I
got out of the house a little later than usual this morning, and this afternoon
is supposed to get pretty warm, around 80°.
So as I’m driving south, I make the decision to keep my hike short and
try to keep the elevation gain to a minimum.
You can tell a lot about distance and altitude gain when you’re studying
a map, but in the end, it is what it is, and you never know until you go. I end up in Gene Rush WMA, at the trailhead
for a loop hike that should fit the bill.
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subtle beauty
|
This
little loop involves a couple WMA roads or ‘firelanes’ as they’re referred to
in Gene Rush. I’m going to call this the
‘Maberry Loop’ for the cemetery I plan to visit along the way. My parking spot is outside the gate that
blocks NC 4543, it’s a good sized area, probably with enough room for six to
park here. Last December when I first
decided to check out some of the ‘firelanes’ I was pleasantly surprised by the clean
and easy hiking when on the ‘lanes’ (see: 210 Firelanes and Lick Creek).
 |
| parking and gate at end of NC 4543 |
Once
inside the gate I turn south (north is also an option), on Gene Rush WMA
Firelane #16005C, I’ll shorten that to FL1605C.
Right away just west of the road, I spot a small pond that’s almost
full. In the next 500 feet are two
intersections where firelanes head off to the west, I stay on FL1605C heading
south. The road winds around a couple
dry creek crossings before the next junction, where I turn right on a spur lane.
 |
big pines and small ponds
|
From
the junction it’s about a quarter mile west then south to Maberry
Cemetery. Along the way is one lone
boulder next to the road, then a little ‘patch’ of prickly-pear cactus before
reaching the fenced cemetery. Maberry is
a small family plot, with only three marked graves, all infants who died in the
1930s, it’s a grim reminder of how fragile and precious life is. Beyond Maberry Cemetery the road ends in a
little mowed clearing. |
lone boulder and prickly-pear
|
In
the back of this grassy area I find and follow a faint trail heading southeast
into the woods. The trail doesn’t last
long, but the woods are clean and easy for a bushwhack of just over 200 yards
back to the ‘main’ road (FL1605C). In
these woods are a few flowering dogwood, I’ll see many more throughout the hike
today. In the next 300 yards are three
more dry creek crossings over mostly bedrock, then the road turns west and
begins a gradual descent. |
small, fenced Maberry Cemetery
|
It's
all downhill for a little under half a mile, above me to the south is a wide
ridge with a big boulder near the top.
And below on my right, down in the deep drainage are some impressive
bluffs and possibly a cave or two.
FL1605C soon comes to an end at a gate and WMA road 1607. I’ll only be on the road for a quarter mile,
but this short stretch is well maintained, any vehicle would have no problem driving
this ‘piece’ of WMA1607. |
| near the end of FL1605C |
 |
WMA 1607
|
At
a gate on the north side of the road I leave WMA1607 and head downhill on
FL1608C. This firelane hasn’t been mowed
or graded in quite some time, and is starting to get overgrown with saplings
brush and blackberry. And in places is a
little steep, FL1608C feels more like a trail than a firelane. Down at the bottom I land in a dry rocky creek
known as ‘Deal Hollow’ that is mostly bedrock, FL1608C appears to end here, so
I turn downstream on the dry bedrock. |
| gate at top of overgrown FL1608C |
 |
follow dry rocky creek downstream
|
Following
the creek about a hundred yards to a confluence, here I turn right upstream on
another dry rocky creek. Both these
creeks are pretty ‘clean and easy’ to hike in, only 80 feet up the creek I come
to FL1608C where it crosses this dry stream.
Now back on the trail, I climb out of Deal Hollow, northwest uphill for over
200 yards, this will be the longest ‘sustained’ climb of the day, but I wouldn’t
call it ‘steep’. |
| leave Deal Hollow... |
 |
head uphill on FL1608C
|
After
the ‘lane’ levels out some and turns more to the north, FL1608C ends at FL1606C. Running east/west, I go east, FL1606C is more
your typical wide grassy firelane (a road), still going uphill and after half a
mile I enter a big field. This 11 acre
wildlife opening is WO1606, the lane follows along the southeast edge of the
field for only 160 feet before leaving back into the woods.
 |
FL1606C clean and easy
|
Now
headed east, on a wide ridge and continuing uphill for almost half a
mile to another junction. This is
FL1605C the lane where I started, and it’s under 700 feet back to the truck,
the end of this ‘clean and easy’ hike. It’s
a great little hike of 3.4 miles and 416 feet in elevation gain, exactly what I
was looking for. The scenery while
not particularly ‘spectacular’ was still very pretty in a ‘subtle’ way, and the
hiking was 100% enjoyable. |
| WO1606 |
 |
spring is in the air (Verbena)
|
Maberry Loop: Statistics Chart 225
Getting to where I parked today is pretty easy. South of the Buffalo River/SR 123 bridge
about a quarter mile is NC 4500 into Gene Rush WMA, there is a sign. Go east on NC 4500 about 1.8 miles to a fork,
head right (southeast) staying on NC 4500 for another 0.8 miles and turn right
(west) on unmarked NC 4543. Follow NC
4543 about 0.7 miles to the parking area outside the gate (good ground
clearance recommended).
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