I have been on a few of these walks and they are quite informative and entertaining as well as good exercise. I highly recommend the venture. I will not make this trek, however, because I will be in western NC this weekend. On April 6th we will hike along the remnants of a packhorse road atop Mount Tirzah in Person County, NC. This is, we believe, the course of the upper trading path, the high road, so to speak, of the original Petersburg trail. Packhorsemen crossed the Roanoke River north at Moniseep ford, in Brunswick County, VA and proceeded on virtually a straight line to Mount Tirzah, crossing the Tar River in its higher reaches, and crossing the east fork of the Neuse, the Flat River just above its forks. We will walk from the top of Mount Tirzah down to the ford over the North Fork of the Flat River. Mount Tirzah is a few miles east of Highway 501 at Timberlake, NC, north of Durham, south of Roxboro. We will meet and park at the little store just east of the intersection atop Mount Tirzah at 2 PM and we'll return to that point by 4 PM. Approach this site from Interstate 85 on Highway 501 north out of Durham At the stoplight in Timberlake, a few miles past the Flat River bridge, turn right and follow the road past the school and Methodist Church, past Brooks' Store, and on up Mount Tirzah. It is about three and a half miles up the hill and at the top you will pass an intersection and see immediately on your right will be the store where we'll park. The hike itself is mostly along unprepared and uneven surfaces. The terrain is slightly sloping and, with luck, the leaves will not yet have burst the buds and we'll be able to see quite a bit. Be prepared for insects though. Wear footwear appropriate to open woodland. Maps are found on the TPA website: http://www.tradingpath.org/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=67&year=2008&month=04&day=06&Itemid=29 -- Richard =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Richard K. Ellington ITS Facilities Manager Information Technology Services University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 440 W. Franklin St., CB 1150 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1150 Control Center - http://control-center.unc.edu 919-698-8591 (voice) 919-843-9153 (fax) [email protected] "We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire...Give us the tools and we will finish the job". -Winston Churchill =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=