MST: Falls Lake to Singletary Lake State Park
"Here's to the land of the longleaf pine..." That's the start of the NC State Toast but this weekend my journey across the state is a head scratcher. I'm starting in the City of Oaks, passing through Four Oaks, down into White Oak but at last I found the land of pine. I couldn't have asked for much better weather, low humidity and cooler temperatures are always welcome when traveling into the coastal plain. Also glad it worked out for my parents to take care of the kids this weekend allowing me to get an extra day of travel.
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| May Apple |
Day 32 April 9
Miles: 4.1 Hiking
Weather: Partly cloudy with afternoon storms. Highs low 80's, Lows upper 50's
Camping: Possum Track Campsite
This weekend my parents were helping with logistics by keeping our kids. I drove them down to their house yesterday and stayed overnight. Today my dad drove me up I-95 to meet my Aunt who would take me back up to the trail where she last picked me up just off Six Forks Road north of Raleigh. It was an easy 4 mile warm up for the weekend. I made it to camp just after 7 pm taking advantage of the later sunsets. This also put me in camp before a line of storms moved through. Once again I'm the only one in camp tonight. My goal will be to wake up early and knock out 10 miles of backpacking before a 50+ mile bike section. My foot which was hurting last time out has some very minor residual pain but overall did well on the short trip today.
Day 33 April 10
Miles: 10.0 hiking, 57.1 biking. 67.1 total
Weather: Low 80's for highs and upper 50's - low 60's for lows. Rain, clouds, sun clouds, rain
Camping: Four Oaks Lodging motel
What a day! This was the longest day on the trail to date. My early start was stopped by pouring rain, but most people would laugh at that because I still started walking by 5:50 am. The rain was quick so by the time I had some breakfast and packed my bag it was finished. My foot was starting to hurt a little but nothing like the last time out so I didn't push things too hard. I took some ibuprofen to help mitigate that pain knowing that once I made it to the 10 mile mark it would no longer bother me as hiking would be complete for a while. By 6:30 am I could make do without a headlamp and by 9:30 I found myself at the 10 mile mark by Falls Dam. I had loaded my bike onto my aunts car before she dropped me off last night so she drove over to pass that off as I switched from backpacking to biking. The transition is a task but I was able to get things organized and back on trail by 10. The sun was out the temperature was heading up fast and the clouds were building. I felt that I drank a lot of water through the day but it still wasn't enough by the end of the day I was feeling the exhaustion.
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| Could be a fund bike trip down the road |
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| Dam removal along the Neuse river greenway! |
The trail from Falls Dam follows along the Neuse River greenway trail. This is a great area to bike as you can do a long distance and not worry about traffic or dogs. It really allows you to enjoy the area around you as you bike. Eventually the greenway takes you into Clayton where I actually road some new greenway not yet in the MST guidebook. From Clayton you take a few roads into Smithfield, NC. It was in the section where I encountered my first true trail magic on the MST. While taking a break in the front yard of the Wilson's Mill fire department a fire fighter made a stop and offered me some ice from inside. Being a warm day and not really drinking as much as I should it was very welcomed. Once to Smithfield the trail connects to the greenway system at the aquatic center. After a 2 mile greenway ride I came to a trail closed sign! I tired as best I could to get my bike up an embankment to get around this but it was too heavy. As I was looking for more options I noticed a local heading under a bridge on the greenway and decided to take that route. Although a little thorny it did get me up to the road I wished to reach. That saved me from a 4 mile detour! Now 4 miles is not much on a bike but I was tired and the rain was starting to fall. Once around the closed section I got back on the greenway and took a break on the town stage as a rain shower rolled through.
The rain stopped in short time and I just had five miles to reach my camp for the night. I found in backpacking if you are ever really trying to reach a certain destination generally that last mile into camp is the worst. These 5 miles had no major elevation change but it was along a major road and after the storm mother nature decided that a headwind was in order. I stopped multiple times in parking lots along the way, I even bought some banana pudding from a gas station/grill and stuck it in my jersey pocket to take to camp. I finally made it to the campground/motel. It certainly was no wilderness experience and I was exhausted so I checked on room availability and being a $15 difference between camping and a bed I chose the bed. I ordered some pizza, ate my banana pudding while waiting and called it a night.
Day 34 April 11
Miles: 85.6
Weather: Highs in the upper 70's Lows in the 60's, Rain last night, clear and windy during the day
Camping: Harmony Hall Plantation
If I remember correctly, I think this might be the biggest mileage I've ever covered in a day. The only time I might have done more would have been while completing the cycling merit badge in the boy scouts. I think 75 miles might have been our upper limit on that though. I did a much better job of staying hydrated today but the last 6 miles was a little challenge as I hit some areas of trail where I had to walk instead of biking. That said 85 miles is a long way and I was happy to stop for the day. My parents who live close to my stopping point tonight brought the boys out to surprise me with some dinner. It was finger licking good although I think KFC stopped saying that because of COVID (Don't LICK your fingers).
Most of the day went as planned. I made it to the Bentonville Battlefield in the morning where the trail follows along some corn fields which at one point were the front lines in the civil war. There are many stops along the roads in the area to explain what happened during these battles. From Bentonville the trail takes you into the Newton Grove, NC. Being a magnet for trail closures I came across yet another closure. Since NC I believe is the most paved state and I'm traveling on bike the detour was pretty simple. If it added or took away any mileage it would have been minimal. I stopped at the picnic tables in downtown Roseboro for my lunch break. Sunday lunch crowds stopped me from checking out the local restaurant. 
After some more country roads I reached the Suggs Mill Game Lands. The Boy Scout camp I attended as a kid, Camp Bowers, was just a few miles away, so I was very familiar with the environment in this area. The game lands were just like the area of camp we called the desert. Not an actual desert but as kids it was hot and sandy so that qualified. The ruts along the roads in the game lands were deep and filled with water. Luckily they had done some prescribed fires which made pushing through some areas a little easier. I ended up walking close to 2 miles before the "trail" ended up on a gravel road which I could ride. After exiting the game lands it was on to the last leg passing by Cain's Grill which used to have some great burgers (closed Sunday's and different owners from my childhood so not sure now). I spotted my parents at the market connected to Cain's grill and said hello before pushing through the last two miles to Harmony Hall Plantation where I set up camp for the night.
Day 35 April 12
Miles: 27.7
Weather: Highs in the upper 70's, Lows 60's, clear skies
Camping: Back home
Last night I believe was the last night I'll use the tarp on the trail. I've finally reached a point where the mosquitos are out in force. It was also pretty warm overnight which made being under my quilt away from the biting pests even more difficult. Eventually I went to sleep and didn't wake up covered in bites so that's good. I was packed up and on trail around 7:30 am. The morning ride was very pleasant as it took me along some sparsely populated roads back to Hwy 53. Eventually, the paved route gave way to the forest service roads within Bladen Lakes State Forest.
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| Bladen Lakes State Forest |
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| Jones Lake State Park |
These roads were certainly an improvement upon yesterdays game lands. Ultimately the sand did get deeper and I ended up walking some of these sections as I made my way into Jones Lake State Park. There was a steady breeze across the lake and it looked very inviting for some paddling. From the State Park the trail makes it way to White Lake, NC. I stopped at the first grill I came to in town and had two hot dogs and some sweet tea which hit the spot. After the early lunch I headed over to refill my water before setting out for the last section into Singletary Lake State Park. The roads leading into the State Park were the same as previous sections, some I could ride other sections I had to walk. This gave way to some nice trail along the lake with some interpretive signs that discuss the ongoing mystery of how these Carolina bays formed.
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| Singletary Lake State Park |
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