I took the day off from work so that I can drive up to Greensboro, NC for a concert. Along the way though, I thought I would try to get at least one hike in (possibly two if I get going early enough). Not far off my route, there is a state park called Crowder Mountain and within it, several hikes that might be worth while. I decided to hike one of the more challenging options called Kings Pinnacle.
When I first arrived at the visitor's center parking lot, I started down the wrong trail. I only saw one, but after asking around, I finally got pointed in the correct direction. The wide trail is well maintained and the surface is a combination of earth and gravel. The fall colors provide a gorgeous backdrop to my wanderings.
As the trail climbs towards the Kings Pinnacle, the highest point within the park, it follows a moderate incline. It's pretty easy, but at least it's getting my heart going a little bit. There are a few folks out here, but it's pretty low-activity as you would probably expect for a Tuesday afternoon. I try to maintain a really good pace to get something of a work out from this little adventure. For most of the trail, I'm hovering around 3.5 mph and it feels pretty good.
The pinnacle itself sits atop a rock mesa at the top of the hike. The trail cuts around below the mesa and then forces me to do a little rock scrambling to reach the top. There are a few others up there enjoying the view, which is far-reaching from this elevation. The terrain is mostly flat in all directions and the nearby towns can easily be seen from up here.
After a few minutes taking in the view, I decide to head back. On my way down, I find a young rattlesnake stretched out on the rocks I had climbed up earlier. He's about 30 inches long with only about three or four bands on his rattle and a distinct black section near the end of his tail and rattle. This markings are not like that of a eastern diamond back and I'm left wondering which species he actually belongs to, but with the diamond shaped head and rattle, there's no doubt of his venomous nature and I do my best to avoid him. After doing some research online once I got home, I at first thought he was a black-tailed rattlesnake, but that would put him far out of his range. Some online experts that I shared the photo with identified him as a timber rattler. The black tail, must just be an anomaly.
On my way down the mountain, I warn several groups and individuals that are approaching the top so they can be watchful for where they step. Finally reaching the parking lot, I check my GPS app and see that I've covered about 4.2 miles. Not bad for a quick trek. I had hoped to get a second hike in, but I think that would rush me a bit too much and so, I'll have to settle for just this one, but it was actually a pretty nice hike and I would recommend it to anyone in the general area.
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