Medoc Mountain Summit Loop

Sunday, January 9, 2022

Hi Blog!

It's hard to believe almost a week has gone by since Snowmaggedon 2022. Without campground power, we boondocked in the Fredericksburg KOA for three days before the camp workers were able to clear all the downed trees from the campground roads. After learning it could be more than a week before power would be restored, we decided to contact our next campground and see if they could take us a few days early. On Thursday, January 6, 2022, we drove south from Fredericksburg to Enfield, North Carolina. By the time we passed Richmond, there was no evidence of snow.

It took us a couple days to recover from our unexpected boondocking. By Sunday, we were ready to explore our new neighborhood. Just a few miles from camp was Medoc Mountain State Park. Some of the park’s ten miles of hiking trails wander along the Fishing Creek; others climb several hundred feet to the upper reaches of Medoc Mountain. We decided to explore a little of both.

 

We were curious about the name Medoc. The mountain and surrounding land have long been used for agriculture. Once the property of Sidney Weller, a noted farmer and educator, the area was used for the cultivation of grapes in the 19th century. Weller produced a highly acclaimed wine known as Weller's Halifax and is credited with developing the American system of grape culture and winemaking. It was Weller who named the mountain "Medoc," after a province in the Bordeaux region of France famous for its vineyards. The vineyards here in North Carolina disappeared, and little trace of them remains. 

This restored barn sits near the trailhead.  We wondered it if might have played a role in winemaking, but we'll never know.

The wilderness character of Medoc Mountain is being restored through reforestation. Much of the land is in various stages of regrowth, and the forests offer a sense of renewal. Old fields, once used for farming, are being reforested with herbaceous plants and young pines. In time, mature loblolly pine forests and then hardwood forests will reign.

When we reached Fishing Creek, we took a moment to enjoy the warmth of the day. Fishing Creek is considered to be one of the cleanest streams in North Carolina. Several species of game fish, including redbreast sunfish, bluegill, warmouth, largemouth bass and chain pickerel make fishing a popular pastime in the park.

While most of the creek flowed placidly by, we did find a few riffles.

Much of the Fishing Creek Loop follows along the main creek bank. However, there were several steep drainage runs we had to cross by hiking up the drainage and crossing a small footbridge.

In order to reach the Medoc Summit Loop, we had to cross over Fishing Creek.

 

As we worked our way down the far side of the creek, we found a fallen log which made a great lunch spot.

After lunch, we had to cross a number of draining runs. This particular crossing had a brand new bridge. The dappled sunlight made for an interesting photo with me and my shadow friend!

Even with temperatures near an unseasonable 65 degrees, we only encountered a few hikers on the trail. For most of the day, we had the park to ourselves.

Our grandson would be disappointed if we didn't include at least one "fun guy" in our blog. Here is the best of our fun guy photos.

As we neared the summit of Medoc Mountain, we notice evidence of a forest fire. As it turned out, this area was part of a prescribed burn back in 2018 to help make the forest healthier.

Considering this area was primarily used for agriculture since the early-1800s, it was not surprising to find a cemetery. What was unusual, however, was how well the plots were maintained. There was no mention of the Vinson family in the park literature. We did uncover some ancestry websites that mentioned the Vinson family had a plantation in the area.  But we never found information about this family, whose mother outlived her husband, four sons and a grandson.

We followed an old farm road toward the summit of Medoc Mountain. Someone decided to create an art installation along the side of the road.

We also learned that Medoc Mountain is not really a mountain at all. Its highest point reaches an elevation of only 325 feet above sea level. It is, rather, the core of what was once a mighty range of mountains. Medoc Mountain is what remains after millions of years of erosion. The eroded peaks were formed by volcanic action during the Paleozoic Age, about 350 million years ago. Medoc Mountain is cloaked in a forest of green, its trees masking the peak. There are no scenic panoramas, no distant views of a majestic pinnacle rising to the sky. We tried to find the US Geological Survey Marker at the summit, but the fallen leaves made it impossible to find. However, we did find some really interesting educational markers.

The granite core of  Medoc Mountain has effectively routed the streams of the area around itself and has resisted the erosion typical of the surrounding lowlands. The park sits near the fall line, an area where the hard, resistant rocks of the foothills give way to the softer rocks and sediments of the coastal plain. The northern and western faces of Medoc Mountain have very steep slopes, dropping 160 feet over a distance of less than a quarter mile. We followed a long set of stairs back down to the banks of Fishing Creek. once we reached the bottom and returned to Fishing Creek, Kathy took a moment to rest and listen to the creek burble by.

After completing the Summit Loop, we had about a mile and a quarter to return to the trailhead. We both agreed it was nice to be able to get out and stretch our legs. The 65 degree temperature was a bonus. However, the good weather isn't going to last long. By Tuesday, we will be back in the teens. 

Hopefully, we'll be able to get out and about again. Stay tuned.