High Point Troll

On Friday, we drove to High Point to track down our final troll in North Carolina. The troll, affectionately named Little Sally, stood in the somewhat worn downtown area. We easily found public parking, and a short walk brought us right to her for a few quick photos.

From there, it was just a short drive to the Piedmont Environmental Center. We settled Harper into her stroller and set off along the Bicentennial Greenway, a pleasant paved trail.

The only challenge was a set of stairs along the way, which required some careful maneuvering with the stroller. Beyond that, the path opened up to lovely views of Koonce City Lake, where a group of double-crested cormorants perched dramatically on a branch jutting out of the water.

The greenway continued seamlessly into Gibson Park.

Shortly, a boardwalk with led to an overlook of the wetlands at the head of the lake.

A bit farther on, we paused to admire the historic Deep River Cabin and its nearby old well.

Heading north, the trail ducked under US-70 and followed the winding East Fork Deep River.

We found a peaceful spot along the riverbank for a rest, our turnaround point.

On the return, we detoured onto the Long Rifle Trail, which wound past a pair of scenic twin ponds.

The trail led through the woods before connecting to the greenway.

Back in the Piedmont Environmental Center, we took another short side trip along the Deep River Trail before rejoining the greenway a final time.

Climbing the stairs with the stroller was trickier on the way up, but the built-in bike groove made it manageable. From there, it was an easy stroll of less than a mile back to the car.

To cap off the day, we stopped at Boulder's Bar just up the road for a relaxed early dinner.

Carl Sandburg Hike

On Sunday, we checked out of our hotel, enjoyed a relaxed breakfast, and drove to the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock before heading home.

We parked at the hiker lot and followed the gravel road toward Connemara Farm, passing several historic farm buildings along the way.

We soon reached the beautiful main house, where the views from the porch were stunning, though the house itself wasn't open yet.

Instead, we set out on the Memminger Trail, a mostly level loop that winds around Little Glassy Mountain.

About halfway through, we branched off onto the Glassy Mountain Trail (also known as Big Glassy).

The path climbed steadily but pleasantly to the summit of Big Glassy Mountain at 2,783 feet. The rock outcropping near the top offered fantastic panoramic views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond.

We looped back down, completing the trail near the charming goat pastures.

The farm is home to descendants of the prize-winning dairy goats raised by Sandburg's wife.

By then, the house was open, so we stopped by the visitor center for a passport stamp and let Harper pick out some fun finger puppets.

Before leaving, we took a quick detour on the short Little Glassy Mountain Trail, though it didn't offer any notable views.

The path led us back to the gravel road, and we returned to our car.

On the drive home, we exited the highway near Charlotte Airport and made a short stop at the intersection of Crescent River Road and River District Drive. There, we visited Big Pete with the Big Feet, one of Danish artist Thomas Dambo's impressive recycled-wood trolls.

The massive sculpture was incredibly cool, but the area was quite crowded, so we didn't linger.

Finally, we stopped in Mebane for a delicious dinner at Bright Penny Brewing, wrapping up a perfect day of history, hiking, and whimsical art.

Arboretum Trolls

On Saturday, we took Harper and Amaroq to Asheville for a delightful troll-hunting adventure at the North Carolina Arboretum's Trolls: A Field Study exhibit by Thomas Dambo.

We arrived in the morning and kicked off our quest with Lilnut, the net-wielding troll right near the parking area. 

She nearly snagged Amaroq as he curiously sniffed around her.

Just a bit further along the lot stood Boge, looking like he was ready to grab hold of something (or someone!).

We wandered down the garden paths next, where Kirse greeted us mid-handstand.

There was a fun natural playground nearby, but the chilly weather kept Harper from playing too long. Continuing on the Natural Garden Trail, we soon spotted Poppy (or Poppi), who was armed with a fishing net and a handful of old cell phones, clearly fascinated by human gadgets.

Up in the meadow, Hasse had us laughing with her upside-down pose, peering between her legs.

We looped back onto the trail and passed Birch with his hiking stick.

At the end, we descend to the serene Willow Pond

Across, Anja was busy counting her collection of rocks.

From there, we climbed up toward the visitor center. Just outside stood Wilde, sketching a human figure on his phone with great concentration.

We pressed on through the gardens to find the final few: Bignut, who triumphantly caught Amaroq in his net.

Valle, peacefully napping in the garden.

Taks, ever the explorer, was searching intently with his net in hand.

Last but not least was Larke, sporting a dumpster on her head— a quirky reminder of human habits! With all twelve trolls checked off our list, we enjoyed a short hike along the Carolina Mountain Trail.

It wound down, following Wolf Branch to Bent Creek Road, then connected to the Bent Creek Forest area.

Instead of sticking to the road, we took the Creekside Trail.

Running parallel to the road, there were prettier views of the creek.

From there, we detoured onto the Ethnobotany Trail and through the Native Azalea Garden - I can only imagine how stunning it must be in spring when the azaleas are in full bloom. 

We looped back up via Running Cedar Road.

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden isn't dog-friendly, so we took turns exploring it.

After that, we headed out and stopped for a tasty dinner at Ecusta Brewing in Brevard before checking into the cozy Sunset Motel for the night. What a wonderful, whimsical day - highly recommend it for families, dogs included!

Lake James Fonta Flora Trail

Sunday morning, we woke to the gentle patter of light rain - warm enough overnight to have melted away thoughts of snow. By the time I’d broken down camp, the shower had already passed, leaving the air fresh and the skies clearing. We pulled into the Lake James Visitor Center and set off on the Fonta Flora Trail.

 

The path dropped from the parking lot on smooth pavement to a pretty picnic shelter perched right at the water’s edge.

From there, the South Wimba Trail peeled off to the west, but we crossed the graceful arc of Cove Bridge and continued on the main Fonta Flora route.

Once across the bridge, the trail turned to welcomingly wild - soft dirt and pine needles winding north along the Longarm Peninsula.

The lake shimmered in the soft morning light, mist still rising in delicate wisps from the coves.

We hiked an easy six miles out and back, soaking in the quiet beauty, and made it back to the car just before noon.

Amaroq polished off his lunch in the backseat, and with full bellies and happy legs, we pointed the car toward home.