Restrictions Are A Bummer

We've got a great little CCC built cabin here at Table Rock State Park and challenging hiking trails too.

cabins have view to Lake Pinnacle

 We got here a few days earlier than originally planned to use up some credit with the South Carolina State Parks that we had left over from our truck trouble earlier this year.  SC Parks has very strict cancellation/rescheduling policies, the cabins are even stricter than the campgrounds.  Even just to reschedule you would have to do it 15 days in advance for the cabin.  My advice?  Only go if you decide at the last minute.  I'll never make reservations through their system again.  As I said, even their campgrounds have insane cancellation policies I haven't ever experienced anything like it with state parks before.

cabin living room

To top it all off apparently they sent me an email which I didn't get because wifi and email is unreliable on the road and they were all huffy when I showed up at 4:45 p.m. because you're supposed to call ahead if you're coming after 4:00.  Whatever.  Good grief.

bedroom 1

However, the cabins themselves are nice and very spacious and clean.  I know Sherry and David would like them with their interest in all things CCC.  I'm so used to paying $17 a night to camp that I have to keep forcing myself not to think of the price at $110 for a weeknight.  I know it's actually a good deal for what we're getting, aside from the park restrictions which includes signing in before hiking trails. (insert eye roll here) And we get locked in/out of the park at 7 PM and have to get out of the car and work the combination lock if we feel the need to not be locked in.

public art on Main Street in Greenville

So the weather felt like Wisconsin in South Carolina yesterday, windy and in the 40s, which while is still an improvement the wind made it a little chilly for hiking.  The night before I had done a quick 2 mile loop around the Pinnacle Lake just behind the cabin on top of the 4 mile hike with Sharon so a day off was probably needed.  We headed in to Greenville which was about half an hour from Table Rock.

Reedy River Falls in Greenville

The internet makes a big fuss about Greenville's downtown but aside from the pretty falls we didn't see anything to interest us and after buying a milkshake and a cupcake at The Chocolate Moose we went back to the park.  The frosting was good on the cupcake but the cake was crumbly and full of air so I would never go back.  Cory pronounced the milkshake delicious.

Table Rock reflected in Pinnacle Lake

Back at Table Rock we decided to go for a short hike an hour before sunset and chose the Carrick Creek trail.  Our cabin is near the Nature Center where all trails originate and where you have to fill out a card telling the state where you are going, how many people are in your party, a description of your car, when you left and when you estimate you will be back.  Seems a bit excessive for a 2 mile loop hike but I filled it out.

Turns out the first half mile was all switchbacks and steps so after that we turned around and went back down.  I planned on doing the same section as part of my hike to Table Rock so we counted it as some cardio for the day and headed for civilization and wifi.  Wifi has suddenly become an important criteria for future traveling, let me tell ya.

Today I'm off to conquer Table Rock on my own and the weather is supposed to be gorgeous!