Croatan Forest Hike

Monday morning, we broke camp.  There was one section of the Neusiok Trail that I was still missing so we drove to Little Deep Creek Road (FR-169) and drove about three miles to a pull-off where the trail headed into the woods.  This section led through the forest and then bordered private property with a narrow canal along the property line.

The trail follows along the property line, eventually heading through a very swampy area.  A boardwalk helped get over some of the worst.

At Alligator Tram Road (FR-124), we turned back.

It was still pretty early as we started making our way back, so we made a stop at Neuse River Recreation Area near New Bern.  The beach and most of the picnic area were closed due to damage from Hurricane Florence.

However, the trails were still open so we went for a hike on Loblolly Trail (#511B) around the west side of the area.  There were a few views of the river from the trail.

But it soon departed from the river and wound through a swampy area.

The trail eventually came out on the entrance road and I followed it back to the trailhead.

From here, we made the drive back home.

Down East MST Hike

Sunday we woke up to a chilly morning and warmed up in the car.  After breakfast, we headed east on US-70 to the Davis Shore Provisions General Store to park so Alex could hike the next hike for #mst40hike in Down East North Carolina.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail followed US-70 through the area and this hike was between Williston and Davis.

Hiking westbound for about a mile, we passed an area with large number of tundra swans where the highway crossed Smyrna Creek.

A little further we spotted a turtle in the wetlands.  He might have been a snapper but I couldn't get a good look at his head.

The trail continued into the small community of Williston and crossed Williston Creek on another bridge.

Right across the bridge was the Methodist Church and our turnaround point.

On the way back, we stopped at North River Wetlands Preserve.  We first hiked down Heron Drive, but it was closed after a short ways.

So instead we hiked along Ward Creek Avenue, passing by some old farm structures.

After a mile or so, we passed by a scenic little pond.

After hiking a little further, we turned around and headed back.

From here, we headed into Beaufort for dinner at Front Street Grill.  The outdoor seating had a nice waterfront view and it was very dog friendly.  Alex made a few new friends while we ate.  Then we headed back to camp for the evening.  We followed a path from our site down to the water at sunset.

There was a really cool gnarled tree down by the shore.

Then we made another big fire to stay warm, though it wasn't as cold as the night before.

Cedar Island MST Hike

Saturday, we left to take Alex to the coast for a long weekend of hiking and camping.  We headed out towards Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Carteret County and parked at the boat ramp near the Thorofare.  Alex would be completing hike 37 for #mst40hike.

Hiking back to NC-12, we followed the bridge over Thorofare with great views of the marsh.

The brackish marsh runs for as far as the eye can see and the road hike led for several miles through this habitat.

We could still see back to the bridge for the majority of the hike.

We spotted something pop out of the water and were excited to see two otters swimming.

We crossed another short bridge with a view of West Bay.

After about 5 miles, the elevation changed slightly and we entered a more forested habitat.  I spotted a night heron through the trees.

We hiked as far as the fire department and turned around.  Sandy and Alex waited while I hiked quickly back to the car.  I saw a Northern Mockingbird near the parking area.

Back at the car, I drove back to pick up Sandy and Alex.

From here, we headed to Oyster Point and set up camp.  Then we headed to Atlantic Beach for dinner at Idle Hour Biergarten.  Their outdoor seating is very dog friendly and Alex enjoyed laying in the sand.  It got a little chilly, so we moved over to a fire pit to finish our drinks.  We met some other really nice couples with their dogs and chatted with them for a while.  Then we headed back to camp.  It was really chilly overnight, so we made a big fire before going to bed.

Ledge Creek and Impoundments

Sunday, I headed to Granville County for a couple hikes along tributaries of Falls Lake.  I first stopped at Trailhead 1 in Ledge Creek Forest Conservation Area along Brogden Road.  From here, I started hiking down the Ledge Creek Trail through an area being replanted with shortleaf pine.  The trail looped around and ran along the creek.  With steep bluffs along the creek, it was very scenic.

Continuing on, I got on the Pond Trail.

As the name suggests, it passes by several scenic old farm ponds.

The trail ended back up at the parking after passing through another area being replanted with pine trees.  From here, I made the short drive to Trailhead 2.  Hiking down the Waterfall Loop, I turned left at the split and soon came to the trail's namesake.

It's probably a stretch to call it a waterfall, but it was a scenic little drop along a tributary of Ledge Creek.

At the far end of the loop, I got on Ledge Creek Loop which passed by another part of the creek.

Where this loop finished, I then hiked the short Turtle Pond Loop around another scenic pond.

After finishing, I hiked back along the last segment of Waterfall Loop back to the parking area.

Since both hikes were short, I made another stop at the Knap of Reeds Creek Waterfowl Impoundment in Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land.  A gated road led just under a mile along the impoundment.

Then I made one more stop along Brickhouse Road and hiked the gated roads around the Brickhouse Road, Bluff and Beaver Dam impoundments.

It was a scenic area and I didn't see another soul.

Haw River MST Hike

Sandy had Sunday off again, so we took Alex for another #mst40hike at Haw River.

We parked at Great Bend Park and started off on the Highland Trail from the parking area and then got on Island Trail at the Glencoe Mill Dam.

We followed the trail down the little island formed between the river and millrace, then returned and got on the Haw River Trail towards Glencoe.  The trail follows streets through the historical village past old mills and the Textile Heritage museum.

At the Glencoe Paddle Access, the trail returned to natural surface and stayed close to the river.  In another mile, we came back out at the road near the Carolina Mill.

After crossing two streets, we then followed the trail along the shoreline of Stony Creek Reservoir and to the turnaround point.

We turned around here and hiked back.

Before leaving the area, we stopped at Red Slide Park.  I had never finished hiking the southernmost part of the Seller's Falls Section, so we hiked northbound along the Haw River.  We crossed the river on US-70 at the Three Governors Bridge and then followed the river up on the river left side.

We went a little past the bridge over Boyd Creek and then turned around.

We stopped for lunch at Bright Penny in Mebane for some great beer and pizza and then headed home.