Table Rock Ups and Downs-Part II

From our summit experience, we headed back down. Only 7 more miles to go! We had renewed our energies since we knew would be going downhill and then following a ridge. The trail ahead of us was daunting but we felt strong! We made our way precariously down the Table Rock Trail. We had that look I had seen in those who passed us as we trudged uphill. We looked satisfied, energized and most importantly we were not panting.
We came to the crossroads and watched as some of the familiar hikers we had seen along the way continued down. We took the road less traveled.
Right away we could tell it was less traveled. It was as if we entered an entirely different world. Where we had been headed on a minor hiking highway before, now the trail was more like an Indian foot path, the earth was soft beneath our feet. The weeds criss-crossed ahead of us as if to keep their well known secret. Most noticeably, the boulders disappeared, not to be seen again until much later in our hike! The ridge immediately confronted us with it's steepness. There were no rock stairways here to guide our feet, no showiness, just steep hills.
“Mom, I thought you said this was going to be flatter,” came from behind me.
We pushed our calves until they felt like concrete blocks begging us to stop. The trail would level out, we would sigh relief and then up we would go again. Finally on a level ridge, we passed a small group of hikers headed the opposite way. They asked us how much more uphill they had to go and then we knew we must be headed down. We went down into a rhododendron tunnel and enjoyed the cool, lush greenness of it. Somewhere just past the bottom of this descent was the Mill Creek Pass trail. I had already decided we were probably going to take this. The thought of one more steep climb to Pinnacle was too much for that moment. We got to the pass and I thought I would run up the Ridge trail and get the Little Brown Jug box. Surely it was fairly close by. After searching for a few tenths of a mile, I couldn't find the landmark so I returned to the fambly. 'd' and I made a decision. After looking over the map, it wasn't that much farther to get to Pinnacle's summit. Sure it was all uphill, but then it would be all downhill from there, right? We decided to go for it. We knew we would regret being that close and not doing it one day. So after eating our Power Bars we headed on up.
Our Hiking South Carolina book had warned that this part of the trail was steep, but we found it to be very do-able. We ascended to a high point, only to be greeted just around the curve in the trail, by another hill. After we ascended the third of these, we were sure we were at the top. The summits are not very well marked here. Table Rock Summit did not a marker, so we weren't expecting Pinnacle to have one. Our guide book had also warned us that the summit was tree covered, with no views. We looked around us and could not see another higher point. So we decided it was time to plant our summit box. We found just the perfect tree. A little too perfect! It looked like a bear might be setting up camp there any moment now, so we opted to hide the box behind the tree. We didn't want to risk being responsible for any letterboxer losing a limb to a grumpy bear! After this we set off with light hearts and feet, knowing that the road would be all downhill from here....
But we were wrong! We ascended a few more steep hills before we actually made it to the summit. It was too far to go back and get the box, so it still lies just short of the pinnacle of Pinnacle, oh well! If we ever make it back up there,we intend on moving it. But that will have to wait.
Now we were really headed downhill. And downhill was no joking matter. We reeled down several twisty, steep inclines just barely hanging on. It was like a roller coaster for hikers! We knew one thing for absolute sure: we were glad we had not come up this way!!
After passing the beginning of the Foothills Trail (which I left my box at home for, dangit!) we soon came to Bald Rock. Not to be confused with the Bald Rock that locals send cars over and my college friend found a dead body at! This Bald Rock has a spectacular view. Probably one of the best in all of Table Rock State Park. The sea of mountains gently rolling out of the flat lands against the late afternoon sun was comforting. We were still feeling good, knowing our big hike was nearing to an end.
We descended a little more and came to the Mill Creek Pass. This was a great resting spot and we managed to locate a hidden still, which could've made the rest of our hike painless. While we were able to find the still, it appeared that the Revenuers had confiscated the moonshine!
We enjoyed the cool river for a moment and then headed on. We were guessing we still had about three miles to go and we were ready to be back at the bottom of the mountain. When we came to Mill Creek Falls it was clear that our area is in a sever drought. Very little water trickled down the stair step rock faces. We did several river crossings on our way down. The rivers here are not the smooth pebbled mountain rivers, but wild and full of boulders and long slick rocks. I was fascinated with the sluice that channeled the entire river through a 6 inch gash in a flat rock. The water rushed through as if it was a sharp knife slicing cleanly into it.
After this we entered into forest hiking. Lots of land and boulders beginning to pop up out of nowhere. Rock walls dwelt beside the trial in harmony with the land, not imposing giants like on the Table Rock trail. This was when we began to walk with a hypnotic step. One foot in front of the other. We could've been doing it in our sleep! We were getting very tired and more than ready to be done, but there was still a mile or so to go. Our feet were aching and our legs would probably not know how to stop when we did get to the end of the trail.
When we saw Carrick Creek and then hooked up with the Carrick Creek trail we were elated. I am sure that the Carrick creek trail is beautiful in it's own right, but it was beautiful to us because it meant the end was truly in sight!
As we rejoined the paved section of the trail I reached in my pocket to get our hiking pink slip out. I placed it into the box, so the rangers would know we made it out alive. Then I headed straight for the nearby water fountain. As I greedily slurped water, 'd' elbowed me. I thought he was trying to get his turn at the fountain, so I tried to get in one last slurp. When I looked up he was pointing to the kiosk where I had dropped off our hiking slip and there were Kya and Karver Redfern! It was so good to see them. We chatted a bit and then headed on our way home...to meatball subs and Coke! Delicious!!! Maybe one of the top three meals of my life.
Total hike: 11.4 miles

You Came!!

When the Jwalkers and our family discussed having a gathering at Table Rock, we hoped that a few of you would make it...we were VERY pleasantly surprised. Quite a lot of you showed up! It was a lot of fun meeting so many new friends and seeing lots of old friends. We think letterboxers are some of the nicest folks in the world and you all proved it! The crowd started trickling in Friday night and the party continued through lunchtime today. We all agreed we want to do this again, but in warmer weather, so look out for next year's event!
Highlights:
Meeting two muggle dads in one day: Muggle Fox and Dixie's Muggle! Very nice young men. I hope they weren't forever scarred by the craziness. It was quite a treat to see the men behind these famous women: )
Seeing the cornucopia bread that Flour Girl made for the event stamp! It was amazing!! We were sorry to see pieces of it go to feed the ducks, but I am sure the ducks were happy to get it.
Watching the cootie center! I don't think it kept a cootie in it longer that 15 seconds. Those kids were cootie-ing fast and furious! And I think we only came home with 2.
Special guests! We were able to meet Cyclonic and Schizokete from PA and VA. High Roller came from WI (he actually just moved here, but since he still has WI plates, we're claiming it!). Isabeau and her crew came from GA. Ghopper and family and Firefighter family was there. The florys and Richards6 came all the way from mid NC. Of course, Dixie, Knit Wit and the Foxes from WNC were there. The Box Hunters from Columbia, SC and the Dawg Pound. The Grey Crazy crew and the Peas came up from Greenwood. LOTS of local boxers came. I didn't have enough time to get around and speak to everyone, but thanks SO much for coming!! One surprise guest was Paula, of the Woody Clowns. She made us some chicken for breakfast and wienies for late night snacks. Nothing like waking up to a clown wandering around the campground!
Watching the kids play, play and play some more! They had marshmallow roasts, scary stories, blond stories (from the head blond, PizzaNia!) and glow sticks (thanks JJJAKERS!). Also seeing them carry that dead muskrat across our campsites, sheesh!
Knowing at elast one person made it to the top of Table Rock! Thanks highroller!
Night boxing. We had a total of 10 night boxes. Nine on the trail and one very special bonus box that Cyclonic shared with us. AMAZING, is all I have to say about that! Also thanks for your cheerful rainbow lights Cyclonic!
Noticing the generosity of letterboxers. Raffle prizes donated from near and far, canned goods for the food pantries and clothing and dog toys for the family whose house burned down, well wishes for our military dad in Afghanistan. All of these were wonderful gestures. But it was all capped off for me when JJJAKERS, who had decided to head home early to thaw out, offered to leave their tent set up for Woody Clowns so that the clowns would not need to set up in the dark!
Hearing the banjo band at campsite #62. Whoever you are, thanks! We really enjoyed the music.
Warm bathrooms! I can't tell you how many times I truly considered putting my bed in the bathroom for the night!
This mornings sermon on letterboxing. Did you know that there was letterboxing in Jesus' time? Just ask TD of the Jwalkers! I hope to post his acronym for letterboxing for all of you who missed it. I never thought I'd hear a sermon like this one: )
I am sure I have forgotten some more great moments. After a few days rest I hope to be a little more coherent! Thanks you for coming to our event and making it so spectacular! We really enjoyed meeting you.

Table Rock Ups and Downs Part I

Yesterday was a perfect day for a hike! Even Weather.com agreed with us on that. We set out on our pilgrimage completely prepared. We had sandwiches, hot soup, water and trail mix. We had our first aid kit, glow lights, and emergency blankets. We had maps, books and clues, of course! I even wore my Pocket Full of Rocks T-shirt over my long sleeve shirt in case we got lost and ended up on the news: ) I figured a little publicity for my cousin's band couldn't hurt. Plus it's a really cool T-shirt! Over that I wore a red vest for easy spotting.
Those of you who know me, know that it was an extraordinary accomplishment for me to be this prepared. My unusual sense of caution came from the voice of all of my friends who care echoing in my head. So you see, you all are rubbing off on me: )
The boys came with us. Being 12 and 13, we thought they could handle the hike. And handle it they they did! I venture to say that they were far more physically prepared than we were and have fewer aches today than we do!
Our prelude to the hike was a stop for a roadside 'Hiawatha' box. This was clever and fun to find.
The hike itself, however, opened with tragedy. As I was climbing a steep grade in search of a hidden treasure, my camera, which had been wrapped around my wrist, fell off and rolled down into the waterfall below (while I truly looked on in horror!). We were able to retrieve it, but it is not working and I was not able to take pictures of the wonderful sights we saw yesterday. Unfortunately, I spent the next two or three miles consumed in grief. My camera is almost a part of me. It is truly one of my most loved means of communication. Once I overcame my sorrow, I tried to catalogue as much of the wonder in words as I could to share with you. We'll see how much I can remember.
Anyways, in spite of my grief, I couldn't help but be in awe of the boulders and rocky giants that guarded the trail. Table Rock trail is a difficult hike. It is constantly up, up and up! There are steps gouged into the stones to help you on your way. For all of it's difficulty, we saw many young and old traveling the way. We saw cub scouts, boy scouts, teenagers, and retired folks. We saw families like us and young couples holding hands. We saw a grandfather and his four year old grandson. Amazingly we never heard the boy whine! The common factor was that we were all pilgrims on this well worn highway to our hiking mecca and we were all panting at one point or another!
As we forged ahead past the stone trolls, we eventually came to Governor's Rock. This rock is a God-send. As you come up out of the trail onto the rock face, you are first overwhelmed by the sudden open sky. Then the enormity of the rock you are standing on hits you. Finally, as you return to normal breathing, you take a seat and let the beauty of the spot sink in. The rock face itself is rippled and pocked, covered in spots by a soft worn moss. The moss is graced with yellow flowers that sway in the mountain top winds. The view from this rock is a western-facing view towards the two highest points in SC, Sassafrass mountain and Pinnacle mountain. We were tempted to be completely satisfied with making it to this point. However, after a few minutes rest, we pressed on.
The trail ascends a little after this and the gives you a chance to rest your weary feet along a ridge. The light speckled through the golden, orange, pink and red dangling fall leaves. At one place in the trail we walked under a few red maples. The light passed through the trees and then reflected off of the carpet beneath our feet and bathed us in a salmon glow. It was a surreal feeling. We found the summit of Table Rock and enjoyed another brief rest.
After the summit, we headed down hill a good ways before coming to the famed 'Table'. We investigated the many rock faces, each time going on a little further. We found a great picnic spot on some soft moss covered rock under the twisted wind blown pines. From our spot we had a view of Slicking Rock Falls. This is a huge scar shaped Rock face on an opposite mountain side. A monarch butterfly also flew lazily past our heads. Our lunch was a welcome feast! We had peanut butter and honey, chips and hot chicken soup. Wally-world carries these soup/hot chocolates containers that are self heating. Too heavy for an extended hike, but we were willing to carry them for ours. Yum! Nothing like chicken noodle soup on a mountain top.
Once our bellies were full and our feet were rested, we got up the nerve to find and 'Adrenaline Junkie'. We found the true end of the trail and the box. This, in itself, would have been awesome, but we were seeking another mountain top experience.

Nothing to do with Letterboxing...

We had so much fun on Halloween this year. We took lots of fun pictures and I thought some of our Letterboxing friends might want to see them: ) So
Happy Halloween!

Setting the Table

Table Rock, here we come!

If you haven't signed up yet, I am going to lure you with these fun pictures from our last stop at Table Rock!

Friday the Little Foxes and the Fambly headed over to Table Rock to do some scouting. I am so excited about this gathering. The lakeside picnic shelter is going to be a neat place to eat and greet. The playground and bathrooms are a stones throw away. The trails are covered in fallen leaves. The views are breathtaking. I can't wait to see all of our old friends and meet some new ones!
Bring your tents, campers, coats and marshmallows. Don't forget canned food for the food shelter.
By the way, The Little Foxes and I did see a bear on our hike Friday, so please be careful. We are sure these same bears will still be out there in November.

Above All: Be Discreet!!!

Media coverage, large groups trampling the area, children screaming,"Here's the letterbox, mom!" for all the world to hear...All of these topics are sure to get a response on the AQ message boards. Letterboxers are almost like a secret spy organization. We memorize our clues, we go from tree to tree always watching behind us, we call outsiders 'muggles' or 'birds'. We grab our loot, get our work done and carefully replace it until it is invisible to the human eye. All the while looking over our shoulder. We wear our 'plain clothes' so that we never attract attention.
Usually.
When I met a local clown, I was skeptic about her blending in abilities. She assured me she was discreet. She always took her round, red nose off when boxing. She never made insane balloon animals while boxing, although her children might be wearing balloon hats. She reassured me this was normal.
I wasn't so sure.
Yesterday she proved to me that a clown can actually be a perfect disguise in some cases! At a local Senior Citizens Fall Festival a few of us managed to have a mini gathering. Nobody ever even took a second look.
I think I might get one of those noses.

We Got Our Passport!

Life can get hectic and sometimes you just need to get away. That's exactly what we did last weekend. We packed up our tent and headed to Boone, NC. Of course, our getaway was coincidentally timed to match a gathering. And we coincidentally had camp sites right next to the Flory Family and the Little Foxes.
The gathering was very laid back and wonderfully put together. Thanks Shoafsters for all you put into it, especially all of the planting you and Sweet and Sour did. We were able to find many boxes and see most of the highlights of Boone and Blowing Rock.
The Boone Greenway is home to several boxes. Our fambly had a wonderful walk first thing Saturday morning on this paved trail. Walking it left us longing for one in our town. The girls slowed us down a good bit, though, and it wasn't because of their walking speed. It was all of the jewelweed lining the path. They love popping
the seed pods.

Bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it. There is a baby apatasaurus that needs to be rescued, after all.
When we returned to the shelter we found the playground series. The girls loved digging them out of the sand. What a neat idea. There were several very cool event stamps. I especially loved the shredded carrots. That had me fooled, for sure. I'm glad I didn't get a spoonful of PZ cut on my salad. I blinked and almost missed Mama Wolf-with no cubs in tow- and jeepsterhound. I did miss Mountain Scorpia. I think she was somewhere acquiring the sweet nectar of life I like to call good coffee.
After spending a good part of the day here, we headed back to the campground where the dads and kids wanted to stay. Considering the awesome rope swing, the river full of trout and the cool bouldering area that came with our campsites, I don't blame them.

But Erica and I were itching to get at those boxes, so we headed out and got a few on our own. We got some of our passport stamps and ran into The Little Foxes along the way.
We returned to camp just in time to make dinner and smores. Yum!

The whole time we were licking the sticky off of our fingers, though, we were remembering which boxes we had missed. So Erica Flory and I decided to find some in the dark after the kids had nestled down in their sleeping bags. The dads held the tents down while we were out on the town. Hey, at least it was letterboxing. And we managed to NOT attract the attention of any police. We did learn that one of the boxes is near a gazebo that is lighted all night, great for midnight log-ins. And the Performing Arts Center looks even more magical at night when it is all lit up. However, for the Blowing Rock box we highly recommend 2 flashlights with working batteries. There is a bit of a drop off there. We did make it back safe and sound.
Sunday we said goodbye to our camp buddies and hit the road with as many boxes mapped out on our way as possible. We really didn't need to say goodbye to our buddies, though because we saw them again and again along the way. We never knew who was following who.
The Candy Barrel was a great stop for the kids. And then we, of course, had to go see the original Mast General Store. We were treated to live bluegrass music on the back porch.

Now our only passport stamp left was the Grandfather Mountain one. We mapped the parkway boxes out and got one or two, but were short on time. Since 'd' had been so patient we did the viaduct with him.

He loves engineering feats and had never driven this section of the parkway. It was amazing. The Missing Link had to be one of our top ten all time favorite boxes EVER! We are all about the place when it comes to boxes and this box was in such a wonderful place. But then the stamp turned out to be a treat, as well. WOW!
We finished up our trip with a stop at Grandfather Mountain. It was a sweet victory to get every box in that passport filled in. To top it all off, the last box was near monuments to two of my favorite botanists, Asa Gray and Andre Micheaux. Micheaux is known for discovering Oconee Bells, a subject of one of our Woodland Wildflowers series. His feet have trod Grandfather Mountain in search of the many diverse flora and fauna. I hope that ours will follow one day.
After finishing our passport, we were content to ride off into the sunset. Too bad we had to go back to the real world!