A hike in the forbidden zone
I took an extra day off this week so I could go on an adventure. After considering some ideas, the one that stuck was a visit to the Saluda Mountains Passage of the Palmetto Trail. This part of the trail is located along the North Carolina-South Carolina border on the northern fringe of Greenville Watershed land. The trail opened in 2012 The idea of hiking on land, off limits and undisturbed since the late 1950s when the city of Greenville forcibly acquired the land for its watershed, appealed to me. I had no intention of hiking the whole trail. The part I was interested in was the Talisman Camp to Saluda Gap segment. The Old State Road, also known as Saluda Mountain Road and Saluda Gap Road, passed through Poinsett Bridge , through Merrittsville (now underwater) and Chestnut Springs, near Poinsett's Spring, and up through the Saluda Gap into North Carolina. This trip presented a perfect opportunity to visit the Saluda Gap, view an area forbidden until 2012, and see some hist