Reach the Peaks 2020

Sherri and I

9/25/20

This is year 3 attending the Stokes County Arts event. This time it was back to all 5 peaks and 10.5 miles. Because of Covid they split it up in 3 days. We chose Friday thinking it would have the least amount of people. We were leaving Thursday, going to Mast General Store in Winston Salem then camping at Hanging Rock state Park. This is our usual. Well the weather is not looking so great but we really don’t care.

We got to the campground and set up before it started raining. I brought my tarp and one wall so we were not going to sleep in the rain. We did a great job of getting our tents under the tarp, used clothes pins to keep the tarp tight so we wouldn’t have rain puddling up there and still had room for our chairs and this cool little fire maker I bought at Publix.

We lit the fire and it burned for about an hour and a half. It even kept us warm.

We slept to the sound of rain on the tarp. It wasn’t to cold so it was a good sleep. In the morning we made coffee, packed up then went into Danbury for breakfast. They sent an email saying we could switch to Saturday if we wanted. We looked at the weather but decided we would do the challenge and if the rain was unbearable we would just quit.

We checked in at the arts council. We got our t-shirt, our number and our map. He said 30 out of the 60 Friday participants switched to Saturday. That made 250 people on Saturday and only 30 people out there hiking today.

It wasn’t actually raining but more like misting. Every time the wind blew that’s when we would get rained on. It was actually a rather great day for hiking. It wasn’t crowded, it wasn’t hot and it was very eerily cool with all the fog.

We went to the start finish line. Normally there would be tons of people, pictures and a shot gun start. Today we were the only ones there and a lady took our picture and we began.

When we arrived at the first peak, Hanging Rock it was completely socked in. Nothing to see here. Last time we were here there were tons of people up here but today we had it all to ourselves.

Back down we go. We take the Hanging Rock Trail to the Wolf Rock trail and hike a ridge line to the next couple of peaks. The first one is Wolf Rock. Another stellar view!

The next peak is House Rock. Then onto the Cooks wall trail to peak #4 – Cooks Wall. The hike between them was pretty awesome. The fog was a bonus.

We had Lunch at Cooks Wall. The trail back tracked from here almost back to Wolf Rock and turned left on Chestnut Oak Nature Trail. This intersects with the Moore’s Wall loop trail. We take the straight trail through the campground and then on the road, behind the ampitheater then here we go… the steps! Oh I remember these! There are a lot of them. I ask Sherri if she wants to just quit at the campground. I mean for real we already have the T-shirt! We have been up there before, no one will know…… but nope. She says that wouldn’t be right. We need to finish. Rule breaker is not a description of her! 🤣

So here we go! If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, I’d rather climb any trail, up any mountain, over huge rocks than steps! Steps are horrible in my book.

It’s about 2 miles of steps. We just keep climbing. Sherri stopped to rest snd I kept going. Then I’d rest and she’d catch up. Then I took off and I’m thinking I’m just gonna push myself all the way. I keep going and hard as I could till I reach the top. It’s windy and colder on this side. I went up the tower. – more steps! There is absolutely nothing to see here.

Then Sherri arrived. Peak #5. ✔️

Nothing left but to walk down those steps! I’m gonna count them. Sherri said it would be easier to just ask them how many! 🤣 I quit counting after 400.

In non covid times the finish line would be a party of congrats. Covid finish line was anti climatic. No one was there. We just got in the car and drove to the Arts Council in Danbury to get our patch.

F’n Covid!

By the way 684 steps! 😳