Wander Report: Crowder's Trail - Crowders Mountain State Park, NC

One of the many boulders on Crowder's Trail.

Route: Crowder's Trail from Park office to Backside trail
Distance: 6 miles total (out and back)
Elevation change: 686 ft.
Difficulty: Moderate (mainly due to the distance of the hike)
Date: 1/9/2016

Crowders Mountain State Park is located just south of Charlotte in Gaston County. This was our first trip to this state park. The weather was overcast with a dense fog. Temperatures were around 50 degrees.

The area had received quite a bit of rainfall in the week leading up to our hike, so we were a little worried about the trail conditions. Thankfully, there was not an issue with mud and/or slippery conditions on the trails we navigated.

The hike began at the park office and begins with a small drop in elevation for the first quarter mile. The climb up Crowder's Trail is a rolling climb that is very subtle. There are a couple of foot bridges over small creeks in the first mile and we met some volunteers in this first mile that were doing trail maintenance on a connecting trail. Crowder's trail does cross a state road around the one mile mark.

Volunteers on Crowder's Trail

The meandering trail weaved through thick forest that included many rock outcrops and beautiful trees (even in winter time with no leaves). Our group included kids as young as 2 years old. The trail is a good hike for kids 5 and up to hike the complete trail. A few of the younger kids did need to be carried for portions of the trail.

At the end of Crowder's Trail, we met up with the Backside trail to the summit of the mountain. This was a short .4 mile hike up a gravel trail and ultimately 316 +/- wooden railroad tie steps. Along the gravel portion you can view the rock faces that many rock climbers tackle. With the wet conditions, we did not witness any rock climbing. This .4 mile section is the hardest part of the climb as you will gain about 420 feet on this portion alone.

stairs on Backside Trail

From the top of the mountain, I wish I could say the views were breathtaking and awe-inspiring, but with the dense fog, we had very limited views. I look forward to coming back in better weather to see the real majesty of this mountain.

A foggy summit at Crowders Mountain

From the summit, we returned back the way we came. Over all it took us 3 hours and 15 minutes, which is a pretty good pace for kids. If you are not sure if your group can handle the full 6 mile trek, you can park a car at the trailhead of Backside trail to cut the hike in half. The moderate rating is purely for the distance of this hike.

The trail is a popular trail for hikers and runners. Since the weather was a little daunting, I can only imagine how crowded this trail could be on a clear day. We were hiking on a Saturday and we started around 10:30 AM.

Skittles' favorite tree on the hike

Our group of kids at the summit with Buddy Bison

Not Every Hike is a Perfect Day - Morrow Mountain State Park

Let's get this year off on the right foot (and left). We awoke this morning to Skittles and the Doobs greeting us at the bed. "Are we going hiking today?" they said. This is the best feeling in the world, to have my two children as excited about getting on the trails as my wife and I are. Of course, it is the first day in about a week and a half that we have had a full day with no rain and it has been longer than we have gone all year since our last hike.

We had been planning this hike all week in preparation of the new year. Our State Parks System is celebrating it's centennial anniversary this year and many parks hosted First Day hikes this weekend in our state.

The family headed south to Morrow Mountain State Park. It is nestled near the Uwharrie National Forest area and is neighbored by the PeeDee River basin. It is about an hour and twenty minute drive from the Greensboro area. The family decided on the Morrow Mountain trail for our adventure.

As with many families consisting of children under 6, we had some delays and got to the park about 2:00 PM. We decided to start from the top of the mountain and use the Mountain Loop Trail as somewhat of a warm up to our hike. The Mountain Loop trail is about .6 miles and is a loop around the summit of the mountain. The views are amazing, but beware the trail is quite narrow and has a loose rock trail in many areas. I was on edge, literally, every time my 4 year old would try and jog to catch up with her sister and mother. The drop off is very steep in sections but the views are awesome.

Dad, Skittles and the Doobs on the Mountain Loop trail in Morrow Mountain State Park.

Then, we connected to the Morrow Mountain Trail and began the descent. The trail is listed as a 2.6 mile one way hike on the State Park site, but beware, some of the popular apps are incorrect in describing this trail as a loop. Near the top of the mountain, the beginning of our hike, it is quite steep and the trail does not flow in switchbacks. It is straight vertical and can be slippery in places. About half way down the descent, my kids were already telling me they were tired. 

So, here we were in a predicament. Not only were we fighting tired legs on the kids, daylight was now a factor. Knowing that we were going to be carrying our two young ones back up the hill, my wife and I begrudgingly decided to turn around and head back about a mile into the trail. So, our day was cut shorter than we had planned and hoped, but we were all excited to be back outside and on the trail even for a brief amount of time.

I cannot give an official review of this trail knowing that we did not complete it, but what I can tell you is that this trail is no joke for young children. I also would recommend starting low at the Museum on the Sugar Loaf trail and connecting to the Morrow Mountain trail and climb. Starting from the top is not the most exciting route in my opinion, but I am a big fan of getting rewarded with the view at the top after climbing (not at the start if the climb).

So, we will consider this our warm up for our hiking club outing next weekend. The park looks amazing and we will be back later in the spring to give it a little more attention. 

 

Wander Report: Piedmont Trail - Bur Mil Park, Greensboro, NC

Lake Brandt from the Piedmont Trail

It is the last weekend before school officially starts. Skittles is starting Kindergarten and The Doobs is in the 3 year old pre-K class. Friday, we asked "what do you want to do this weekend for your last summer hoo-rah." Both, to Mommy and Daddy's delight, said they wanted to go hiking on Saturday. We had gotten both of them new hiking shoes and they were dying to try them out.

We needed to stay fairly close to home due to a dinner engagement, so we headed over to Bur Mil Park in Greensboro, NC for a hike at Lake Brandt on the Piedmont Trail.

The trailhead for the Piedmont Trail

The trailhead was easy enough to find. We parked on Strawberry Road where the Greenway crosses, just off of 220 (Battleground Ave.) . The Piedmont Trail begins just up the Greenway about .10 miles.

Heading off into the Kudzu

 The trail begins with a narrow path through a field of Kudzu. The dragon flies greeted us as we trekked through the thick brush towards the woods surrounding Lake Brandt.

Just before heading into the trees, there is a great view of the lake. But, once we entered the woods nature took over and gave the kids a show they had not seen before on any of our previous hikes.

We were very fortunate to see quite a bit of wildlife on the trail this day. First, the ducks startled us as we walked close to the water to get a good view of the lake. A heron glided by us as it hovered inches above the water. We met a frog just off the side of the trail.

About a mile into the hike, we made our way around a bend to see a young deer standing right in the middle of the trail. To see the girls' faces was priceless as the deer just stood there and watched us in between bites of grass. As we crept softly closer, the deer just took a few leaps to get out of the way, but stayed close enough to see. Then when we thought we were clear of her, we look to the left and there was another young deer not 20 feet away from us.

The girls were so excited to see their first deer on a hike with us. But, a little further down the trail we got to see a black and yellow garter snake and then a 5 Lined Skink. The girls were in awe. They could not wait to tell everyone what all we were seeing today on the trail.

The trail is accented by some great wooden bridges and footpaths through some of the wetlands. It is a very flat hike and was fairly quiet for a Saturday. Just a few trail runners and hikers.

Wander Woman, The Doobs and Skittles

We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of distance The Doobs covered on her own two feet. She made it almost 3 miles on her own (way further than her 3 year old legs had ever carried her previously). Skittles (our 5 year old) championed the trail for over 4 miles and only needed to be carried for a brief stretch.

To be so close to home, we could not have imagined a better hiking day.

Wandering Notes:
Distance: 5.75 Miles
Elevation Gain: 67 Feet
Difficulty: This is an easy hike in regards to elevation, but I say moderate due to the length of the hike for kids. It is a flat, out and back hike that hugs the coast of Lake Brandt for the majority of the trek. Lots of roots in areas, but well blazed trail. Trail is hiking/running only - no bikes!

Wander Report: Eno River State Park - Durham, NC

A great hike for kids - Cox Mountain Trail

Just off Interstate 85 in Durham, NC, a hidden gem called Eno River State Park hides in the thick forest. Since my family had never been there, we did not know what to expect when we arrived to the park on Saturday, August 8th. Of course, we had done some on-line research of the park to plan our hike for the day and the good reviews that the park received on the websites were well deserved. We were set to hike the Cox Mountain Trail.

The weather when we met up Saturday morning was a little overcast and for August, cool at about 77 degrees. We were to meet at the Eno River Park office. Let me tell you, if you have a large group meeting - do not meet at the park office. Parking is not plentiful at the office. We had 34 total people (13 kids 8 and under) participate in our August club hike.

The trail head for the Cox Mountain Trail is located at the very end of the park's main road that feeds into a circular parking lot. There is plenty of parking down here and clearly marked signs showing the trails. For all of us parents, it is also important to note that there are full service restrooms here at the trail head as well.

Crossing the suspension bridge

The trail begins with a stroll through the park picnic shelter area and quickly turns toward the river. The trail is marked by blue trail blazes. About a quarter of a mile into the hike, you reach the river and one of the coolest features of the hike is right here.  A 50 foot suspension bridge crosses the Eno and below is a great area to let the kids get their feet wet in the river. We brought water shoes and change of clothes for the kids just in case we got a little too wet.

After crossing the river, the trail's only real climb awaits you.  It is a rocky terrain with wooden railroad tie steps to help navigate the inclines. The trail is surrounded by hardwood forest here. Close to a mile and a half in to the trail you come back to the river and hike along side the river for about half a mile. It is a great place to view and listen to local wildlife. We were lucky to see turtles, butterflies, toads, Cherry millipedes, Stag beetles and a Northern Ring Neck snake. Thank goodness our resident expert Sam (8 years old) was there to identify every insect we came across.


The hike is a loop that circles back and let's you cross back over the suspension bridge to get back to the trail head and parking lot.

Wandering Notes:

Distance = 3.7 miles loop

Elevation Gain = 350-400 feet elevation gain

Difficulty = It is a great choice for hiking with kids. It is not too difficult terrain to traverse and there is plenty to keep their attention. It took us around 2.5 hours to complete the hike with a break in the middle for snacks and a couple of play/explore breaks around the river.

We paired our hike with a trip to FULLSTEAM Brewery in Durham, NC. A family-friendly, dog-friendly tavern that has a wonderful selection of craft brews and an arcade to make any 40-ish year old jealous. The adults had a little tasting party while the kids played board games and pinball.  

My personal favorite was the Summer Basil, a Farmhouse ale that was quite refreshing and had a unique blend of flavor. I normally lean towards the extreme hoppiness of the IPA's, but the Summer Basil had a good controlled hops flavor. Honorable mentions were Carver, a sweet potato lager and the Rocket Science IPA.

Wander Report: Day Summit of Mount Rogers, VA 7/26/15

It was time to make a second attempt at the summit of the tallest point of the state of Virginia. Just this past spring, we made plans to summit Mount Rogers and were met with 30 degree weather and 50 mph winds. We may have been able to tough it out that day if we did not have our 3 and 4 year old with us, but we were not necessarily prepared for the weather completely. Needless to say, we abandoned any thoughts of bagging this peak in those weather conditions.

Fast forward to July 26th. It was a hike date with my wife, Wander Woman that we were both looking forward to. No kids this time, so we could really up the mileage that we normally do as a family. We reached Grayson Highlands State Park at 10:00 AM to a very comfortable 72 degrees. The morning fog had just lifted to expose partly cloudy skies and there was a nice cool breeze blowing through the park.

We started from the parking area at Massie Gap, where we basically crossed the field to join the trail head for Rhododendron Trail. We passed through the gate and headed up the .8 mile trail. Almost immediately, we found ourselves surrounded by large blueberry bushes and blackberry bushes.

There is a crossroads at the end of this trail that lets you either take a connector trail to the Appalachian Trail (AT) or you can follow the bridal trail. Both lead you to the gate of the park boundary, but we decided to take the bridal trail on our way out. Either way it is only about .25 miles to the gate leading you out of the state park.

Once through the gate, we hiked south on the AT. It is very well marked in this area with white blazes. Quickly, we were navigating through the open balds on the rocky path of the AT. The views are absolutely stunning in this area and as we headed over the first pass we stopped to take in the view and chat with a Virginia Tech student that was up to film the wild ponies.

Unfortunately for him, if he had only hiked .25 - .5 miles further he would have met one of the herds of wild ponies that roam these balds. A mother and what appeared to be her colt were meandering along the trail, heads down, grazing on the grasses of the mountain. The mother actually looked pregnant to us, but I could not confirm this. Soon, the rest of the herd appeared and many more mothers with young ponies in tow. I have to say, it feels very different to hike into a herd of wild animals that are not spooked really when they see you. They didn't seem to mind us coming in close for photos, but I fear it is due to humans feeding them that they have become conditioned to us.

Pregnant?

One of the many young ponies we met on our trek.

After our romp with the wild ponies, we continued on the AT through Rhododendron Gap. You can take the Wilburn Ridge trail instead if you prefer more of a rock scramble. The Wilburn Ridge Trail joins back to the AT after about a mile.

This area of Rhododendron Gap offers more breathtaking views and I highly recommend climbing up the large pinnacle rock to get a panoramic view of the gorgeous landscape.

We followed the white blazes of the AT a while longer through the Crest Zone. A little more than 4 miles into the hike we came to the Thomas Knob Shelter. This was the perfect spot for a lunch break. I highly recommend going behind the shelter out onto the rocks for the best view. This is a pretty big shelter with a second floor that you can reach by ladder. There are also numerous surrounding areas that are obviously carved out by through hikers and over-nighters into perfect campsites. You can see a large grove of blueberry bushes that look to span miles from behind the shelter.

After a quick bite to eat, we continued on the AT for approximately .25 miles and met the Mount Rogers Spur Trail. Here, we left the AT and hiked the .5 miles to the summit of Mount Rogers. It is not a typical peak climb. Here you actually climb into the treeline instead of out of the treeline to a bald summit. It is almost magical when you leave the AT on this trail as you quickly enter a more rainforest-like atmosphere. Deep green hues provided by the moss and ferns on the ground. Numerous mushrooms cover the floor of this forest.

The false summit with arrow pointing towards the true summit.

At the summit, if you haven't done a little research you would easily miss the summit. There are two rock outcroppings about 100 feet from each other. Both have a USGS benchmark in the stone, but one has an arrow stamped into it pointing towards the other marker.

The true marker of the summit of Mount Rogers.

The summit does not provide panoramic views of the surrounding valleys and peaks. It is buried deep in the forest and does not resemble a typical peak of a mountain. Much less, the peak of the highest state point of Virginia.

The peak of Mount Rogers from below the treeline.

The only thing that could have made our trek better was if we did not have to come back down. But, the hike back to the car was just as invigorating as the climb up. We knew that we could see the wild ponies again. All of the gaps and peaks we climbed up to we could now appreciate the views as we made the descent.

Wandering Notes:

Distance = 10 miles according to my GPS tracker
Elevation Change = Around 1100 to 1200 feet
Difficulty = It is actually not a strenuous climb at all. The distance poses the biggest challenge for most. The rocks can be an obstacle for weak ankles, but not difficult to navigate at all. It is a good family hike with lots of great rest stops with beautiful scenery. We averaged a little less than 30 minutes per mile, but really took our time.
Grayson Highlands State Park = A beautiful park with trails, camping, equestrian stables, and a large picnic area that is top notch. Day parking is $4 on weekdays and $5 on weekends and holidays. Grayson Highlands State Park

Wander Woman

Trail register

Looking back into Grayson Highlands State Park after crossing out of the park's boundary

The bridal trail in Grayson Highlands State Park

The Best Part of the Adventure.

I love the outdoors. I love hiking. I love going down a river. I love climbing. I love rolling up and down a good single track on my bike. Am I an expert at any of these? Absolutely not. Do I own the best gear? No (Heck, in many cases I don't own any gear). But, my lack of expertise and/or top gear will never keep me from going on an adventure. What brings me back to do another adventure? The experience, the people and the memories - my family.

My parents were not what I consider outdoor enthusiasts when I was growing up, but they succeeded in planting a seed that continues to grow. In fact, I can only really remember one "outdoor" trip as a family to hike to the top of Mt. Leconte in Tennessee. It was with a group of the families in our neighborhood that had kids and we all hiked up and spent the night in the cabins at the top before hiking back down the next day. That was all it took to firmly plant the seed.

Earlier this year, I had a discussion with some of my friends about how disappointed I was in the amount of time that is devoted to computers, cell phones and tablets today. Of course, we all talked about how much we played outside as kids and that our current neighborhoods looked like ghost towns because all of the kids are always inside. I told them about how much my kids had enjoyed hiking with my wife and I (and how much we enjoyed them being with us). A couple of my friends mentioned they would enjoy going with us sometime.

Thus began the High Point Adventure Society. Our first trip had 5 adults and 5 kids. In 4 short months, we have grown. We had 12 adults and 9 kids (ages 2 mos. through 40+) at our last adventure. The foundation of our club is getting outside with our kids and families and being active while creating memories. It is hard to find something as rewarding as a walk in the woods with your family. Talking without distractions, watching them interact with the other kids, and learning what peaks their interest in nature will stay with me forever.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like to push my limits and head out for the multi-day adventures that may be a little advanced for the kids (ages 3 and 4), but my greatest thrill is invoking my passion for the outdoors into my children and experiencing the adventure with them. I will never tire of hearing "Dad, where are we going hiking this weekend?"

Camping is Cool: Tips and tricks for a successful first outing

This is a really good article for families looking to enjoy a camping adventure. Thanks Outdoor Family Magazine!

Click here: Camping is Cool: Tips and tricks for a successful first outing

(Photo Courtesy of Brad Mendenhall)