Hanging Rock State Park Archives

Week 9: It’s Not Over Yet

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This Week 9 Training Log is a bonus extra week of sharing my daily adventures in sweat!

Why? Because I don’t feel like we’re done yet.

When we last left our training in Week 8, I was trying to work in more vertical-gain training through use of my new Maxi-Climber, treadmill hikes, and more actual uphill hiking.

The uphill hiking close to home is very limited, so I’ll be getting creative with daytrips to uphill trails for the next few weeks – as weather and time allows.

Walking a nearby greenway while my car was in the shop.

So naturally, on Monday I did some yoga and about 5 miles of TOTALLY FLAT urban hiking in my own neighborhood because my car was in the shop again.

Sigh.

But I got redemption Tuesday, when a few of us met at Hanging Rock State Park for nice long steep hike 🙂

Diagram of the hike route at Hanging Rock State Park.

Hanging Rock State Park is only a couple of hours drive away for me, so very do-able as a day-hike destination.

This was the first out of town State Park trip I took my daughter on, about 20 years ago – when she was just 8 years old – almost at this time of year.

We hiked the Hanging Rock Trail, slowly and with breaks, and her face just lit up when we reached the top.

She had such a sense of accomplishment and wonder – she was hooked!

From then until the dreaded Middle School years she was my little hiking buddy.

Maybe your kids would like Hanging Rock too 🙂

Besides good memories, Hanging Rock also has some very steep uphills, so it’s a great place to train for my bucket list hiking trip!

In fact, I devised this hike route specifically to take advantage of the FULL uphill experience all the way from the park’s Dan River Access up to the tippy-top at Hanging Rock.

So that was fun.

No, seriously, it was fun!

The hike starts from the river, then crosses the main park road, where it’s joined by the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST).

On the way up there are at least 9 creek crossings (we kept losing count) before eventually reaching Window Falls.

It’s just a hard slog uphill beyond that to the Visitor Center’s parking lot.

Hiking uphill on the Indian Creek Trail.

We took a quick break there, and then found the Hanging Rock trailhead across the lot, and started up again.

The Hanging Rock Trail is paved at the start, and then turns to natural trail heading uphill.

When the trail turns rocky, there are many stone steps to help you go up. It gets very wide, too, made so by the many many visitors that take this trail.

There are wide steps on the Hanging Rock Trail.

There was some significant erosion, too, so when you visit, try to take the steps so you don’t make it worse!

Up top was breathtaking as always, but populated by kids on a fieldtrip who were also enjoying the view.

Squirrely kids near ledges with steep drops made us all nervous, so we didn’t linger very long before starting back down the trail.

The Visitors Center was also very crowded, so we didn’t stop.

Trailhead to Indian Creek at the VC parking lot.

We crossed the parking lot to the Indian Creek trailhead and made our way back down to our starting point at the Dan River Access.

I have to say, going down the trail was a lot easier than going up.

One of the CCC-built picnic shelters at Hanging Rock.

I’m pretty sure I need more vertical training 😉

Wednesday, as you might expect, was a rest day.

Thursday I had scheduled a nice hike along the Eno that includes part of the MST and an old unmarked trail, the Sawmill Trail.

It turned to to be just Holly and I, and we had a great 8.5 mile hike.

Walking on the Old Sawmill ruins on Eno River.

The trail was pretty much deserted except for us – and no traffic noise either, so we could actually hear the river!

Friday was a cold rainy day, so I stuck to indoor training, starting with some longer yoga.

Then I did a quick 15 minutes on my vertical climber – and I do mean quick because I did 4000ft elevation gain!

I followed up with 45 minutes of kickboxing and called it good.

Saturday training started with some yoga, followed up with a 1 hour/3.75mile treadmill hike uphill.

I carried a pack weighted 10lbs and hiked 1800 vertical feet.

Later, I joined That Man and the Puppy at Falls Lake for more uphill hiking, this time outdoors but only 3 miles RT to “our” beach and back.

The wind was high, and the water must have been pretty cold because the puppy didn’t want to swim!

Sunday I had posted a 10 mile hike in Umstead State Park, and a lot of people wanted to join me, but I had to cancel due to forecasted really unpleasant weather.

It was also the day after setting clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time, so probably a good morning to take off anyway…

15 Daylight Saving Time Memes That Capture How Most Of Us Feel About ... — We lost an hour of our lives overnight!!

I rescheduled the hike for the next weekend, and got some exercise in my home gym with yoga, kickboxing, upper body weights.

So that winds up Week 9.

But, here’s the deal: training never really stops.

Creek crossing on the Indian Creek Trail.

You can focus it more by training for a specific race or hike, or to get in shape for an epic hike or other event.

But that’s not the real goal.

More than tuning up for a single event, we train to be fit enough to enjoy our lives and activities every day.

TAKEAWAY LESSON: We’re really training for life. We all want to be able to do whatever we want to – both ordinary and extraordinary things – for as long as we can. And have fun doing it!

I’ll keep posting updates on my continued training for the next couple of months as I get ready for my bucket list hike in Greece.

And I really hope this year’s Awesome training has helped you reach your goals!

If you’re new around here, but you still want to do the training from the start – you can!

Take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what this hike training is all about.

To Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home Click Here!

Track your progress towards your fitness goals!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Happy training! LJ

Rocky wall along the Indian Creek Trail.

I hope you’ll find my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.

You could also take a look at my Best Food for Asthma post, if you want to see what I’m eating (or trying to eat) during the training.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

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ReFit Week 5: The Home Stretch

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.

North Carolina heat and sun are just as intense inland as on the beach.

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.

Hanging Rock SP Visitors Center close due to COVID-19 restrictions — Hanging Rock SP Visitors Center closed due to COVID-19 restrictions

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.

Map of trails near Tory's Den parking area. — Map of trails near Tory’s Den parking area.

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.

Trailhead sign at Tory's Den parking — Trailhead sign at Tory’s Den parking

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.

Tory's Falls at Hanging Rock State Park — Tory’s Falls at Hanging Rock State Park

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.

Looking into Tory's Den. — Looking into 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.)

Trail head for Upper Cascades Falls at the Visitor's Center — Trail head for Upper Cascades Falls at the Visitor’s Center

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.

Bees hang out at the Prairie Ridge EcoStation

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.

Pedestrian Bridge over I-440 at the NCMA Park.

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.

Carry electrolyte candy in your pack for longer summer hikes.

You can also get sports candy that does the same thing – with fewer calories.

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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Go Llama Trekking at Divine Llama Vineyards

Most recently updated January 16th, 2022

From the moment I heard the phrase “llama trekking”, I was hooked. I love to hike – and who doesn’t love a llama??

Even better, when you go llama trekking at Divine Llama Vineyards, there could be wine involved 🙂

Divine Llama Vineyards is equally famous for its wine and for the Llama Treks they host together with their neighbor, the Four Ladies & Me Farm.

I stopped by for a visit one afternoon after a day of hiking at nearby Pilot Mountain State Park. It’s so close, you can see the mountain from the vineyard, and they’ve put Pilot Mountain on their label.

The big pinnacle at Pilot Mountain State Park

Equally close by is Hanging Rock State Park – so I plan to reward myself with another visit to Divine Llama after a day of hiking there, too! Continue reading Go Llama Trekking at Divine Llama Vineyards

Pilot Mountain State Park – Hike, Climb, Paddle and Camp

Most recently updated January 16th, 2022

Pilot Mountain State Park views from the top are especially spectacular when the Fall colors come out! It’s a great place to take a family trip any time of year, with miles of trails, camping, climbing, canoeing, and lots of Ranger programs.

I’ve been visiting this park for many years, first with my daughter when she was young, and later with hiking friends or on my own.

Like the rocky escarpments in nearby Hanging Rock State Park, Pilot Mountain is a remnant of the ancient Sauratown Mountains.

In fact, the Sauratown Trail, a 22-mile (30 miles with spurs) trail for both hikers and equestrians, crosses the range and interconnects the two state parks.

This is a hike I’ve been dreaming of tackling for a while now – you’ll hear all about it when I do!

Perfect for Day Trips

Map of NC State Parks within an easy drive of Winston-Salem

Several NC State Parks are just far enough away to be special trips but still close enough to make good day or weekend trips from the Raleigh area.

Hanging Rock State Park, Pilot Mountain State Park, and – just squeaking in as do-able with a 3 hour drive – Stone Mountain State Park.

Pilot Mountain SP is an easy 2.5 hour drive from Raleigh, so you can easily get there, hike all day and still make it home before bedtime – especially on longer summer days. Of course, if you live in Winston-Salem it’s an even shorter trip 🙂

Every time I visit, there’s something new to see, and the view from the summit never loses it’s charm.

If you’re looking for something a little bit closer to the Raleigh area, try Umstead State Park or for younger kids, try Yates Mill County Park.

Where To Stay

Talking to a llama at Divine Llama Winery — Chatting up a llama at Divine Llama Vineyards

If you want to spend more time to thoroughly explore the park and visit local attractions like Horne Creek Farm or Divine Llama Vineyards, you’ll need to find a place to stay.

There are camping sites and canoe-in camp sites available in the park. You can reserve a campsite on the ReserveAmerica site.

You could also find Pilot Mountain cabins to rent or stay at a Mount Airy or Pilot Mountain hotel. Continue reading Pilot Mountain State Park – Hike, Climb, Paddle and Camp