40 Hike Challenge: #40 Jockey’s Ridge – Completion!

Distance: 1.0 mile round trip

Degree of difficulty: Easy

Source: Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains – to – Sea Trail

It was surreal as we pulled up to the Jockey’s Ridge trailhead. Less than 10 months earlier, I had just started on the goal to complete the MST 40 Hike Challenge. I had picked up the book, Great Day Hikes of North Carolina’s Mountains – to – Sea Trail mainly out of curiosity, and while I was driving to do some day hiking at nearby Dupont State Forest, I stumbled onto The Jester Section Hiker Podcast. Her detailed descriptions of each hike stirred within me a hunger for such an adventure.

I have always loved hiking and as I have stated in more detail in the About section of this blog, I eagerly desired to get outside, this challenge being exactly what I needed.

One week after buying the book and binging on podcasts, I started my first hike of the challenge. Familiar and not far from home, Rattlesnake Lodge (Hike #6) on March 19, 2021 was my first trek on what would be a unforgettable, life time experience. Living in Western North Carolina, I was able to drive and complete many of the first hikes by doing out and backs. However, it wasn’t long before my drives would of been longer than my hikes. Therefore, my wife, Kimberly and her parents, Jack and JoAnne were eager to join in my adventure. I am so thankful for their support and willingness to ‘explore’ new areas of the State.

Hike 40 is a short walk from the parking lot to the pinnacle of Jockey’s Ridge. It leaves the parking area and immediately enters a short wooded canopy of a small maritime forest before entering the dunes area.

There are a few markers on the trail, but there are also several other miscellaneous paths that have emerged through the years. The Tracks in the Sand Trail extends to the north-west of the MST.

Jockey’s Ridge is the higher pinnacle from which you can see both the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Albemarle Sound. On typical days the dunes would be populated with hang-gliders, but today it was cold, rainy and windy so my family and I had the place to ourselves.

If you were able to hike the Challenge specific to the guidebook, it would be approximately 150 miles. My journey with out-and-backs and additional wanderings was about 185 miles. For many of those miles I was alone with my thoughts.

For this last hike, my family allowed me a moment of solitude to crest the ridge on my own, but I knew that throughout all of the miles – I was never alone.

Throughout the Challenge, I was able to share some of the trails by catching up with old friends. The trail is the ideal venue for great conversations. I am also thankful that Kimberly joined me on several of them as well. It is a joy to know that my love of hiking and being outdoors has continued with my children. My son Noah and I had the pleasure of sharing many hours in some of my favorite hikes in Western North Carolina. But my greatest joy was getting to finish all of the hikes in the Outer Banks with my wife, Kimberly; my daughter, Reagan; her husband, Grayson and my son, Noah.

My family have been with me throughout my past health challenges and they have been encouragers for this entire journey, thankful for the obstacles that have been overcome. Most of all, I could not of pursued and accomplished this goal without Kimberly by my side. She never hesitated when I first told her about the Challenge and my dream, and she was the catalyst when I was overwhelmed with all of the details of planning hikes around schedules, weather and a full time job. Thank you Kimberly, I love you!

I also want to give a special shout out to my daughter, Reagan. She custom designed and hand-embroidered my one of a kind “MST” hat as well as created shirts for the whole family with my website’s logo.

What’s Next?

My eventual goal is to complete the entire MST. This challenge has sparked something within me that leaves me wanting more challenges. I do not know when I will finish, but I plan on setting foot on those precious trails again within a few weeks. I will continue to blog and share the journey. I look forward to many more miles, and I thank you, my readers, for your encouragement and support.

A complete list of the 40 Hikes and their Blog Posts can be found here

40 Hike Challenge Blue Ridge Parkway Conserving Carolina Hickory Nut Gorge Hiking Lake Lure Linville Gorge Mountains to Sea Mount Mitchell North Carolina Trails