Ancient cypress trees edging a five-mile wide lake. Hundreds year old canoes used by Algonquin hunters resting beneath shallow, acidic waters. Blue Herons resting in deep canals carved through the land. Why we waited so long to explore this overlooked Walden, I'll never know.
Often referred to as the Eastern Dismal Swamp, the Pamlico-Albemarle Peninsula, located south of Edenton, was once home to hunters and game, cypress trees and primordial wetlands. But sometime after 1755, daring settlers such as Josiah Collins drained the wetlands and converted much of the peninsula into farmland.1
How did these pioneers dry this pocked terrain and transfer the resulting crops to market? We learned that, in an amazing engineering feat performed under grueling conditions (wet land, an abundance of trees and vegetation, bugs, alligators, who knows what other beasts), workers dug a six-mile long canal—wide enough for a ship to pass through—that connected Phelps Lake to the nearby Scuppernong River. There, boats then traveled to the Albemarle Sound. The completion of this canal, which can still be seen alongside Thirty Foot Canal Road, sealed the land's agricultural destiny.
A portion of the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula is now Pettigrew State Park (Pettigrew being the family of the Confederate General.) We knew little about this place before our arrival, but a bit of research helped me prepare a decent outing. From the park's incredibly informative website, I learned Phelps Lake is on average only four and a half feet deep—nine feet at its maximum depth. And, though filled with the typical coastal plain blackwaters on windy days, on a calm day, one can see the lake bed through crystal clear waters.
From the website, I also learned about the twenty-nine canoes resting on the bottom of the lake. It's believed Algonquin Indians once used the canoes during seasonal hunting. At the end of the season, the natives stored the canoes in the water and recovered them when they returned the following year. Somehow, the freshwaters of this rain-fed, yet acidic lake actually preserves wood instead of destroying it. One canoe is on display in a visitor's center.
Po·co·sin 2 (\peh-KO-sen\ )
Etymology: probably from Virginia or North Carolina Algonquian
: an upland swamp of the coastal plain of the southeastern United States
exploring north carolina's natural areas section on the Peninsula (Pocosin Lakes and Wetlands, page 117-120) provided additional information on Pettigrew's ecosystem. Phelps Lake is elliptical shaped, much like a Carolina Bay. However, some resources indicate it's a Pocosin lake. Others imply it's surrounded by Pocosins. Since I'm still not entirely sure what a Pocosin looks like, I can't make the call.
We arrived at the park shortly before noon. Following the recommendation in the exploring north carolina book, we stopped in the Ranger's office for a map and a look at the stuffed animals crammed on shelves around the tiny office. The collection is amazing. I assume the animals once roamed Pettigrew's air and forest floor, however, I'm not a fan of taxidermed critters, so we grabbed a map and left.
To minimize problems born from unfamiliarity, we usually scout out a destination before we explore it on foot. Using the map we had obtained from the Ranger's office, we attempted to drive down a road to see where it went. The horseshoe-shaped lane led us around the Family Campground—a cleared area about a quarter mile in length separated into eight campsites. We circled back to see what we would find on the other end of the road. A short distance later, we found the boat ramp and the Visitors Center where the dugout canoe is on display. We spent a few minutes admiring the ancient relic and then went on a hike.
Phelps Lake has five hiking trails. Three are less than one mile (one way). The Moccasin Trail, which begins at the Ranger's office, is 2.8 miles, and the Morotoc Trail, just north of Cypress Point, is 4.2 miles, so visitors can get a decent workout while staying at Phelps Lake.
Short on time, we chose the one-mile Bee Trail. The trailhead is located at the far end of the Family Campground. The mowed vegetation path travels past the restored Somerset Place, where visitors can get a glimpse of plantation life as it once was on this isolated peninsula; Jurassic-style cypress trees, and the path to the Pettigrew family cemetery. It ends at a small platform overlooking Phelps Lake.
After our walk, we drove southwest to the Cypress Point fishing pier. Even if you don't plan to fish, this is a great place to relax, view the lake, and get a good glimpse of the black cypress trees edging the water.
We failed to make it to the Pocosin Natural Area on the south side of the lake. Next time, for certain.
In addition to hiking, camping, and fishing (check state and local regulations), Phelps Lake offers the aforementioned boat ramp and a canoe launch, located at Cypress Point, for those who prefer water recreation. Because the lake is so shallow, please call the park before planning activities such as waterskiing/boarding or parasailing.
Additional Info:
In addition to the Family campground, the park offers a group campsite off Bee Trail, complete with a restroom.
Navigating around Phelps Lake is somewhat confusing. Even with our GPS, finding our way to Cypress Point off Shore Drive proved difficult. From the Ranger's office, drive north on Thirty Foot Canal Road, then turn left on Mail Route Road. Mail Route appears to be partially unimproved, but it's the best, shortest way to Shore Drive (note: Mail Route Road turns into Cross Road.) Continue west until you reach Weston Road. Turn right onto Weston, then travel north, bearing to the left onto Secondary Road 1164 when the street forks. Turn left on Newland, and then left on Shore Dr. Watch for the signs to Cypress Point.
1. http://ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/pett/history.php
2. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pocosin
A personal glimpse of outdoor destinations in and around the Carolinas. All photos and content copyrighted.
The Last Major Offensive
"The most terrible battle I ever imagined . . . . It was the most fearful scene I ever witnessed."1
"that day, which opened so calmly and beautifully, was to be a day of battle and death."2
Draped in London Fog to protect myself from the elements, I walked across the gravel drive of the Visitors Center toward the cemetery in silence, head hung low against the forty mile an hour winds slowing my advance. I watched my feet as they trod soundless in the howl, and allowed images to scroll through my mind.
It had been overcast at the end, I decided, and like today, the grass and pine straw would have been wet from recent rains that turned nearby creeks and rivers into angry torrents. Confederate escape routes. The flat, sandy field now before me had been torn apart by feet, cannons, horses, bullets. Men, thousands of them, using hastily formed trenches and gangly longleaf pines as shields, wiped sweat and dirt from gaunt faces as they tried to spy strangers through the smoke. Enemies. Monsters who had killed, burned, raped, destroyed and who brought on them a battle that should have been fought only at the gates of hell. Not in Bentonville, North Carolina.
But hell was upon them. And on March 19, 1865, in a small farming village surrounded by pine trees and fields, 20,000 war-ravaged confederate soldiers positioned themselves between General Ulysses S. Grant, waiting in Virginia, and an insurmountable force more than twice their numbers—one wing of General William T. Sherman's 60,000 men—in what became what park literature calls "the final decisive battle" of the War Between the States.
The fighting would rage for three days.
I glanced behind me, past my husband who stood outside the drab Visitors Center, to the white, two-story home that had once belonged to Bentonville residents, John and Amy Harper. It's a handsome home, with white clapboard siding, green shutters, and an inviting porch shaded by a tall portico. Like dozens of other homes along this stretch of NC 1008, it sits peacefully, just miles from where we had lived when we moved to North Carolina. When the wounded began to fall in the hours after the offense began, Federal commanders requested the use of the home as a medical facility. Knowing the enemy would take it anyway, John Harper agreed, resulting in Union officers permitting the Harpers to occupy the upper floor of the house. There, in four rooms, ten members of the family lived while blood flowed on their floorboards below—seeing, smelling, hearing a battle of another kind as doctors tossed bloody amputated arms and legs through the window and onto the ground in the sight of the hundreds of wounded who lay on the front yard awaiting medical treatment.
A tall, disfigured tree stands nearby in the neatly trimmed yard, watching, as it had in those days. The sole witness to General Johnston's futile attempt to break Sherman's army. The last to stand when Johnston retreated in the face of the unbeatable foe. So old its branches twist like arthritic fingers, did this sentinel see the arrival of Sherman's remaining wing? If so, it witnessed the end of the offensive and, essentially, the War Between the States.
Over 4,200 men died.
My husband reached my side and together, we walked across the sandy field. Other than the house, its kitchen and remaining slave quarters, the only remnants of the skirmishes fought here are the Union trench works, and the bullets, belt buckles, and other artifacts on display in the Visitors Center. Several eye-catching monuments placed near the Harper family cemetery mark the spot where 360 confederate soldiers sleep in a mass grave. Those testaments, reenactments held every few years, and the park's guides are all that's left to tell the story of the Gettysburg-like fury once fought on these now obscure lands.
"that day, which opened so calmly and beautifully, was to be a day of battle and death."2
Draped in London Fog to protect myself from the elements, I walked across the gravel drive of the Visitors Center toward the cemetery in silence, head hung low against the forty mile an hour winds slowing my advance. I watched my feet as they trod soundless in the howl, and allowed images to scroll through my mind.
It had been overcast at the end, I decided, and like today, the grass and pine straw would have been wet from recent rains that turned nearby creeks and rivers into angry torrents. Confederate escape routes. The flat, sandy field now before me had been torn apart by feet, cannons, horses, bullets. Men, thousands of them, using hastily formed trenches and gangly longleaf pines as shields, wiped sweat and dirt from gaunt faces as they tried to spy strangers through the smoke. Enemies. Monsters who had killed, burned, raped, destroyed and who brought on them a battle that should have been fought only at the gates of hell. Not in Bentonville, North Carolina.
But hell was upon them. And on March 19, 1865, in a small farming village surrounded by pine trees and fields, 20,000 war-ravaged confederate soldiers positioned themselves between General Ulysses S. Grant, waiting in Virginia, and an insurmountable force more than twice their numbers—one wing of General William T. Sherman's 60,000 men—in what became what park literature calls "the final decisive battle" of the War Between the States.
The fighting would rage for three days.
I glanced behind me, past my husband who stood outside the drab Visitors Center, to the white, two-story home that had once belonged to Bentonville residents, John and Amy Harper. It's a handsome home, with white clapboard siding, green shutters, and an inviting porch shaded by a tall portico. Like dozens of other homes along this stretch of NC 1008, it sits peacefully, just miles from where we had lived when we moved to North Carolina. When the wounded began to fall in the hours after the offense began, Federal commanders requested the use of the home as a medical facility. Knowing the enemy would take it anyway, John Harper agreed, resulting in Union officers permitting the Harpers to occupy the upper floor of the house. There, in four rooms, ten members of the family lived while blood flowed on their floorboards below—seeing, smelling, hearing a battle of another kind as doctors tossed bloody amputated arms and legs through the window and onto the ground in the sight of the hundreds of wounded who lay on the front yard awaiting medical treatment.
A tall, disfigured tree stands nearby in the neatly trimmed yard, watching, as it had in those days. The sole witness to General Johnston's futile attempt to break Sherman's army. The last to stand when Johnston retreated in the face of the unbeatable foe. So old its branches twist like arthritic fingers, did this sentinel see the arrival of Sherman's remaining wing? If so, it witnessed the end of the offensive and, essentially, the War Between the States.
Over 4,200 men died.
My husband reached my side and together, we walked across the sandy field. Other than the house, its kitchen and remaining slave quarters, the only remnants of the skirmishes fought here are the Union trench works, and the bullets, belt buckles, and other artifacts on display in the Visitors Center. Several eye-catching monuments placed near the Harper family cemetery mark the spot where 360 confederate soldiers sleep in a mass grave. Those testaments, reenactments held every few years, and the park's guides are all that's left to tell the story of the Gettysburg-like fury once fought on these now obscure lands.
Until those struck by the forgotten history of this small town come along.
Bentonville Battlefield is one of twenty-nine stops on the Battlefield of Bentonville tour, which travels from the Harper House, across NC 1008, up Bentonville Road, and down Devil's Racetrack Road. Bentonville Battlefield is located at 5466 Harper House Road in Four Oaks.
1. (www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/bentonvi/chronol.htm)
2. McClurg, Alexander C., The Last Chance of the Confederacy. The Atlantic Monthly, vol. 50, issue 299 (September 1882)--(footnote from Cornell University Library at cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/browse.author/m.83.html)
Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center
Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center:
A CarolinasAdventures Learning Experience
East coast members of the CarolinasAdventures hiking group banded together for their first official group hike last weekend. Our destination: Howell Woods Learning Center in Johnston County, NC. An apt name for this obscure treasure, and I couldn't have chosen a more knowledgeable (and amiable) group of people to experience it with.
According to their website and various brochures, Howell Woods is part of Johnston County Community College, which uses the 2,800 plus acres as an outdoor classroom. Fortunately, the college graciously allows the public to use the land for hiking, camping, horseback riding (byoh), bird watching, and hunting. There is a fee for hunting, horseback riding, and camping, but hiking is free.
We rendezvoused at the Learning Center's parking lot shortly after 9:00 A.M. After signing in at the Center as required, we took a few photos of HW's permanent residents--a turkey vulture, an owl, and two red-tailed hawks that can no longer survive in the wild--and then began the hike.
The closest trailhead is located several yards behind the Learning Center, in the direction of the Savannah Pond. Using the trail map we found on the website, we hopped on the Leopold Loop and slowly worked our way into the woods.
Though a bit drab this time of year, sometimes desolate, and what I called "crunchy", Howell Woods is nonetheless fascinating. They have incredibly diverse habitats ranging from arid to soggy (longleaf pine savannah, bottomland hardwood, mixed pine, a variety of wetlands, and more.) We literally walked from a savannah to a cypress swamp, passing a grass and shrub area as we went. Even more incredible, their brochure not only lists the trails, the trail length, and the surface type, it also lists the dominant habitat in that area. Unfortunately, the brochure wasn't the best resource to use to navigate those trails. When we thought we were heading for one area, we ended up in another. One road should have been on one side of the woods, but somehow it intersected with a road in another quadrant. Consequently, we ended up meandering a lot. According to the brochure, there are over twenty-five miles of hiking trails and paved roads in Howell Woods, so we meandered quite a bit.
But we stopped often to explore as we went. We saw birds, large and small, flitting through the tall grasses of the savannah and through trees. Three turkey buzzards circling overhead caught our attention several times. As we hiked, our resident botanist, KT, pointed out various non-flowering plants and trees and encouraged us to identify them. He asked us questions about the habitat we were walking through and how we knew the type (i.e. a savannah or a mixed pine) without sneaking peeks at the brochure to find the answer. We stopped to take pictures of the first spotted wildflower of the season—a violet that should have been named Brittany for all the photos we snapped of it. We also took time to investigate a swamp with clear water, one with stagnant water, and a pond so still we wondered if the shocking shade of putrid green of what turned out to be duckweed hid ground or water.
Howell Woods also has a diverse wildlife population. We saw deer tracks on a number of occasions, tracks that may have belonged to a raccoon, and ruts we decided had been created by a few members of the feral pig population. Wild turkeys, gray squirrels, and waterfowl also reside in the woods. Because Howell Woods states their focus is "Conservation through Education", I was surprised to learn they allow hunting on the premises. I'm having a hard time understanding that, and how monies collected from hunting related activities can, as one brochure states, be "used to fund the ongoing operations benefiting the wildlife/habitat management...." Can someone clarify this for me? (Someone did. Please see comments below.)
The trail system at Howell Woods consists of gravel roads intertwining with boardwalk, sand, and mowed paths. The street signs at the corner of several trails reminded me of those at Dupont Forest in Brevard, where individuals and organizations wrenched back that land as it was being developed into an upscale neighborhood. While the signs do detract from the outdoor experience, they are helpful, especially when used in conjunction with the hybrid satellite photo/trail maps signs, which are posted at several intersections.
As mentioned earlier, we began the hike at the Leopold Loop. From there, we connected to Bartram Trail, Diversity Dr, Longleaf Ln, Wild Turkey Ln, and Hannah Creek Trail, which took us to the far edge of Howell Woods. Somewhere along the line, we stopped at a picnic area. From there, we hiked up Cornell to the BW Wells trail, and then attempted to turn up Thoreau, where a trail full of water hampered our progress.
Note: attempts to circumvent the watery path of Thoreau will result in bushwacking through what KT referred to as wicked prickles, the sting of which feels like thorns until one encounter the thorns. After several minutes of attempting to play the tough hiker, only to find more water and more prickles, we backtracked to BW Wells, and then took Plantation and Howell Dr to the Learning Center (which was, to our surprise, only three quarters of a mile away.)
If you plan to hike through Howell Woods, wear comfortable hiking shoes and pants to protect your legs from bugs and brambles. During bug season, wear a long sleeve shirt or take plenty of bug spray. On second thought, take plenty of bug spray period. Also, watch out for snakes. We encountered a long, grouchy black snake on one of the trails.
Howell Woods is an experience. And because of the sharing of knowledge by the participants on this hike, we not only received lessons in a variety of subjects such as plant life and habitats (pop quizzes and all), but the multiple observations too numerous to mention made by everyone throughout the four-hour hike enhanced this outing experience ten-fold. Don't know individuals familiar with birds, plants, or North Carolina's natural communities? No worries. Howell Woods offers several programs including Plant and Tree ID, Bird Banding, No-Trace Camping, and a course on habitats. For more information, check out their website at http://www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/programs.htm
Howell Woods is located at 6601 Devil's Racetrack Rd in Four Oaks. From I-95, take Exit 90 and go south on 701. Turn left on Stricklands Crossroad, and then left on Devils Racetrack. For more information on Howell Woods, go to
www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/about.htm and
www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/HabitatDiversityTrailBrochure.pdf
A CarolinasAdventures Learning Experience
East coast members of the CarolinasAdventures hiking group banded together for their first official group hike last weekend. Our destination: Howell Woods Learning Center in Johnston County, NC. An apt name for this obscure treasure, and I couldn't have chosen a more knowledgeable (and amiable) group of people to experience it with.
According to their website and various brochures, Howell Woods is part of Johnston County Community College, which uses the 2,800 plus acres as an outdoor classroom. Fortunately, the college graciously allows the public to use the land for hiking, camping, horseback riding (byoh), bird watching, and hunting. There is a fee for hunting, horseback riding, and camping, but hiking is free.
We rendezvoused at the Learning Center's parking lot shortly after 9:00 A.M. After signing in at the Center as required, we took a few photos of HW's permanent residents--a turkey vulture, an owl, and two red-tailed hawks that can no longer survive in the wild--and then began the hike.
Though a bit drab this time of year, sometimes desolate, and what I called "crunchy", Howell Woods is nonetheless fascinating. They have incredibly diverse habitats ranging from arid to soggy (longleaf pine savannah, bottomland hardwood, mixed pine, a variety of wetlands, and more.) We literally walked from a savannah to a cypress swamp, passing a grass and shrub area as we went. Even more incredible, their brochure not only lists the trails, the trail length, and the surface type, it also lists the dominant habitat in that area. Unfortunately, the brochure wasn't the best resource to use to navigate those trails. When we thought we were heading for one area, we ended up in another. One road should have been on one side of the woods, but somehow it intersected with a road in another quadrant. Consequently, we ended up meandering a lot. According to the brochure, there are over twenty-five miles of hiking trails and paved roads in Howell Woods, so we meandered quite a bit.
But we stopped often to explore as we went. We saw birds, large and small, flitting through the tall grasses of the savannah and through trees. Three turkey buzzards circling overhead caught our attention several times. As we hiked, our resident botanist, KT, pointed out various non-flowering plants and trees and encouraged us to identify them. He asked us questions about the habitat we were walking through and how we knew the type (i.e. a savannah or a mixed pine) without sneaking peeks at the brochure to find the answer. We stopped to take pictures of the first spotted wildflower of the season—a violet that should have been named Brittany for all the photos we snapped of it. We also took time to investigate a swamp with clear water, one with stagnant water, and a pond so still we wondered if the shocking shade of putrid green of what turned out to be duckweed hid ground or water.
The trail system at Howell Woods consists of gravel roads intertwining with boardwalk, sand, and mowed paths. The street signs at the corner of several trails reminded me of those at Dupont Forest in Brevard, where individuals and organizations wrenched back that land as it was being developed into an upscale neighborhood. While the signs do detract from the outdoor experience, they are helpful, especially when used in conjunction with the hybrid satellite photo/trail maps signs, which are posted at several intersections.
As mentioned earlier, we began the hike at the Leopold Loop. From there, we connected to Bartram Trail, Diversity Dr, Longleaf Ln, Wild Turkey Ln, and Hannah Creek Trail, which took us to the far edge of Howell Woods. Somewhere along the line, we stopped at a picnic area. From there, we hiked up Cornell to the BW Wells trail, and then attempted to turn up Thoreau, where a trail full of water hampered our progress.
Note: attempts to circumvent the watery path of Thoreau will result in bushwacking through what KT referred to as wicked prickles, the sting of which feels like thorns until one encounter the thorns. After several minutes of attempting to play the tough hiker, only to find more water and more prickles, we backtracked to BW Wells, and then took Plantation and Howell Dr to the Learning Center (which was, to our surprise, only three quarters of a mile away.)
If you plan to hike through Howell Woods, wear comfortable hiking shoes and pants to protect your legs from bugs and brambles. During bug season, wear a long sleeve shirt or take plenty of bug spray. On second thought, take plenty of bug spray period. Also, watch out for snakes. We encountered a long, grouchy black snake on one of the trails.
Howell Woods is an experience. And because of the sharing of knowledge by the participants on this hike, we not only received lessons in a variety of subjects such as plant life and habitats (pop quizzes and all), but the multiple observations too numerous to mention made by everyone throughout the four-hour hike enhanced this outing experience ten-fold. Don't know individuals familiar with birds, plants, or North Carolina's natural communities? No worries. Howell Woods offers several programs including Plant and Tree ID, Bird Banding, No-Trace Camping, and a course on habitats. For more information, check out their website at http://www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/programs.htm
Howell Woods is located at 6601 Devil's Racetrack Rd in Four Oaks. From I-95, take Exit 90 and go south on 701. Turn left on Stricklands Crossroad, and then left on Devils Racetrack. For more information on Howell Woods, go to
www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/about.htm and
www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/HabitatDiversityTrailBrochure.pdf
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