Eno River State Park - North Carolina
After collecting Sarah from the Airport at Greensboro it was too late in the day to begin the 4 hour drive to the east coast so we opted to stay in a hotel in Greensboro and travel the next day. As part of that journey we stopped off at the Eno River State Park just a few miles north-west of Durham.
The Buckquarter Creek Trail was a good fit for us, it allowed us to see some of the park and stretch the legs over a 2km circuit without working up a sweat and being uncomfortable for the rest of the journey east.
Just off the trail we spotted an old mill tucked away in the trees and walked over to take a look around inside, I've looked at the park website but didn't see any reference to the mill on there, there is a trail called Cole Mill but that is much further away on the other side of the park.
There was little exploration possible as the old mill really was in bad shape and the stairs to the upper floors were broken away at the lower end (most likely to stop people from using them)
This made me laugh as Sarah did her 'Gandalf' impression trying to cross some mobile logs placed through a large wet area at the lower part of the trail, this was the only wet part the remainder was a lovely short hike.
The trail circles back alongside the Eno River from which the park takes it's name, tripping over roots seemed to be Sarahs choice of pastime on this section
Any minor obstacles are easily overcome on the well maintained pathway which has both stone steps and full wooden staircases in places to maintain the riverside trail and provide views over the rapids.
There are some nice rapids along the way including this one where I almost took a swim after skipping around on the wet rocks trying to get a few shots, even though I stayed upright I heard Sarah laughing over the sound of the water.
We circled back up to the truck and continued along the way to Elizabeth City avoiding the interstates and stopping off at other places along the way .