Camino de Santiago or Bust!
The Beaver Dam Walking Trail slipped on a new pair of waterproof boots.
Thank you to the Town of Hillsville for recognizing the issues of a trail under water and making the much-needed improvements that were recently completed after seven months of work. This is a trail that can, once again, be enjoyed by hikers, birders and nature lovers of all ages. The trail is open every day from sunup to sundown.
I am especially pleased with the improvements at this time in my life. I have spent years getting ready for a pilgrimage of a lifetime. This trail is my answer for preparation of my actual trek in the days leading up to the trip. Traditionally, a pilgrimage begins at home and ends at the final destination site. My destination is a 500-mile spiritual walk across northern Spain, beginning in May, the Camino de Santiago (The Way).
I can attest to the fact that this journey began at conception. I’ve given hours and hours to internet searches, I’ve read several books on the subject, and I’ve reequipped my hiking supplies. I’ve gone against my frugal nature of walking outside on good-weather days and have joined the Carroll Wellness Center. I need upper-body strength to carry a 20-pound backpack.
The Wellness Center’s therapy pool and sauna are great to lessen the stresses of exercising. The modest fees are some of the best money I’ve spent in a long time. However, I have to say that the long walks in town, extended to the Beaver Dam Walking Trail, are even better.
Armed with a camera, water and sandwich, I set out for an easy 6-mile walk on one of the first few pleasing days that Hillsville had experienced this winter. I was pleasantly surprised to have clear blue skies and fifty-degree temperatures instead of rain that had been forecast.
The sidewalks of downtown Hillsville offer a pleasant walk past friendly residents and shopkeepers. For the most part, motorists yield at the right of ways for pedestrians. I started out on South Main Street, where the sidewalk ends, and walked to Rt. 886 or Beaver Dam Road on North Main Street, turned right and walked for 0.5 miles to the northern entrance of the Beaver Dam Trail.
The last time I walked the northern end of the trail, I was knee deep in mud from the damages of flooding and downed trees that severe storms created over the years.
Built originally in 2002, along the Beaver Dam Creek, the 3.32-mile trail is part of the statewide Birding and Wildlife Trail system of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and is also part of the Mountain Warbler Trail loop.
The contrast of sidewalk to trail, cityscape to nature-scape, and people to animals is psychologically powerful when you drop down the staircase from Beaver Dam Road onto the trail. The creek beside open fields meanders through some riparian habitat. A big portion of the trail is set between tall hills and a canopy of hardwoods. On this particular day, after a rainstorm, birds were chirping loudly and the rushing water was competing with the howling wind.
I spotted deer tracks. That is not so unusual because deer are so abundant in the community that I have to run them out of my backyard on South Main Street. I’m waiting to see the families of wild turkey foraging along the edges of the fields or the frogs and salamanders that are so common in and around the creek.
The switchback of the elevated seven bridges along the trail adds man-made beauty, almost sculptural, with decking and stairs frozen against the ice floats below. The trail on the Upper Beaver Dam is now made of roadway millings. Although lumpy, it is very comfortable to walk on. My waterproof, mid-cut hiking boots, while not necessary, are a good fit to prevent twisted ankles.
There is a new shelter constructed at the trail’s halfway point. I imagine it would be nice if one was caught in a downpour. I enjoy the benches and trashcans dispersed at convenient points along the way. To sit and enjoy a sandwich, listen to nature’s music, and see birds flitting about gives me the energy to finish the journey.
There are no restrooms or porta-potties on the trail, but near the end of the 3.32-miles, you wind past the Carroll Wellness Center. What a relief! Member or not, they will allow you to use their restroom.
After that break, I continued up the steeper part of the trail. I chose this north-to-south route for one reason. Climbing and stopping, climbing and stopping, catching my breath alone in the woods is much better than a south-to-north route where I would be on a public highway, stopping and climbing, stopping and climbing. Someone may see me and think I need an ambulance.
A beautiful part of the trail is paved and in the Carter Pines Community Park that traverses through the towering Carter Pines and by the Carter Hydraulic Water Rams, dating back to 1924 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Rams were built by the Industrialist, George Carter, for his personal use and are preserved by Carroll County. There are several educational way-markers on this short section. Stop, read, and climb. Stop, read, and climb. Perfect for the heart and lungs.
The trail comes out at the rear of the Carroll County Courthouse on the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office side. I caught my breath one last time on the bench of the deck, with a beautiful view of distant mountains, before I hiked on through the parking lot and beside the historic Carroll County Courthouse. I turned left onto Main Street once more.
It was downhill from here. I made it! The third time in as many days, with many, many more treks to come. Next time I’m parking my car at the Carroll Wellness Center and walking to South Main, back to North Main and along the trail for what I’m estimating to be almost 7 miles. I’ll end that hike with a soak in the therapy pool. Thank you Hillsville and all those other donors who have created a wonderful place to lose yourself on a nature trail and to prepare for other, longer travels.
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