As newcomers to the area, Chet and I are always on the lookout for new-to-us trails to hike and areas to explore. Because of that, Conserving Carolina’s challenges have been a perfect way for us to find out about different trails and challenge ourselves to get out and enjoy them. At the end of last year, we completed their “Flying Squirrel Outdoor Challenge” (see Chet’s post about it here) but we had actually already decided to try to complete their “White Squirrel Hiking Challenge 6.” It seemed extra appropriate since we are now proud residents of Brevard — the city with all the white squirrels! (We call the one in our neighborhood “Cheeky,” in case you were wondering). Unlike the Flying Squirrel Challenge, the White Squirrel Challenge was an all-hiking one and we had to complete all 8 hikes to qualify. We weren’t entirely sure about the timeline for it, but it was announced in October 2021, so we figured we had until October 2022 to complete it.
For those who are not familiar with it, Conserving Carolina is a Land Trust focused on protecting lands in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina. They cover Polk, Transylvania, and Henderson counties in North Carolina, and also have some properties in surrounding counties. In South Carolina, they have properties along the border as well as in Spartanburg and Greenville Counties. They preserve 47,000 acres, as well as create trails and community parks. Check out their website for more information on all the things they are involved in.
We started our White Squirrel challenge in November of 2021 and completed our final of the 8 hikes in October of 2022.
Here’s a quick overview of all 8 hikes.
Bracken Mountain Preserve
First up was the closest preserve on the list, our very own Bracken Mountain Preserve. Though this is a City of Brevard Park, Conserving Carolina did lend a hand by creating the Pinnacle Trail in 2019. To get credit for the challenge, we had to hike that specific trail, which meant we ended up hiking nearly every trail in the preserve, logging 6.7 miles. It was a glorious fall day and the leaves were absolutely breathtaking, so though some of the trails were steep and our legs were a bit tired by the end, we thoroughly enjoyed the trails and all the informative signage along the way. Check out our blog post here for more details, but these wonderful photos Chet took should give you a taste of what we experienced.
DuPont State Recreational Forest
Next up was another nearby favorite, DuPont State Recreational Forest. Conserving Carolina actually got its start as an organization by playing a major part in the creation of the Forest, so it is a place near and dear to their hearts. The first of two hikes in DuPont for the challenge was a 4 mile loop that included Fawn Lake, Lake Julia, and the old airstrip. Like many others, our forays into DuPont up to that point had been limited to the very popular waterfall trails to Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls. This hike starts far from the crowds at the Fawn Lake Parking area. This loop was lovely in the fall. The charmingly small Fawn Lake was a jewel reflecting the colors of the surrounding trees, and the airstrip on top of a mountain was a fun surprise! Check out our blog post here for a more detailed description of the hike.
Still in DuPont, the next hike for us was a different way to hike an old favorite waterfall, Hooker Falls. Conserving Carolina helped in the creation of a new route to Hooker Falls using Holly Road. This new route was created to be more sustainable and includes some informational signs about some of the techniques used. Hooker Falls as always did not disappoint.
Bearwallow Mountain
Though our initial hikes were pretty close to home, the next ones took us further afield. First up was a trip to Bearwallow Mountain east of Hendersonville. Here, Conserving Carolina has a conservation easement on 476 acres of land and maintains trails that will eventually form part of the ambitious Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail. This planned network of trails will eventually include more than 100 miles of trail, connecting Bearwallow Mountain with other preserves, like Chimney Rock State Park and Lake Lure. 38 miles of trail have been completed so far and work is continuing on other segments. The trail to Bearwallow Mountain is a perennial favorite — a short 1 mile from the parking lot to the top of the mountain, where hikers are treated to 360 degree views that include Mount Pisgah, Mount Mitchell, and Hickory Nut Gorge. We hiked it on a cold and windy but very clear day and the views were spectacular.
Since we were in the area anyway, we decided to do a two-for-one deal and continued our hike from the top of Bearwallow Mountain to take in the Wildcat Rock Trail Extension. The original Wildcat Rock Trail starts about 2 miles north and east of Bearwallow Mountain and is a challenging 6 mile round trip hike that includes a nice waterfall and a rock outcropping. However, in November 2020 Conserving Carolina completed a 2 mile extension that connects Wildcat Rock Trail to the top of Bearwallow Mountain. Hiking just the extension added another 4 miles (round trip) to our hike, but allowed us to check off both pieces of the challenge.
Whitewater Falls
We had hiked the Foothills Trail from Whitewater Falls down to the Whitewater River in late September on a hot day when we also took in several other waterfalls. Our impression of the trail was that it was pretty hard for us and we were wiped out when we got home. When we saw that this same trail was a part of the hiking challenge we were at first excited that we’d already done one, until we looked at the dates and realized we’d hiked it about 2 weeks too early to “count” for the challenge. We’d have to do it again. Argh! We kept putting it off because we weren’t that excited about hiking it again just to get a checkmark. Our memory of it was that it was pretty steep and rocky and tough going back uphill. However, when we hiked it again in April 2022, it turned out to be one of our favorite hikes. We hit it at the peak of spring ephemerals season and tons of wildflowers just covered the steep hillsides. It was glorious, and somehow didn’t seem all that steep and difficult this time out. Check out Chet’s blog post about it, here.
Green River Cove Trail
Continuing our “farther from home” explorations, we next decided to try Green River Cove Trail in the Green River Game Lands near Saluda. We had tried to get to this trail in the spring, only to discover that after driving down possibly the windiest road I’ve ever been on, the road was actually closed because a bridge at the bottom was out. To be fair, we’d ignored the “Road Closed” signs because it looked to us like they’d been moved aside and were no longer applicable. We were very wrong though. All was not lost, as we ended up seeing Little Bradley Falls on the map and had a lovely hike there that day. Months later, we decided to try Green River again, this time taking a longer route that avoided the 10 hairpin turns we’d gone down before. All went well this trip and we arrived at the trailhead ready to hike what we’d thought would be a long but easy hike along the Green River. We were wrong. It was long — 7.2 miles instead of the advertised 6.5 — and yes it did follow the Green River, but frequently not at river level. It was a lot more up and down than we were mentally prepared for, plus there were several blowdowns that we had to navigate around or climb over. I think it’s fair to say that this trail was our least favorite of the batch.
Youngs Mountain Trail
Our final trail for the challenge was one that required a bit of planning. Because the trailhead is actually in a gated neighborhood, you need to register in advance to get the gate code. We registered for a day in the middle of the week in the fall and got a response with the gate code very quickly, though so don’t let that requirement hold you back. Youngs Mountain Trail, near Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, is the newest link built as part of the planned Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail. It is fairly short — 4.2 miles round trip — but for me this was the most physically challenging trail of the year. It starts benignly enough, but of the roughly 2 miles to the top, the middle 1 mile gains something like 1200 feet in elevation. It’s very steep and for me I was not prepared for it. By the time we got to near the top, I was stopping frequently and just willing my legs to keep going. Even with all that whining, I have to say the view from the top was totally worth it.
And with that, we’d done it! Another hiking challenge in the books – and another cute patch for our hiking patch display.
Woodlands and Waters 