Sunday, February 20, 2005

The Shortcut Down

Crowders Mountain State Park
Crowders Mountain, N.C. found four of us climbing up it's trail yesterday.
Intrepid Trio photographed by Mike
Passing fascinating rocks in size and sculpture,,,,we reached the top happy and hungry.
Gang enjoying view at top
Happy CarolinaTrekker AKA Mom
Happy CarolinaTrekker AKA Mom
While we ate lunch Black Vultures and Hawks drifted above us. You can see for 20 miles and are 1,625 feet up. Two in our group were brave and climbed the 150 foot vertical cliffs with ropes on an earlier visit. They still felt the horror of the rappel down.
Mike rappelling over Crowder's Mountain cliff

Srini climbing Crowder's Mountain
We looked out on a small nearby mountain called Booger Mountain and also Kings Pinnacle (1,705 ft. high).
We could see Charlotte, N.C. through the haze.
Hazy view of Charlotte skyline

So, we met a member of our groups Challenge to climb down the rocks instead of hiking the trail. He grew up in these parts and climbed down many times with his brother. What a climb down. It was exhilirating to stand out on an outcropping and look out and down.
Mike

Finding hand and footholds was like a game. These rocks were car size,,,house size!

Todd got us to climb down this!

We found "Garrett" written on some rocks. Garrett took " The Shortcut Down!"
Garrett

Red&Green leaved Galax wildflowers were here with the variegated leaved Wintergreen. The Rhododendrons were crowned with large flower buds. Mosses, Funguses and Lichens clung to the ground, rocks and trees. One tree stump we named "The Fungus Tower."
The Fungus Tower

Crevices under rocks were like small Lost Worlds.
Lost World
When we reached the Forest below we waded through loose leaves in deep drifts.

At last we met up with the trail and found an interesting number of trees that had been hit by lightening. Some were upright black cinders. One in the middle of the trail had a long lightening split down it's length ending in two large holes near the bottom where we could picture a fire ball blasting its way up the trail.
One of the Lightening Trees

Passing "the almost "M" Tree" we volunteered our tallest hiker to reach high and complete the right leg of the "M" and took his picture. A Dogwood Tree has grown at odd angles creating an "almost M".

The 'M' Tree

There were a large menagerie of dogs hiking the trail,,,two with the bluest eyes and one that looked rather like a dog wearing a Hyena costume. All were having the time of their lives.
So did we! It was a fun hike.

1 comment:

Tiggeriffic said...

If Dad was there he would of gotten out his box and tackle and somehow fastened a rope to the side of those rocks and swung way out like Tarzan. Yee-Haw~! Remember those days? Looping the rope around us and hanging on for our dear lives and swinging out over a valley. With Dad yelling like he was Tarzan, Ya-A-Ya-A-Ya~~!
Such Memories, So glad you went down the Mountain like a mountain woman,, Good for You~! There's only one thing missing in this ~~I'm not there to have this memory with you.