The St. John’s hiking group will venture to B.W. Wells Rockcliff Farm on Saturday, May 18, our last scheduled hike until September. This 154-acre farm, once owned by NCSU ecologist Bertram and Maude Wells and now jointly managed by various conservation entities, is located at the dead end of Bent Road, Wake Forest. NOTE: The Preserve is not the same place as the Campground, which requires a left turn off the main road. Just go straight ahead a little further to the gate where a small parking area awaits.
As always, car-poolers meet at 8:30 at the church; self-drivers meet us at about 8:50 at the gate. Be sure to bring water, walking poles, a hat, and anything else you might need for about a 1.5-hour hike. We will walk about a half mile from the gate to the trails which eventually will lead us up to the old homestead. Please let me know if you plan to walk so I’ll be on the lookout for you! 919-522-7917 or hwholt09@gmail.com.
April’s hike led us to Shinleaf Recreation Area where we explored the long peninsula “hook” that extends from Shinleaf’s large visitor parking lot through a campground and all the way around the hook to a view of B.W. Wells’ “famous” Zeagle’s Rock. In route, we spotted the foundation of cabin that may have–or may not: it looked unfinished–once stood atop that narrow strip of land.
Shown in the photo below are hikers, from left, Lois Sauer, Roxanne Johnson, Beth Lyon, Karole Badgley, Dave Arner, Melanie Murphy, Kenille Baumgarner, and Wally Jack. They are standing beneath an impressive tree burl that appears to resemble the face of some animal, perhaps a dog or even a bear! While they may look weird, burls are simply a tree’s response to environmental stress and are armless to the tree. They are actually highly valued by artisan woodworkers for their unique shapes and colorations!
