RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE
Last week I worked in
Spartanburg, SC. I commuted each day
from Charlotte, but the lovely fall colors helped me endure the long, tedious
drives up and down I-85. The best colors
appeared around the rocky peaks of Crowders Mountain and Kings Mountain. Although I’ve hiked at “Crowded Mountain”
numerous times, I’d never even visited Kings Mountain National Military Park
nor Kings Mountain State Park. My wife
has competed in several triathlons through the parks, and had mentioned how pretty
the area was. I finished my job early
on Thursday afternoon, and decided to check out the parks on my way home.
I drove into the park, and
was immediately impressed with the statuesque trees. Most of the forest is composed of hardwoods, making for some fine
fall color. The best fall foliage may
have been adjacent to the visitor’s center.
A row of stately maples along the edge of the lawn rivaled the fall
foliage I’d seen in the mountains earlier in autumn.
I arrived after 4pm, and the
National Park closes at 5. The closure
includes the gated parking lot and the trails.
I picked up a map, which indicated that the parks have over 20 miles of
trails. This includes a 16-mile loop
through both parks. I didn’t have
enough time to walk the trail that loops for 1.5 miles through the
monuments. I really wanted to get in a
run anyway, so I decided to head on down the road to the adjoining State
Park. Initially I drove a pretty road
down toward Lake York. Unfortunately, I
couldn’t get a good view of the lake.
From there I drove to Apple Road, a dirt drive that looked like an
appealing place to run.
I pulled off where Apple
Road joins the main park road and started my run there. After only a couple of minutes I passed a
large parking lot. Parking there
requires a $2 fee. Apparently a parking
pass is required anywhere in the State Park (the National Park is free). I wasn’t aware of that when I pulled off the
road, so I spent the rest of my run wondering if I’d get a ticket. I had an enjoyable run, even though the
return was largely up a gradual hill.
Somehow I failed to note the downhill grade on the way out.
I returned to my car (which
was unmolested) and headed for home. I
was sick of driving I-85, so I took back roads through Clover. I was home in 40 minutes, which was a
surprise. Since the area had some
hiking potential, the drive was short, and the fall colors were at their peak,
I decided to return on Sunday for a hike.
Jack, Myron, Dorcas, and
Izzak decided to join me. Jack drove up
from Spartanburg, and Myron and Dorcas drove all the way from
Winston-Salem. We all met at the
National Park visitor’s center shortly after the park opened at 9AM. Upon
arrival, I noticed that peak fall color had passed over the previous three
days. I was a little disappointed, but
the colors were still pretty impressive.
A sunny but chilly morning
promised a pleasant hike. We registered
at the visitor’s center for our hike (a park requirement) and debated our
options. Originally we planned to hike
the16 mile-loop, but I was concerned about the time. We had less than 8 hours to complete our hike. A horse trail intersects the hiking trail in
a couple of places, creating options for a shorter hike. We set out on our hike with the idea that
we’d return on one of the horse trails if we ran short on time (or energy).
We followed a well-marked
trail through the woods before crossing the main park road. Beyond we crossed a couple of wooded knobs
before reaching the junction with the side trail to Browns Mountain. My topo map indicated a fire tower at the
top of the mountain, so we headed that way to take in the view. A modest ascent led to a summit with limited
views. From there a descent and final
climb led to the “peak”. At the top we
found the supports for a fire tower, but that was all that remained. I was disappointed, as I was looking forward
to a long distance view of Gaffney’s famous “peach” water tower.
After a brief break we
returned to the main trail. Sometime
later, we arrived at the National Park’s only designated campsite. It’s a nice spot in open woods, and it
features an impressive pile of firewood provided by the park service. That’s a nice perk, considering that it’s
free. We had an early lunch there
before resuming the hike.
Before long we entered the
State Park and crossed a dirt road. The
trail in the State Park was less defined, but following it wasn’t a
problem. That’s because the path was
heavily blazed. In fact, the blazes in
some areas were overkill. At times, it
seemed like the every tree was marked.
If you’re ever in the Ace Hardware in Kings Mountain or Clover and can’t
find blue spray paint, it’s probably because it was all used by the park
service.
The hike through the State
Park wound through mostly open forest.
At times we followed ridges, while other sections of trail wandered
among the small streams bisecting the area.
We crossed the first horse trail we passed, but decided to remain on the
hiking trail, even though this part of the hiking trail showed some signs of
illegal horse use. At the next horse
trail crossing, we opted to take the short route back to the visitor’s
center. It was getting late, and we
didn’t want our cars to be locked in.
The horse trail was pretty
much what we expected. Some areas were
eroded, while others were muddy. At one
point, I walked well around a mud puddle, and noticed that a horse had done the
same thing. It’s a shame that some
horseback riders don’t know better.
Obviously, when a horse does that, it only magnifies the problem.
We did pass several
horseback riders, which was mildly surprising after only seeing one hiker
earlier. We did have one mildly
humorous encounter with two women on horseback. Contrary to another report, this hiker never stated that one of
them had a fat ass! That’s
slander! Or libel! Or possibly defamation! I can never remember which is which. I guess I’ll have to check with the legal
department here at Fungi and Fungirl Adventures. I won’t attempt to recall the entire conversation, but one woman
mentioned that her horse was fat. I
countered with the observation that it appeared to be all muscle. Somehow, that was misinterpreted.
Now that I think about it,
maybe I misunderstood. Perhaps SHE said
that her ASS was fat. Well, I suppose
that would be an easy mistake to make.
If that’s the case, I retract my statement. Clearly her ass was not all muscle.
We survived the rest of the
hike back. At the visitor’s center we
decided to skip the hike through the battlefield. Perhaps one day I’ll return to finish the hike and visit the
monuments. After all, the parks provide
a pleasant, quiet place to hike. There
isn’t much there in the way of spectacular views, but the area does provide
solitude. That’s all the more amazing
considering the hordes of people that visit nearby “Crowded Mountain” on the
weekends.
Back to South Carolina
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!