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Crowders Mountain Adventure

Updated: Jul 13, 2018

So today's account will detail my previous adventure with my best friend. Now back in late October we finally went on our trip to Crowders Mountain State Park, located in Kings Mountain, NC 28086 and the reason I even want to detail the event is because I had so much fun. In addition to that there was also so much that we stumbled through and didn’t realize that I think some people may find useful in determining if hiking is for them or not.


A Little Background


Companion peaks at Crowders Mountain State Park—The Pinnacle and Crowders Mountain—offer challenging hikes, towering cliffs and 25-mile views of the surrounding piedmont. Eleven trails range from pastoral to strenuous, including the Ridgeline Trail, which links to Kings Mountain State Park and Kings Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina.


Back To The Story


Okay, so we met at the base of the mountain. Neither of us had thought to eat breakfast that morning, but thank God I packed a couple of granola bars and I at least thought to bring my water bottle - granted it wasn’t actually full. We get there and immediately go to the Visitor Center. We’ve both gotta use the bathroom and neither of us know what we’re doing.


Next we’re thinking “Oh it must be a simple couple of trails to follow”. NOPE. There are like 9 different trails and half go to Kings Pinnacle while the other half go to Crowders Top or something. So we end up asking the girl at the front desk what we’re supposed to do, how we’re supposed to know if we’re on the right trail, and where we’re going.


It was fairly simple:


Each trail had its own corresponding shape and color. The shapes would be plastered on trees along your route. Therefore you would need to follow the path being marked along while paying attention to the trail itself. All the trails are pretty worn down from previous hikers so you can see what looks like a common path versus something never been walked on.


Problem One: When we asked the guide at the visitor's desk which trail we should hike she told us how long certain ones would take, and we went with the one with the least amount of time.


Our Dilemma


We didn’t pay attention to the level of difficulty the trail was. Apparently we took the extreme one. Y’all, we were going up at a pretty steady incline, not to mention the ROCKS. About a third of the way in we start having to climb up and through rocks that were in our path, and it was still considered the trail! Then we’d find solid ground again just to find another patch of rocks to climb! It was tough. Also, did I mention the drop? I was so afraid that we would possibly slip or fall to find one of us tumbling down the side of the mountain.


Nevertheless we trudged on.


We drank all our water.


We took our jackets off because we were getting hot.


And we also stopped a couple times for a breather.


But let me tell y'all about my best friend. So, we get to a stopping point in the trail. We could hear people on the other side of what was literally a wall of rocks in front of us. There’s even a sign that says something along the lines of “Death May Occur if You Climb These Rocks”.


My best friend says she thinks we’re not supposed to climb up and that we should try going around - but we didn't see anymore signs of the trail. Since we didn't know what we were doing we started hiking around. Then we start climbing up some smaller rocks. Just to cut short let's just say we were wrong and we had to turn around.


Now we find ourselves back at the big rocks from before. This time a family was coming down off the rocks with their 2 dogs. I’m thinking to myself “How did they get up there?”. We end up asking them if we’re supposed to climb up there, and is that where the little alcove is where you can see the view and everything. They respond yes.


​​Alright guys so my best friend and I start climbing these huge rocks. We make it up and walk down into the crater type alcove. The view is breathtaking to say the least, and honestly well worth the journey.


I won’t bore you with the climb back down but it was pretty easy. Let’s just leave it at make sure you keep a map on you at all times just in case you get off course.


Oh, and don’t forget: HIKING IS A WORKOUT!


What have you done to go #BeyondYourWindow recently? Share on social media with the hashtag, comment below, or send me a private message!

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