Old Dan Walking

To skip the chatter and go right to the pics of this walk, click the link below:

Table Rock Summit Trail(Opens in new window)

7.2 mile out-and-back walk to the summit of South Carolina’s awesome Table Rock mountain. The walk started and ended at the trailhead at the Table Rock State Park Nature Center – November 20, 2010

Courtesy of www.dictionary.com:

es·carp·ment [ih-skahrp-muh nt]

–noun

1.

Geology. a long, precipitous, clifflike ridge of land, rock, or the like, commonly formed by faulting or fracturing of the earth's crust.

 

I’m thinking that I might need to bring the scientists from Discovery Channel, National Geographic, or even TruTV out to my home in South Carolina soon to do some research. A strange vortex seems to have invaded my home and had the effect of shrinking all of my pants by a size. Further proof of this phenomenon is the fact that I’ve spent a lot more time at home in past couple of months, and it seems the vortex had no impact in prior months when I was hiking in the mountains more often.  Only hard science can explain this strange truth.   

I didn’t want to take any chances, so I decided to get back to the mountains for a Saturday walk in the much safer mountains. Sleeping in and shorter daylight hours meant I had to confine my walk to a closer location and shorter trail, so I decided to go back to my beloved Upstate and visit the impressive monadnock of Table Rock mountain. To get there required another beautiful morning drive on the South Carolina Scenic Highway, a.k.a. SC Hwy 11..life is good. I pulled into the already stuffed parking lot next to Pinnacle Lake and crossed the road to the Table Rock Nature Center, site of the main trailhead for all of the Park’s trails.

Climbing with the crowds

The Table Rock Trail starts on a wooden walkway behind the Nature Center and is initially paved. I’m at around 1200’ in elevation. The area is picturesque with Carrick Creek flowing down into Pinnacle Lake across large boulders. Just a few feet up the trail on the right is a nice cascade and clear pool on the right, and an area where the creek cuts under an impressive deep ledge that seems to be holding up the entire mountainside. Some day that will collapse and create quite a slide. After a sturdy bridge crossing of Carrick Creek the pavement disappears and the climbing begins through a colorful pine/oak forest. The initial climb is not too steep and the forest is still hanging on to the yellows and red colors of late-Autumn.

In short order I reach the intersection with a conglomeration of trails that bear off to the left. If you go that direction, you can travel the western section of the Park, eventually reaching 3425’ Pinnacle Mountain. This section provides several options for long (11+ mile) lollipop hikes to the Table Rock summit, but if you decide to take on those trails plan for a slower pace than you would normally walk. There are two reasons for this, one being the many view spots that you’ll want to stop and spend time at, and the other being the slower pace due to having to navigate steep sections of trail.

I continue to the right up the red-blazed Table Rock Trail, and here the going gets steep. Kudos to the excellent job by the 1933 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) trail architects, as despite the steep climb in many spots the rock staircases and steps carved directly into the mountain were all perfectly placed. After two nice bridged crossings of Green Creek, I reach the intersection with the green-blazed Carrick Creek Trail, which goes off to the west. You can use that trail to make a short lollipop and return to the Nature Center. Instead I head off to the north and continue uphill on the red-blazed trail.

Through the boulder fields

Climbing and climbing with the crowds, this would be far from a solitary day on the trail. The perfect Saturday weather and quickly approaching winter meant there were plenty of folks to lead and follow today, many of them young kids or young couples in jeans and sneakers. At one switchback a trail maintenance crew was repairing damage and putting up natural blocks to deter people from cutting through. Later on the return trip the crew would be finished with their work, but unfortunately I saw cases where their efforts were for naught, as several people just went right over it and cut through anyway. Sigh…

The next section was all about the rocks. Huge, impressive rocks. Here you could definitely tell you were on the Blue Ridge Escarpment, climbing steadily through fields of giant block that crashed down from the ridges long ago. This show would be worth the trip by itself, but it wasn’t close to being the end of the impressive sights I’d see today. The trail switches more westerly and finally reaches a small CCC trailside rest shelter at 2400’ in elevation. Crowds were gathered inside and outside the shelter, having lunch and enjoying the dynamite views southward into the Piedmont.

After a brief rest I follow the ridgeline another few tenths and reach Panther Gap at 2552’. From here the Ridge Trail travels due west (left) to reach Pinnacle Mountain in 1.9 miles. I’ll go right here to enjoy a half mile of relatively flat ridgetop walking before more climbing begins. The crisp wind nips over the top of the ridge and the maples are exploding in orange. At this point I’m pretty happy that I decided to get off the couch on this Saturday.

A payoff of spectacular views

American holly appear on the ridge, but the pleasant ridge walking wouldn’t last, as soon it was time to climb again to make that last push to the summit. The contour lines on the topographical map don’t lie, as the climbing gets very tough again up rock staircase after rock staircase. After one particularly slick and tricky section of climbing across a rock face, another trail payoff appears on the left. Governor’s Rock, a 100-yard long and wide outcropping of rock on the side of the northern cliff of Table Rock, offers stunning views to the northwest. The crowds are gathered here enjoying lunch and soaking up the sun. The many kids on the rock seem none the worse for wear.  

The climbing eases up a bit after that point before going steadily up again through steep rocks and Table Mountain Pine for the last 400 feet, mercifully ending at the large wooden sign at the 3124’ summit. Now THAT was a workout. The trail isn’t over though, it continues downhill another few hundred yards before reaching two different areas of stunning edge-of-the-world view spots. The first is on the right at a south-facing rock outcropping featuring a small pine that resembles the Joshua Tree.

Many people end their walk here, unaware that the trail continues east another two tenths before ending at the extreme eastern edge of Table Rock. More spectacular views abound, this time of Table Rock Reservoir 1500 feet below. What an ending to a fantastic trail with highlights galore. After lunch I reluctantly turn around and retrace my steps, saving some energy for the last climb back to the summit. The return trip is a painful one, a real kneebuster, but it was well worth the trip. I place this walk solidly in my top 5 of all time, and I appreciate the drive back home that is much shorter than my usual Smoky Mountain returns.    

Low elevation on this 7.2 mile out-and-back walk was around 1200’ at the trailhead at the Table Rock State Park Nature Center and high elevation was 3124’ at the Table Rock summit. The walk included somewhere around 2500’ in overall climbing, maybe more. With all the spectacular view spots and tough climbing and descending, I averaged only 1.4 mph for the day. I highly recommend you put this walk on your must-walk list.

 

For pics of this walk, click the link below:

Table Rock Summit Trail(Opens in new window)

 

It's certainly no Clingmans Dome, Mount Mitchell, or Brasstown Bald....but 3560' tall Sassafras Mountain, the humble high point of South Carolina, finally has a unique new overlook. Plans are in the works for a permanent stone structure.

The rest of the story is here. (link opens in new window)