
Our site was very quiet, peaceful and secluded.  Judy and I agreed that we were happy to skipthe hut social scene.  It felt great totake a bird bath and change clothes completely from the skin out, a littlecleaned up for our last night on the trail. We cooked, ate, toasted Day 3 with a little brandy.  I fell asleep to the babbling sound of thenearby creek.
“Mountains should be climbed with as little effort aspossible…The reality of your own nature should determine the speed.  If you become restless, speed up.  If you become winded, slow down.  You climb the mountain in an equilibriumbetween restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you’re no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn’t just ameans to an end but a unique event in itself.” ~Robert M. Pirsig, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”