Z 11/9 – Hang in There – Hannah, Jerry, Christian, Nitya, Caroline

Hanging Rock!

We had a great time at Hanging Rock exploring the beauty and serenity of nature from an amazing view! As we hiked the very hilly trail, we took in the beautiful sight of trees with leaves on the ground, the blue and cloudless sky, and the natural landscape of the hills surrounding us. It felt great being disconnected from human interference and walking the trail to just recognize the simple beauty the world has to offer. In doing our part, we made sure to leave the trail better than we found it, picking up all trash we found along the way. As well, we pushed limits once we reached the actual rock, exploring more than just what the trail portrayed and finding so many cool caves and crevices in the massive rock formation. We climbed up boulders and shimmied between cracks all to reach the top—which was so worth it for the beautiful view. Pictures can’t capture fully just how great the experience was, but I’ll always remember the memories of our trip warmly.

Hanging Rock

Today we woke up bright and early to drive to Hanging Rock State Park, about an hour north of Greensboro. Along the way, we went through picturesque towns we’d never heard of and got excited as we saw the mountains begin to appear in the background.

When we got to the park, what we thought would just be an ordinary hike turned into an all-out rock climbing adventure. My favorite part of the day was going outside my comfort zone and experiencing aspects of Hanging Rock that I never would have experienced had it not been for my friends pushing me to explore beyond the trail.

Fortunately, we didn’t find much trash on our hike, but the trash we did find we picked up and disposed of.

What we’ve discovered today on and off the designated trail just goes to show amazing wildlife can be if we take the time to explore, open ourselves to adventure, and work to preserve the natural beauty of our state.

Hiking in Western NC

Hannah writes: “North Carolina boasts a variety of ecosystems varying from expansive mountain ranges to beautiful beaches. We have explored so little of what this breathtaking state has to offer, so along with focusing on nature preservation, we want to spend the day outside on a hike through one of our state’s many national parks, Hanging Rock State Park. As we hike to the summit, we will observe the natural flora and fauna, take in the changing colors of the leaves, and practice “Leave No Trace” in order to fully understand, appreciate, and preserve our parks.”

– What does it mean to “Leave No Trace”?

– What has been the effect of invasive species on native North Carolina wildlife?

– How can we work towards preserving nature in our everyday lives?