I awoke this morning to a thick fog over the lake and through the trees, and thought “What a great time for walk in the woods!”. The nearby Lake Rabon Park has a small network of trails in the woods, so off I went.

Not much to see from the top of the dam (picture taken from behind the fence with the “nobody allowed on dam” sign).

With the recent rains, there was a pretty good flow through the lake overflow and into the creek below.

Nothing coming over the spillway though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the water high enough to hit the spillway.

A nice quiet walk along the creek.

Some of the trails involve some climbing.

I was coming to the bridge when a Great Blue Heron flew by, giving me a good look. She landed a bit downstream, where the stream under the bridge meets the Rabon Creek.

I’m pretty sure I saw a Pileated Woodpecker too. No chance for a picture, and I only saw him for a second, but a large black bird with a flash of red narrowed it down.

I wonder if some of these rocks would stil be there if not for the trees (which came first?).

Not all the trails are as nice as the ones above, some are paved.

If I’m going to travel a good ways, as I did for my stay at Ash Grove, I try to add something else to the trip to make the most of it.

In this case, I stopped off on my way up to take in a class on backcountry navigation put on by REI. I already knew a good bit about navigation, but it was helpful and interesting to put that knowledge to use in a different context. The class took us up to the old airstrip in what is now the DuPont State Recreational Forest in western NC, USA.

Afterwards I realized that, while I have a pilot friend who would be interested in what was still there at the old airstrip, I didn’t take any pictures. With some time to spare, I stopped off there again on my way back and took a little walk up there to get pictures.

The airstrip is long abandoned and I wouldn’t suggest anyone land there except in an emergency. Of course, in an emergency, you’ll land wherever you can.

The airstrip was used by DuPont when they built a plant there. The local lore is that they built there because they needed the pure water for whatever it was they were manufacturing. Eventually, as has happened so many other places, the plant closed down and the land was conveyed to the state to form the recreational forest, which is what the area is today. The area where the plant itself was is closed to the public, the story being that that’s because of industrial contamination. It’d be rather ironic that they built the plant there because of the clean environment and then left it uninhabitable.

There are also stories that this airstrip is where most of the illegal drugs coming into the eastern US in the 1970s landed.

Anyway, after getting my pictures, I started back and stopped at the fork: hmmm…. I think I’ll take the road that’s less of a road, the Mine Mountain Trail.

The trail offers a commanding view of Fawn Lake (I never did see any fawns there though):

The trail is also used by mountain bikers. This would be a Bad Place to run off the trail, on either side:

Nice view from the top:

Made for a nice little walk. Also on Strava

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. I would rather ride on the earth in an ox cart, with a free circulation, than go to heaven in the fancy car of an excursion train and breathe a malaria all the way – Henry David Thoreau, “Walden”

I was looking to spend some time at a campground and pretend I was making a real backpacking trip so I could test out my logistics. I wanted some place with trails where I could “hike out” with my pack, and what they call “primitive” tent camping sites that actually aren’t too far from parking in case I forgot something or even needed to abort. I found such a place at Ash Grove in Brevard, NC, USA.

With the quote above in mind, it should be understood that I’m serious when I say my accommodations at Ash Grove were, to me, luxurious. We all have different needs and wants, and this place met mine perfectly.

The first thing you notice upon arrival, is that there is very little that’s flat (those who think the earth is flat take note).

(As usual, you can click on the pictures here for a full-resolution version.)

I met Mark and Ester, the owners. They were very helpful and easy to talk to, and they met all my needs and answered all my questions. As I began my 2-night stay there, I found that the campground was exactly as presented on their web site. All the policies and rules are clearly spelled out, and I get the impression that there would be little tolerance for violators. As these policies and rules were perfectly in line with what I was looking for and my values, this was fine.

One thing I asked about was if there was any concern about dangerous animals, like hunters or bears. At least at this time of year, the answer was basically no, although one of the trash cans suggested that there might be times to be more wary.

Aside from that, all the facilities I took advantage of (admittedly not many because of my objective) were all in good order.

Ester made sure I had what I needed and showed me to my campsite, or my 5-star luxury suite on the hillside.

Spacious cooking and dining accommodations:

Holly berries for decor (don’t eat them, they’re for the birds, a few of which visited while I was in residence)…

Hey, now we’re cookin’ with gas! I like this little burner that just screws on top of the fuel canister. Packs up small and weighs little.

The view from the living room was one I could just sit and watch, and listen to the creek at the bottom of the hill (and did).

In the evening mood lighting was available.

The bedroom was more than ample for my hammock. I tossed my heavy coat over the ridgeline for a little extra insulation during the expected cold night.

and had a nice sunrise view.

The late-day sun showed up what, at first, I was sure was a large spider web:

but upon investigation turned out to just be an alignment of pine needles that caught the light just right.

There is a network of trails on the hillside that comprises most of the campground. The trails leading to the tent camping sites are well manicured for ease of travel with gear (wheelbarrows are available if needed), but the rest are kept as natural as practical. Some might find some of the trails difficult, but this woodland bird was perfectly happy with the climbing (remember: when you go down a hill, sooner or later you’re going to have to go back up) and being careful with the footing, especially with a backpack. I suggest stopping often to look around, but watch the trail when in motion.

I found some ice crystals on one of the trails early in the morning (-4.7C/23F, according to a Weather Underground station near by):

There are places, especially along the creek, that are just, well, beautiful.

I came across this tree that reminded me of a question mark, and it was in one of those places where it’d be good to just stop and think about deep questions like, What is really important? How did the tree get this way?

There is also a small waterfall. It’s not spectacular like you might find in other nearby locations, but the intimate beauty of the spot had me just sit and watch for a while. A good place to just Be.

If there was one thing I might find fault with, it’s the same thing I’ve run into at many other places, both public and private: accuracy of the trail maps. I found a couple of intersections that were not as mapped. The chance of getting really lost on these trails, however, is remote (just head uphill, you’ll come to something), so this is a minor nitpick to prove I’m not just reporting only the good stuff :).

All-in-all this was a wonderful almost-48-hours spent outdoors. In my admittedly-limited experience with campsites, I think Ash Grove is rather unique with the natural areas and tent sites that are spread out, and not parking-lot-style as I’ve seen in some places.

Two wingtip primaries up! (what, you were expecting a bird to have thumbs??)

Oh, and my logistics worked out pretty good, with no significant issues. I have some notes and will make some adjustments for the next adventure. That won’t be until after the Arlington trip.

With a day off to recover from a rough couple of months at work, I decided to go someplace different for a little walk in the woods, the Parsons Mountain Recreational Area in Abbeville County, South Carolina, USA. I’ll say right up front: if you’re looking for a nice easy stroll through the trees, this is not the place for you. The trails are not particularly well marked, and my hike involved a couple missed/wrong turns. Most of them look like:

but can be rather hard to follow in some areas:

and in other areas you get real acquainted with the local flora (yes, this is the trail):

There were bridges for many of the stream crossings, but where there weren’t, it wasn’t difficult. At least with as little rain as we’ve had.

After coming around the north side of the Parsons Mountain Lake, I came to what I thought was the T-intersection with the tower trail. Make note: this isn’t it:

Having gotten back on course, then losing the trail again and doing a little “area navigation”, I started up Parsons Mountain proper. There were several of these little fenced-off areas.

Once at the top, Ah, there’s the fire tower. Unfortunately it was locked up and “no trespassing”, otherwise I’m sure the view would be worth the stair climb (N.B. this is NOT a lightning-safe area).

Still, the view from the mountain top there was pretty good.

I think this is where I should have intersected the Tower Trail on the way out. Found it on the way back anyway.

And this is the Parsons Mountain Lake. That’s pretty much all of it.

I didn’t really see much in the way of animal wildlife, aside from the abundant insects. There were interesting plants (and fungi) just about the whole way though. I have no real expertise in plant identification, so here’s a bunch I took pictures of. Add a comment if you recognize any of these.

It was a beautiful fall morning, 15C/59F, clear as could be, occasional cool breeze (in June???), so I had to get the boat out on the lake.

First, earlier I lamented on how difficult it was to get a picture of insects, so just to show me up this one photo-bombed a cell phone pic I was trying to get of some ducks yesterday.

Today all the usual characters were present and accounted for, but i”m not sure who this is:

Didn’t get a good luck at this guy, but I’m thinking “hawk” (yeah, doin’ real well on bird ID this morning):

The Osprey (those I can identify!) nest platform is starting to look a bit more crowded these days:

Meanwhile, at the northern end of the lak, these two Osprey looked like they were both hunting. Maybe the kids were really hungry this morning?

Gooses and gooslets were working on brunch (cue music: “It’s a Family Affair….”):

At first I thought I was seeing another Osprey and he was a little far for a picture, but then I realized this was a Bald Eagle. He was across the lake by the time I grabbed the camera and got off some shots:

I didn’t see a lot of turtles out sunning, but this one seemed to start a trend:

Hey, stop shovin’!

And finally, the obligatory Great Blue Heron pic, on the wing:

(cue more music) Sittin’ on the doc of the bay, watchin’ the kayak go by….

I decided to slip out on the lake during my “lunch break” today (I’m on summer hours, so I take my lunch break at sunrise). My intention was to just go out and paddle around some and not even take the Good Camera. But I just can’t resist a good sunrise photo even if all I have is a cellphone.

I did find where the geese were having their morning staff meeting.

And, yes, even with just the cell phone, here’s a Great Blue Heron off in the distance through the fog: