Blue Ridge Country March/April 2022 - 49

says that this hike is also the only one
that, " I'm aware of that has a white berry
variety of the partridgeberry plants. "
Rob
Achenberg, retired from the
South Carolina Department of Parks,
Recreation, and Tourism, provides an
additional reason to take a walk in the
park, " A portion of the trails, known as
the Eastatoe Passage, will be a part of the
main Palmetto Trail. " That pathway, still
a work in progress, will one day stretch
500 miles from the South Carolina
mountains to the Intracoastal Waterway
near the Atlantic Ocean.
KENTUCKY
mountain laurel. The rock outcropping
along the Raven Rock hiking trail offers
a picturesque view of Lake Keowee and
is the best photo opportunity found at
the state park. It's also a great place to eat
lunch or enjoy a sunset. "
Robert Holliday, of nearby Easley, is a
bit more poetic in his description of the
trails and the overlook: " I've hiked the
mountain laurel-lined trails many times,
crossing over the natural rock bridge,
passing by the two waterfalls, and winding
down and around to the beautiful
views of the blue wall of the mountains
surrounding the waters of Lake Keowee. "
I understood what he meant when
we reached Raven Rock. Beyond the lake
and its surrounding low ridgeline, the
Blue Ridge Mountains rise quickly to the
horizon.
The trail descends into a quiet cove,
where three kayakers were paddling by
the narrow point's three backcountry
campsites. (Site three is the choice one,
being closest to the water.)
The park is well-known for its lush
displays of the pink and white blossoms
of mountain laurel and rhododendron
and a large variety of other often-seen
wildflowers and vegetation, but Holliday
MARCH/APRIL 2022 49
Kingdom Come State Park, named for
John Fox, Jr's Civil War novel, " The Little
Shepherd of Kingdom Come, " provides
the opportunity to take in a view from
another Raven Rock-also called Raven's
Rock. No matter the name, this rock is
well worth hiking the less than 1.5 miles
(round-trip) to its soaring grand vista. In
addition, we were here on a Tuesday and
once again, following our philosophy of
getting started early in the morning, saw
not one other person on the hike.
Parking at the visitor center and miniature
golf course, we walked around the
eastern side of the 3.5-acre lake (fishing
and pedal boating available) to the Laurel
Trail. It's actually a dirt and gravel
road and quickly established that the
few hundred feet in elevation we were
going to gain on the hike were not going
to be at a leisurely pace. (Do not let this
dissuade you. Remember, it's less than
three-quarters of a mile to Raven Rock.)
A short side trail led to the natural
" Cave Amphitheater. " Bleacher seats
suggest that it has been used in the past
as an event venue; we just enjoyed the
fact that I could stand in one corner of
the cave and whisper a few words and
Laurie could clearly hear what I said in
another corner well over 100 feet away.
Switchbacks on the Powerline Trail
delivered us to views from both the King
and Queen's Chairs and Raven Rock, a
huge slab of sandstone slanted at a 45-degree
angle. An overcast sky and the hazy
atmosphere of a summer day did not diminish
the view. Black Mountain, Kentucky's
tallest at 4,145 feet, dominates
nearby ridgelines that include some
of the commonwealth's other highest
mountains. The Cumberland River, unseen
in the narrow valley it created that
bisects the scenery, has carved the hillsides
of these lofty peaks, causing them
to drop at dramatic angles.
As Laurie had never been in a coal
mine, and we had many hours of the
day left in which to explore the nature
and history of the area, we drove about
15 minutes to Lynch, Kentucky, and Portal
31, an exhibition coal mine. As we
went deeper into the mountain while
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2022

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