The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 43

THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER I wwwcharlottecom SUNDAY my 13 2007 13C ADVENTURES IN THE CARO LI NAS Outdoors Books Robert and Gina Stasko of Charlotte gaze toward Grandfather Mountain from the observation tower on Flat Top Mountain in Moses Cone Memorial Park The rocks of ages in the Caroli-nas include landmarks such as Chimney Rock Stone Mountain and 40-Acre Rock Field trips to these sites and 28 others are described in the Geology of the CarolinasA Field Guide to Favorite Places from Chimney Rock to Authors Kevin Stewart of Chapel Flill and Mnry-Russcll Roberson of Durham explain the upheavals collisions and volcanoes that created our geology in the University of North Carolina Press book (320 pages $1995) Chimney Rock that 315-foot-high spire the signature of Chimney Rock Park began as magma beneath a line of volcanoes 445 million to 490 million years ago Forty-Acre Rock about 20 miles east of Lancaster SG is an outcrop of granite formed inside an ancient magma chamber Flere are four other outdoors books worth putting in your backpack dry bag or camping duffel -JACK HORAN ranee of 1 AIM 1 A Hffl A caravan of horse riders passes by the trails -V Vv 'X' PHOTOS BY JACK HORAN SPECIAL TO THE OBSERVER to horse riders and hikers of foot paths grassy summit about 4300 feet elevation offers views toward Blowing Rock Grandfather Mountain and Flat Top Mountain Go back the same way or at the gap take the Trout Lake trail (18 miles) to the parking lot This section overlays part of the Mountains-to-Sca Trail Both Bass Lake and Trout Lake are open to fishing from sunrise to sunset NC fishing rules for Wild Trout Waters apply Anglers must use singlehook artificial lures Neither lake now holds trout biologist Bob Cherry said Both have largemouth bass No bicycling is allowed The parkway bans bicycles on Cone park trails as well as other trails on the parkway spokeswoman Tina White said Dogs must be leashed or under physical restraint Camping is available at Julian Price Memorial Park at Milepost 297 Park trails are open to private horse riders Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve leads horse-riding trips in Cone Park but offering trips in 2007 Sec wwwblowingrockequcstriancom A parking lot for horse trailers is located at Trout Lake Jack Horan jhoraniaicharlotteobservercom Blue Ridge Parkway on a carriage trail in Moses Cone Memorial Park Trails are open Moses Cone Memorial Park offers 25 miles Want To Go? Moses Cone Memorial Park is 100 miles northwest of Charlotte Follow US 321 through Blowing Rock enter the Blue Ridge Parkway and go west Flat Top Manor is at Milepost 294 The Parkway Craft Center and a National Park Service information desk are open daily in the manor house from spring until November For more information see wwwbluendgeparkwayorgmoseshhtm BACKCOUNTRY BEAR BASICS By Dave Smith The Mountaineers Books 157 pages $1595 If you have a too-dose encounter with a bear in the wild you should: (A) Rua (B) Stand your ground (C) Climb a tree The answer according to naturalist Dave Smith is (B) is likely to elicit a chase response Trying to climb a tree will probably elicit a chase writes Smith of BisbccAriz book debunks myths about bears (bears have poor vision they have excellent eyesight and can sec colors) and provides practical advice for avoiding problems with black bears (which live in the Carolinas and elsewhere) and grizzlies (found in parts of the West Alaska and Canada) THE ORVIS GUIDE TO GUNFITTING By Tom Deck The Lyons Press 176 pages $2495 Like the name suggests gunfitting is modifying a shotgun to make it a better fit for the wing-shooter or sporting clays shooter is the quest for your ideal shotgun through the process of tailoring the firearm to suit your individual build physical features and gun-mounting writes Deck an Orvis Wingshooting Schools instructor who lives in New York City and Shaftsbury Vt expert gunfittcr creates a gun that is in perfect harmony with the HIKING THE CAROLINA MOUNTAINS By Danny Bernstein Milestone Press 360 pages $1995 Danny Bernstein an Asheville resident has put together 57 day hikes from 2 to 13 miles long with trail description map and elevation change Hikers can choose from a smorgasbord of hikes from the Mount MitchellBl ack Mountain area west to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and include -six easily accessible sections of 7 the Appalachian Trail SOARING WITH FIDEL By David Gessner Beacon Press 289 pages $2595 Fidel in with Fidel Castro but an osprey that Gessner who teaches creative writing at UNC-Wilmington tracked on a 7000-mile migration odyssey from Cape Cod Mass to Venezuela (including a stop in Cuba) 2004 journey took him to binding sites such as Long Island NY Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania Bald Head Island near Wilmington and Lake Mara-cay in Venezuela where he saw 133 osprey at the end of their southern migration Of the migrants Fidel was his favorite 0- Did the trip change your perception of the Tee Dee River? I want the record to indicate this wus a very positive experience for me (But) I expected the Pee Dee to look similir to (the rivers of northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia where Bryant grew up) NOT! The Pee Dee has become a drainage ditch for conveying storm water from the impervious surfaces of its basin 1 lighly eroded banks most devoid of any vegetation many piled high with log jams of trees uprooted by the rushing water By Jack Horan Special Correspondent BLOWING ROCK Whether by foot or by horse visitors who follow trails in Moses Cone Memorial Park traverse emerald pastures pass through woodlands shaded by hemlocks and ascend" summits with spectacular views Hikers and horse riders can navigate 25 miles of in the 3516-acre park part of the Blue Ridge Parkway One of the most popular destinations is the observation tower atop Flat Top Mountain elevation 4558 feet The wind-swept 40-foot-high tower gives a panoramic view of skyline landmarks that include Grandfather Mountain Beech Mountain and mountains in southern Virginia The centerpiece of the park Flat Top Manor was built in 1901 by Greensboro Moses Cone as a summer home for him and his wife Bertha Cane also developed the network of gravel carriage trails with moderate gradients Switchbacks and spiral routes smooth out steep climbs and make hiking less strenuous Expect to see strollers runners and in winter cross-country skiers As a start try these three half-day hikes Pick up a free trail map at the Flat Top Manor house Trail signs and mileage arc posted at intersections Flat Top Tower hike From the manor house parking lot follow the trail by the Carriage Barn north through a tunnel under the parkway The 56-mile roundtrip hike is a scenic mix of pasture and forest About halfway a 01-mile spur trail leads to Cone Cemetery The steepest part of Uj 4 Ridge rwky Blowing Rock A STAFF MAP the trail lies near the summit of Flat Top Mountain with most of the elevation gain of about 750 feet Horse riders can tie their mounts at a hitching post next to the tower The MazeBass Lake hike From the parking lot take a left on the Watkins trail that runs in front of the house A dry rock wall borders the trail part way This initial 05-mile section overlays the 908-mile-long Mountains-to-Sea Trail which spans the state from Cling-mans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks At the first intersection bear right on Deer Park Road Here pass through a forest of large Eastern hemlocks and hardwoods At the next intersection the trail continues toward Bass Lake Bear left toward the Apple Barn (02 miles) At the Apple Barn follow the trail to The Maze The Maze is a series of switchbacks The 23-milc section eventually will parallel a paved road and houses before arriving at Bass Lake Catch a stunning view of the manor house from the lake An option here is to take the 09-mile loop around the lake and then Deer Park Road a 05-milc link back to the Apple Barn intersectioa From the intersection 13 miles mostly uphill back to Cone Manor House Total mileage including the lake loop is 63 miles Rich Mountain hike This hike begins near the Trout Lake parking lot From US 221 in Blowing Rock go west to the first parkway underpass Bear left at the intersection of Flannery Fork Road and Shulls Mill Road Follow the one-way road around Trout Lake to the parking lot From there walk a tenth of a mile to the Rich Mountain Road or park at the trailhead After 05 miles see an expansive pasture in a gap and a trail intersection Bear left for the trail that spirals around the mountain to the summit (20 miles) Go straight to reach the summit in a half mile The He started just below the Lake Tillery Dam and ended near Georgetown SC Joining Bryant 64 a former Charlottcan for the first day was John Simon Sr of Charlotte Mark Lewis who lives near Asheboro paddled with Biyant for six day's of the April 5-13 trip an edited account from c-mailed questions to Bryant: What did you want to achieve? I love water and the ocean in particular With Ron Bryant 1 By Jack Horan Special Correspondent The spirit oflluck Finn lives in Ron Bryant of Stanly County who in April lashed two canoes side-by-side covered 1 them with a platform and made a 180-niilc float down the Pec Dee River 1 I Did you encounter people on the way? Wildlife? We saw only one person a fisherman on the bank in the first 30 miles There were eight to 10 fishermen in boats in the vicinity of US 74 bridge Friday morning No one else was on the w'ater or the bank until one boat passed our campsite Saturday night Then we saw a father and smtll son fishing from the bank Wednesday afternoon (We saw) btrred ow Is wild turkeys bald eagle in a nest with a chick pile-ated woodpecker wild pigs wood ducks bobcat osprey snatcliing a fish from the water 30 feet from my raft and alligators I I wanted to go from our new home all the w'ay to the ocean by canoe I wanted to reuse the scraps from building our new home (for the w'ooden platform He slept in a tent on the platform on the two canoes) How many portages did you have and were they difficult? We just had one portage at Blewett Falls (dam) and that was very easy because I designed a using a pair of bicycle wheels on an axle temporarily strapped to the canoe to roll it along fully loaded.