Often
while looking at a map, searching for someplace new to go hiking, I’m drawn
to old forest service roads since they usually make great hiking routes. One of these that I’ve been looking at
for some time is FR 1200B on Daniel Mountain just west of Richland Creek
Wilderness. On the maps this road (aka
Daniel Mountain Road) appears to be pretty flat, so little elevation gain on an
old road, should be an easy hike.
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fire aftermath
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I
pull off NC 5070, and park at Rosamond Cemetery, right across the road Daniel
Mtn. Rd. heads north on the ridge of Daniel Mountain. Before I get 100 feet from the cemetery I see
all across the ridge has recently been burned, I’ll assume this is the result
of a ‘prescribed burn’ but how would I know, it could have been a ‘lightning
strike wildfire’. At any rate,
everything is charred black and pretty ugly. |
Rosamond Cemetery
|
This
is easy hiking, as expected the road is mostly flat with no problems keeping on
route. The blackened woods of
course are really clean, this reminds me of a hike I did just a month ago, see:
220 Lower Lick Creek. Right away
I come to a junction where FR92740L heads west to my left, I stay on the ridge
still headed north. Now the road
gradually curves to the left, and after about 330 yards are two gates. |
Daniel Mountain Rd. (FR1200B)
|
One
down the hill a little to the north, blocks a faint old road that curves back to
the east as it heads downhill. The other
gate is across FR 1200B, there is room here near these gates for parking and
easy turn around, if you wanted to drive this far. I walk around the gate and continue
northwest, coming to a downed tree on the road in about 300 yards. In another 500 yards with the road now going
west is a trail headed off to the north, and a mud hole in the road. |
locked gate on FR1200B
|
I
stick with Daniel Mtn. Rd. which soon swings back to the north, then into a
nice open area with an old rock wall along the east side. There may have been a home here once, it just
feels like a good place for a house although I don’t find any
ruins. Continuing north, 300 more yards
is a fork in the road. I take the road
going right, leaving FR 1200B, I’ll call this the ‘low road’ as it starts
heading downhill immediately. |
nice open area, might have been a homesite once
|
This
isn’t steep, but it is littered with three or four fallen trees one right after
the next, it gets pretty rugged for a while.
But then at a point things clear up, and it’s back to easy going. This low road is now below a smooth bluff on
my left, and the extremely steep drop-off to the right. Here at the point where the road makes a hard
left turn, is a nice view across Rock House Hollow of some bluffs with a house
on top. |
| rugged on the low road |
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boulders or bluffs?
|
Now
heading west, the bluffline on my left is maybe 20 to 30 feet tall but has the
appearance of tightly packed boulders, and there’s many more giant boulders
scattered on the steep hillside to my right.
One huge boulder on the left has a dark crevice with what appears to be
a pair of eyes staring out of the darkness.
The boulder field below the bluff, lasts for a third of a mile, near its
end, a huge boulder rests right on the road, ironically the end of the road.
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views to the right, bluffs to the left
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Beyond
the ‘end of road boulder’ a trail continues but after a couple hundred yards
fades away. I continue sort of southwest
gradually climbing the hillside, soon I notice a rock ledge at the edge of a
lower bluffline. Although obstructed with
all the trees looking down toward Cave Creek far below, the bluffline and
distant views of farmland to the north looks great. From here I head due south up the hill and
land back on Daniel Mountain Road.
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| 'textured' boulder |
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house above bluff
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Less
than 200 feet after turning west on the road is an old rock wall where I notice
another ledge rock vista just a short way downhill. This second vista is much the same as the
last with lots of bare trees in the field of vision down into Cave Creek
valley. Back up on FR 1200B I continue
west, soon curving slowly southwest. My map
shows the road ends ahead, so where it begins going downhill I leave Daniel
Mtn. Rd. and head south through the open and scorched wood.
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eyes in the crevice
|
Staying
out close to the edge of the bluffs there are a few more ledges with partially
obstructed views to the north. Soon I’m
heading southeast back toward the road about half a mile away, it’s very rocky here
along the edge. But better that than just up
the hill a little where the thick blackened brush and saplings are difficult to
navigate through, plus all the black soot leaves me a filthy mess.
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heading back to the top
|
Along
the way are a couple more rock walls and a nice wet weather waterfall or more
of a tumbling cascade over the big rocks.
I soon come into the nice open area with the rock wall, where I still
think it might have been a homesite once.
I rest up here, sitting on the rock wall, then head back south on now
familiar Daniel Mountain Road. It’s
about a mile back to Rosamond Cemetery on the flat road, which goes by quick.
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rugged appearance yet wide open hiking
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Although
the ‘scorched earth’ landscape isn’t exactly ‘aesthetically pleasing’, I still
had a great time today. I wanted a hike
without much ‘climbing’ and that’s just what I got: 3.9 miles with only 273
feet of elevation gain. I’ll have to
come back (maybe this fall), to check out some of the other old roads branching
off FR 1200B, and I’m curious to see how mother nature bounces back after
the fire.
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| southeast facing view |
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another rock wall
|
Daniel Mountain: Statistics Chart 223 Daniel Mountain is near the northwest
corner of RCW, coming south from Bass is the logical route, but there are many
other options. Your route may be
different depending on where you’re coming from and how adventurous you want to
get. From the new bridge over Cave Creek
in Bass go up the mountain on NC 5070 six miles to Rosamond Cemetery (signed)
on the left. Park here, cross the road
to FR 1200B heading north.
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