Since this is an undeveloped piece of property, there are no bathrooms or available water on site so we have to pack everything in. It's a short hike exploring the main trails, but I've yet to explore some of the lesser developed footpaths because they're very overgrown and the ticks and snakes have been very abundant this year.
The best features of this preserve are the Little Rockfish and Bucknose Creeks. They converge together on the property and continue down through the woods to join up to the now non-existent Hope Mills Lake. There's a dock out there where the water used to flow up onto a beach called Stone's Landing, but since the dam blocking Hope Mills Lake burst, the water level is much lower and the creek is shallow and fordable.
You can see where the water levels were once very high by the eroded banks, but the lower water means that much of the fallen trees that were once covered are now exposed and a joy to look at and explore.
We have gotten into the water here and paddled around a bit, but I keep the children in the shallow sections where it's usually no more than waist deep. We've of course explored up and down the creeks that feed into the main body, specifically Bucknose Creek, but we haven't gone too far. Maybe about 1/2 a mile. It's pretty rough going and hard for smaller kids to navigate. There's a lot of tree debris like logs and branches in the water so if someone isn't wearing the proper footgear they could potentially hurt themselves.
I've explored as much of the immediate area as possible and this spot is forbidden to the children who visit with us. The current is rather swift where the creek splits and the bottom drops out to where I'm almost fully submerged. I'm an experienced river swimmer and still had difficulty regaining the shallows where the bottom dropped out. It really can sneak up on you if you aren't paying attention which is why I'm very cautious in allowing kids and poor or inexperienced swimmers to join us when we're first exploring a new area.
There are beautiful, unique trees in the preserve. I believe I've identified them as bald or pond cypress. They are awesome trees but because they grow very close to or in the water, they don't last a long time. If you look closely at this picture, you can see that the water actually flows under and through this tree.
I'm sure it won't be long before it falls and looks like this.
Because most of this fallen wood has been submerged for a good length of time, the water has eroded and worn it into awesome shapes. My favorite fallen tree remnant is this one. If it weren't so fragile I think it would make an awesome perch for sitting.
But we follow the Hiker's Creed:
Let me enjoy this land while hiking.
Let me take pictures and leave nothing behind.
Because people are assholes, there's litter and debris out there. The past few times we've gone I've brought in my large wood cart to help haul out trash we've found. It makes for a bit of a crushed ride to the preserve as it takes up the entire trunk of my car, but it's awesome to see the trash dwindling away and not being replaced. We've probably filled three trash bags in the times we've gone out and we've cleared some old trotlines out of the creek as well. I'm sure we could go daily for months before we get it all out of there, but we've made an impact, and a positive one at that.
This is truly a special place that is close to my heart. It makes me so happy we can drive for five minutes and enter a nature wonderland that is still pure and intact so close to the hubbub of shopping centers and busy life. It's not well-known and I hope it stays that way.
