Loop 10

Loop Map & More Info

Arrived at the primitive campground entrance at 6:18 am and it was just light enough to see the road but the sun was still hidden behind the mountain. Weather.com said it was 25 degrees which meant it was probably 22 degrees out at Oak Mountain. It is always three degrees colder out there for some reason. My internal temperature was better regulated this morning and I wasn't freezing when I got there so I was ready to go.

Richard drove up and we hit the trail while it was still hard to see the roots in the trail. It is bright enough to see at 6:30 am but that is about all. Very quickly we hit the portion of the yellow-white connector that begins the ascent up the mountain. Very soon after that I was really warm. The trail looked different in the low light and we back tracked a couple hundred yards because we thought we had missed the turn-off to take us up the final ascent of the mountain. However we just hadn't gone far enough, so we trudged on.

I had taken the lead during the back tracking and so I started on up the steep part. The calves started burning and the lungs started screaming for air. Half way up the body started over heating so the gloves, jacket and head warmer came off. I was almost to the top when a doe and a little one jumped up and went running off. They stopped at about 100 yards and checked me out before bounding on off over the hill. They didn't seem to have a problem with the steepness of the mountain.

I took a short break at the top and waited for Richard. His meds were still keeping his heart rate slow and this slowing his pace down. We met at the top and Richard said it was 36 degrees. It sure seemed warm. We began the descent down the white trail to the white-blue connector and pretty soon we could feel the temperature get cooler.

This seems to be a well used trail but it needs some maintenance. There were several trees across the path and down near the connector the bushes were real tight on the path. I am going to have to get my Den of Cub Scouts out there one Saturday and do a little trail cleaning.

At the bottom Richard checked and it was 25 degrees. Of course I had put my head warmer back on and Richard had put his gloves back on. We didn't need his digital watch thermometer to tell us that it was colder.

We hit the Blue trail and I took the lead and took off jogging. We were going to hit the Orange connector. Well after jogging and jogging and jogging I was afraid that I had missed it. I could just see Richard having already taken it and headed back toward the vehicles and wondering where I was. I started getting cramps in my side so I walked for a little while.

They cleared up so I took off jogging again. It wasn't soon after that I came upon the Orange connector. Boy was I glad. I was afraid I was going to come out at the North Trailhead and have to take all day getting back to my Jeep. I gladly took off down the Orange connector. Soon I came across a pile of rocks on the right side of the trail. I stopped to look and what appeared to be a primitive camp site area. There was an Oak Mountain signpost with a three on it. I didn't realize there were designated camping sites.

I hit the Civilian Conservation Corps road and took a break next to the Eagle Scout project. The benches were nice to do some stretching on. In no time at all Richard was there and we were ready to head on down the CCC road back to the yellow-white connector. I took on off down the road at a jog and was actually able to jog all the way to the connector.

I took off down the connector and had to be very careful. My eyes were watering from the cold wind and the leaves were covering the trail. The combination made it very hard to see the roots, rocks and dips in the trail. Fortunately I only slipped a little bit once and my trail running shoes came through by grabbing a rock and keeping me from busting my bootie.

I made it to the bottom and was able to jog all the way to the Jeep. I have definitely improved since Richard and I started on Loop 1. I wish I could have done Loops 6, 7 and 8 with Richard. This completed Loop 10 for the first time this year though and it wasn't as bad as I remembered it last year. However last year I only ran the second time and it was warmer. It may be tougher this year when it is warmer. We shall see.

Loop 9

Loop Map & More Info

It was cold, cold, cold when I arrived at the primitive campground entrance at 6:25 am. I got cold while dressing and I hadn't warmed up even with the heater at full blast because I was eating some breakfast and drinking a really cold Monster drink. That kept me cold. So when I arrived there before Richard I just sat there with the Jeep running and the heater cranked to the max.

Richard got there in just a few minutes and it was time to brave the outside air. I put on my running jacket, my gloves and my head band to cover my ears. I then stepped out of the Jeep and started wishing I had stayed in the bed snuggled up under the thick quilts that keep me warm during the night. DANG! It was freezing cold at a right lowly 24 degrees.

Richard was of the same mindset and quickly got out of his vehicle and said let's get this show on the road. He started walking down the primitive campground road while I jogged, hopped, jumped up and down next to him. I was internally cold and trying anything to get warmed up.

We hung a hard left on the Yellow Trail and hit our first hill of the morning. Thank goodness, I was ready for some warmth. Well buddy, I got what I asked for. About half way up the calves started screaming and saying they were warm enough that we could stop now. Well my face begged to differ with them and since it was closer to my brain and had more influence, we kept on climbing.

We came out on top and were able to see one of the Double Oak Mountains to our right with just the first rays of the sun coming over. I wished I could have sat down next to a tree right there and waited to watch the sun rise over that mountain. One of these mornings when it is warmer I am going to take the family up there and do just that.

Richard was having a tough go of it due to some over medication prescribed by his doctor so our leg to the Pavilion / Picnic area was a little on the slower than usual side. We took a water break there and I was feeling froggy what with now being warmed up and the cold air giving me energy so I asked if I could take the lead and set the pace. Richard gave me the reins and told me not to wait on him.

I took off at a steady jog and in a few minutes had to come out of my gloves and then a little later had to come out of my jacket. The continuous jogging was definitely warming me up. However as I came up to a small incline right before getting back to the main rode I ran out of steam and had to slow to a fast walk. Once I hit the top of the hill I had caught my breath and was ready to rock and roll.

It was a very nice jog from there on in back to the Jeep. The main road by the primitive campground is a very nice road to jog. The road is big and wide and the woods are open on each side. The squirrels were busy running all over the ground but I didn't see any deer. Later I found out that I had beaten Richard by 11 minutes.

It was a good jog and I am looking forward to the big daddy of all loops, number 10 coming up this Friday.

Loop 5

It was 28 degrees this morning when we parked at the entrance to the CCC road and started jogging up the highway to Peavine Falls. The wind was blowing a lot harder than the Weather channel said it would be last night also. I had insulated jogging pants, an insulated top, an insulated windbreaker jacket, gloves and a wrap around my ears. My eyes were watering like crazy and my nose was cold. Sixty-two minutes later as we got back to the car, I had removed my gloves and my wrap and unzipped my jacket. It had only warmed up to 29 degrees but those trails had warmed me up a lot more.

We made it down to Peavine Falls and started up the Blue trail. It had experienced some serious windage as there were a good many trees across the trail. There were already small trails around them as others had been there before us. It was definitely a different trip than what we had taken in the spring while winding back down to Loop 1. When we got to the white connector, a tree had fallen and knocked the sign over. The White trail was down in the valley and didn't have any trees across it. I guess the wind stayed up on the hill and did it's damage there.

The sun was up and shining as we made our way up from Peavine Falls to the parking area. It sure looked nice coming over the mountain and burning off the mist. The jog from the parking area back to the entrance to the CCC road was a nice finish to a nice run.

Loop Map & More Info

Loop 4

Richard and I were both in talkative moods so this run seemed to go fairly fast. The jog from the picnic area to the start of Blood Rock trail went fast and warmed us up. The walk up Blood Rock trail got me out of my jcaket. We had a nice jog down the CCC road until we made it to the Green trail. The Green trail was very steep but most of the leaves had been worn off by the Thanksgiving crowd so it wasn't very slippery. The leaves can sometimes make it dangerous. I enjoy the part that goes through the pines though. That is always pretty and seems like it would be the perfect place to camp.

We cut over to the Yellow trail and the calves began to burn as the hills came on us. The Yellow trail is a pretty rough trail the entire length. Luckily we were only hitting piece of it and then we were back at our vehicles. It was a nice trail run and we had fun talking. It was nice after the last ones were so awful.

Loop Map & More Info

Loop 3

It was awful. I was sick and tired when I got there. My legs started giving out about half way through. I think Richard was tired also because it took us 95 minutes to complete the 5.6 miles. We walked a lot and talked a lot. Talking tends to slow us down also.

I made it back and almost died. Every joint in my body ached. I ached all over and felt like I had the flu. Maybe I did.

Loop Map & More Info

Loop 2

We ran loop 2 today. When we got there both gates were locked on the way to Peavine Falls. Richard unlocked them with a magic touch. This put us 10 minutes late starting though. Walked uphill all the way to the Peavine Falls parking lot. It was interesting to actually be able to look out over the valley on the side of the road. Most of the time I am busy watching the road. When we started down the CCC road the wind was cutting us in two. It was unbelievably cold. I didn't have anything for my ears and they were hurting.

I started down the BUMP trail and tripped before Blood Rock. After Blood Rock I heard something behind me and looked over my shoulder as I was jogging. I must have stepped odd because a pain shot through the back of my left knee and I hopped on my right leg for the next couple of steps. It eased off and I was able to keep jogging and stay up with Richard. I almost fell flat on my face as I tripped over a root down toward the bottom of the trail. Behind my left knee was hurting like the dickens. Fortunately we made it back in 1 hour and 8 minutes. I was glad that was over with.

Loop Map & More Info

Loop 1

It turned out hotter than expected. Long sleeve shirt and long pants was too much. We had a good warm-up run through Mr. Toad's trail. We then had a good walk up the mountain. I heard something in the woods but wasn't able to figure out what it was. Thought it might be some turkeys scratching or an armadillo. We started down the other side of the mountain and I found the base of an antler. Richard almost ate a spider and did the spider dance right there in the woods. If I had a video camera I would be richer now.

Behind my left knee started hurting real bad on the way down. It isn't well yet, apparently. We made the loop and came back through Toad's Wild Ride with my left knee killing me. Luckily I made it back to the Jeep before calling it quits and crawling in.

Loop Map & More Info

CRWMA Bike Riding

I was feeling kinda puny and didn't do so well the last time I went riding with Richard and we are supposed to ride this Tuesday so I decided to take a little trip myself and see how I would fair. I took off from the house and headed toward the Cahaba River Wildlife Management Area (CRWMA). I had marked it off with the Jeep so I knew it was two miles to the creek at the bottom of the big hill right before the CRWMA started.

Once on the dirt road of the CRWMA I took the dirt road to the right. Slid my bike under the gate and took off. That is a well graded road that brings you behind the gate at the shooting range. I hung a right and went wheeling on down the road. Of course I very quickly came to a slick hill that 4-wheel drive vehicles spin up. Needless to say I had to walk my bike up it. Once up it I kept turning to the left and stayed on the road that will bring you out on the first road past the shooting range road.

Of course this road is washed out, has overhanging limbs, two streams cross it and it was wrapped up in spider webs. It made for a very eventful ride. Only once did I have to stop to remove a spider that looked like it could take down a rhino. I had to stop twice to cross the streams and once when I encountered a rock covered hill. I finally made it out to the first road past the shooting range road mentioned above. This road is much better.

So I hung a left there and headed back to the main CRWMA road. This was a nice ride. However I happened to go by a grown up side road that I had seen scrapes on last year. I thought, hey, I can ride down this road and very quickly see if there are scrapes this year. Now that was an exciting ride. I was dodging small trees, bouncing over small dead trees in the road, riding through small limbs blown off by the last hurricane and riding through a thick mat of leaves.

Unfortunately I only found one small rub at the beginning of the road and nothing else. So the ride out wasn't as exciting as the ride in since I had nothing to look forward to except surviving and getting out.

So I made it out and headed on to the main road. Of course it was at about this point that I ran out of water. I rode on by the shooting range with people blasting away below but I didn't hear any bullets whining overhead so that was good. For some reason I was able to make some really good time by the shooting rangle. :-)

I hit the main road and hung a left to go back home. I hadn't realized how rough the road was coming in but going out I was bouncing all over the place. It was nice to get back to the highway. However now I had the hill from down under to contend with. The last time I had attempted it I had to stop and walk part of the way. But slow and steady wins the race and this time I paced myself and made it all the way to the to top without stopping.

The hard part was over and I was ready to get home and get some water so I brought it on in. I was pleased with how well I did and how nice the ride was. I look forward to the next time I can challenge a portion of the CRWMA.

Oak Mountain Sunday Afternoon

Click here to see some pictures of me and kids having a good time Sunday afternoon while Momma was at a meeting at church. We went to ride the trails but Anna is still just too little for the roots and the narrow trails.

We did however ride around the parking lot and down the side of the lake a couple of times. The road around by the picnic tables and by the restrooms was fun. We went around it more than once. We also road down the road for a short piece to the beach entrance.

And as you can see from the pictures we had a boo boo incident and we played on the playground a lot also. I had packed some snacks and we took a couple of picnic snacks. One at the playground and another at a picnic table on the picnic table road.

Just about the time the kids were starting to get too hot and tired Momma called. So we loaded the bikes on the Jeep and went back home.

Second Oak Mountain Bike Ride

Well the second one was most definitely better than the first one. I had found out from my chiropractor that I needed to raise my seat because above my knees was sore instead of my thighs as they should have been. I have since learned that your seat must be high enough that your legs fully extend when you are pedaling. This of course means that you will not be able to touch the ground when you are sitting on your seat.

This time we started at the stables and went right up to the guard house and then headed back into the park as we did the last time. However this time we took a right on Terrace Drive and went up by the beach and the pavillions. We went out the back of the pavillion parking lot and took the loopy, winding road around the picnic tables and out by the bath house. We cut back through the parking lot and went back down Terrace Drive where we hung a right on the main road.

We only went to the service road on the left before you get to the top of the hill where the cabin road takes a right. We hung a big U and headed back down the hill at a rather rapid clip. It was fun. We then made the loop back up through Terrace Drive, came back down to the main road and headed toward the stables and our vehicles.

I had been feeling a little froggy on that second trip up Terrace Drive and had really pushed it to stay up with Richard. Well now he said that on the last mile he was going to no longer wait on me but go on to his vehicle. He said I was welcome to stay with him. Well I stood up and pumped about three times and my legs just dropped out from under me. I was left with sitting on the seat and using my rubber legs to barely make it back to the stables. I came in two minutes after Richard.

I was stronger for the second ride, my seat was in a more correct position and we made faster time so I am going to raise my seat just a little more and look forward to our outing next Monday to see how I compare then.

First Oak Mountain Bike Ride

I know this started out as my hiking/trail running blog but I want to add biking to it now. As of today I now have a new respect for cyclists. Today I rode 14 miles in about an hour and ten minutes with a co-worker. We rode from the horse stables parking lot to the main front gate and then back all the way to the spillway between the two lakes at the other end of the park.

Just that ride alone was enough to take me out. My legs were about rubber by this time and my muscles were screaming. My co-worker, Richard, had circled back to stay back with my several times and finally had gone ahead and waited on me at the spill way.

On the way back he told me that he would try and go slow enough to stay with me. I would have never made it without him. I needed the encouragement he provided just by being there. My right knee started to hurt about a fourth of the way from the finish line when I had just two more small hills to take on.

I was able to climb them but the will power to do so was amazing to even myself. It made me see how much more you could push yourself with someone there than when you are by yourself. There were two other cyclists out there who very quickly came by us on a very steep hill. Even they spoke words of encouragement as they came by. I am sure they had been struggling like I was when they were first starting out and remembered how it felt.

I hope to keep at it with Richard and one day be able to be an encouragement to someone else on the road as they struggle up a hill on their first bike ride in Oak Mountain State Park. After I survived Richard teased me by telling me how it was nice for him to just take a leisurely ride through the park for once.

I commented on how I had to use every gear I had on my bike. Richard said he normally didn't use his really low gears but that he had to today in order to go slow enough to stay back with me. He is too kind. By the way, Richard is only 64 years young.

Work Cahaba River Hike

Stephen had ridden with me to work so I could print out and turn in my expense reports and timesheet for the previous week since I would be traveling again and wouldn't be in the office on the next Monday. A while back I had printed out a topo map of the area behind work and had realized that the Cahaba River was very close. So after I completed my business stuff Stephen and I decided to try and go find the Cahaba River.

We first skirted around the Cahaba Lake behind work on the runnning trail around the lake. However on the other side we took a narrow barely used trail straight up the side of a big hill. At the top we took a right down an old road. It deadended into another old grown up road at the bottom.

From the vegetation I could tell that we were close to the river. So we cut straight through the trees in the direction of where the river should be. I immediately got nailed on the leg with some thistle bush and began itching like crazy. I knew we had to find the river in a hurry so I kept on pushing ahead. Very soon I saw the bank but there were some very low hanging bushes there. I bent low and went on through.

The bank was steep and I had to hang on to a small tree to ease my self down to the water's edge. Once there I saw a small ledge that jutted out into the water. I was able to step out onto it and wash my really badly itching leg. Oh that felt so good. Stephen was right behind rolling up his pant's leg so he could get in the water. I had the misfortune to have worn shorts and got nailed by the thistle bush. Stephen was fortunate enough to have worn long pants and not get nailed by the thistle bush.

We stood in the very warm water and watched it lazily travel on past us. There were several fish jumping in the water and even a turtle surfaced near us. Stephen thought it was a snake for a second and was about to light a shuck for the next county. I assured him it wasn't a snake and kept him on the ground.

We had to head out to get back for an event so we reluctantly took off back through the bushes. Once we hit the old road that would take us back up the hill to the barely used trail we realized that it was open to our left. The good thing here was that our topo map indicated that a small stream was over there that was a run off from the lake. If we followed it we would wind back up on the trail around the lake.

We made it over to the stream in about fifty yards and eased off down into it. It was fairly wide and had a rocky bottom. The water was only inches deep and made for excellent hiking back to the trail. However there was a water fall and a pool just before we hit the trail. To traverse it we had to do a little rock climbing to get around the pool and up the side of the small water fall.

It was very much fun and once Stephen saw where he was he insisted that he lead the way. Very soon we were back at the Jeep and loading up to head home.

It was a very nice evening and a nice little hike. It was nice to be able to stand in the river and wash off the thistles. The stream was also a nice surprize as we spent some time in there also. The water fall climb was definitely the climax to a nice evening with my son.

Oak Mountain Peavine Falls Hike

On Thursday, July 21, 2005 I decided to take the day off and stay home with the family since I had been on the road for weeks at a time. Click here for the pictures of our hike until I get the time to write the story.

Lake Guntersville State Park Cascade Trail Hike

After a another hard day in Boaz, AL on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 I decided to hit the trails at Lake Guntersville State Park to unwind. So at the hotel I mapped out a loop, gathered my stuff and hit the road for the park.

I parked at the King's Chapel Trail and Moonshine Trail trailhead parking area. As I got out of the Jeep a few drops of rain fell and I heard a low rumble of thunder in the distance. I threw caution to the wind and strapped on my CamelBak and hit the white blazed connector to the Cascade Trail.

I intersected the Cascade Trail and hung a left up it. It is an incredibly beautiful trail as it follows a stream up the side of the mountain with huge boulders and rocks every where. As I reached the point labeled Ken's Lookout I was really into the scenery. You can click here to see some of the pictures that I took.

I saw the big cliff and thought how fun it might be to climb it. Then I was amazed when the trail instead of going around it cut back and went up and across the face of it. I was even more amazed as I stood on a three foot wide ledge to discover a sixty feet deep cave back into the cliff. It would have been a great place to camp out.

As I came off the ledge I intersected with the Meredith trail and hung a right on it. It made for some nice running as I went around the edge of the mountain and intersected with the Golf Trail. I proceeded to hang a left on the Golf Trail and was able to get in some more good running.

I could hear the people talking as they were playing golf on the golf course. My only concern was a stray golf ball flying through the air. As I neared the intersection of the nature trail it started to rain. I stopped and pulled my camouflage poncho out of my CamelBak and put it on.

About that time a whole string of runners began running by me. It looked like a local high school track team. In all about eight boys and a girl come running by me. I was at what I thought might be the Nature Trail but wasn't sure since there weren't any signs. I took a left on it though and headed back toward the Cascade Trail.

Well I hit the Cascade Trail but I hadn't been on the Nature Trail. It was simply a short connector between the Golf Trail and Cascade Trail that wasn't on the map. So I took a right on the Cascade Trail. In no time I came to the Nature Trail intersection. During the trip down the connector the rain had stopped and I had put my poncho back in my CamelBak.

I then proceeded to the left down the Waterfall Trail. It was very wide and was going down an old road. About a hundred yards down it a rather large deer snorted at me and bounded off down into a big valley. I wasn't able to see if it had horns but it was a big deer.

As I got down the trail a little ways I saw a connector trail that was listed on the map that would take me back to a section of the Cascade Trail that I had not been on so I changed my original plans and took off to the left down it.

I was glad that I did. The bottom of the valley that I went through was covered in a very green, tall, wavy grass. It made the whole valley seem as if it was flooded in green water or there was a green fog floating just above the ground over the whole valley. It was really cool.

I intersected the Cascade Trail and hung a right back down to Ken's Lookout. I then changed from my plan and took a right and hit the Old Still Path. Another good decision. It was a nice run/walk along this trail as in places it was narrow and rocky. Other places it meandered around the mountain and made for some good running.

Also right there in the middle of it all was the Old Still site. I stopped long enough to capture a few memories on my digital camera and then I was on to the Waterfall Trail intersection. I took a left on it and because of it's width was able to run all the way back to the Jeep.

All in all it was a very nice run/hike and made for a very memorable last trip during my stint at the Boaz plant.

Lake Guntersville State Park Seales Trail Hike

After working for the day at a plant in Boaz, AL on Monday, July 18, 2005 I decided to head out to Lake Guntersville State Park and hike some of its trails. I reviewed my hiking trail map of the park that I found at www.briartech.com/msmap.htm and decided on a loop. I changed into my running gear, grabbed my Camelbak, jumped in the Jeep and headed for the park.

I drove just past the Golf Course parking lot and parked on the side of the road where the Lick Skillet trail crossed. I began the hike/run by going to the right down the Lick Skillet trail toward the Meredith trail. It was a nice jog at the beginning as most of it was down hill. At the bottom I could see the lake and there was a connector trail to the lake. I stuck to my plan though and hiked up the next mountain to the Meredith trail.

I hung a left on the Meredith trail and was able to jog down hill to the Seales trail on the edge of the lake. I stopped for a second there to view the scenery. There were some guys fishing under the Town Creek bridge and there was a young man coming towards me on the trail in his swimming trunks and soaking wet. I spoke to him and asked him what he was doing. He said he was looking for his brother and wanted to know if I wanted to help him. I found that interesting. I asked him what his brother’s name was and he told me Dakota. I asked him what his name was and was informed that it was Tyler. So I told him that I was about to head down the Seales trail and that if I saw Dakota I would tell him that Tyler was looking for him. He seemed to be happy with that solution.

So I took off jogging down the Seales trail along the edge of the water. I was able to jog on and off until I came to a small power house on the edge of the lake. I stopped for a few minutes and took some pictures. You can click here to see those pictures.

The Seales trail then left the very edge of the lake and went up onto the side of the mountain. Now it was all rocks and I wasn’t able to jog. It was really pretty cool though. The trail meandered through the rocks on the edge of the lake and there were huge boulders and small cliffs to my left up the side of the mountain. It would have been a great place for the kids to play scrambling over the boulders.

After a while the trail dropped back down to the edge of the lake and was very wide. Here it is used a lot by the people camping in the campground. I jogged from here to the campground. The Seales trail skirted the edge of the mountain and the campground. At one point the trail split and there was a white blazed trail to the left going up the side of the mountain. From looking at my map I wasn’t sure if this was the trail I needed to take or not so I stayed on the Seales trail.

Well the Seales trail just comes out on the road in the campground and ends. So I backtracked to the white blazed trail which was the Old Lick Skillet trail and went up the side of the mountain. This trail meanders around the side of the mountain and the edge of the campground and comes out on the main road by the campground. As I came up on this road a deer jumped up in front of me and ran across the road. I stepped up to the road and there were six deer on the other side. I got my camera out and began taking pictures. It didn’t bother the deer at all. I had to walk about 50 yards down the road to pick up the Daniel White trail on the other side of the road.

I was able to walk down the road, go up the Daniel White trail and walk past the deer without ever spooking them. They just stood there and watched me walk past as the pictures from the link above no doubt showed you. It was starting to get late and I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make the entire loop before it got dark. I was planning on picking up the pace but ran into another field of rocks. Right in the middle of it was a very deep pit. I had seen the word pit on my map but wasn’t sure what it meant.

What it meant was that within two feet of the trail was a hole in the rocks that was about twenty feet deep and about three feet in diameter. It probably would have been pretty neat to have climbed down in there but I was headed on down the trail in hopes of finding the Jeep before dark.

The Daniel White trail intersected with the Lick Skillet trail and it was time for me to hang a left and head up the mountain. As I started up the trail I heard an eagle scream as he flew overhead. It was sweet. The trail became a series of switchbacks straight up the side of a very steep mountain.

I saw a large raccoon ambling through the woods ahead of me. He took the time to step up on a log and look back at me as if to say, “You are too tired to mess with what I got for you so just keep on going up your trail.” I completely agreed and just eased right on past him and headed on up the trail.

All of a sudden the trail stopped. I backtracked a few steps and found a tree with a red blaze on it. The trail switch backed around it and back up the mountain. From the looks of the initial trail past that tree it was apparent that I wasn’t the only one who had made that mistake.

From that point on it was just climbing over rocks and keeping my eyes on the red blazes. The trail popped out on the road and there was my Jeep. It was a welcome site to see.

The Camelbak pack came through for me as I was able to have plenty of water on a very hot day and I was also able to carry my digital camera and capture some memories. I cinched it down very tight and tucked my shirt in my pants and didn’t have any problems with it riding up or rubbing me.

This was a very nice loop with plenty of sites and sounds. I would recommend it to anyone who was interested in a hike of several hours or a trail run of about an hour. It took me an hour and a half but I got lost a couple of times and took time to take some pictures and observe some views.

Shackleford Point Hike

Below is a link to some pictures with comments of a hike I took with my son and daughter one weekend my wife was visiting her mom.

Shackleford Point Hike