The Neusiok Trail traverses 20 miles through the Croatan National Forest, connecting the Neuse River at Pine Cliff to the New Port River at Oyster Point. This is an easy hike through familiar Carolina coast ecosystems such as bogs, cypress swamps and long-leaf pines. The Neusiok Trail runs concurrently with the Mountains to Sea Trail through the National Forest. Hikes 34 & 35 of the 40 Hike Challenge are excellent ways to get a taste of what this diverse area has to offer.
In 2020, Nancy East and her hiking partner Chris Ford set the FKT (fastest known time) for hiking all of the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 948 miles. Spoiler alert – they complete the challenge in a record 29 days!
At first glance you may take this book to just be a typical hiking log of an epic adventure, but it is so much more. This book will appeal to hikers of all levels – Thru, Section or Day-Hikers, as well as anyone that loves to hear stories of how ordinary people overcome tremendous obstacles to complete miraculous goals.
Beyond the typical day to day diary of a hiker, Nancy creatively includes the reader in her struggles and doubts – not just during the hike but also her obstacles preparing for the challenge. The author is not afraid to share her personal griefs and this draws the reader into the struggle with her. Even though I knew the end of the story, I found myself anxiously cheering her and Chris on to the end.
The author is obviously an experienced hiker, but she has a multitude of other talents and interests including being actively involved in Search and Rescue. She is able to easily incorporate her past experiences into the book which makes each day’s entry even more interesting. Her passion is for hiker safety and this is apparent throughout the book – she is able to include within her writing important safety information that all of us should practice and promote. These lessons flow naturally in the narrative of her story.
Most importantly, which I have found to be true, Nancy shows how the trail is a therapeutic balm for our souls. From the beginning, Nancy relates one of her inspirations for this challenge – the previous tragic loss of a hiker on the trail. She and Chris were able to use the Smokies 900 Challenge to bring focus to hiker safety and assist with much needed resources.
Nancy has a gift as a writer that draws the reader into the story. You will find yourself not wanting to put this book down until Nancy & Chris successfully reach the end of their journey. I highly recommend this book for you and for anyone else who loves the outdoors, hiking or a challenge of any kind.
You can read more about Nancy East and order her book on her website NancyEast.com
We all need a place where we can be awed by wonder & where our senses are inundated with the divine. Each time I have visited Linville Gorge, I have been re-awakened to the joy it is to experience the majesty of creation. I do not know how old I was when I first experienced Linville Gorge. I grew up in Burke County and my dad would occasionally take us on adventures in his Ford Bronco. One of those was to the top of Shortoff and I still remember the sensation of a view taking my breath away. I am grateful to say that the gorge still does this to me. Hopefully you will see why Hike #8 of the 40 Hike Challenge is my favorite.
The Bracken Mountain Preserve is located just outside the town of Brevard, NC in Transylvania County and within walking distance of the Brevard Music Center. It is a collection of trails (with the addition of the Pinnacle Trail in 2019) totaling about 9 miles. This area is open to hiking and mountain biking. The Preserve borders Pisgah National Forest and hikers can actually connect from Brevard to the Art Loeb Trail and other adventures within Pisgah National Forest.
Hike 29 of the MST 40 Hike Challenge introduces the hiker to the interesting ecological phenomena of the Carolina bay. These elliptical depressions are typically water filled and provide a prime location for an abundance of flora and wildlife. The name “bay” is in recognition of the Red, Sweet and Loblolly bay trees that surround these bodies of water. The Jones Lake bay, located in Bladen County, encompasses over 224 acres.
