Scrapbooking Life: Table Rock Mountain Weekend
By admin
I bet you had no idea that this past weekend I was up in the mountains. After all, it’s not like I have mentioned it at here on the blog or anything.
Okay, so maybe, just maybe, I have talked about it every chance I could. But it’s only because I was excited.
I, no we, needed this little get away. It was the mini work cleanse that our bodies, minds, and hearts needed.
So, what did we do? Excuse this post as I am using it as a way to scrapbook this trip… there are lots of pictures!
Mountain Weekend 2014
Friday morning, our friends Ashton and Jared got to our house and we quickly and very strategically loaded up my little car for the 4 hour drive from Charleston to the cabin we were renting in Pickens, SC.
Our cabin was pet friendly so even Zoe got to tag along!
The drive passed uneventfully (thank goodness) and by early afternoon we were starring up at our cabin.
It was gorgeous! I know some people are nervous to use getaway services like HomeAway or VRBO but I have had nothing but great experiences.
This cabin was on a beautiful plot of land, with the mountains in the background.
The house seemed brand new, the 3 bedrooms were spacious and comfortable… and the living area very open. It was perfect for group socializing.
If you ever need a mountain getaway retreat, consider this one. I was very happy and thought the price was an awesome deal per night.
Happy Hour At The Vineyards
After we unpacked and grabbed a quick bite to eat, Ashton and I convinced the boys to head down to a local vineyard for some vino.
We didn’t have high hopes for the actual quality of the wine, it’s not exactly what South Carolina is famous for…
But we thought it would be fun and a great place to relax before dinner.
Just nestled about 10 minutes away from our cabin, Victoria Valley Vineyards was breath taking. The grapevines, the views, and yes, even the wine were all amazing.
Dan and I loved the Table Rock White Blend!
Ashton and I were extremely proud of ourselves for discovering this hidden jewel. The staff was great (and we ended up chatting all things running for quite some time with) and knowledgeable on the grapes and history.
And the prices were perfect… $ 5 for a 5 glass tasting.
After the tasting, each couple chose a bottle of wine and we relaxed out on the back porch chatting about our hike planned for the morning.
It made for the perfect happy hour.
Stupid Couples Go Hiking
That could have been the newspaper headline due to our stupidity after our wine hour.
Once back at the cabin, we enjoyed a home cooked meal of grilled Sizzlefish (cod), local beans we brought from Charleston and a pasta salad.
While grilling, Jared made the comment that he could hear water streaming from our deck.
So, what did a group of 4 inexperienced hikers do?
We decided that at 8:30, it would be the perfect time to go hike and try to find it.
Zoe tried to tag along but I quickly realized that wasn’t smart so I put her inside, along with Dan’s beer.
We did find it, however it was close to complete darkness once we did, and being that we had no idea where we were, there was a feeling of both adventure and fear.
Oh, and the one phone we were using for pictures and our flashlight had only 4% power.
Kids… don’t do this as home!
Everything worked out and we made it back, and all agreed it was pretty idiotic of us. But it made for a great mini adventure at the time!
And it helped get us warmed up for the BIG adventure that would kick off the following morning.
Hiking Table Rock
When we woke up that morning, we had planned on hiking 2 strenuous trails… totaling about 13-14 miles.
All 4 of us were excited and ready to get started!
Table Rock State Park, located less than 10 minutes from our cabin, is the start of several trails going into the foothill mountains of South Carolina.
There is even one trail that takes around 5 days… this would not be our path, however we did decide to embark on their hardest trail…
The Pinnacle Trail.
I had read there were some great views and sites along the way. But we also wanted to make it to the summit of Table Rock so as a group decided that we would:
- Hike the Pinnacle Trail (yellow trail)
- Cross over at the ridge line (dotted orange trail)
- Get on the Table Rock Trail to get to the top (red trail)
- Return to the base via Table Rock.
We were warned that this was a lofty goal, and those working at the park encouraged us to pack lots and lots of water. They also said it would take us around 7 hours due to the heat, inclines, and distance.
We said thank you, grabbed 2 more water bottles (so for 4 people, we had 6 total) and headed off…
The trail started off easy enough and though from time to time there were a few steep inclines, it wasn’t anything too hairy.
Doesn’t that look like something out of the Lion King?! Love that picture!
After about an hour of somewhat easy climbing, things changed and we realized why the course was “strenuous”. The uphill climb was insane, and there were times when you would look up and not see the end.
With legs burning, hearts pounding, and sweat dripping, we continued on.
And after about 2 hours were rewarded with this…
Wow, words can’t explain how beautiful this view was.
We all sat for a minute or two to take it in.
Then it was back on the trail to finish the last mile of Pinnacle… but this is where things got really hairy.
The steepness was crazy, you could tell that the trail wasn’t the #1 choice by many as Dan was leading and breaking down spider webs, and we were quickly going through our water.
By the time we finished the trail and set off on the ridge line, we had maybe 1 water bottle for all of us.
It was at this point we started to question if we should to to the summit or if we should make it to the Table Rock Trail but go straight down.
Mother nature made the decision for us with a surprise afternoon thunderstorm, though I think we had already decided that the smart thing to do would be to cut off the last portion due to the heat and lack of water.
The downpour just helped us accept the decision, though all of us were a tad bit disappointed.
Not that we were done… we still had about an hour left of hiking before making it back to the camp.
That put us at right around 11 miles traveled!
But we made it!
We were thirsty, wet, and tired but we made it! The rest of the evening was spent sipping wine, eating turkey burgers and star gazing.
And now we can’t wait to get back up to tackle the FULL Table Rock Trail.
Thanks for letting me share this amazing trip with you!
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