CNPA-Charlotte Outing to South Mountains State Park on September 13, 2008

[jschornak]

Original Overview
The park website gives the following summary description on its website: “Nestled deep in the woods, South Mountains State Park is the perfect place to enjoy nature. Here you can see a majestic mountain range peeking out from the gently rolling landscape of the piedmont. The park includes elevations up to 3,000 feet, a waterfall dropping 80 feet and more than 40 miles of trails. From equestrian camping to trout fishing, mountain biking to picnicking, a number of activities are available at South Mountains State Park. Visit one of the state's most rugged parks. Hike the trail to High Shoals Falls to witness the roar of the waterfall as it pours into a large pool. Backpack through the woodlands for primitive camping. You can fish for trout in miles of mountain streams, or bicycle along the 17-mile mountain-bike loop.”

The park is a wonderful nature photography location. But it may be equally appealing to the stock-photographers in our group. A brief list of opportunities includes: 80-foot High Shoals Falls; Numerous mountain streams (i.e. Jacob Fork); Horses and equestrians; Hikers and backpackers; Mountain Bikers; Trail settings; and Trout Fisherman

The parking lot near Jacob Fork is 53.48-miles from my home in Huntersville, NC. So that should give everyone a rough idea of travel times. This is a single day outing. The park is fairly remote (i.e. no Subway around the corner), so I’m proposing we rendezvous at the Jacob Fork parking-lot … park … and explore on foot. I don’t plan on driving to any other locations and meals will depend on what you bring. Or would everyone like to plan a cookout or picnic (but I’d need help with that)? There is a picnic shelter which is first-come-first-served or it can be reserved for $75.00. The park has also built a nice new information center/museum/classroom building (but the museum wasn’t opened when I last visited in the winter).

I’m posting this now so that people will start signing up EARLY (that means the next couple of weeks). Also I posted this early because I would like INPUT from potential attendees. And I would really like other the HELP with plans for this outing.

Thanks!
John

Current List of Interested Members (with Attendance Status as of 9-11-2008):

Bryant, Guy - YES
Dandro, Debra - MAYBE
Hall, Dawnita - MAYBE
Lakatos, Ben - UNKNOWN
Larsen, Ann - YES
Liscinsky, Keith - YES
Payne, Edgar - YES
Schornak, John - YES
Sturkey, Amy - YES
Taylor (Carroll), Jennifer - YES

Tentative Schedule:
07:30am - 08:00am = meet at South Mountains State Park entrance
08:00am = Park opens
08:15am - 12:00pm = hike/photo-session along Jacob's Fork and Shinny Creek
12:00pm - 01:00pm = hike out to picnic area
01:30pm - 03:30pm = cookout
04:00pm - 07:00pm = photo-session along Jacob's Fork near parking-lot
08:00pm = Park closes

Cookout:
Everyone bring their own meat (hotdogs, hamburgers, steaks, etc), their own drinks, and a side-dish to share with everyone.

Let Jennifer what you will bring for a side-dish, so we don't get six-batches of brownies. She will also organize other volunteers (four or five different people) to bring the following items:

One medium-sized gas Grill - Jennifer
Paper-plates/cups - Edgar
Plastic utensils and grill utensils - Jennifer
Paper towels - John
Condiments - ?
Two medium-sized coolers with ice - John
Brownies - Jennifer
Tomatoes - Jennifer
Potato Salad - Annie
Corn on the cob, Zucchini, and Squash - Amy/Guy

Thanks!
John

[debrown]

John,
I have a golf tournament scheduled for that day but I think I will skip it and join you on this one.. Sounds like a great place. I like the idea of a midday cookout!!!

[jenniferbrown]

Add my name for this trip, please sir ... and I will gladly help with putting together the cookout/picnic.

[k.liscinsky]

John,

As of now, count me in. It has been a while since I have been there.:cool:

[epayne]

Hello John,
Count me in and most likely Ann as well. We were there about a month ago and you are correct in there are no food sources nearby. The picnic idea is a good one. Wear comfortable shoes as the hike to the 80 foot falls is about a mile. It is a good trail, moderate grade near the end with several constructed wood steps and bridge crossings over the stream on the way to the main falls. Lots of good water shot opportunities along the trail on the way in to High Shoals falls. Cellular coverage is very spotty too once you leave the parking lot so FRS radios may be a good idea if we need to stay in touch with each other.
It is on my calender,
Edgar Payne

[dawnita]

I plan on going, as well.

We went camping there during our son's spring break and it was great. Down at the campground there are a few nice places to get some nice pictures of a trout stream and you may be able to find a fly fisherperson or two that wouldn't mind modeling for you.

I am all for the cook-out idea. It sounds like fun. Let me know how I can help.

Have a great day!

Dawnita

[jschornak]

All,

Jennifer Carroll has graciously offered to help organize the picnic/cookout portion of this outing, if we choose to do that. Multiple people has indicated they would like to do that. So please start "kicking ideas around" here on this forum thread, so we could determine the logistics.

I will send Don Brown an email requesting him to send a general email to the CNPA-Charlotte membership asking them to signup quickly for this outing if they are interested (since planning a cookout probably necessitates knowing numbers.

Jennifer thank you very much for your help!

Thanks!
John

[jschornak]

Jennifer (Carolinagirl57) and others please get back to me with your opinions. We are about 1-1/2 months from the outing and we only have about 6 people committed with various levels of interest. Do you think a cookout is still viable? No one has submitted any suggestions to this forum thread with regards to the cookout (other than the offer Jennifer made to help plan this portion).

Would you guys like to discuss right before the August meeting (say 15-minutes before meeting time)? Otherwise I'm going to let Jennifer "off the hook".

Thanks!
John

[jenniferbrown]

I'm willing to do whatever the rest of the group wants to do.

[dawnita]

Whatever works for me. I think a cookout would be fun. One idea is just to tell everyone to bring their own meat, a side dish to share and a drink. Then all we need is a grill and some coals. Whatever we do, it usually works best if we stop to eat and either way we will have to pack it in since there are no restaurants near by.

Dawnita

[jschornak]

All,

Please see the edits I made to the initial post. The changes (actually just additions) are at the end of that post and pertain to the current list of interested members, a tentative schedule, and information about the cookout.

Thanks!
John

[jschornak]

Any "takers" on contributing $5 or $10 to reserve/rent the picnic shelter? This is also an attempt to "bump" this thread up past Don's, since this outing occurs before his. :)

[amysturkey]

Guy (Bryant)says, "Sign us up!" --Amy (Sturkey)

[epayne]

I am OK with kicking in some funds with the group to guarantee a picnic shelter. There is a rather large parking lot and if remember correctly a large covered meeting / picnic shelter with tables and grills. Here is the info from the state park site.

Picnic Shelters
Facility Description(s)

* Facility: One 12-table picnic shelter. Shelter has 12 tables, two grills and a fireplace.
* Location: Jacob Fork parking area.
* Accommodates: Up to 80 people, each.
* Nearby Amenities: Electricity and water.
* Available: Year round.
* Reservations Required: See note below.
* Accessible: Yes.

(Available by reservation. Available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis, if not reserved.)

* 9 - 12 Tables --- $85/day

Forms of Payment: Cash, checks, travelers checks. At this time, only Carolina Beach, Mount Mitchell and Morrow Mountain State Parks accept Visa or Mastercard.

Granted it is kinda large for our group at present but it would guarantee a nice place for our meal if we want to reserve it. It may already be reserved by another group? The earlier posts are correct there are no restaurants nearby and picnics can be fun. We can always tailgate in the parking lot too. I am OK with that.

Ann and I are planning on going.
Edgar Payne

[jenniferbrown]

Please let me know what "side" you are willing to contribute. I'll start a list and update it here on the forum.

corn on the cob, zucchini, squash - Amy/Guy
brownies - Jennifer
tomatoes - Jennifer
potato salad - Ann/Edgar

coolers and ice - John
Paper towels - John
small portable gas grill - Jennifer
plastic utensils and grill utensils - Jennifer
Paper-plates/cups - Edgar

[epayne]

Ann says she will be glad to make potato salad for consumption. It is really good.
Edgar Payne

[jenniferbrown]

Thanks Edgar and Ann!!

[jschornak]

All,

I have updated the "members interested list" in the first post on this forum thread. Please let me know if I have something incorrect (i.e. your name is not in the list and should be, or your name is on the list and should not be).

Also please volunteer (with Jennifer on this thread) for a side-dish. We are running out of time.

Jennifer, do we have a grill or two line up yet? Charcoal? Has anyone volunteered for utensils/plates/cups/napkins ... condiments?

It is shaping up to be a terrific outing. So if you have not signed up for this outing yet, then you should probably reconsider. It's close, so we won't burn a lot of expensive gasoline. It may not sound exotic, but it is a wonderful place for some beautiful images. And the cookout will be a real treat.

Thanks!
John

[jschornak]

All,

I've updated the attendance list per the email replies that I've received back. Jennifer will post more accurate details about the cookout. And I'll send my final email (hopefully) later this afternoon to those attending.

Thanks!
John

[jenniferbrown]

I have updated the picnic contributions list above.

[jenniferbrown]

Wanted to offer up a big THANK YOU to John for all of your insight and effort that went into making this a great outing.

Thanks to everyone for contributing to the awesome cookout!!!

[k.liscinsky]

I want to say Thanks to John for leading this trip. It was a fun place to shoot even though I had to leave early. :D

And everyone was great! Looking forward to seeing the pixs.

Hopefully we can do this one again.

[epayne]

Ann and I want to second and third the THANK YOU. Not only did we get a few great photos we had a WONDERFUL meal. And despite Guy saying Amy can't cook, the grilled squash and corn on the cob were excellent. :-) yumO. Thanks for the brownies too Jenifer, they were a fitting finish.
EP & AL