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Where the Green-est Fern Grows LbNA #43567 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Nov 25, 2007
Location:
City:Burnsville
County:Yancey
State:North Carolina
Boxes:1
Planted by:Knight Rider
Found by: Not yet found!
Last found:N/A
Status:r
Last edited:Nov 25, 2007
**THIS BOX HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY DISABLED for MAINTENANCE.

This box is for the advanced hiker. Take a compass & water...and watch for bears! :) A hiking stick, camera and a wristwatch is suggested. Cell phones don't usually have signal here. Once you get to the 'trail beginning', the hike is approx. 1.5 to 2 hours ONE WAY. Enjoy!

Directions: From downtown Burnsville, NC, take 19E towards Spruce Pine. Turn right at the Texaco station onto (197S) Pensacola Road. You will see a sign that says 'Pensacola 10'. At about .7 mi there is a split (where the fence is). Turn left here onto Bolen's Creek Rd. Take this road 3.7 mi up a small, winding mountain road & then back down again. At the stop sign, turn left. After turning, you will pass an old white antique shop on your right. Travel a few miles into the old village of Pensacola. Laurel Branch Baptist Church is on the right and BB Wilson's store is on the left. Turn left by the store onto Cattail Creek Road. Drive for 2.5 mi., passing the volunteer fire dept and a sign that says 'dead end'. After passing the Cattail Creek Community Center on right, you should be at the bridge over Cattail Creek. You will pass North Fork Rd on the left. Continue up and the road makes a deep left-hand curve, goes up and then the pavement turns to gravel. Continue straight. This is Winter Star Rd. Take Winter Star Rd all the way up to the last house. Winter Star Peak is directly above you. This is the 'beginning of the trail'.

Turn left at the house. There is an iron gate that is usually open. If it is locked, you can duck under it. In 10 min, you will come to an intersection with 5 large maple trees growing together on your left. . Take the left trail past the 5 maples. In 15 min. you come to a wooden bridge in disrepair. Then minutes beyond, the trail forks. Take the right fork up. The trail becomes steeper. In 20 min. you will ford a small creek. The trail gets steeper yet. Twenty minutes more, you will come to a left switchback, one hour & 15 min. from trail beginning. Keep on the road for another 10 min. You will come to a sharp switchback left. Ahead of you is an open clearing with a small rock facing on the far side. As you enter the clearing, on your left are three maples growing from a single trunk. Cross the clearing & continue on the trail straight ahead. It dead ends in a few minutes. On your left is an enormous open mine shaft going straight down. Toss a rock into the pit & you can count to 6 before it hits bottom. On your right, the mountain is bare & covered with trailings from the mine. LOOKING DOWN INTO THE SHAFT, follow the fence to your right, going up beside the shaft. Climb down into area behind the shaft. Go under the big rock. (Watch your head). Go to the left, which takes you up toward the back of the shaft. You will see 3 rhododendrons. DIRECTLY ACROSS to the right of the rhododendrons, at the base of the rock wall, you will see some plate-sized rock. Be careful not to slide INTO the shaft, as the ground starts a STEEP slope at the rhododendrons. The treasure you seek is under the plate-sized rock.
***Note: When you are 1st standing looking down into the shaft, to your left & above you is Celo Knob. From here, you have a magnificent view of the entire Black Mountain range all the way to Mt. Mitchell. Did you remember to bring your camera?

Please place everything back where you found it. If this box needs attention, please let me know. ~Knight Rider