Dave's Rock and Three Forks Mtn.

I like to look at maps and imagine what different places look like. I like to wander around on the ground and try to match the reality to the map. A wise man said, "the map is not the territory." INDEED!

For a few years now I've been looking at a place called Dave's Rock on the map and imagining what the view would be like. Today it's not imagination.

 Here's the view from Dave's Rock. I don't think I found the main outcroppings which are actually more western facing. The little white dot in the center is the Pisgah Astronomical Research Station, PARI

You can see down into the area known as Dave's Cove which is now accessible via a road called Jim's Cove Rd. (Jim bought the road but not the mountain I suppose).

I also made it to the peak of Three Forks Mtn. @ 3,7774 ft according to the topo. The ridgeline took quite a hit last winter and there's not a tree left over 60-80ft, but there are a few old giants. There's an old road right along the USFS boundary, I suppose a few hunters, the property owners (USFS prop on left, private property on right side in picture) and random hikers like myself ever go up there.

I went up an old logging road off of Hwy. 215 that shows as a trail on USGS topo maps. The trail runs alongside Laurel Branch, which is a chatty little stream that winds up a long and eventually deep cove to pretty near the base of of Three Forks Mtn.

Of course, it wouldn't be Pisgah without some fungus so here's the obligatory 'shroom picture. I left a lot of interesting one's un-pictured, especially up on the ridge. Some 'shrooms just belong in your imagination. :-) This one is pretty unique, I hadn't seen one like this before.