Every Bit The Journey

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and this is mine.

Montana Mountains

Tag: backpacking

Hiking South Carolina – Awendaw Passage

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On September 24, 2017

In Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Palmetto Trail, SC State Parks, Travel

Need a quick getaway? Then hike this out and back. Just a short hop from Charleston, this trail winds down along the Intracoastal Waterway to the southern terminus of the Palmetto Trail and the Buck Hall Recreation Area.

This trail has a lot of hiking flexibility. If you are hiking solo or with only one vehicle or want to simply do the extra mileage, you can hike this trail out & back in a day, enjoying your trail lunch at the Buck Hall Recreation Area. With a couple vehicles, you can do a quick one way hike in either direction. I prefer hiking to the recreation area as there are picnic tables, bathrooms, and waterfront scenery which are nice amenities while you enjoy a lunch break.

For an out and back day hike, park at the Palmetto Trail Swamp Fox trail head on the west side of Hwy 17. Heading north on Hwy-17, you will go past the trailhead before you get to a turn-around on the divided highway. This trailhead is a little hard to pick out but it is just after Steed Creek and before Murell roads (you went too far if you get to the St. James AME Church). Once you get parked and geared up, the trail heads north out of the parking lot for about a half mile where it connects to the Swamp Fox portion of the Palmetto Trail. You’ll head East to branch off towards Awendaw. Heading to the West, the main trail will continue as the Swamp Fox portion of the Palmetto Trail. The Awendaw portion of the trail will loop back easterly along an old railway bed then following a dirt road, will head southerly crossing Hwy-17 (use caution) and continue to the canoe launch ramp on Awendaw Creek. This is a nice place for a short break. You can sit, enjoy a snack, and watch the water flow by. You’re about halfway to the recreation area here. From the canoe ramp, the trail will generally following the creek winding along the salt marsh and through the coastal palmettos, scrub oaks, and pines. You will cross over several foot bridges until the creek enters the Intracoastal Waterway. The trail loops back to the North just a short stretch and then turn southerly as it enters and ends at the Buck Hall Recreation Area boardwalk. The recreation area has a number of shaded picnic area where you can sit and enjoy lunch and views of the intracoastal waterfront.

Favorite Time of year: Fall through Spring.

Distance: 7.1 miles (one way)

Things to Know: This is an easy hike. If day hiking and leaving a vehicle at the Buck Hall Recreation Area there is small a day use/parking fee. Remember, this is the Lowcountry of South Carolina, so be prepared for a few wet parts along the trail, especially after a good rain. During the warmer months, the South Carolina mosquitoes can be a bit … ferocious.

Camping: Waterfront camping and restrooms are available at Buck Hall Recreation park (reservations required).

Pet friendly: Must be leashed at all times.

Getting There: Located along US-17 just a short distance from downtown, it’s about a 40 minute drive from the Charleston area.

Hiking South Carolina – Kings Mountain

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On September 14, 2017

In Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, National Parks

This is a great hike any time but more so during reenactment weekends. The national park hosts several living history events with period encampments and demonstrations throughout the year. I  normally have done this hike over the Memorial Day weekend inconjunction with the park’s “Military Through the Ages” event. The historic significance of the battle ground really is driven home as you near the end of the hike. You get a real sense of what life and travel was like 200 years ago.

This 16 mile trail loops through both Kings Mountain State Park and Kings Mountain National Military Park. You can pick up the trail from one of the organized group primitive camping sites (+-800′) or from the state park camp ground, the trail loop conveniently passed both. Water and latrines are available in both areas. You will start out heading South and wind towards the South-west as the trail takes you over some rolling hills. The trail passes several wilderness designated camp sites and streams along the way. Near the state park’s southern boundary, the trail will make a fairly sharp turn to the North and rising up and away from the water. Just before this direction shift happens, the stream flattens out a little with some low banks. This is a good place to top off your water. The Garner Creek Campsite (+-700′) on the national park side is on high ground and dry. There is another stream past the Garner Creek Campsite but it’s about a quarter mile after the campsite. Once the trail shifts to the North, it rises out of the cooler valleys, becomes a little dryer and warmer. You know you are getting close to the camp site when you cross a dirt road. The Garner Creek Campsite is clearly marked and the only designated wildernes campsite of the national par side.

Up and on the trail the next morning this section goes pretty quickly with a run up bowns’s mountain and exploring the battle ground visitors center. about a mile after you leave Garner Creek, you will come to a spur trail for Browns Mountain (1045′). Summiting this peak is a short run up to the top of Brown’s Mountain and back down. The visitors center is only a couple short miles from here. The trail loop passes to the North of the battle ground and visitor center. Hike the spur trail on in for a stop at the national park visitor center.

This is a must do if you have not been here before. First of all, the visitor center has bathrooms and water. The area near the bathrooms is shaded and a great place to eat lunch. Second, but probably most importantly, the visitor center and 1.5 mile self-guiding walking trail around the battle field (+-1020′) is the heart of the park and key to understanding the history of the site. One of the cool things about Kings Mountain is the connection to the Appalachian Trail in the Roan Mountain area. In the late September-early October of 1780 (the rebel Americans were knee deep in a not-going-so-well break-away revolt against the British empire), hundreds of men crossed what is today the Appalachian Trail near the Over Mountain Shelter in Tennessee and hiked 80 miles in to history at the Battle of Kings Mountain, changing the tide of the Revolutionary war. Hiking these areas really adds a depth and an order of magnitude to history you just can’t get from a text book.

After touring all of the sights at the national park visitor center, simply retrace your way back to the loop trail and continue the remaining few miles to your starting point.

Favorite Time of year: Memorial Day Weekend, but check the park schedule for reenactments events.

Distance: 16 miles (the 1.5 mile battle field trail is a bonus)

Things to Know: This is a moderate hike. The actual battle ground is in the national park with regular park camping on the state park side. The 16 mile trail loops through both.

Camping: Primitive on the trail. Primitive, tent site, and cabins designated within the park (reservations required). There are several primitive trail camp sites on trail in the state park, however on the national park side camping is only allowed at Garner Creek Campsite.

Pet friendly: Mostly pet friendly, must be leashed at all times, okay everywhere outdoors except cabin and lodging areas of the park.

Getting There: Located near the Northern border of the state, Kings Mountain State Park is in Cherokee and York Counties, South Carolina, just to the West of Charlotte North Carolina. It’s about a 4 hour drive from the Charleston area.

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Hiking South Carolina – Table Rock

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On September 4, 2017

In Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, SC State Parks, Travel

With some challenging hiking and amazing views, this Table Rock trip is one of my favorite backpacking campouts in the state. Any time of the year.

This trip strings together a combination of trails which basically form a 12.5 mile loop around, in and out of the park. As the park rules state you can’t camp within Table Rock State Park (other than in the designated campground areas), this hike takes you out to a campsite on the adjacent Foothills Trail running next to the West park boundary for the night. The next day you will come back in to the park and summit two of South Carolina’s higher peaks including Table Rock. Table Rock is a mountain with a bald face providing amazing views. Sitting on the face of of Table Rock you can eat your lunch and on a good day, see halfway to Columbia.

The Table Rock State Park area is in general, on a leading edge of the blue ridge mountains which skims the border between South and North Carolina. This state park includes the tallest mountain totally within the state, Pinnacle Mountain (3425′) and of course Table Rock Mountain (3124′). Just as a footnote, the highest point in South Carolina is the nearby Sassafras Mountain (3563′), but it straddles the border between South and North Carolina.

The Trail: You will start in the parking lot Near the Nature Center (1160′), located just past Pinnacle Lake. You can leave your vehicle in the parking lot overnight, but you must display a valid parking permit. You can pick up a parking permit at the park Visitors Center (located across Highway 11 next to the East park entrance). Once you’ve parked, gather your gear and head to the Nature Center trail head. Hikers must complete a trail registration form at the kiosk before hiking the trails. I also usually checked in with the Nature Center if they are open. They are a good source for trail information before you head out. Bathrooms and water sources at located at the Nature Center.

Leaving from the nature center, the trail is easy along the boardwalk and paved portions along Carrick Creek, but rapidly increase in difficulty as you shift to the Pinnacle Mountain Trail and continue up and West towards Pinnacle Mountain. There is a little spur trail which take you to the Mill Creek Falls. The falls are somewhat seasonal, so depending on the time of year and amount of rain fall there may or may not be any water for there to be falls. You’ll continue towards Pinnacle Mountain passing Bald Knob (2849′) which offers a great view and is a good place to take a break. The trail continues and then splits just before Pinnacle Mountain. This split away from the mountain will take you down and out of the park to campsites on the Foothills Trail. The first big campsite you come to is one of my favorites. It’s furthest from the water source but the site has an open view to the East which will catch the sunrise. If you continue along the foothills trail you will pass some more secluded camping sights on the way (+-200 yards) to a strong water source.

Once you are ready to hit the trail again in the morning, you’ll retrace the route back and up in to the park to the Pinnacle Mountain trail and continue up to summit Pinnacle Mountain. The wooded peak can be a little anticlimactic and depending on the time of year you may have a limited view of the surrounding areas. What ever the view you have here,  it now gets better as you go. Just to the north of the summit you’ll pick up the Ridge Trail and continue on along the ridge line between the Pinnacle and Table Rock mountains. There is a bit of a saddle at Panther Gap where the Ridge Trail and Table Rock Trail intersect. Depending on your pace and progress, you can either lunch here or continue on and lunch on Table Rock. If you’re inclined, you can ditch your packs out of sight to the north of the trail and slack-pack up the rest of the way to Table Rock (you’ll comeback here later). Some of the remaining trail up to Governors Rock (2854′) and on to Table Rock can be a bit of a scramble. Depending on the time of year, I’ve encountered sheets of ice on Governors Rock which definitely increased the challenge factor. There is a summit sign at the peak of Table Rock but continue past and the trail slopes down and will lead to the South Eastern balds over looking the entire state of South Carolina. It’s probably worth noting here, the bald rock face is a huge curved rock. It slopes more as you head out on the bald more. There is no “edge” to tell you to “stop here.” It just curves down more. Be careful. When you are done enjoying the breathtaking views, simply retrace your route back to Panther Gap and take the Table Rock Trail down and back to the Nature Center where you started. Take your time descending as the Table Rock Trail is steep and can be hard on the knees.

Favorite Time of year: Any

Distance: 12.5 miles

Things to Know: This is a strenuous hike. The hiking trails within the park officially close ½-hour before dark and overnight camping is not permitted on park trails.

Camping: Primitive on the Foothill Trail. Primitive, tent site, and cabins designated within the park (reservations required).

Pet friendly: Mostly pet friendly, must be leashed at all times, okay everywhere outdoors except cabin and swim beach areas of the park.

Getting there: Located near the North-West border of the state, Table Rock State Park is in Pickens County, just to the NNW of Greenville South Carolina. It’s about a 4 hour drive from the Charleston area.

Table Rock SC Webcam
(as seen from the visitors center live webcam)

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Uncle Nick Grindstaff – AT 2017

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On July 11, 2017

In Travel

In early June of this year I was hiking over Iron Mountain while backpacking along the Appalachian trail and happened across the monument/grave of Uncle Nick Grindstaff. The inscription simply read:

“Uncle Nick Grindstaff
Born
Dec. 26, 1851
Died
July 22, 1923
Lived alone, suffered alone, and died alone”

Standing at a man’s grave on a mountain top, I could not help but wonder about the man behind the monument. This was the best back story I could find about him (https://bcyesteryear.com/uncle-nick-a-hermit-found-serenity-in-his-iron-mountain-shack). He died alone in his cabin in 1923. While he was a hermit, he was well known to his neighbors and they erected this monument to him after his death.

Ironically Uncle Nick, in search of solitude, found popularity. Remembered by his friends and family, he is now visited by hundreds of hikers each year, most of them in search of the same thing in some shape or form … solitude.

I left a pebble on his monument as I walked away.

(link updated 3/28/2023)

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