MOTHER (NATURE’S) DAY
I had to juggle family
obligations with the need to get outside last weekend. I had to attend the prom on Saturday
(Christy teaches High School), and of course Sunday was Mother’s Day, as well
as my nieces 1st birthday.
Saturday was a lost cause, but I came up with a plan for Sunday. I’d drive from Charlotte to Doughton Park in
the morning, hike, and then head to Winston-Salem for my niece’s birthday
party, where I’d see Mom, too. It was
an ambitious plan, but one that would accomplish everything if I could pull it
off.
I didn’t get much sleep
Saturday night, but I still managed a reasonably early start. Fortunately I can get to Doughton Park in
less than 2 hours, so I was on the trail before 11. It was a hot, sunny day, but the old fire road I was following
was surprisingly muddy. Apparently the
mountains had seen a fair amount of rain the night before.
The trail was uneventful
until I reached the first crossing of Basin Creek. This crossing can be tricky, especially at high water. Luckily, the creek wasn’t up too much after
the previous night’s rain. Waterproof
boots helped me get across without getting wet. Beyond, I reached the designated campsites situated between Basin
and Cove Creeks. Doughton Park is often
overlooked as a backpacking destination, which is a shame. The campsites along Cove Creek are some of
the prettiest in the NC mountains.
My arrival at the campsites
meant I had a decision to make. I’d
come a mile and a half, but I hadn’t decided on the route I would take. From the campsites, three trails continue
deeper into the park. The fire road
continues 5 miles to the Mountains-To-Sea Trail near the Parkway. The Bluff Ridge Primitive Trail climbs more
steeply to join the MST in less than 3 miles.
These two trails can be combined with the MST to form one of several
long loops in the park. I was tempted
to do it, but knew that I would be pressed for time as it was. Instead I choose to continue up Basin Creek
to Caudill Cabin. It’s a 10-mile hike,
but is fairly easy and offers a worthwhile destination.
This hike is infamous for
its numerous crossings of Basin Creek.
There are somewhere between 12 and 14 crossings of the main creek,
depending on who’s numbers you believe.
I counted 16 on the way to the cabin, but included two significant
tributaries in my total. That’s a total
of 32 crossings for the round-trip (for those that are mathematically
challenged). Fortunately, most of them
aren’t very difficult unless the water was up.
At the first crossing, I met another hiker heading towards the
cabin. I passed him, but ran into him
several times when I stopped to take pictures.
One of my biggest motives
for hiking last weekend was to get some wildflower photos at the peak of the
blooming season. I usually hike in
Doughton Park in the winter, but I figured it would be a good place for
wildflowers. I didn’t find any of my
favorites, like Trillium or Lady Slippers, but I did find many others. Most notable were the bright red Firepink,
which I found frequently along the trail.
I continued my hike up the
valley, passing a waterfall as well as several old homesites. At the campground is a grave of one of the
area’s settlers. Ruins are plentiful
throughout that area, including the foundation of a church that once served the
valley. Farther upstream, the trail
passes several foundations with chimneys still standing. Of course, the most notable homesite is
Caudill Cabin itself. I reached the
recently restored cabin, which is located in a small clearing, in time for a
late lunch.
I explored the cabin briefly
after I ate. The cabin now has a
notebook containing photos and information about the cabin’s original
inhabitants. The log cabin itself is
only a small single room, though it appears that there used to be a loft as
well. When one visits the cabin, it’s
amazing to consider that the Caudill’s had 14 children (though they weren’t
necessarily all in the cabin at the same time). For more information on the history of the Caudill Cabin, go to http://www.caudillcabin.org/.
I was getting ready to leave
when thunder rumbled in the distance.
It had clouded up, but the idea of hiking in the rain actually seemed
appealing after enduring the morning heat.
I headed back down the valley, but only encountered a few scattered rain
drops on the way. In the last mile, I
passed a family and another group of hikers.
It seemed like a crowd after seeing only 1 hiker and 1 fisherman through
the majority of the day. I reached the
car at 3:30, which gave me plenty of time to get to Winston in time for the
festivities. The day worked out quite
nicely, and I was glad I hiked at Doughton in the spring. It’s a different place when the foliage is
lush and the flowers are in bloom. I’ll
have to hike there again during the greener half of the year.
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