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.




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