Tag: #Dogwood

ASCG: Greenway Stables Entrance: Part One -Horses and Hiking — Dogwood and Peach Loop Trails…..

My hiking 🥾 buddy, Coleman, and I drove to the Horse 🐎 Road Entrance of the Anne Springs Close Greenway on Thursday. It turned out to be a beautiful day. We’ve been having rain 🌧 showers off and on lately. So time on the trail without rain 🌧 interfering with our hike was fantastic.

The main point of interest at this entrance is of course the horses 🐎. Seeing the horses 🐎 is a highlight for Coleman. He loves seeing and petting the horses 🐎. Visiting the horses was not our main purpose on this day, even though very pleasant. Knowing Coleman, we had to stop and visit with the horses before we could begin our hike for the day.

Coleman
saying hi
to the horses

The Greenway Stables Entrance is also sometimes referred to as the Horse Road Entrance. The Greenway Stables are located at 1046 Horse Road, Fort Mill, South Carolina. On Horse Road you take a quick left on the road to enter the parking lot. When you first exit your car in the parking lot you will see the Gibson House. The Gibson House overlooks the pond and fields and offers a time for relaxing while watching the horses run. It is available for rent as a venue for wedding ceremonies, receptions, parties, picnics, and much more. Restrooms are located on the right-hand side of the building.

One of the paths to the trails is entered through the first horse stable location. After a short visit with the horses, we moved on down the path to the Dogwood Trailhead. We followed along left side of the Dogwood Trail. At this point, there were two choices to make to begin to begin the trail. We chose the path on the left. This trail passes through a scenic pasture area on the south end of the property connecting with Peach Loop.

Coleman
leading the way
to the Dogwood Trail

Coleman has a fascination of having his picture taken by the trail posts. Capturing the trail posts also reminds us of where we’ve been and what we encountered along the trail. we connected to Peach Loop after we reached trail marker 7. The Peach Loop breaks off from Timberline and the Blue Star trails as well. Dogwood runs into Timberline, so if you are not familiar with the trails you might get confused on which trail you are on or which direction you need to proceed on when the trails signs say different trails. The Peach Loop route keeps you inside the wooded area rather than being outside the timber line for this section. The loop takes you back onto the trail you started on. Therefore, after coming full “circle” on Peach Loop, it brought us back to Dogwood.

Back on Dogwood the trail wound around and led us back to the horses and the Gibson House where we began our day. The sights along the trail are amazing. The dirt surface can become muddy after the rains. On this day the trails were pretty good. The only things we had to watch out for were the tree roots sticking up along the path. If you’re not watching where you are going you could trip and fall over a tree root, so be careful as you hike the trails.

Naturally, we had to stop along the way back to the car to watch the horses in the pasture grazing about. The horses are beautiful creatures, and the views are spectacular.

God Bless. Get Outdoors and enjoy nature. There’s nothing my grandson loves more than being out in nature and hiking the trails. Thank you for visiting. Looking forward to your next visit. Remember I appreciate y’all,

National Trails Day

Today, Saturday June 4, 2022, is National Trails Day. National Trails Day is recognized to be the first Saturday in June. The day recognizes all the wonderfully incredible benefits the federal, state, and local trails provide for our recreation and exposure to God’s beautiful nature. In the United States, events are held nationwide to help and promote awareness for the numerous varieties of services the trail systems offer. The day encourages people from all walks of life to discover their local trails, become active concerning trail issues, and share their excitement for the outdoors.

Anne Springs Close Greenway
Lake Haigler

On National Trails Day many people think first and foremost of hiking, however, trails offer so much more than just hiking. The trails provide access to various waterways for canoeing, kayaking, and paddling trips. Trails are also fantastic places which Birders may find excellent opportunities for birdwatching. It is also a great opportunity for those seeking to test their abilities to observe and study geolocation and enjoy geocaching. The trails are also used by cyclists and horseback riders. No matter which activity you choose, each activity pursued creates an opportunity to spend time in the vast outdoors and generate an excellent cardiovascular workout. Trail lengths vary per trail, most of the time I hike with my two-year-old grandson, so I tend to hike between 1.5 – 2.5 miles one way. When he is not with me, I might hike between 5-8 miles in a day.

National Trails Day
Anne Springs Close Greenway
1,000 Mile Challenge

Besides the tremendous opportunities trails provide us, On National Trails Day take the time to thank the many volunteers, land agencies, trail developers, park employees, and rangers for all they do in helping develop and maintaining the trails.

National Trails Day is sponsored by The American Hiking Society. Take the opportunity to visit your local trails. It is a great opportunity to bring a friend along for some great fellowship. Try something new, you just might be glad you did. Go to a Greenway, national, state, or local park and discover new trails or activities. Be sure to show your appreciation to those that make all the trails systems possible. Always Remember to Leave No Trace, if your pack it in, pack it out. #NationalTrailsDay.

On this National Trails Day I chose to go to my local greenway, Anne Springs Close Greenway, to hike and participate in their 1,000 Mile Challenge. Anne Springs Close Greenway is located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It has 36 miles within 26 trails that one can choose to hike, mountain bike, or adventure on horseback. This year the Greenway presented a challenge to all its members and the surrounding communities, to log a combined total of 1,000 or more miles of activities for #NationalTrailsDay. Those miles also include those who chose to do their activities on the water using a canoe or kayak.

Anne Springs Close Greenway
1,000 Mile Challenge

The last word I received (around 4pm); the Greenway logged over 1,365 miles across the Greenway and still more miles we to be logged in before end of day. Great job for #NationalTrailsDay!

God Bless. Thank you! Remember I appreciate y’all. Visit your local trails. Get outdoors. Enjoy Nature. Thank you, Debbie Zinsky Kiggans, for organizing and leading hikes today for #NationalTrailsDay and all year long.

Photos and collages are mine (c)2022@DebbieLWaters. The Photo of the 1,000 Mile Challenge I borrowed from the Anne Springs Close Greenway’s Facebook page.