Most hikers I know love interesting natural locations and interesting stories. Combine the two and you definitely have their attention. Liquor Spring on Dark Mountain in the Uwharrie National Forest is such a place. Liquor Spring I first read about Liquor Spring years ago in Joe Moffitt’s book An Afternoon Hike Into the Past from...
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Leaky Tent – To Pitch Or Not To Pitch
Most sensible people need shelter on an overnight adventure. Adventure racers who simply race through the night might be an exception. If you’re backpacking, doing a bike overnight, motorcycle touring, or kayak camping, you’re probably taking along some form of functional shelter, even if it is a reservation for a hotel room. A Dysfunctional...
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6 Favorite Day Hikes in the Uwharries
Need a few suggestions for day hikes? Explore the Uwharrie Lakes Region in central NC with these day hikes recommended by the Haphazard Hikers. Despite their name, this group of young-at-heart ladies from the Charlotte area knows a bit about day hikes. They hike in the Carolinas on a regular basis and have been...
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Lost Uwharrie – West Morris Mountain Trail
Lost trail The West Morris Mountain Trail was already lost by the time it appeared on a USGS quadrangle map in 1994. At that time, I was writing the first edition of the Uwharrie Lakes Region Trail Guide. I looked for the West Morris Mountain Trail as I pushed my measuring wheel along Camp Road, which leads...
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Uncovering Another Mystery Camp
Lost Camp? Was the northernmost camp along the Birkhead Mountain Trail really lost? Were we uncovering another mystery camp? On a recent hike in the Birkhead Mountains, I jokingly told someone "We're never lost - we're always right here." This camp might have been thinking the same thing as it watched us come and...
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Historic Camps Along the Uwharrie Trail
What do you know about the historic camps along the Uwharrie Trail? One of these camps was recently re-discovered in the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness. Who built these camps? What makes them different from any other campsite along the trail? When Scoutmaster Joe Moffitt led Boy Scouts to create the Uwharrie Trail in the 1970's,...
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Lost Uwharrie – Tadlock
Jim was leading Joe and me to the grave. Or graves. I wasn’t really sure if there would only be one, or if there would be two. Either way, I had never been in this part of the forest before and didn’t really know where he was taking us. My phone was failing to...
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Shepherd Mountain Hike
Some consider Shepherd Mountain part of the Caraway Mountain range. Others consider the Caraway Mountains to just be the northern end of the Uwharrie Mountain range. The summits in either range barely reach above 1,000 feet in elevation. At 1,157 feet above sea level, Shepherd Mountain is one of the tallest of these mountains, however...
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More Counting
Continuing on in the spirit of counting things, I’ve just released a few new items to further your own counting enjoyment. If you already have a copy of the Uwharrie Lakes Region Trail Guide, you know there are lots of trails detailed in the book. Now there’s an easy way to count your hikes...
"More Counting"Continue reading2016 Uwharrie Trail Thru-Hike
Are you ready for a hike?! The Land Trust of Central North Carolina is hosting their fourth annual thru-hike of the Uwharrie Trail, May 19-22, 2016. Forty miles of backpacking over four days to raise awareness of the natural beauty of the Uwharrie Lakes Region and trail protection efforts of the Land Trust. If...
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