Run Greenville Project

6/20/26 – Back to Caesar’s Head to work on some trails. This time it was Naturaland Trust ➡️ Gum Gap ➡️ Dismal ➡️ Naturaland Trust.

It turned out to be 11.11 miles with 3,400-ish feet of elevation, and it was a doozy. There is an access point to the trail right off Geer Hwy, so I decided to start there as the most direct way to hit the trails I was missing.

I had geared up and was ready to go when a car pulled in right behind me. It turned out to be Alex, one of my Strava connections. He had seen me on his drive up to DuPont and decided to turn around and say hello. It was really cool to meet him and chat for a bit before we went our separate ways.

Most of the Naturaland Trust Trail was somewhat overgrown, and it probably doesn’t see a whole lot of hikers. There were three spots where I had to traverse groups of downed trees, burning some valuable energy. Eventually, it forks into the Dismal Trail, where it was time to make a decision: go up Dismal or stay on Naturaland Trust all the way to the top of Rainbow Falls.

I had read some reviews online that recommended taking the loop clockwise, so I decided to do the same, and I’m glad I did. For a person who does not enjoy heights, the ascent up the side of the mountain was quite terrifying. It would have been especially treacherous coming down that way, but I did meet a few hikers who were doing just that.

The climb followed a narrow trail along what I would call a cliffside. It was steep and technical, with poison ivy and thorns. There was one especially terrifying section where a landslide had washed away the trail. You had to cross the landslide on maybe a 2-foot-wide “trail” that was mostly wet rock. A slip there would have meant a quick descent a few hundred feet to the bottom of the slide.

I had to pause for a moment and consider whether I wanted to try it or turn around. I gathered my courage, with shaky knees, and proceeded slowly across, crouched down low and avoiding looking below. 😆😳 Eventually, I reached the top and arrived at the suspension bridge that crosses above the falls.

From there, I took the Gum Gap Trail to where it connected with Dismal for the descent back down, and then took Naturaland Trust back to the car. I would go up and down Dismal any day before tackling the Naturaland Trust ascent again.

It was 7 miles and 2,000 feet of climbing by the time I got to the bottom of Dismal. There was another 1,500 feet of climbing left to get back to the car, and I had already eaten the last of my fuel. I think I need to bring a lot more on any similar hikes in the future because I was exhausted a couple of miles from the car. I had to sit down and rest a couple of times, feeling like I was going to pass out.

The last couple of miles were slow going, and I somehow managed to aggravate some yellow jackets and got stung three times. The final half mile was a welcome downhill back to the car, followed by a nice, restful drive home.

BEWARE if you head out to Caesar’s Head and plan to go up or down Naturaland Trust. It is not for the faint of heart. I passed a couple of folks who were descending, but I never saw them again when I came back around on Dismal. I assume they decided to turn around and head back.

🗺️ Greenville County: 4372.13 / 4451.18 miles (98.22%)

⚠️ Ecusta Trail Closure Notice ⚠️

Please be advised, North Carolina Department of Transportation will temporarily close a potion of the trail beginning July 6th to raise and pave a short section at White Pine Drive in Laurel Park as part of an ongoing U.S. 64 modernization project.

Starting this week, the section of trail between Daniel Drive and White Pine is down to a single lane to begin prep work.

This work will improve congestion and safety along U.S. 64 while also enhancing facilities for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and trail users. During the closure, crews will construct a new roundabout and raise the trail approximately 6 feet in elevation.

A second temporary closure of up to 40 days is expected later this fall at the Daniel Drive intersection. Specific dates for that closure will be announced once construction at White Pine Drive is complete.

While this temporary closure may cause inconvenience, these improvements are designed to create a safer and better-connected experience for everyone using the corridor. U.S. 64 will remain open during construction with intermittent lane closures.

Thank you for your patience and support as these important improvements move forward! Take a look at our FAQ's to learn more: https://bit.ly/3Sx65I9

6/9/26 - Early morning run on Table Rock Rd. Had some bats flying over me at the start, but I didn’t freak out this time 😆. Got a great view of Table Rock also. Another Storm Shuttle service saved me a few miles of backtracking to the car 🙏

🗺️ Greenville County: 4340.85 / 4451.18 miles (97.52%)

6/8/26 - Seemed like a good time to make some more progress on Geer Hwy up at Caesars’s Head. Also did some trails (Pinnacle Pass, Frank Coggins, and Coldspring Branch)

🗺️ Greenville County: 4332.82 / 4451.18 miles (97.34%)