Road to Kilimanjaro- Occoneechee State Park Hike

Hopefully everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday.  Mine was pretty nice, one because my roasted Duck came out great, second it was nice to see loved ones and thirdly, I was able to share my training with my family.

                                         The Duck

I took off from work on Friday, no we don’t get it off, and decided to do a hike close to home at Occoneechee State Park in Hillsborough NC.  Not to be mistaken for the one in Virginia.  This is a great park because it is only about 15-20mins away and has some small hills which can get your heart rate up.  This little park has the Eno River, a pond and a nice bluff in which you can see well into the distance (847 feet high), I think it is the highest point in the triangle and maybe from that point to the coast. I love the old quarry and my favorite trail is the Mountain Loop that is a little over 2.2 miles.   

My dad participated in my training this weekend and hiked with me on the trail.  I have to hand it to him because he kept up a brisk pace and didn’t seem at all out of breath.  He could handle Kilimanjaro.

                                         Dad checking out the view

I am 85% ready for the trip…packing wise. My trekking poles finally arrived which will make my training easier.   As for training…I need to step it up.  Early this morning I did my 4mile run but it was a little slower than normal…could it be that apple pie I ate the night before slowing me down?  Maybe I will hit the stairs at the stadium in the morning.

For those who live in the area stop by the park for a quick break, get back to simplicity away from the busy schedule.

                                 The Eno River.  We walked along side if the river briefly before hiking up

http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/ocmo/main.php

Road to Kilimanjaro - Training Hanging Rock

In less than 7 weeks I will tackle one of my greatest physical challenges by climbing Kilimanjaro so I decided to share the experience by documenting this once in a life time event .  It has been fun training for the big climb and today we hiked Hanging Rock's Moore's Knob Loop in North Carolina which has over 600 steps up to the summit with an awesome view.

The practice hikes also server as a learning experience as to what to wear, the equipment I will need and how my body responds to different types of challenges.  Today, I feel like I need new hiking boots because mine are very heavy.  Going to look for new boots tomorrow.

 Pilot Mountain in the distance...Mt Airy is not too far which is the inspiration for TV show Mayberry. Andy Griffith is from Mt Airy.  Cute little town with a jail and a old fashion candy shop.

The summit has some of the most amazing 360 views of the NC Piedmont with Pilot Mountain in the distance.  I never tire witnessing the beauty blossoming all around me with every step!

Cook's Wall...Did this peak 2 weeks ago during the 8.5 mile hike.

The pond and beach....coming off of the trial you can walk around either side of the lake.

My hiking partner thought I was lost each time I took out the trail map to check distance or the next intersection...isn't the point of using a map not to get lost???? :-)

I would recommend this state park to others for a nice weekend activity that involves physical activity and nature and it is only about 1.5hrs away from the Chapel Hill-Durham area.

http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/haro/main.php