a week of marshland, bugs, and trail magic!

*this post is two days old

Oh, where to begin?!



En guard! These tough little guys have replaced the groundhogs and moles, living in the murky run-off ditches along the side of the road.

Well, first off...I crossed a 1m long bridge over the Neuse River out of New Bern and into Bridgeton. What a trip it was to be suspended high over the water for such length of time. The cars whooshing by hardly seemed to notice, but I sure did. A day later, I took the ferry 3m, again crossing the Neuse River. However once standing on the sandy shore on the other side, I found myself rubbing my eyes in disbelief. Not knowing that the Neuse River at this point is actually saltwater, I was surprised  to see dolphins diving and jellyfish swimming floating by carried by on little waves, a day later when I took the ferry 3m, again crossing the Neuse River.



Bridge over the Neuse River, connecting New Bern and Bridgeton.



The first of 3 ferry rides- this time en route to the Croatan

shore of Neuse River inside the Croatan National Forest

After taking this ferry, I entered the Croatan National Forest. I hiked on trail- so grateful - 25miles along beach, through pure stands of Long Leaf Pine, between thickets of blueberry bushes, and underneath enormous willow oaks and loblolly bay that speckled the trail white with its fallen petals. This area is considered a pocosin, or a place that periodically floods and is often very marshy. However with the severe drought, though there was an extensive network of plank walkways through the woods, much of the ground underneath was bone dry...as were the wells which I was supposed to depend on along the way for water (I don't suggest drinking swamp water but ya know, it does in a pinch, especially if you add some organic apple juice mix). It was a thrill to again be forced to stop every so many feet to examine a plant - so many new faces!



Sweet Pepper Bush (Clethra alnifolia)

Umbellate Water Pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata)

Crested Yellow Orchis (Habenaria cristata)

Common Pipewort (Ericaulon septangulare)

boardwalks through dry marshland in Croatan Nat'l Forest

However, as you may have inferred from the water situation, the Croatan was definitely a challenge. With the sand, the abundance of little red ants that like to swarm your foodbag, backpack, and tent while you're sleeping, as well as the mosquitoes with 1/4"long stingers, sand ticks and every other kind of tick imaginable, and ground too hard to push tent stakes into...I felt like a fish out of water...or rather a hiker thrust from the mountains and into a strange new land. Check out my savvy improvised tent set-up inside this shelter (done in the wee hours with only a headlamp and some twine I found laying around - I could no longer take sweltering in my sleeping bag to avoid the nighttime bugs - once inside I was in bliss land- another shining moment)




A desperate maneuver to avoid the bugs while sleeping in the Copperhead Landing Shelter in the Croatan.

However to reward my efforts, I then met up with my friend Diane again and even took a day off! Diane picked me up just as I entered Bettie and we spent the night at her daughter, Jenna's house in Morehead City. I had the opportunity to meet some splendid yoga teachers who teach in Beaufort as well as take a class myself. It's only been 2 months! We dined at a lovely restaurant called Calypso and another called the IceHouse in Swansboro. We stayed up late into the night gabbing and laughing - so necessary - and I got a grand tour of several small port towns that just begged me to stay longer and lounge waterside at their cafes. Thank you Di and Jenna and Tom!!

I would also like to thank the man who offered his bodyguard services that I met in the family restaurant at Zingo's gas station. I know who to call should anyone give me any beef! More thanks to yet another church, the Woodville Baptist Church - you made a weary traveler feel welcome and gave her a safe place to rest - so much appreciated.

After my day off...it was time to hike on. Luckily the temps have cooled to the 80's instead of the 100's and its been a trip to watch the scenery drastically change from farmland to expansive marsh, boating docks, and roads running waterside. The wind seems to always be blowing and on it comes birdcalls that make me giddy at their strangeness.

roadside beach

roadside marsh

marsh grasses that stretch on as far as the eye can see

And lastly, thank you to Mack and the girls at Davis Provisions in the community of Davis for providing me a lovely porch on which to do some blogging as well as delicious coffee and pastries. Mack even gave me a "mater" for my travels from his fruitful garden beside the shop!

Awesome People

I have met some of the most wonderful people in the last couple of days, being invited into homes and treated like one of the family. I tell you, folks, you're gonna make me lose my cred as a hardcore hiker "roughin" it" out here in the wilderness!

A happy hiker with Geoffrey and Roy Whaley

Hiking into Cove City, a small town of less than 500 people, however built around the railroad tracks and complete with grocery, library, convenience store, 1 restuarant, 1 grill, and post office, I made my way to Whaley's Grocery listed in my book as a good place to resupply. Here I was immediately greeted by Geoffrey, Roy Whaley's son, and welcomed into the store. Once inside I met Roy Whaley who told me, "take a load off and have a seat," followed with, "what can I do for you?" We got to talking and I asked if I could put my tent up behind the store for the night...well next thing I knew I was showered, fed, and lounging out on the couch watching TV and eating ice cream in the Whaley home. We also made our way into New Bern for some of the most fabulous tofu and broccoli in garlic sauce at the China Buffet I do believe I've ever had. If you're ever in Cove City and need some supplies - do stop at Whaley's as he has everything you could need from veggies to dairy to packaged goods and household supplies. Thank you so much, Roy and Geoffrey! It was a pleasure to meet you, hear your stories, and enjoy the company of such genuinely kind and good people. Oh and I can't forget Mack who kept me company that night...

Mack the cat

While walking down the road en route to Cove City that same day, I met a woman name Diane. She offered me a ride to the store if I needed one, and though I was good on that front, I asked her if she knew of any inexpensive places to stay in New Bern - the town just after Cove City, lovely and historic, but on the upper end of my budget as far as hotels and B&B's go. She responded with, "Oh! Well you can come home with me, yes, yes." Well now if this wasn't the perfect chance meeting.

Me and Diane

So upon reaching the town of New Bern yesterday, I found myself at Di's home, enjoying red wine, pita chips with homemade hummus and toasted black sesame seeds (I kid you not- I had been desperately craving this very snack just days earlier) with a view of the lake and twittering birds. Di and I hit it off instantly, Di being into all sorts of outdoor activities (though boating is her very dearest love), and after learning I was a yoga teacher, with she being an avid yogi, we had this to talk about as well. She served me whole wheat pasta with pesto sauce and to-die-for touboleh with fresh veggies for dinner and we chatted and sipped and ate into the night. What a thrill it was to meet you, Diane, and I do hope we meet up again soon!

Today, I am onto a church for the night and then onto a ferry and into the Croatan National Forest on trail for the next couple of days!

Long Leaf Pine (Pinus palustris)

Meet Long Leaf Pine (Pinus palustris) with the longest needles and largest cones of any of our eastern pines. This tree began to appear about 180m back, just before the Falls Lake Recreation area. I knew I would be beginning to see this tree and so I was keeping my eyes peeled along the road as I walked. I wasn't sure for sometime if I was seeing Loblolly or Long Leaf, considering Loblolly's needles are quite long as well especially when compared to White Pine which we know well further inland, but when I truely saw Long Leaf, I knew it. Long Leaf's needles are 10- 15" in length. Here I am with a young tree, which can actually have needles longer than those of adult trees, at a length of 18". They are flexible and thus very much droop, coming in a bundle of 3.

Long Leaf Pine cone

The cones of Long Leaf can reach 10" in length, the smallest still as much as 6" in length. This cone is on the smaller end. The cones are often the first identifier of Long Leaf Pine since they drop from the tree at maturity rather than hanging on as they do with Loblolly Pine. Therefore, if you come to a tall skinny pine and are uncertain, take a look around the base of the tree and you're sure to find these pine cone mammoths strewn about.



Long Leaf Pine in Falls Lake Recreation Area

Speaking of tall skinny trees, Long Leaf Pine also has a unique growth pattern. They grow tall and slender, developing an open and somewhat sporatic appearing crown of just a few branches, thus why it can sometimes be difficult to identify Long Leaf by its needles which are too far from the ground to reach. It's bark also becomes distinctive as the tree matures, becoming orange-brown and scaley, breaking into plates or chunks.

Long Leaf Pine, as a member of the Pine family (Pinaceae), has a number of medicinal properties. The needles are anti-septic, diuretic, warming, expectorant, and rich in vitamin C. To make an infusion, use a generous amount - a loose half handful - chopped up and steeped in hot water for 10minutes. The tea should taste sour and resinous. What a perfect way to get a daily dose of natural vitamin C, more easily assimilated than a highly processed vit. C powder formed into a pill or capsule, and less expensive as well.  If trying to kick a cold or a persistent mucus in lungs, you can drink several cups a day but simply be mindful of any lower back pain, stopping or lessening use if present, as it may be too stimulating to kidneys.

The resin is a strong anti-microbial and makes for excellent wilderness first aid. It can be warmed up in a spoon over a flame, until liquidy, and applied directly to small cuts and wounds, as well as burns. It creates an anti-microbial seal and makes for a good temporary fix until the wound can be properly cleaned and bandaged if necessary. As I mentioned in my post on Yarrow, the resin can also be warmed and applied to a stubborn splinter. The resin somehow changes the volume/pressure of the splinter and skin, and the splinter will naturally work its way out over the course of 12-24hrs. I have not had the opportunity to try this myself, but it seems to make sense, as I've heard of other ol' timers' different drawing salves that are supposed to do the same thing. The resin can also be applied to old boots as handy waterproofing. Resin should not be consumed internally due to its strength.

Medicinal properties are across the board for members of the pine family in the southeast, including such trees as Hemlock, White Pine, and Spruce.

Hiking through the Smoke...and good stuff too!

No this is not my latest scheme to snag as much ice cream as I can from the nearby convenience stores. As of the last few days, I have been hiking through some serious smoke. There are large wildfires burning in several counties, though the nearest one is still a whopping 50 miles away, when the wind picks up, in rolls the smoke. I tried just dealing with it for sometime but after hiking for several miles in smoke I can literally see on the horizon, hanging above the rows of tobacco and corn, along with the humidity and heat, one begins to feel rather suffocated. When my throat started to become scratchy and my eyes dry, I decided a wet bandana was the only way to go. It seems to help considerably. The smoke is worst in the morning and evening and is very dependent on the force of the wind. The open landscape doesn't help either. I find when I am in a more wooded area, the smoke seems less intense. Rain helps too.

From what I understand these are forest fires that periodically seem to ignite themselves when the conditions are right- and boy, have they been. NC, this area in particular is in some serious drought. This is also evident as I pass by dry streambed after dry streambed and can see the waterline on the marsh tolerant trees several feet above the actual marsh which looks less like marsh and more like mud. The fires are burning among dry pines and peat bogs - thus they will continue to burn and smolder until a soaking rain occurs. I will also be continuing to walk towards them until I hit the islands. Rain, Mama, rain!

However, the gracoius and welcoming churches have been plentiful and I'd like to give a big shout out to the Free Will Baptist Churches - both White Oak Grove and Pilgrim Home.

Both of these churches welcomed me in, no questions asked, except, "what can we do for you?" I was given access to the bathroom and church kitchen along with rides to the store for supplies. I would have to say, the hardest thing about this hike is figuring out where to sleep each night. Therefore, it means so much to know that you're welcome and can sleep safe and sound after a hard day's worth of hiking. Below are pics of my sweet accommodations...



White Oak Grove Freewill Baptist Church - here I got to sleep in the large garage behind the church complete with a couch leftover from a recent flea market (oh you know I slept well on that), picnic tables, electricity, and an industrial sized fan that I made sure to point directly at that couch cooling me throughout the night



Can you spot my little tent in the garden to the left? What a lovely nook in which to spend the night, with a marble picnic table and lovely angel statue to boot.

I'd also like y'all to meet Doug of Doug's Grill and Grocery. I stopped here the other morning, just outside of Shine - I believe he said I was in Bullhead - and had a wonderful egg and cheese sandwich. I watched as he made a point to season the egg just right and a sandwich never tasted so good. I also enjoyed the dark cool atomosphere of the store, along with the big screen TV showing an old western. I felt right at home. Besides grocery items and grill food, there was also a game room at the back with pool tables and a juke box. It was nice to meet you Doug and your way was just perfect for me... please folks, check out this sign. I knew I had to sit here a spell after I saw this sign.


Doug of Doug's Grill and Grocery- trust me, Doug's egg and cheese sandwiches are excellent. And though his sign might be tough, Doug is one friendly guy!
Sign reads: This is not Burger King. You don't get it your way. You take it my way or you don't get the damn thing.

That's all for now, folks... more plant pics/info to come soon!
Oh...and did I mention, I only have 200 more miles to go?!

Overview: Danbury - Intersection of Lamm Rd and US-264

Overview: Danbury to Intersection of Lamm Rd and US-264 (207m)

Day 34: Danbury Sunset Campground - Stokesdale Disciples of Christ Church (20m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: wild carrot (E), mullein (M), moth mullein, common plantain (E/M), english plantain (E), asiatic dayflower
Points of Interest: full selection of grocery and restaurants in towns of Walnut Cove and Stokesdale

Day 35: Stokesdale DOC Church - Greensboro Greenway .5m from Marina (18m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: mugwort (E/M), feverfew (M)
Terrain: mixed woods lakeside
Plants: black cherry (E/M), willow oak
Points of Interest: lots of traffic upon entering Greensboro, paved wide trail on Greenway, nice woods walk, lots of swimming opportunities in lakes.

Day 36: Greenway - Jesus is the Answer Deliverance Sanctuary (16m)
Terrain: mixed woods lakeside
Plants: hazelnut(E), autumn olive(E), gall of the earth, eastern red cedar
Terrain: trail crisscrossing powerlines
Plants: yarrow(E/M), blackberries (E/M), narrow leaved mountain mint
Points of Interest: well maintained Greenway trail with lots of markers but little to no MST blazes on trail, lakeside swimming, housing developments just out of woods along with large factories (Proctor&Gamble, Morrisette Paper, Dixie, etc; questionable water sources due to proximity to roads and factories.

Day 37: Jesus is the Answer Deliverance Sanctuary - Union Ridge Church (23m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: wild carrot(E), bitter sneezeweed, prickly lettuce(E)
Points of Interest: Hicone Road with lots of stores and restaurants, Shak's Grocery and Grill with awesome ice cream, Union Ridge Church

Day 38: Union Ridge Church - Little River Presbyterian (23m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: Black Cherry(E/M), smilax(E), passionflower(E/M), cat tail(E)
Points of Interest: A Week in Treasures, old headstones at Presbyterian Church

Day 39: Little River Presbyterian - Durham Super 8 (10m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: Loblolly Pine(M), wild potato vine(E), greater coreopsis
Points of Interest: easy hitch in Durham, lots of stores/restaurants along Guess Rd, Super 8 not so nice and in seedy area, heavy traffic throughout

Day 40: Durham Super 8 - Butner Bible Baptist Church (15m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: kudzu(E/M), Virginia pine(M), narrow leaved mountain mint
Points of Interest: Federal Bureau of Prisons, town of Butner with various restaurants and stores including Jack's Best Buy, heavy traffic throughout

Day 41: Butner Bible Baptist - Blue Jay Point Park Visitor Ctr (19m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: wild potato(E), trumpet creeper, smilax(E), sweetgum
Terrain: marsh
Plants: hibiscus
Terrain: Mixed Woods
Plants: loblolly(M), arrow wood, white vervain, spiked lobelia
Points of Interest: Falls Lake State Park, well maintained/marked trail, swimming in lake, Blue Jay Point Park visitor's center and museum

Day 42: Blue Jay Point Park Visitor Ctr - Falls Lake Visitor Ctr (15m)
Terrain: mixed woods
Plants: loblolly(M), long leaf pine(M), wild ginger(M), black birch(E), toothed white topped aster, shrubby st.john's wort, mitchella(M)
Points of Interest: Falls Lake State Park, well maintained/marked trail, swimming in lake, Falls Lake Visitor Ctr

Day 43: Falls Lake Visitor Ctr - Youngsville Bible Baptist Church (11m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: loblolly(M), sweetgum, mugwort(E/M), pencil plant, wild sunflower(E)
Points of Interest: lots of stores/restaurants in Youngsville

Day 44: Youngsville Bible Baptist - White Oak Hill Free Will Baptist Church (30m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: wild quinine(M), long leaf pine(M), pigweed(M), yarrow(E/M), passionflower(E/M)
Points of Interest:enormous swaths of farmland, delapidated houses/barns, family roadside cemeteries, various mini marts, little traffic, lots of barking dogs

Day 45: White Oak Hill Free Will Baptist - Lamm Rd and US-264 (7m)
Terrain: roadwalk
Plants: goosefoot(E), mugwort(E/M), poke(E/M), morning glory
Points of Interest: enormous swaths of farmland, family roadside cemeteries, motels/restaurants/convenience stores at intersection

Raleigh and friends

While passing through the Raleigh-Durham area I had the pleasure of not only visiting with friends, but touring the city some, as well as meeting more friendly folks along the trail.

Hiking down a busy, bright, wide road that took me past such "fine" institutions as not only the Federal Bereau of Prisons, but a youth correctional facility and school, I had the unexpected assistance of an electrician named Donnie. Donnie lived not far from where I was walking and on his way home had passed by me on the road. He said by the looks of me he figured, "that girl's been walkin' a looong time." So, he filled a cooler with some cold bottles of water and on his way to his dentist appt swung by, pulling his van over to the shoulder and offered me a drink. The temps must have been 100degrees and after a full 15m of roadwalking without talking to a soul, I was ready for both the refreshment and the conversation. Thank you, Donnie!

Upon arriving in Butner later that day, I headed straight for the mini mart in search of a pint of ice cream. Here, at Jack's Best Buy, I was graciously welcomed and got to enjoy my ice cream with a nice man, Tommy and his grand daughter. I never did learn her name, but she dubbed me the Ice Cream Queen and so I dubbed her the Milk Queen (she was relishing a cold bottle of milk). Tommy also made an impromptu visit to the Bible Baptist Church later that night where I was camped just to make sure I was settled in okay and let me know, "If anyone messes with you just give me a call, I'll take care of 'em!" and passed on his contact info. Thanks for you bodyguard services, Tommy, it was a pleasure to meet you!

Karen Bethune, Me, and Kate Dixon

Hiking the day in Falls Lake State Park, I then met up with Karen Bethune. Karen and her husband Doug, invited me into their home for two whole nights. I was served gourmet home cooked meals, relished sleeping in a soft soft bed, partook of chilled white wine, and enjoyed simply being in a house with a welcoming family. Jib the terrier and I hung out on the couch some and Frito the cat graced me with his presence now and again. Karen and I also made a trip down to the farmer's market where I was overwhelmed (in a good way!) by all the colorful fruits, veggies, and oh my, organic locally made ice cream and baked goods. I made sure to have my fill.

While at Karen's, we visited the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, where she works with the Friends of the Museum as the curator of the Nature Art Gallery. The gallery features NC artists, including one of our own from Asheville, Jay Pfeil (whom introduced me to Karen). Karen is currently in the process of creating a Mountains-to-Sea Trail exhibit that will feature each section of the trail through artwork of different mediums, writers, photography, and live speakers. So be sure to stay tuned to the museum's website http://naturalsciences.org/ for more info on this event, as yours truley will be featured here as well sharing her plant findings, writing, and thru-hiking experience. Speaking of the Mountains-to-Sea, what a perfect place to visit while hiking the trail, as the museum's mainstay exhibit is called: Mountains to the Sea. It was fascinating to walk around, gathering further info and images of where I've been and more importantly, where I will be going...coastal plain, pocosin, and beach...foreign land to me. I had the honor of meeting Betsy Bennett, the director of the museum as well as Angela Baker-James, director of the Friends of the Museum, and Meg Lowman, the director of the Nature Research Center. The construction of this center immediately struck me as I approached the museum as it appears it will be spherical in shape. Really neat looking. Here the focus will be on "citizen science" and is projected to open in spring of 2012.

Also while at Karen's house, I enjoyed an evening with Kate Dixon. Kate is the executive director of the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail. Check out their website, http://www.ncmst.org/, to learn all you ever needed to know about the trail as well as the multitude of ways to get involved and help reach completion. Kate, what a pleasure it was to meet you, get to know you, and have the opportunity to ask you my many questions about the trail I've gathered while I hiking as well as share with you my experience of the trail as a hiker. I admire all your hard work and the coordination that must be involved in maintaining and progressing this trail. Kate shared with me the various places the trail is planned to travel through - all off road and through forest, swamp, and riverside- and gave me the news that I will indeed have to hike this trail again so to chronicle these plants as well!

What a treat to spend so much time with two women as passionate about the trail as myself! Keep it up, ladies!

Ann and Tom Thompson

After my second day on the Falls Lake Trail, I had the opportunity to meet up with some friends, Ann and Tom Thompson, whom I met through the annual Wildflower Pilgrimage at UNCA. I don't have a link for this program, but keep your eyes open in early May for this program- it is fanastic and inexpensive. Ann picked me up and took me home, where again, I enjoyed gourmet home-cooked food, shower, bed (the frame of which bore a bullet hole due to a skirmish it survived during the civil war - how cool is that?), excellent company. We talked plants and travel, as Ann and Tom have trekked through just about every natural place you can think of. I even got to watch a bit of a John Muir special on TV- a person I deeply admire. Thank you, Ann and Tom! May your garden grow well.

Wayne and Jamie

And last, but certainly not least, yesterday, while back on my hot, long, flat roads I met two nice guys doing work on the cables. Wayne T. Blackwell and Jamie Strickland, you offered a nice reprieve from the hum drum walk, good encouragement to keep on trekkin', and some good laughs. Thank you for the donation as well - I have already made good use of it, enjoying both dinner and breakfast. Don't work too hard and tell any angry drivers to kiss off.

Oh, wait, and one more...

...even Jesus came out to say hello!

Fallin' for Falls Lake

Just when I thought the clunket-d-clunk whoosh! of another passing truck might make me scream, I entered the serene woods of the Falls Lake Trail. I was just a little bit elated. The traffic has definitely increased since passing through the Durham-Raleigh area, but this portion of trail was beautifully maintained, full of woodland plants, lowland specific trees such as loblolly and long leaf pine, animals (gasp! live ones not roadkill), critters such as tiny frogs and black thick-legged spiders, prime swimming spots, and continued on for 25m - enough to stretch out between 2 days.


Falls Lake trail between towering loblolly pine

marshy area of Falls Lake

unknown insect on Narrow Leaved Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) - does anyone else know what this critter is?

Hibiscus bud

Shrubby Saint John's Wort (Hypericum spathulatum)

Can you find the little frog in this pic? (hint: righthand corner) He seems to be reverently pondering the wild ginger "tree" before him.