You will be taking a hike at the foot of Rumbling Bald Mountain. It is part of Chimney Rock State Park but there is no entrance fee here. If you come on the weekend, try to get here before noon. Once the parking lot is full, the ranger will close the gate and only let 1 car in when another leaves. This area opens at 8 AM year round, closes at 6 PM in the winter and 8 PM in the summer.
This is one of our favorite places to hike. The boulders are huge and the woods are beautiful. The wildflowers are plentiful and at the base of the cliffs, you can scramble up to get a view of the lake and beyond. Being allowed to place a virtual cache let's us show you this wonderful place. It was originally called Bald Mountain but in 1874, there were tremors that made the mountain rumble. Locals said that smoke rose from the mountain and they feared an earthquake or volcano. Reporters came and preachers held revivals. After 6 months of intermittent rumbling, it settled down and got it's new name. The main trail is a loop that was improved a few years ago and allows good emergency access to the boulder and cliff areas, so, much of the trail is wide and smooth. This hike will be less than 2 miles, unless you get lost or explore further, and a few hundred feet of elevation change, at most. When going through the boulder fields, you will be on smaller and somewhat overgrown trails, but still very passable. Keep an eye out for poison ivy and snakes. With that, let's get going.
The posted coordinates will take you to a sign with a map on it. This map shows boulders and cliffs that are sheer. On this map you will find a number, but which is Unclear. Don't look to the east, this area is quite Near. To find the next stage, take the digit you've found (Q) and plug it in here. 27.0A3 13.1B3 A=Q+7 B=Q+3
At the next stage you will find another map. This shows the boulder field that the Carolina Climber's Coalition bought in 2010 to preserve access. To get to Shark Rock, find one that reads like a Clock. Add the digits together and you shall have "P". Put it in the equation and off you shall Be. 27.0C1 13.1D4 C=P-4 D=P+5
We think this rock looks like a Shark. OK, so a shark with a really small mouth. The climbers have a different name for it, but we didn't use it, because that would be too easy. This is one of the smaller rocks around. To log this cache find, post a picture of the rock, with or without shark chow. But do include something to make it obvious that you were here. Whether it's people, a selfie, your water can or your gps. We're not picky, we just want you to take a nice walk. We hope you enjoy the area and take some time to explore these woods. Wander up to the cliff face or take the loop trail all the way around. Please do not post pictures of the maps.
FTF Goes to Robin Mohawk!
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.