winter 2022
The first annual Retro Hike is in the books and it was a stone groove!!! The hike took place over the weekend of November 5-6, 2022, and folks not only set their clocks back an hour, they sent themselves decades back in time to the glory days of backpacking in the 70s! The weekend included but was not limited to hiking the iconic Uwharrie Trail/Dutchmans Trail “Figure 8” route and overnighting at Yates Place using as much old throw-back gear and lingo as possible!!!
Retro hikers in camp Saturday night enjoying old school trail magic in the form of grilled hot dogs from Sandi and Kyle Lambert!
OLD-SCHOOL external frame backpacks!!! Robin Lipe Buzzeo, left, rocks the c.1976 pack Kim Andersen used on her first AT hike when she was still in high school! Kathryn Waple, right, models another throwback backpack that is certainly way older than she is!
The Retro Hike was the original brainchild of UTB member Mike “MKUltra” Kirkpatrick.
It was so much fun we are all looking forward to another one next year! Although not sponsored officially by the Uwharrie Trailblazers, the UTB will keep up with Retro Hike plans as they unfold and keep all who want to be in the loop informed. People can participate in an infinite number of ways - hiking, camping, cooking, gear swapping, story telling, and trail magic-making to name just a few!!! Everyone is encouraged to share your own personal retro vibe and bring your treasures and treasured memories back to life for the 2023 Retro Hike!!! Click here to get on the email list (and - no - the irony is not lost; rampant anachronisms are unavoidable and encouraged in retro hiking)!
Kim Andersen
L-R: Mike “MKUltra” Kirkpatrick and Kathryn Waple, Retro Hike co-founders
From the Chair
David Craft
Bus Driver
Welcome to a new, more normal year.
We just held a great annual meeting at Mt. Shepherd Retreat Center, home to the highest point in Randolph County. While not in the national forest boundary it certainly is in the Uwharries.
See below for our year in review and recognition of our volunteers.
As for 2023 here is what we have on tap:
We are cooperation with Piedmoint Land Conservnacy in building trail at Caraway Creek Preserve. We plan on a few more workdays this spring and an opening of this 150 acre preserve with 3 miles of trails by June of this year.
Look for an upgrade of our tools. We bang them up quite a bit.
Training is an important part of working in the National Forest. Crosscut, chainsaw, CPR, and first aid. Look for more training opportunities.
Who likes camping? We'd like to see camping out before and after workdays as part of our culture. Our tool shed has a nice camping area nearby. This is close to the Walkers Creek TH. How does this happen? Someone steps up to help make it happen.
We're committed to bring forward a complete UT trail map. While a step back from a technology perspective, we feel a “hard copy” document is a great tool for planning a hike in the Uwharries. There's something about spreading a map out on a table and dreaming. It's not the same as looking it up on your phone or tablet. One new member volunteered at the annual meeting to help with the graphics and layout. That's how it gets done!
This will be my last year as the Board Chair or Bus Driver. It's been a great 10 years. Groups like this ebb and flow and new ideas and energy are important.
Would you like to contribute more? Consider being a Board Member. We generally meet 4 times a year either zoom or in person. Our main areas are trail workdays, adoption, communications, and events like the annual meeting or National Trails Day hike. It's not a big commitment unless you want it to be...........
See you on the trails.........
David Craft
2022 UTB Annual Report -Year in Review
by David Craft
The Uwharrie Trailblazers are 11 years old! January 15, 2012-2023.
Your UTB Board is-
David Craft - Chair
Trail Bosses - Tools, Training, Workdays
Dave Gardener
Joe White
Gifford Del Grande
Steve Chase
Eric Kalin- leave of absence.
Jim Plant - Treasurer, Adoption
Mary Joan Pugh - Trail Strategy
Jared Byrd - Maps and Safety
Kim Andersen - Secretary, communications
Joy Shuck - Photographer, Outreach
We just welcomed to the Board at the end of the year Bruce Kolkeback and Matt McArthur. Bruce is retired and very active with Scouts. He has thru hiked the AT. Matt is from Asheboro and works in construction and is always eager to help out with projects.
Interested in helping out? Talk to a Board member about how?
2022 Accomplishments
2022 Events-
Hike to Crystal’s Place and Lunch at Black Lake Retreat Center
Assisted with the November Retro hike
TRLT Thru-Hikes - our members assisted with both hikes. Karen Auman was named Trail Champion! (SEE “KAREN AUMAN, TRAIL CHAMPION” below.)
2022 Projects -
Workdays - We restarted regular workdays in February. Much needed maintenance work got done and we saw many new faces as well as familiar ones in the groups who showed up to work! Thank you to our trail bosses and all who volunteered.
Caraway Creek Preserve - We are close to finishing over 3 miles of trail at Caraway Creek Preserve near Mt. Shepherd off US 64. This 150 acre preserve and impressive rock dam will be quite popular once it is open later this year.
Star Little River Park - We returned to Little River Park near Star to do some additional trail work. This is beautiful and restful spot. Stop by for a visit.
Trail Adoption Program - entered it’s second year with 19 numbered sections and adopters. These are the trails eyes and ears. Thanks for all you do!
2022 UTB members - Total of 88
Trail work crew getting it done in the cold winter early 2022!
2022 utb trail heroes
Name Volunteer Hours
Jim Plant 125
Will Truslow 77
Bruce Kolkebeck 63
Kathryn Waple 57
Stanley Siceloff 52
Merritt Maness 54
Michael Baker 50
Steve Chase 49
Gifford del Grande 36
Matt McArthur 36
Robin L Buzzeo 33.5
Mary Joan Pugh 25
Keith Short 25
Kim Andersen many
Total 1096+
2023 Opportunities
Tool update. Our tools get banged up and need maintenance and additions.
Training. We work with the Forest Service and other partners on training to work safely.
Camping. Interested in camping before workdays? We have a central spot with some privacy.
Trail Map. We hope to roll out a full up to date UT trail map by mid year.
Caraway Creek opening. This will open by June.
2023 NC Year of the Trail (see more below in this newsletter about the NC Year of the Trail)!
karen auman, trail champion
by Mary Joan Pugh
2022 Uwharrie Trail Champion, Karen Auman is a Trail Angel extraordinaire. For years she has volunteered her time and talent and done whatever it takes to make the Uwharrie Trail Thru Hike a success. She has worked behind the scenes to obtain NC Zoo buses to shuttle hikers to the start, prepare campsites, supply water, clean campsites, transport overweight backpacks, pick up struggling hikers, run errands for forgotten items and even assist with the auction at the Thru Hike Celebration. Karen also participates in UTB workdays and TRLT outings and projects. Truly Karen deserves recognition as the 2022 Uwharrie Trail Champion.
UTB Board member emeritus, trail angel, and avid hiker and outdoorswoman Karen Auman receiving the Trail Champion award at the TRLT Fall Thru-Hike Trail Celebration Saturday, October 15, 2022, at Walkers Creek. Congratulations, Karen!!! THANK YOU for your tireless work on the trails of the Uwharries and your advocacy for all the good Uwharrie things.
L-R: Dave Gardener, Crystal Cockman, and Karen Auman.
L-R: Two beloved Trail Champions - Mary Joan Pugh and Karen Auman - doing serious trail work a few years ago.
thomas and dianne carter
Tom and Dianne Carter are a hiking power couple!
Nothing quite compares to the feeling that being in “Nature” brings. Whether it’s witnessing a beautiful sunrise/sunset, listening to the sounds of a roaring river/waterfall, simply taking a walk/hike in the woods or watching the gentle rise and fall of the ocean waves. Nature evokes feelings of calmness, inner peace, and curiosity. People, places and experiences often shape the inner person in all of us.
We have always been active and enjoyed being outdoors. Thomas grew up hunting, fishing and running. My experiences were more farm based, helping my parents on the farm meant I was outside most days. I also enjoyed playing softball, both league and tournaments.
While Thomas and I have known each other and been friends since second grade, we did not reconnect until a few years after graduation. One of our first dates was to Morrow Mountain State Park over 44 years ago enjoying the trails and the views of the Uwharries Mountains.
Little did we know that it would become an integral part in where and why we fell in love with hiking. Since then, we have hiked thousands of miles, not only at Morrow Mountain and the Uwharries, but throughout North Carolina and neighboring states. A few of our favorites are Mount LeConte, Mount Mitchell, and the Foothills Trail. A great first experience with backpacking was October 2019 when we tackled The Three Rivers Land Trust, Uwharrie Thru- Hike, a 4 day 40-mile hike and since then we have participated in five hikes. One of our favorites was October 2021, where we had a group of 12 friends and family hike along with us and got to witness a beautiful wedding of fellow hikers who had previously met on the trail and were married at Walker’s Creek (you never know where love will find you). Future bucket list hikes include the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage from France to Spain and the Tour Du Mont Blanc 110 miles that passes through Switzerland, Italy and France.
Since retirement, we seem to have been bitten by the “Travel Bug.” We’ve had the pleasure of visiting roughly 29 countries in South America, Central America and Europe. While we have seen stunning cathedrals, massive castles, unbelievable architecture and breathtaking vistas, our travels have taught us to appreciate the unique differences in each country, to relish in the beauty of “Nature” everywhere.
Whatever your interest is, get outdoors experience “God’s Cathedral” first hand! Time spent outside is NEVER wasted! Happy Hiking!
Wilder Uwharrie
by Ciara Wilder Massengale
Ciara Massengale at the Wilder Uwharrie Trail Running group booth with group flag at ASHEtoberfest in downtown Asheboro, NC!
“Go out, I beg of you and taste the beauty of the wild. Behold the miracle of the Earth with all the wonder of a child.”
My name is Ciara Wilder Massingale and I am the face behind the camera of Wilder Uwharrie Photography and I am the founder of Wilder Uwharrie Trail Running in Asheboro, NC. Our group is a welcoming place where folks can be active in nature together and with other like minded people and to connect with other trail and ultrarunners. Our mission is for those attending our group runs and our events is to experience a "wilder" Uwharrie, meet new friends, hit the trails, feel a sense of community, and have fun!
In addition to the group runs with our trail running group, I also host short nature walks for children of all ages in the Uwharries called "Wild Walks With Littles" in Asheboro, NC. I enjoy teaching them about blazes and introducing wilderness safety and Leave No Trace outdoor principals. I love seeing my daughter and the kids and families playing, exploring, and learning in nature and on the trails together!
"Wild Walks With Littles" group photo taken by Savvy B. Photography.
I am excited to announce Wilder Uwharrie Trail Running is hosting a free "Kids Hiking Stick Decorating Event" for children in the Uwharries, on Earth Day in 2023!
My 3 year old daughter's love and attachment with her Uwharrie Stick Man hiking stick (made by Uwharrie Trailblazers member Bud Blaylock) is behind a lot of my inspiration for organizing this free event for our community.
The confidence and happiness it brings her is such a joy to see during our time hiking together in the Uwharries. I want other children and families to be able to experience this too. I hope this event will help to ignite a spark in folks and help encourage them to follow their passions and to also spend more time in nature with their children and families.
I was so happy to learn that 2023 is the "Year of the Trail" in NC! I hope this will help create more opportunities for people to learn even more about our local trails. Small towns like Asheboro and others desperately need more nature and outdoors related events for the children, families, and people that live here. Folks need more local events to look forward to each year that help encourage them to be active outside together and to be in nature. I am making it happen for Asheboro, NC!
My hope is for children attending our event to be excited about their new hiking stick and it can bring them happiness! I hope they will look at it and look forward to all of the fun adventures they will go on with it and their families! I want to help cultivate a wonder and a love of being in nature and on the trails for folks from all walks of life. I want to give children and adults of all ages the knowledge and confidence they need to experience being in the Uwharrie National Forest.
My goal with Wilder Uwharrie Trail Running and with our group runs, the nature walks for kids, our upcoming "Community Walk", and for all our future events is to help give people and families the support, education, and experience of being on the trails in a welcoming community and group setting. My hope is it will help give them the positivity, encouragement, self reliance, and self assurance to spend more time in nature with their families and on their own outside of our events. I hope our monthly events will help to keep their momentum going throughout the year to get outside!
Wilder Uwharrie Trail Running group run photo.
“If you never challenge yourself, you’ll never find out what you can become.”
I have never made a hiking stick before in my life but I have decided I am making all of these hiking sticks on my own! The journey this project is taking me on so far is already providing me with so much self growth, spiritual growth, and is teaching me even more about myself. I want to show others that it is possible to follow their hearts and the voice that calls to them. A quote that speaks to me is "Don't be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try." I want to encourage others to try something new, to challenge themselves, to inspire others, to work hard to accomplish their goals, and to not allow self doubt or fear to put limitations on their lives.
Photo I took of my daughter Luna standing with all of the peeled poplar sticks. Now the real work and artistry begins!
David Craft, Uwharrie Trailblazers Chair, has very generously provided me the supply of poplar sticks I need to make my dream a reality for these children and their families! Also, I am grateful to have the opportunity to learn from Uwharrie Trailblazers members Bud Blaylock and Wesley Hopkins, who are known in the Uwharrie community for creating beautiful and priceless, handmade hiking sticks. They have kindly offered to teach me what I need to know in order to take on and complete this fun and rewarding project on my own! I am so excited to learn a new craft and to gain wisdom and knowledge from these wonderful folks.
The Randolph County Public Library in Asheboro, NC has generously offered to partner with me on this project. I take my daughter there weekly and the staff there are just simply incredible and genuine folks. They are beyond helpful and so supportive in every way! They have kindly agreed to help with donating some of the decorating/craft supplies and also to have a few staff there the day of the event, aiding and providing nature education to the families. I am so excited to work with them to make this event even better for our children and our community!
The Purgatory Trailhead is located at the north end of the North America parking lot of the NC Zoo and there is plenty of parking available! We will set up our hiking stick decorating areas that day approximately 0.10 mile from the Purgatory Trail trailhead start. This trail is handicapped accessible and stroller friendly for the first 0.18 miles.
We will provide all of the supplies and decorations needed! There will be a wide variety of crafting supplies such as beads, feathers, yarn, twine, bells, faux flowers/plants/leaves, buttons, etc. And of course the handmade poplar hiking stick, one free per child! Feel free to bring a lawn chair, water, snacks, and hang out! Otherwise, there will be plenty of PEVA tablecloths spread out directly on the ground along the trail for everyone to sit on while the kids decorate their sticks!
This will be a great opportunity for families to experience nature together, for the kids to be creative and personalize their own hiking stick, to socialize, to have fun, and to make everlasting memories in the Uwharries together!
This is a free event but registration will be required to ensure every child has a hiking stick reserved! Quantities of youth hiking sticks will be limited, so registering early is recommended! Exact quantities available will be determined and announced over the coming months as I continue working on them but currently I'm estimating about 40 youth sticks for this event!
Registration for our "Kids Hiking Stick Decorating Event" will not open until February 22, 2023 to give everyone an opportunity to learn in advance about the event first. Complete registration instructions and details will be shared in the coming weeks on our Facebook and Instagram!
My plan and goal is to carry on with this event annually for our community! If you would like to help support the growth and continuation of this free event year after year, any and all supply donations such as sticks, decorating/craft supplies, etc. are greatly appreciated and will help so very much! If you would like to make a monetary donation towards the cost of supplies for our "Kids Hiking Stick Decorating Event" you can do so through our group's Venmo account! @wilderuwharrietrailrunning
I wanted to add a very special thank you to my family, friends, the Uwharrie Trailblazers, and the staff at the Randolph County Public Library of Asheboro, NC for all of their amazing support in helping me make this project possible for our children and our community! I want to also say thank you to Don Childrey for his remarkable book, "Uwharrie Lakes Region Trail Guide", because it is my number one resource for the tidbits of Uwharrie facts and history that I share with folks during our events!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you can join us on Earth Day, April 22, 2023 for our 1st Annual "Kids Hiking Stick Decorating Event"! If you have any questions please feel free to email me at wilderuwharrietrailrunning@gmail.com and visit our website https://www.wilderuwharrietrailrunning.com.
My daughter Luna and I on the trails in the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness. Photo taken by my husband Daniel Massingale.
Trail Work Report
by Jim Plant
Uwharrie Trail work crew November 12, 2022. L-R: Jared Byrd (?), Gifford Del Grande, Don Childrey, Craig Corti, Mary Joan Manley Pugh, Ciara Wilder Massingale, Stanley Siceloff, and Steve Chase. Photo courtesy of Steve Chase.
Currently all 19 sections of trail are adopted. During the 4th quarter 17 work reports from adopters were logged. We had a dozen adopters at our annual meeting Jan 7. Thank you for all the work.
Section# Start Miles End Adopters
News from TRLT
by Emily Callicutt
Three Rivers Land Trust is happy to announce the transfer of the Watery Branch Headwaters Property to the US Forest Service. The transfer took place on December 29th, 2022. Watery Branch Headwaters is 210-acre tract that adjoins the Uwharrie Trail in an area where the US Forest Service land is very narrow.
TRLT acquired the property in March of 2022. The majority of the property is a beautiful hardwood forest and has frontage on several tributaries of Watery Branch, which is a pristine stream in the area.
The property also contains a trail shelter named “Crystal’s Place” built by the Uwharrie Trailblazers. The shelter was partially funded by the Randolph EMC’s Sharing Success Community Grant and received a generous lumber donation from Troy Lumber to make the shelter available for trail hikers and backpackers to use. This acquisition is an important step in protecting the view of the Uwharrie Trail. TRLT is excited that this property is now a part of the Uwharrie National Forest and available for all to use. TRLT and the USFS will celebrate this transfer with a ribbon cutting event on February 3rd, 2023, please see trlt.org for more details.
Join TRLT for the 13th TRLT Uwharrie Trail Thru Hike this spring! The spring hike will take place on April 27-30, 2023. This is a 4-day, 40-mile backpacking trip on the full length of the historic Uwharrie National Recreational Trail. The Uwharrie Trail is known for its cultural and natural significance, including unique features such as gold mines, rare plants and wildlife, ghost stories, and more. Join us for an awesome backpacking trip through some of the oldest mountains in the world. The thru hike will go from south to north, starting at the Highway 24/27 Trailhead and ending at the Tot Hill/Talbott’s Branch trailhead on Tot Hill Farm Road. To register for the event, please visit the TRLT website, https://threeriverslandtrust.org/event/spring-2023-thru-hike/. Registration will open for the spring and fall hikes on January 31, 2023.
2023 is the “Year of the Trail” in North Carolina!
Image courtesy Great Trails State Coalition and NC Year of the Trail website.
“In North Carolina, there is a trail for each of us. An open invitation for bikers, hikers, paddlers, and riders. For amblers, explorers, and commuters. These paths are a place of refuge and recreation, connecting us to the very essence of this state. To its storied, winding history. And—with our active use and care—to its future. Because we blaze and sustain trails together: those born and bred here, and those beckoned by its promise as the Great Trail State. Along these trails, we lead and we follow. We march on our own and we build community. We find new purpose, generation after generation. Because North Carolina’s trails are for all of us. To enjoy, to sustain, and to champion. This is our year. The Year of the Trail.”
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From the NC Year of the Trail:
2023 NC Year of the Trail celebrates North Carolina’s vast network of trails, greenways, and blueways which showcase our diverse landscapes – grand mountain vistas, quiet rivers, vibrant urban greenways, coastal forests, and the rolling hills of the piedmont.
NC Year of the Trail is the largest statewide celebration of trails and outdoor recreation in North Carolina history.
The Year of the Trail campaign will reach communities with the message of how and where to experience trails that showcase North Carolina’s beautiful landscapes, provide healthy recreation, and stimulate local economies. The NC General Assembly NC designated 2023 as NC Year of the Trail, an effort led by the Great Trails State Coalition.
The Great Trails State Coalition is a broad-based group of diverse organizations, agencies, and supporters advocating for increased state investment in all types of trails statewide: hiking, paddle, mountain biking, equestrian, and paved.
Goals for NC Year of the Trail:
Inspire people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to try trails,
Demonstrate the importance of trails to elected officials.
Boost outdoor recreation tourism across the state through Year of the Trail events in all 100 counties.
Promote safe and responsible use of trails, with the Outdoor NC Principles.
Advance diversity and inclusion on trails.
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The Uwharrie Trailblazers will be supporting the NC Year of the Trail initiative and are very excited about all the possibilities inherent in it. Watch the website, the facebook page, and your email for information on what we’re doing and how you can get involved!!!
editorial policy
The contents of this newsletter are authored collaboratively by the Uwharrie Trailblazers steering committee 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!
