The summer of 2020 was unlike any other in memory.  The modern world was shutting down and society was fracturing as it wrestled with race, privilege, and increasingly divergent world views.  I needed help.  My creative energy pool was empty, I was finding myself spending days on end never leaving the house, and my overall mood could be described as “meh”. 

It was in this context that I learned of the Triangle Land Conservancy Hiking Challenge.  TLC invites would be hikers to explore six of their nature preserves within one year.  To complete the challenge all hikes must be logged on the TLC website and shared with #HikeTLC on social media.

I have been a member of Triangle Land Conservancy for many years.  If you do not know about TLC, their mission statement provides a good summary of who and what they are about.

TLC strives to create a healthier and more vibrant Triangle region by safeguarding clean water, protecting natural habitats, supporting local farms and food, and connecting people with nature through land protection and stewardship, catalyzing community action, and collaboration.

TLC nature preserves are open to the public. Each has well maintained trails and wonderful hiking experiences.  Many of the preserves protect unique ecosystems, creating truly special places for all to experience.

I completed the challenge in just under five months, knocking out the first two within days of each other.  The summer heat caused me to pause the challenge until September, finally wrapping up over Thanksgiving weekend.  What follows are my reflections and a few photos form each of the preserves I visited.

Flower Hill Nature Preserve

Flower Hill is TLC’s eastern-most preserve. Situated near the Johnston/Nash county line this “freak of nature” brings a piece of the Appalachians to the edge of the coastal plain.  The phrase, “freak of nature”, was used by noted North Carolina naturalist B.W. Wells to describe this unique microclimate on his first visit to the area in the 1930s.  

The preserve is just 10 acres with a simple out and back trail of less than a mile, but don’t let its small size keep you from making the trip.  Although the Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) was not in bloom during my hike in early July, they were still a notable part of the flora of the preserve.  It is clear that the north-facing bluffs cut into the surrounding farmland by Moccasin Creek have created a rather unusual place.   

The highlight of the hike was when I was serenaded by a pair of wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) as I took a short water break along the top of the bluffs (check out the brief video for your own 30 seconds of solitude with the thrushes).  I look forward to visiting Flower Hill again in the spring to see the rhodies in bloom.

Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve

Swift Creek NP was well known to me having frequented it many times over the years.  I am especially proud that my oldest son completed his Eagle Scout project at the preserve, leading a group of scouts and adults to assemble and install the information kiosk at the west end of the park.

Much like Flower Hill, walking along the trails beneath the north-facing bluffs that rise quickly from Swift Creek, I entered a mature beach forest and a microclimate that transported me to the foothills of the Appalachians. It is easy to forget that you are in the middle of rapidly growing suburbia.  But that is part of what TLC is all about.  Preserving natural areas like this to provide greenspaces and to protect the waterways that supply our municipal water needs.  Some may not know, but Swift Creek feeds Lake Wheeler and Lake Benson, both of which are part of the City of Raleigh’s water supply.  They serve as backup reservoirs to Falls Lake, Raleigh’s primary source. 

The preserve is located off Holly Springs Road between Tryon and Penny Roads.  On each trip I pause to read a plaque that enshrines a wonderful poem, wild peace, that speaks to all who are young at heart and find themselves at home on a woodland path.

Horton Grove Nature Preserve

August proved too hot for hiking so it wasn’t until early September that I found myself at Horton Grove, TLC’s largest public preserve.  It offers over eight miles of trails and in addition to the mix of meadows, woods, and wetlands, Horton Grove provides hikers with a connection to families of enslaved persons who were forced to work the plantation that once occupied the area.  Each trail is named for a black family and some of the historic structures can still be found on the property.

I love the mix of history and nature as I explored two areas in this sizable preserve.  The large meadow will certainly be a future birding stop for me, particularly during spring migration.

Johnston Mill Nature Preserve

Found at the confluence of Old Field Creek and New Hope Creek, the Johnston Mill preserve looks quite similar to nearby Eno River State Park.  Once a hive of industry, as the name suggests, the area once was home to mills tapping the power of water as it made its way down to the sea.  Today, the streams and woodlands have largely returned to their natural state, save the large high-tension wire towers that stand watch over the Bluebird Trail.

It was a truly sparkling day in November that I first visited the preserve. The network of roughly five miles of trail provides hikers with a variety of hike length options.  Parking is available off Turkey Farm Road and Mount Sinai Road.  The two parking areas are linked by Robin’s Trail, with the other four miles or so of trails accessible as loops off of Robin’s.

White Pines Nature Preserve

White Pines NP holds a special place in my photographic journey.  I first visited the preserve in the spring of 2012 as part of a photo project I was working on with the Chatham County Conservation Partnership (read more about in Image Stories).  Each time I visit I discover something new.  Similar to other TLC preserves, White Pine is home to an unusual ecosystem.  It too is another microclimate that has allowed mountain and northern species to survive since the last ice age.  Here I walked among white pines (Pinus strobus) and mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), typically found hundreds of miles to the west and a few thousand feet higher in elevation.  Like Swift Creek and Flower Hill, its north-facing slopes provide a cool shaded habitat that allows these mountain species to thrive, despite the long hot summers typical of the Piedmont.

It was late fall and the last of the leaves were still filling the woods with color.  The heavy rains of the prior week left evidence of significant flooding along both the Rocky and Deep Rivers.  Near the site of the old cable bridge, I found a small sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) still clinging to its leaves ablaze in sunlight as it streamed through the forest.  It has found a place in my portfolio as “Tree Shine”.

From what I have been able to learn, the old cable bridge was used by local children to get to school sometime in the first half of the twentieth century.  All that remains are the anchors and some of the heavy cable that once spanned the Rocky River.  It would be interesting to learn more of the history of this place.

Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve

The Williamson Farm & Nature Preserve was the final stop on my #HikeTLC challenge, and I took along two of my adult kids (socially distant of course) to share the experience.  The preserve is the only TLC public property with a working farm.  The site provides seven miles of multi-use trails for hiking and biking. 

The preserve is in the shape of a backwards “L” with a long narrow corridor that runs south from Mial Plantation Road to the Town of Clayton River Walk.  The preserve is also accessible from the south on the Neuse River Greenway via the Neuse River Connector trail located between mile markers 27 and 28.  The preserve provided us an easy walk round the Two Pond Loop trail.  I will have to make another trip soon to explore deeper in the preserve.  At around an eight-mile round trip, I may consider a mountain bike rather then hiking boots or devote a full day for the hike.  Regardless, there is still much to explore.

I am thankful for the TLC Hiking Challenge.  It was just the sort of challenge I needed to get me out of the pandemic rut I found myself in over the summer.  I am now hiking almost every week and making short trips to explore more of the piedmont and coastal plain here in North Carolina.