Cedar Creek Hike
On Saturday, November 12th, we hosted a hike on our lovely 600-acre Webb Conservation Easement near Panthertown Valley in Jackson County. This beautiful property is bounded on the north side by Cedar Creek, a high quality tributary flowing into Webb Lake, which provides habitat for native brook trout. All water on the property eventually drains into the West Fork of the Tuckaseegee River, and on into the Little Tennessee River.
On the day of the hike, we were met at the property by members of the Webb family who own the property – Billy, Jimmy, and Jean Webb, as well as Julia Gaskin. The family introduced themselves briefly, and Billy, Jimmy, and Julia accompanied us on the hike.
The route followed about 3 miles of well-established trails in a loop around nearly half of the 600-acre property. The trails led us through primarily acidic cove forest, under rhododendron tunnels and through laurel archways. The group stopped for lunch on “Laura’s Rock,” a granite rock outcrop at nearly 4000’ in elevation, with scenic views to the south and west. Even with some haze from the many wildfires burning in the area, we could see as far as Yellow Mountain, about 5.3 miles away as the crow flies.
When we returned to the family cabin where we began the hike, other members of the family had joined Jean and were waiting for us with crisp fall cider and cookies following our adventure.
While we ate our refreshments, just as during the hike, we all had a chance to talk to the family about their memories and experiences on the property, and their knowledge of some of the flora and fauna there.
This stunning property continues to be a staff favorite. Lisa, our Finance Director, said “I want to come on this hike every time we do it from now on! Every step of the way has been the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen.”
We are so thankful to the Webb family for allowing us to do a hike on their property, and we look forward to the next time!
