I thought going into this weekends trip that I had a pretty good plan. The weather was turning colder but ultimately looked as though I would miss the worst of the wet weather. The plan started with a trip to Greensboro, NC. We woke up to heavy rain on Thursday morning and it rained harder than I have ever seen at our house. Our time of departure was pushed back due to this but not much later than I hoped. I knew that same rain would be hitting Greensboro later in the day so it's not like I could take the boys out and about downtown. My wife made the trip to Greensboro after getting off work. She would park the car at the Amtrak station and meet us at a downtown hotel for the evening. As soon as the I entered the hotel room with the three boys in the early evening my phone went crazy with a tornado warning. Luckily the tornado which did touch down briefly in High Point never made its way into downtown but there was a lot of rain and wind that we watched from the lobby.
The next morning we woke up early and I opened the window to see it pouring rain. The forecast the night before had made it out to be windy with temps around 50 dropping to 42 by lunch and some lingering rain from the passing cold front on Thursday. The actual weather was 15 mph sustained winds with frequent gusts to 30+, pouring rain and temperatures of 38 degrees. I was to ride 65-70 miles on bike and as I was unloading my bike from the van that decision seemed like a bad idea. On a thru-hike this is the type of day where you wake up, peak your head out the tent and go back to sleep.
I really felt the need to complete this section due to the wildlife closure the last time out etc...however, things just didn't seem safe. I loaded the bike back on the van and we headed back to the hotel. My wife was going to take the kids to see her Aunt which is actually where I was planning to end up that night via my bike so the plan changed to spending the day watching college basketball instead of riding in the the cold wind after being soaked to the core. The rain did let up and sun came out but the temps didn't rebound much and the wind stayed strong throughout the day.
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| Eno River; beside the old Durham Pump Station |
Day 28 March 20
Miles: 18.1
Weather: Highs in the 50's Lows in the 30's, Clear with increasing clouds through the day.
Camping: Ward Family Camp
I was happy that the logistics of this weekend allowed me to have a fairly good backup plan. I start today where I had planned to start if I had ridden the full bike route yesterday. Since the trail was closed around Greensboro the last time I was out due to the wildlife attacks I now have a good stretch to make up on a future weekend. My wife's aunt lives just 7 miles from where the trail leaves the road in Eno, NC. She dropped me off right around 8:30 am and I started my day. The trail today took me along the Eno River, most of it being very pleasant. As the day went on the wind picked back up but not with the type of gusts we experienced yesterday. Clouds moved back in as expected, my only hope was that the forecast was correct and rain would not be returning. There were some soggy segments today but I've been told it will get worse tomorrow. I'm spending the night on some private land just off the trail at a place called the Ward Family camp. It's a great spot that volunteers help to maintain for section and thru-hikers. My plan tomorrow is to hike around 16 miles before catching a ride to downtown Durham for the evening train to Greensboro.
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| The quarry |
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| Yellow Trout Lilly |
Day 29 March 22
Miles: 16.6
Weather: Highs in the 60's Lows in the 30's, Clear and sunny!
Camping: Jimmy Rogers Rd.
I felt like I was awake a lot last night but that's what happens when you go to sleep at 7pm. It was chilly but the clouds and wind helped to keep temps above the freezing mark. I was told the mud today would get worse and learned early on that was the truth. It was a very unpleasant mud as well, one in which you did not want to slip and fall into or even have soak your foot. It reminded me of a time on the Appalachian Trial when I misstepped on a board walk and firmly planted a foot in the bog juice. The main difference being this mud or muck had a sheen of oil on the top. Unfortunately, this section seemed to have flooded recently and those floods have deposited a large amount of trash around the trail.
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Osprey Perch
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Mud Walk
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These segments although fresh in my mind did not encompass the entire day. There were some great benches along the lake with good views and several waterfowl making themselves heard out in the distance. The sun was out and the temperatures warmed up nicely. By 2 pm I found myself at my planned stopping point. I picked this mostly on giving myself the best chance of getting an uber or lyft into downtown Durham. That choice was right on and within 20 mins of arriving to the trailhead I was in an uber heading to town. When I hiked the AT I didn't have a phone that could do these kind of complex ride shares, just my thumb, although that was cheaper. I made my way to El Rodeo for a large burrito and then just watched people in the park for a few hours while waiting on my train. Once back to the car in Greensboro it was back home for a short turnaround as I'm out again next weekend.
* Side note: You often hear about rails to trails programs. Old rail lines turned to bike or hiking trails. For those having the luxury of living along Amtrak Routes you should really consider some of these long trail options where you can use the train as a shuttle. Durham to Greensboro was just a $10 trip! Call it trails to rails.
Total Weekend Miles: 34.7
Total MST Miles: 538.7
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