People aren't allowed to go everywhere in our parks. This is such a case:
The summit of Pilot Mountain State Park is off limits to people. Pilot Mountain is one of the few peaks in the eastern USA that doesn't have a walk-up route. That is, you can't get there by just walking on two legs. At some point you have to use all four limbs to make it to the summit. The routes to the top are anywhere from Class V technical routes, to Class IV to Class III (scrambling). There is no casual stroll to the top.
However, no one is allowed up there. The cliffs that surround it, and the area at the pinnacle, are prime raven and raptor nesting areas. For that reason no one is allowed to summit the peak. Back in the day when the mountain was under private ownership and part of a tourist park, there was a ladder that took the adventurous person to the uppermost elevations. But now that option is gone.
And I like the fact that no one is allowed on that nub of real estate. The critters should have a place to live without being bothered.
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| Sometimes called "the Green Muffin". |
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