Fall/Winter 2024
View from Eagles Nest Shelter, October 2024. Photo by Greg McDaniel.
Fall is here! We’ve turned back our clocks, the leaves are turning and starting to fall, and there’s a chill in the air (finally)! Our weather is and has been glorious here in the Uwharries. But while we bask in the mild conditions here, our neighbors up the road in the Appalachians are struggling to dig out of the horrible damage of Hurricane Helene, which hit hard there while we experienced little inclement weather this entire season. Many of our Uwharrie Trailblazers members have taken their wilderness skills up to western NC to help. But even if we are unable to assist on-site there, we can all still make a positive difference by keeping the Uwharries and the trails in the Uwharries clean and well maintained to accommodate the potential influx of visitors who desire a mountain wilderness experience and cannot get it from their usual go-to Appalachian area spot. We can help these tourists feel comfortable and welcomed in the Uwharries!
Lastly, it is with a heavy heart that I announce a temporary suspension in the publication of this newsletter. Personal and professional responsibilities have encroached on my time to such an extent that I can no longer give to the editing process the attention it deserves. Also the growth of our social media outlet - our Facebook group - has made many aspects of the newsletter obsolete, which is wonderful progress!!! Trailblazers and hiking enthusiasts sharing their stories and news firsthand in real time is vastly more interesting and more egalitarian than having a few people try to tell everyone what is happening!
Maybe we will reactivate the newsletter with a modified focus if circumstances become conducive to it and if that seems like it would be useful and/or people want that. In the meantime, enjoy this last newsletter and please share your thoughts and what you’re doing in the Facebook group for us!
Kim Andersenpopular author sets new book in the heart of the uwharries!
by Mary Joan Pugh
Nicholas Sparks’ newest book Counting Miracles takes place in the Uwharries as well as downtown Asheboro and NC Zoo. I had the great opportunity to take Kate Mitchell, Instagram’s “KateHikes” star, on a hike in the Uwharries so she could create “reels” for a Randolph County Tourism promotion of the book and area.
I didn’t know what to expect. Normally Kate, a first-grade teacher by day, likes to hike on her own. Turns out she likes to hike because the healing power of trails helped her through a difficult time in her life. Kate is a good hiker and even better videographer. I hardly noticed her taking videos for 25-second reels that she produced each evening.
We hiked from Joe Moffitt Trailhead to Little Long Mountain for the beautiful view of the Uwharries. Then we hiked to Walker’s Creek Trailhead and headed to the Pisgah Covered Bridge. Next we had lunch at the Franklinville Diner. I recommend the grilled pound cake. Kate spent the afternoon exploring downtown Asheboro. After a quick beer at Four Saints (a brewery was mentioned in the book), we went back to Walker’s Creek Trailhead for the wonderful sunset.
The second day, we hiked on the NC Zoo trails at Purgatory Mountain and toured the NC Zoo, too. After lunch, we went to Franklinville to hike at Faith Rock and see the recently completed Sandy Creek Bridge connecting the Franklinville (2.5 mi) and Ramseur (.75 mi) sections of the Deep River State Trail.
Here is just one of Kate’s Instagram posts from those hikes -
https://www.instagram.com/p/DALbSuJpTMx/
If you are wondering why Nicholas Sparks chose this location, when asked at a recent book signing in Southern Pines, he said he wanted 1- a small vibrant town close to a larger city (Asheboro); 2 - near a national forest with plenty of hiking trails (Uwharrie NF); 3 - an important location of interest (NC Zoo).
Kate’s first two reels promoting the Uwharries, downtown Asheboro, and the NC Zoo went out ahead of the book release in September. Now other reels have been produced for marketing to other States.
So don’t be surprised when you see more hikers from other parts of NC and beyond enjoying our treasured Uwharries. In fact, with the national forest closures in Western North Caroline due to the devastation of Hurricane Helene, several groups including Outward Bound were hiking on the Uwharrie Trail during the UT Thru Hike!
uwharrie trail thru-hike: teamwork makes the dream work!
Trail angels grilling hot dogs for hikers at Jumpin’ Off Rock, October 2024.
4 days, 40 miles, AND fun - all for a good cause. The Uwharrie Thru Hike is run by the Three Rivers Land Trust and all proceeds further the work they do preserving rural land. The thru hike this fall was a big success - Good Times and NO RAIN!!! Thank you, Emily Callicutt and Travis Morehead at TRLT, for organizing the hike and for all the work you do conserving the land we love!
The success of the thru hikes each year is a team effort spearheaded by TRLT and would not be possible without the help of the US Forest Service without whom there would not be a forest through which the trails go and our organization, the Uwharrie Trailblazers, who build and maintain the Uwharrie Trail and adjacent trails throughout the Uwharrie National Forest. But crucially, without the legions of volunteers - many of whom are Uwharrie Trailblazers - who provide trail magic, the thru hikes would be but a shadow of the amazing supported hike it is. The pizza, doughnuts, fruit, biscuits, and camp treats don’t grow on the trees in the forest! The campfire wood and comfy chairs around the campfires don’t just spring up from the ground! All that magic is provided by Trail Angels - volunteers who just want to make the hiking experience a little more smooth and fun than it would be otherwise!
So thank you to everyone who contributes to the thru hikes we have all come to love. Here are some photos from this latest thru hike. We look forward to hopefully learning that TRLT will host another thru hike this spring!
Past and present Trail Champions together up at Walkers Creek for the Fall 2024 Trail Celebration!!! L-R: Karen Auman, Jim Plant, David Gardener, Mary Joan Pugh, and our Fall 2024 inductee Merritt Maness - impossible to find a finer group of people anywhere!!!
Uwharrie Trailblazers sawyers clearing the trail on a trail work day during the thru hike, October 2024.
Uwharrie Trailblazer Greg McDaniel brought his granddaughter Dixie on her first thru hike, and she totally ROCKED it!
Thru hikers around the campfire at Walkers Creek Trail Celebration, October 2024.
Gathering for the glorious sunset on the meadow at Walkers Creek, October 2024.
Beautiful campfire at Walkers Creek on Saturday night of the Fall 2024 Thru Hike. Photo by Marcus West.
editorial policy
The contents of this newsletter are authored collaboratively by the Uwharrie Trailblazers Board unless otherwise attributed and are intended to illuminate, educate, and inspire all who enjoy the trails of the Uwharries. The newsletter is edited by Uwharrie Trailblazers club secretary Kim Andersen. We welcome suggestions and questions from all readers.
Please send feedback and questions via email to uwharrietrailblazers@gmail.com and visit us on Facebook!
