Spring along the Eno River

Saturday,  we took Alex to Eno River State Park for a hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.  We parked at Pump Station along Rivermont Road for hike 21 for the #mst40hike from Cabe Lands to Pump Station.  This would be Alex's 10th hike for the challenge.

We made a quick stop at Pump Station then started hiking west.  After crossing under Cole Mill Road, I spotted some mill stones just off the trail.

There was still a good amount of water and one little tributary had a nice little drop.

At the old chimney above Bobbitt Hole, we stopped and had a snack.

Just past here we saw a big patch of daffodils blooming.

There were also some trout lilies starting to flower, one of the first signs of spring.

At Cabe Lands Trail, we turned right and went down to the river.

In the winter, Cabe Mill was easily visible from the trail.

We went as far as the quarry.

We made the loop around the quarry and then headed back.

Alex's Birthday Hike

Saturday we Alex's 10th birthday so we had to celebrate.

First, we headed to Eno River State Park for a morning hike.  Parking at the Fews Ford access to the park, we first hiked the Cox Mountain Trail up and over its namesake and then along the river.  There were a lot of mountain laurel blooming along the river.

Then we crossed back over the suspension bridge and hiked the Buckquarter Creek Trail.  There were still lots of wildflowers blooming along the river.

Coreopsis and fire pink were adding some color to the river.

It was pretty hot and humid by the time we finished but we missed all the rain storms.

Heading back to Raleigh, we had lunch and then took Alex to Goodberry's for an ice cream cone.

Especially on a hot day, ice cream was a perfect treat to celebrate his birthday.

Thanksgiving at the Eno

Thanksgiving morning, we took Alex for hike at Eno River State Park.  Although he's been here many times, this is the first time we remembered his passport, so stopped by the visitor center first to get it stamped.

Then we parked at the trailhead for Cox Mountain and started hiking down the trail.  Alex isn't a fan of the suspension bridge over the river, but he made it across.

At the trail split, we went left to begin climbing the small mountain.  The trail has now been almost completely re-routed.  The climb is much less steep as it takes a longer, switchbacking route up Cox Mountain.  Down the other side, the trail follows Eno downstream.

We could see Holden Mill across the river; the trail to it is currently closed due to damage from Hurricane Florence.  Continuing on, another trail reroute runs closer to the river until it reaches Fanny's Ford Trail.  We turned left here to follow the river around and then back to the suspension bridge.  Across, we followed the river upstream to Buckquarter Creek Trail and then Ridge Trail to a crossing of Buckquarter Creek.

The water level was high, but enough rock was exposed to get across with dry feet.  Turning on Shakori Trail, we followed Buckquarter Creek Trail further upstream.  The upper reaches of the creek were rather interesting.

Then we looped back around and got back on Buckquarter Creek Trail.  Following along the river, we saw a lot more people along this stretch of trail.

The cascades on the river were really raging.  From here, it was a short hike back to the car and then to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner.

Cooling off in the Eno

Sunday was going to be another very hot day in North Carolina, so I wanted somewhere to hike with water to help cool off and Eno River is always a good choice for water hikes.  The Eno River Association recently opened Confluence Natural Area to the public.  At the confluence of the East and West Forks, this marks the spot where the Eno River begins.  I started off hiking the Two Forks Trail from the parking area.  The trail passes through an open meadow past the pavilion and restrooms and then follows an old road through the woods to the northern end of the Big Meadow.

From here, it became a regular trail and it was clear not many people had hiked it recently as the spiderwebs were terrible.  The trail followed East Fork Eno River downstream and right before the confluence, a spur led to a nice view at the southern end of Big Meadow.

Right past the spur was a viewpoint at the confluence of East and West Forks of Eno River.

From here, the trail began following West Fork Eno River upstream.  Further on, I found a nice rocky spot to go out into the river.

Past here, Two Forks Trail terminated at Shepperd Mill Trail.  I went left and continued following West Fork upstream.

I never found any remnants of a mill but there was a rocky outcrop.

Where there trail ended at another open meadow, I backtracked to follow Shepperd Mill Trail back towards the start.  Right near the parking area was a rusty old piece of farm equipment.

Then I finished my hike up back at the parking area.

From here, I drove to the Cole Mill access for Eno River State Park.  It was warming up so I switched hiking boots for water shoes and started off on Pea Creek Trail.  It's a loop and near the half-way point, a footbridge crosses the creek.

I got on Dunnagan Trail to make another loop.  About half way around was an old Dunnagan gravestone.

The trail loops around and starts following the river.  I got in the river across from Pump Station to cool off a bit.  The water was fairly warm, but it was refreshing.

Continuing on, I finished up Dunnagan and Pea Creek Trails and the got on Cole Mill Trail to Bobbit Hole Trail.  At Bobbit Hole, I got in the water again and splashed around.  The water level was low but it was moving pretty quick so it was quite refreshing.

A dog was playing fetch in the water and really seemed to be enjoying himself.  After cooling off for a bit, I hiked back to the car to finish up.

First Signs of Spring

Sunday was my last hike along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in the Triangle.  We parked at the Pleasant Green access to Eno River State Park and hiked to Pump Station and back.  To mix things up a bit, we went right at the splits at Eno Quarry Trail, Cabe Lands Trail, and Pump Station Trail and then took Mountains-to-Sea Trail the whole way back.  Although it's still February, we saw some of the first signs of spring - trout lilies.

There were nice patches of them blooming all along the trail.

Another early spring flower was blooming as well - daffodils.  These ornamental flowers are not natural, but a patch of them indicates a former homestead.

The bulbs come back year after year for decades.  There was a nice patch of them next to an old tobacco barn.

Pat spotted two buildings that I had never noticed before.  The roofs on them appear new, so maybe something for park operations.

Our turnaround spot was the old Durham Pump Station, which had a huge number of trout lilies blooming.

We had a snack here, before heading back.  It rained just a little on the way back, not enough to get wet but kind of refreshing.

Snow at Eno River

After the snow this week, most was gone near where I live in North Raleigh.  So on Saturday morning, I took Alex for a hike at Eno River State Park, hoping to see more snow.  We were not disappointed as there was a lot of snow on the trails and river.  We started at the Fews Ford section on Cox Mountain Trail, crossing Eno River on the suspension bridge.  At the split, we turned left to head up the mountain.

The trail has been rerouted in the last year or so.  Before, it was quite steep and headed straight up, but the slope had been reduced by adding switchbacks.  After passing near the summit, the trail heads back down and follows the river downstream.  Although not completely solid, the Eno was pretty well frozen.

I wouldn't have walked on it though.  We continued on the trail and at the next split, went left to follow Fanny's Ford Trail.  This trail passes the campsites and follows the river more closely.  We climbed out on the rocks at one spot to get some pictures of the rocks in the water.

Crossing back over the suspension bridge, we hiked north to Buckquarter Creek Trail and followed that loop.  On the way back, just before climbing some steps at the end of the loop, there was a cascade on the river.

It was flowing pretty well, but all covered in ice and just beautiful.  Almost back at the parking lot, we did a short loop around Eno Trace Trail to see the icy river one more time.

Alex really enjoyed getting to hike in the snow.

He's a husky, but living in North Carolina, he doesn't get to see snow much.