EIGHT YEARS GONE
A couple of weeks ago, Bob
suggested getting together for a hike.
It was early November, so I suggested something at a low elevation, so
we could catch the last of the fall colors.
We settled on the Uwharries, but we still needed a specific
destination. I did a bit of research,
and remembered that I’d enjoyed a hike at Morrow Mountain State Park a couple
years earlier. At the time, I had
planned to return in a few months to explore some of the trails I’d missed on
that initial visit. Somehow, a few
months turned into a few years. How
many years? I checked my notes, and was
shocked to discover that my previous hike had occurred in 1999. Eight years! How can eight years go by that quickly?
To put this in perspective,
I’ve taken multiple hiking trips to Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Washington in
the years since I last visited Morrow Mountain. And Morrow Mountain is only a 1-hour drive away.
So, I decided to correct
this little oversight. Bob, Laura,
Myron, Dorcas, Ann, Colleen, and two dogs, Saucony and Sunshine, elected to
join me. We met at the park’s visitor
center on Sunday morning, and planned out our route. Our hike would take us to the summit of Morrow Mountain, which at
an elevation of 900’+, is part of the Uwharrie Beyond 600’ list.
We began our hike on a
nature trail behind the park’s museum.
This path connected with the Morrow Mountain Trail, and after a bit of
confusion and nearly a wrong turn, we were on our way.
The hike started out easy,
as we rolled along through varied terrain.
It was a chilly morning, but as usual, most of us overdressed. The first half of the hike looked like some
sort of weird burlesque show (featuring far more fleece than silk), as people
shed random articles of clothing all along the trail. Even I had to join the fray once we hit the surprisingly steep
final climb to the summit. By the time
we reached the top, most of us were down to shorts and t-shirts.
The summit of Morrow
Mountain features a picnic shelter, a bathroom, a parking lot, and almost
everything else you’d expect at a state park.
We arrived shortly before noon, so at least we were able to avoid the
worst of the crowds. We had a pleasant
early lunch in the sun on the viewing platform behind the picnic shelter. From here, there is a nice view of Lake
Tillery and the Uwharrie Mountains.
After lunch, we circled the
peak on the summit loop trail. This
path provided some additional views that were worth seeing. Aside from the lake and the ancient Uwharrie
Mountains, we were treated to some pleasant fall colors.
We headed back down by the
same route initially, but diverged from that path in search of variety. We followed a series of horse trails down
towards Lake Tillery. For the most
part, these trails were fine for hiking.
The only annoyance was a group of horseback riders that passed by on
several occasions. For some reason,
they were doing most of their riding off-trail. I can’t imagine the park approves of riding off-trail, as it can
certainly cause serious erosion.
We avoided the horses by
hiking out the Rocks Trail to a viewpoint just above Lake Tillery. Fortunately, the Rocks Trail is designated
for hikers only. At the end of the path,
we found a minor cliff where a handful of boulders provide a fine view of the
lake near the confluence with the Uwharrie River. After a bit of maneuvering, almost everyone was able to find a
seat with a view.
While relaxing there, Dorcas
offered everyone Giardia Chocolate. I
politely declined. The last thing I
needed was Giardia Chocolate. Then
Dorcas clarified her statement. She had
meant to say Ghiradelli Chocolate, which is a very different thing! Congratulations to Dorcas for making the
trip report.
We packed up and backtracked
to the horse trail. From there, a short
hike led to the campground, which is quite attractive. We followed a path through the campground,
before cutting over to the visitor’s center.
Here we found about a dozen deer grazing. Apparently large numbers of deer move into the state park during
hunting season.
I enjoyed our hike, and it
was nice to get together with other hikers for a change. The weather ended up being ideal, and the
wildlife and fall foliage added a lot to the hike. I’ll definitely hike at Morrow Mountain again sometime. Hopefully it won’t take me 8 more years
though!
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