summer 2023
This abbreviated issue of the UTB Newsletter is a result of my having been walking the Northern Way of the Camino in Spain with my best friend Jamey Widener Reynolds (pictured below right with me on our pilgrimage) during the month of May! What an adventure!!!
Definitely not the Uwharries! However, in my life, hiking has proven to hold some universal constants. Just like hiking on the Uwharrie Trail, the Appalachian Trail, the Colorado Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and other trails all over the world, hiking the Camino brought me into contact with some of the most wonderful people I have ever met and took me into wonderful indescribably beautiful places only accessible on foot - places you can only experience by taking the long way, the road less traveled. I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity. It is a big part of my quest to make the most of 2023 - the NC Year of the Trail. I hope all of you will have a fabulous Year of the Trail and that the Uwharrie Trailblazers can assist you in reaching your hiking goals this year!!!
Onward!
Kim Andersen 
FKT and an epic Uwharrie Thru Run
by Dan Lilley
Dan Lilley
Like everything else in our lives, beginning in 2020 the Covid pandemic changed the way we recreate outdoors. The uncertainty of what we could and couldn’t safely do led to the cancellation of most large gatherings indoor and outdoor, including trail races. Bored, frustrated and just figuring our way through life, runners got creative. And way over there in the niche corner of a niche sport, we sought the pursuit of the FKT – the Fastest Known Time. Basically, a FKT is a route anyone can run at any time to see who can cover the ground in the least amount of time. There are several guidelines as to what will be accepted as a FKT but at its core, the route must be notable and distinct enough so that others will be interested in repeating it.
There are 3 ways to run a FKT. Supported, which usually involves multiday runs where a runner can’t physically carry all the necessary gear and nutrition required, thus a crew is needed to meet the runner at different locations along the route to resupply. Self-supported, also longer runs in which the runner caches supplies along the route but otherwise receives no assistance. And Unsupported – where the runner carries all supplies needed from start to finish and is only allowed to accept water from trailside spigots or filtered from natural sources.
At the time there were only a handful of recognized routes here in North Carolina and I thought…hmmm… the Uwharrie Trail should be on that list. I’m no longer a fast runner but I knew I could cover the distance in one go and really just wanted to set the route and later watch as far more talented runners lowered the time. With the help of many of the Trailblazers, I received instruction and advice as to the proper route and smaller details like reliable water sources and fun facts like Poison Fork is actually super clean water. I was notified that soon there would be more trail and less road so I decided I would wait for the Walkers Creek section to open before I ran.
Meanwhile, in a parallel world, another runner was planning his own FKT and before long, Jon Ziefle put down a scorching time of just over 7 hours on the old route that included Luther Place. He later ran the current route featuring Walkers Creek lowering his time to 6 hours 21 minutes and 51 seconds. That time is still the fastest and I bet he’ll be back again whenever the gap is filled.
That’s a time I’ll never come close to, so I put the idea on the backburner as we all got back to our new normal lives. I still wanted to complete the run and, every once in a while, I’d think about it but never seemed to carve out the time. I did try once but quit with cramps 27 miles in at the 109 TH. I finally realized that if I wait for the perfect time, I’m never going to do this so I might as well give it a go. Without the pressure of setting a fast time I decided that if I was going to be slow anyway, why not be extra slow and run it overnight, solo, unsupported.
On a rainy Friday in May I filled my 2 liter bladder and packed my running vest. Things I would need – 2 pepperoni and cheese quesadillas, 2 Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies, 2 Honey Stinger waffles, a baggie of Sprees and Jolly Ranchers, a Nathan handheld light and a Sawyer filter. Things for just in case – phone, backup headlamp, space blanket, Houdini, warm hat, gloves, compass, whistle, wet wipes, Boudreaux’s butt paste (keeps your toes blister free as well as anything else that might be chafing), and a Garmin Inreach. After work my wife followed me to Wood Run where we dropped off a car and drove us to Tot Hill. There I pasted my feet and put gobs of Vaseline everywhere else, activated the Inreach to send satellite messages to my wife and another friend who would check in to see that I was still moving and at 7pm hit the trail.
My only real goal was to reach Wood Run before dawn so I knew I could take my time and be purposeful with each step. It was rainy/misty/foggy all night so I got used to the idea of being wet pretty quick and settled in to the run. Got to Lassiter Mill Rd at 8:15 and had about 30 minutes to get off those roads before dusk. I only saw 4 cars and I stood off to the side as each whizzed by. I pulled out my light with a half mile left before Walkers Creek TH. Finally done with the road and safely back in the woods, that’s where everything slows down. Night settles in and the rest of the world disappears all but about 5 feet on each side and 10 feet in front of you. That’s where you live until the sun comes up.
I filtered water from Walkers Creek, saw my first camp up on King Mountain and was surprised to find the shelter empty on Little Long Mountain. Filtered again at Poison Fork, saw the only people all night at Jumping Off Rock and got scared to death by a camper’s dog up near Dark Mountain. That was the only time I forgot about a nearby camp site and failed to announce my presence with a quick “just passing through.” Around 2am I heard someone yelling just past the 109 TH and hoped I wouldn’t be passing through a belligerent camp site. Luckily I didn’t. I filtered for the last time at Watery Branch, slowly made my way up Dennis Mountain, which is way easier in the dark when you can’t see that it just keeps going up and up, and finally got to Wood Run at 5:40am just as the sky was starting to show itself through the trees.
Relieved to be back at the car and out of those wet clothes, I rewarded myself with yet another quesadilla, a cold beer (don’t judge) and a nap before heading home.
Trailblazer Workdays
by Jim Plant
The Trailblazers geared up for our last work day of the season on the Uwharrie Trail, June 10, 2023. This day, we have a group of 10 starting at West Morris Campground. We walked in a mile on the approach trail to the junction with the Uwharrie Trail. There we split into 2 groups, one walking south, the other, north. It's June and temperatures, although starting out cool, rise during the morning to close to 80 by quitting time. So, our work is on the light side, just cleaning runouts and clipping vegetation. During cooler months, our workload will involve some heavy duty chores like building water diversions.
Michelle Nelson rakes leaves from a runout.
Anyone is welcome to join our workdays. They are held on the second Saturday of each month except July and August when conditions aren't conducive to work much. The club has an assortment of trail tools to use for trailwork. Volunteers often have clippers and a handsaw packed as well. So we can handle most issues the trail presents for us. There is also a dedicated Saw Crew. Leaders Steve Chase and Bruce Kolkebeck have chain saw and crosscut certifications. Just this past month, Kathryn Waple received her crosscut certification. Whether it is a chainsaw or crosscut, carrying them in to a specific downed tree is a challenge. Occasionally, a downed or leaning tree has overhead or other hazards which the forest service does not permit us to work on. In June of 2019, a storm blew trees down across all the Uwharries but hit the Birkhead Wilderness hardest. It was beyond our ability to clear them so the Forest Service contracted a professional crew, SAWS, to do the work. Many of us helped with that work and inspired a few volunteers to obtain certifications to do saw work.
Ed Nelson works on another runout.
Trailwork can be hard work but it is very rewarding. Comradery on the trail crew is high. It is great fun meeting and swapping stories with all the characters that show up. Some have travelled from as far as the NC coast. On this workday Ed and Michelle, from Shallotte and Kathryn from Carolina Beach made the trek to the Uwharries to join us. Ali came from Raleigh and the rest of us were more local. It's always a blast to spend time with these folks.
It is not always work. Today, Stanley gently showed us a corn snake which was sunning itself in the trail. Joe showed us several Chestnut oaks which had sap running. The sap had fermented and had a distinct odor, like a spilled alcoholic drink which attracted ants and hornets. We also spotted both Scarlet and Summer Tanagers.
Consider joining us in the Fall for some fun on the trails. If you can't or don't want to swing a heavy tool, we have light duty work as well. Workdays will be the second Saturday of the month. Meeting locations are generally posted earlier in the week on our facebook page. Trail reports from facebook or our trail adopters give our Trail Bosses an indication where our trailwork is needed most. See you on the trail in the Fall.
June 10 workday, L-R: Trail Boss Joe White, Stanley Siceloff, Merritt Maness, Ed and Michelle Nelson, Ali Tucker, Roger McIntyre, Jim Plant, Trail Boss Matt McArthur, and Kathryn Waple.
What’s New at TRLT
by Crystal Cockman, Associate Director, TRLT
The 13th Uwharrie Trail Thru Hike
Three Rivers Land Trust hosted our spring Uwharrie Trail Thru Hike, which follows the full 40-mile Uwharrie Trail, April 27-30, 2023. This great event started back in 2013, and in some years we’ve done two hikes, both a spring and a fall, so this event was the 13th time we’ve hosted the thru hike. It was another grand adventure, made more challenging by some rainy weather, but all in all a great event.
L-R: Aaron Kane-Eames, Claibore Brown, Jackson Reckord, Mark Nelson, Kevin Sneed, Payton Nelson
On Thursday the 27th, we started at the Wood Run Trailhead with 61 total hikers beginning the hike. Although the forecast for Thursday looked decent, it ended up raining most of the day, not very hard but pretty steady. We have an aid station at mile 6 of this 10-mile day, and folks were glad to have a stopping place where they could sit in chairs under a tent with some snacks and cold drinks. After hiking the last 4 miles, hikers were treated to Sir Pizza pizzas at the Yates Place campground courtesy of the Uwharrie Trailblazers.
L-R: Trail Angels Marla Coulthard, Tonya Maness, Karen Auman, and Crystal Cockman with the pizza and fixins at Yates Place.
It rained most of Thursday night as well, and was raining again when hikers awoke. Friday is a 12-mile day and the hardest day of the hike by far. A few folks were too drenched from the first day to continue on, so we had a few drop out that night and the Friday morning. We gave those folks a ride back to their cars at the Tot Hill Golf Course.
Although the forecast for Friday initially looked worse than Thursday, when we woke up Friday morning that had changed, and most of that day actually ended up being pretty and sunny with a few clouds. We have aid stations this day at Highway 109 (which is mile 3) and Tower Road (which is mile 9). And hikers must make it to Tower Road before 3pm or we give them a ride to the Jumping Off Rock trailhead, the campsite for Friday night. We had to give a few folks rides, but most people hiked the whole 12 miles. Thanks to some great trail angels, hikers had grilled hotdogs to eat when they arrived at the trailhead/campsite.
Jeff Moose, owner of Backcountry and Beyond, with goodies for the hikers at Tower Road!
On Saturday, the rain held off again, though it was sort of misty and overcast most of the day. Another great Uwharrie Trailblazers Hiking Club member trail angel brought Bojangles biscuits for the hikers to the Joe Moffitt trailhead, which is mile 3 of the Saturday hike. This day is only about 8.5 miles total, so it’s the easiest of the four days. There’s another aid station about 2 miles before the finish for that day, thanks to even more great trail angels. There’s a fun trail celebration Saturday night at the Walkers Creek trailhead with a delicious meal courtesy of Rolands Backyard Cooking.
Kim Andersen with Bojangles trail magic at Joe Moffitt trailhead.
The last day starts with a 3-mile road walk where the trail is still not fully reconnected, then a turn into the Birkheads where hikers hike the last 6 miles of the trek. Once they arrive at the end at the Tot Hill Trailhead they are greeted with cheers and stickers saying “I thru hiked the Uwharrie Trail.”
Although we started with 61, only 36 hikers made it the whole length and finished as thru hikers this time. The weather made it extra challenging, but all in all I think everyone had a great time and many are planning to come back in the fall.
If you want to join us for the fall thru hike, you can register at www.trlt.org. Or if you’re interested in helping as a trail angel, you can email us at threerivers@trlt.org. This event could not happen without all the great volunteers, who do everything from shuttle hikers and sweepers, to picking up and hauling off trash, to bringing chairs and firewood, to manning aid stations, to providing dinner, and more. We look forward to another great hike this Fall!
Wolf Den Connector Ribbon Cutting
On May 23 rd , approximately 30 attendees came out to a ribbon cutting to celebrate the transfer of an 8-acre parcel that was purchased and protected by Three Rivers Land Trust in Fall of 2021, and then transferred earlier this year to the Uwharrie National Forest. The significance of this tract is that it is completely surrounded by US Forest Service Land, and a portion of the Wolf Den Off-Highway Vehicle trail goes through this previously private property.
The Wolf Den OHV trail a is part of the 17 miles of 4-wheel drive trails in the Badin Lake OHV Trail complex in the Uwharrie National Forest. At 2-miles long with beginner friendly terrain, Wolf Den is often a starting place for those looking to explore the OHV trails. With a portion of the Wolf Den trail crossing private property, the public was at risk of losing access if TRLT did not acquire the property.
Supporting this acquisition was the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative, which promotes safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable riding areas. Mike Keller with Yamaha attended the event, and expressed his excitement over partnering with TRLT and USFS to make this project possible, with hopes of continuing to partner on additional projects in the Uwharrie Region in the future.
L-R: TRLT DirectorTravis Morehead with Mike Keller of Yamaha.
USFS representative Kimberly Rust spoke about the importance of protecting this property, which was a critical inholding for the Forest Service in the Badin Recreation Area. She went on to say that this acquisition will allow the US Forest Service to move the Wolf Den Trailhead back off the road where it is currently located, providing additional parking and a safer place to park vehicles at this popular trailhead.
TRLT Executive Director Travis Morehead spoke about the importance of this project, indicating that transferring tracts into public access is a core tenant of TRLT’s mission. Since 1995, TRLT has transferred over 8,600 acres of land into public ownership, including State Parks, local parks, Gamelands, and National Forest, providing safe and accessible land for a wide variety of user groups.
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!
