Late Afternoon Hike And Sunset At Kings Pinnacle

The peak of King's Pinnacle as seen from the parking lot of
Crowders Mountain State Park near Kings Mountain, NC.

On Friday, December 1st my travels once again took me across the border into North Carolina to Crowders Mountain State Park. 

In a previous blog post last year, I made a fall visit to Crowders Mountain to take pictures of the surrounding countryside from atop the mountain. Those pictures can be seen HERE. 

I arrived late in the afternoon intending to take some great sunset photos from the top of King's Pinnacle, the larger of the two mountains that make up Crowders Mountain State Park. 

At 1,705 feet in elevation King's Pinnacle is named for the unique formation at the summit resembling a king's crown. It towars more than 800 feet above the surrounding landscape.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, King's Pinnacle and Crowders Mountain are the remains of a much larger mountain range that once existed millions of years ago, and both peaks once marked the boundary between the lands of the Cherokee and Catawba Indians centuries ago. 

In 1917 during World War I, there was an artillery training range near King's Pinnacle called Camp Chronicle, named for Revolutionary War hero Major William Chronicle who died in the battle at nearby Kings Mountain in 1780. The mountain was used as a backdrop for artillery practice. 

I arrived just after three-thirty in the afternoon and checked in at the visitor's center -- which has gone through a few renovations since my last visit.

Artillery shells and relics from the former site of
Camp Chronicle 1917.

Then I began my 2.2 mile hike to the top of the mountain, opting for the less strenuous Turnback Trail. It would be getting dark on the way back down and I wasn't about to try crawling over rocks on the more strenuous trail in low visibility. Even so, the trail to the top is pretty challenging in places. I was covered in swear by the time I reached the top -- it was in the mid-60s but getting cooler as the sun began to set. 

At the top I got some really good shots of the mountain, the surrounding countryside, the sun beginning to set, and a close-up of Charlotte, North Carolina in the distance.

A little bit of a climb at the top.

1,700 feet (900 feet above sea level) at the top of King's
Pinnacle. What a view!

Charlotte, North Carolina through the fog and smog
in the distance.

Got this beautiful shot of the sun beginning to set.

On my way back down the mountain to my car, I got a clear view of the risen Luna in the east. The moon was a couple of days away from becoming the largest Supermoon of the year. I managed to get two really good shots of Luna in the dusk. They came out pretty good I think.

Well folks, I hope y'all enjoyed my travel photos. Sorry about the delay in posting them, I have been dealing with recent losses in my life and those have affected my mood. I plan to catch up on several posts over the next few days. 

Until next time, Have a Wonderful Dixie Day, ya hear?  

This blogger is a proud contributor to the Friends of Crowders Mountain. For more information about Crowders Mountain State Park and how you can help contribute to maintaining the natural beauty of this Appalachian heritage site, please visit the Friends of Crowders Mountain website in the link provided on this blog page.