Most recently updated January 17th, 2022
– – Week 5 of the ReFit Training began with a 4 mile treadmill run and arm weights on Monday. So, no big deal – but it got the job done.
Besides, I needed time to get ready for my field trip on Tuesday to Hanging Rock State Park.
The forecast called for highs in the 90’s, which is pretty hot for hiking, but it’s better than thunderstorms, so I stuck to the plan.
It’s been my habit to visit Hanging Rock every year in the early Spring, but this year the parks were closed due to COVID restrictions during the milder weather.
Most State Parks are at least partially open now, and the weather will only get warmer, so it was time to go!
Summer Heat is Back
Every year in North Carolina, sometime between March and late June, there’s a moment when you step outside and get smacked in the face with hot, humid air.
And you suddenly remember what Summer feels like in all of it’s intense sweaty glory. 🙂
We had a few hot days earlier this year, but this past week Summer let us know it’s really here to stay.
Summer includes higher temps, higher humidity and changes to the weather pattern. If you’re smart, it should include some some changes to your workout routine, too.
If you’re planning on doing anything really strenuous outdoors, you should probably get going as early as possible.
Not only will the heat get more intense later in the day, but we usually have a pretty good chance of heavy storms – possibly with lightning – in the late afternoon.
So my plan was to hit the road early, get to the Park by 9ish and be done hiking before the storms rolled in.
Midweek Field Trip to Hanging Rock
I’ve been to Hanging Rock many times over the years, so I decided to try something a little different this time.
Instead of parking as usual at the Visitor’s Center (which is currently closed due to COVID restrictions anyway), I decided to park at the Tory’s Den parking lot and hike from there.
The Tory’s Den parking gives you access to the Ruben Mountain trail, plus Tory’s Den and Falls.
You can also get on the trail to Moore’s Knob from there as well – but be aware that it’s a 1 mile hike from the parking lot to get to the start of both Ruben Mountain Trail and Moore’s Wall Loop, so you need to add 2 miles to figure total distance.
I’d hiked to Moore’s Knob before, but hadn’t hiked Ruben Mountain so I started with that trail.
Ruben Mountain Trail – 6ish mile loop
The Ruben Mountain Trail starts 1 mile from the parking area. It’s about 4 miles total, but with the additional miles to and from the parking, just to do the Ruben Mountain trail is around 6 miles.
The trail is wide and lined with split-rail fences in some sections, and you can tell it’s a favorite trail for horseback riders.
It’s an okay trail, mostly flat and would be a great trail running route if you lived locally.
But I wouldn’t recommend traveling that far (it’s a 2 hour drive for me) just to hike the Ruben Mountain Trail.
I contemplated going up the hill to Moore’s Knob, but realized that would add another 4.5 miles to the 6 miles I’d already done, and I still wanted to be sure to see Tory’s Den and Falls before it was time to go.
So I walked back down the to the intersection with Tory’s Den Trail.
The hike to Tory’s Falls was a soft dirt trail, mostly downhill.
After crossing a couple of streams, and finally going down a few flights of wooden steps, I stepped onto a large rock outcropping.
On the other side of a river channel were Tory’s Falls. It was a great place for a break 🙂
After eating an apple and chugging some water, I continued down more wooden steps (!) to Tory’s Den.
History of Tory’s Den
During the American Revolution, Whig (revolutionaries) and Tory (loyal to Britain) neighbors occasionally clashed.
One of these skirmishes occurred in 1778 at Hanging Rock State Park.
The Tory’s Den (the cave shown above) was home to about 100 British sympathizers who lost their property to the Whigs after the war began.
After a Tory raid, the Whigs retaliated by attacking the den. No Whigs were lost in the skirmish and most of the Tories were taken prisoner.
THE TRAIL continues down a little bit further, but you can’t get close to the water due to vegetation along the banks.
Current Park Restrictions
I climbed back up all of those stairs (!) and drove about 6 miles to the Visitors Center parking area, where I hiked a couple of the shorter waterfall trails before making the drive back home.
Though the swimming area at the lake is closed for COVID-19, people can still swim in the waterfalls 🙂
Unfortunately, the Visitor’s Center (and restrooms) are currently closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
There are restrooms available at the bathhouse. (To see current conditions and restrictions at all State Parks, click here.)
Puppy Hike and Bond Park Run
The middle of the week was even hotter at home!
I contented myself through the rest of the week with some kickboxing, treadmill running and weights indoors, a shorter outdoor morning run at Bond Park, and took the puppy on a shady greenway hike to Annie Jones Park and Lake Pine.
Hot, Hot, Hot! This Week’s Long Hike – 12.5 miles
This week’s long hike was on a very hot day, but we started pretty early.
The route began on the Loblolly Trail in Umstead State Park and followed Loblolly into Schenck Forest and back out onto the Reedy Creek Greenway.
The rest of the route would continue to follow the greenway all the way to the North Carolina Museum of Art Park.
(The Museum buildings and restrooms are still closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, so we made sure to take advantage of facilities at Umstead before heading out.)
Half of the group turned back to do a shorter 6.5 mile hike options, and the rest of us continued on along the Reedy Creek Trail.
Prairie Ridge EcoStation, NCMA Park
We took the Reedy Creek Greenway all the way past the Prairie Ridge EcoStation and on both natural and paved trails through the NCMA Park.
Our turnaround point was the far side of the pedestrian bridge over I-440.
Some of us were dragging a bit by the time we got back to the Loblolly trailhead parking lot, but it was a really good hike with a great group! 🙂
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
On the way back to from NCMA to Umstead, I was reminded of how important it is to drink plenty of water before and during these hot summer hikes.
What reminded me were the excruciating foot and calf cramps I got in the last mile of the hike… 😉
Even an experienced hiker (like me) can get caught once in a while.
Drinking plenty of water before and during the hike helps by replenishing the fluids lost by excessive sweating.
But sometimes just drinking water isn’t enough.
When you sweat, you lose electrolytes, and if you lose too many, you can get dizzy, and have severe muscle cramps.
The easiest way to replace them is with a sports drink that contains electrolytes.
Focus mostly on replacing sodium and potassium, but calcium and magnesium are also important.
My muscle cramps lasted for a couple of days, but with lots of water and mineral supplements they finally settled down 🙂
The Home Stretch
With 5 weeks down and one week to go of 6 weeks to get back in shape , I’m in the home stretch.
This next week I’ll keep the workouts going, but will also focus on eating a clean, portion-controlled diet – with extra electrolytes!
If you’re local and would like to join us, check out the I’d Rather Walk Meetup for hike postings.
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
Take a look at my 6 Week Training Plan post to see what other kinds of training I’m doing, and what other hikes I’ll have coming up.
Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ
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LJ has spent much of her free time as a single Mom – and now as an empty-nester – hiking in the US and around the world. She shares lessons learned from adventures both local and in exotic locations, and tips on how to be active with asthma, plus travel, gear, and hike planning advice for parents hiking with kids and beginners of all ages. Read more on the About page.