Kitty Williams: Adventurer Explorer

A short drive from Cary through Fuquay Varina, Raven’s Rock is a complete treat! The temperature was beautiful and gusty winds occasionally thrashed around the tree tops. Lizards scattered in the crunchy leaves as I walked by.  At first the trails seemed like nothing special but only a quarter of a mile into the woods the Forest transitioned to a giant stand of blooming Mountain Laural. It was unbelievable to walk under a canopy of white flowers.

After too short a walk a wooden stairwell spilled down the 150 foot bluffs to the Cape Fear River. Uncommon angles made every landing a unique experience but they all felt like tree houses. Near the bottom a sudden rustling noise rose directly  beneath my landing. A wild turkey strutted out onto the trail below. She made several low clucks. There was a long pause and then she clucked many times. Eight little chicks started moving. They appeared out of nowhere and one by one crossed the trail into the woods on the river’s banks. She followed, stopped, looked back and clucked. A straggler chic materialized from the forest floor and joined the flock.

The Cape Fear River is a nice big fat juicy river at Raven’s Rock. The power of the river carved out a mile of the bank leaving a beautiful rock cliff. Undercutting of the bank created massive, cantilevered cliffs overhead. It is truly a sublime landscape. Rhododendrons sprout off the lip of the cliff, high above, and shower down purple blooms with chartreuse speckled throats. Even the trees are dwarfed by the scale of the rocks. Little toads are everywhere.

Walking up to the Overlook above the bluffs I came face to face with hosta’s most fierce predator: a white tail deer. We stared each other down until another hiker broke it’s gaze and it escaped.  Deer are like cats in that you can trap them with an unwavering look.  The Overlook allows for a  larger glimpse of this amazing river system. A Blue Heron sailed high above the river slowly gliding downstream. It was amazing to be above such a graceful flight.