Exploring the mountain

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From the highway, I could see the pine-covered top in the distance. Then, from the gate to the clubhouse, it was uphill for nine-tenths of a mile. The narrow dirt lane crossed a series of terraces built into the wooded slope. A large, overgrown field stretched away from the road and wrapped around the hillside just below the old log cabin.

It was cool with a soft breeze whispering through the pines when I stepped from the truck. Blue jays called from the black jacks and turkey oaks that filled in the understory below the tall loblollies. Deer tracks were punched into the white, sandy earth. There was no sound of civilization to be heard in any direction.

Walking around the grounds, I drank in the peace and quiet that is the essence of a place like this. I was anxious to look at more of the property. This old clubhouse will demand some attention, but for now the land was calling.

A narrow power line right of way that climbs the back of the slope brings electricity to the top of "the mountain." Looking back down the power line, I could see the top of Wolf Hill more than two miles away.

These hills rise from the flatlands of the upper coastal plain in Sumter County. Some were called mountains or "mounts" by the early settlers. We know this area as the High Hills. This mountain is one of the highest points in the county. It has a more formal name that I will get around to eventually.

My friend Ed had called me a few days before and said, "Let me run something by you; I have a chance to lease a property that is about a thousand acres."

He went on, "It has a good road system, a clubhouse, a 15-acre dove field and a fish pond. Would you be interested? We can go look at the place if you'd like."

Of course I wanted to see this place.

"It's hill country like the Foxville area that you've hunted," he added.

Ed knew that I had hunted the Lowcountry for years but was anxious to find some ground closer to home. He also knew that I have a special place in my heart for the High Hills of northwestern Sumter County. A few days later, I followed Ed to the mountain. We drove up the hill to the clubhouse but didn't have much time to do any exploring. Ed gave me the combination to the gate and told me to come back and look whenever I wanted. Now, a few days later, I was back at the rustic clubhouse.

A pine straw-carpeted road led from the clubhouse down a gentle slope to a small, open area that could be seen through the trees. It was probably an old, abandoned food plot but was now a grass-covered meadow. I strolled through this area with a heightened degree of caution, knowing that it was an excellent place to encounter a sleepy rattlesnake.

No snakes were encountered, as it was probably too cool, and I cut back through the woods to the large field that borders the clubhouse road. The road was no more than two wheel paths through the grass and pine straw, but there were several stretches of soft, white sand in the wheel paths. Deer tracks were easy to see here, and I finally saw what I most wanted to see - turkey tracks. I even picked up a couple of turkey feathers.

Back at the log cabin clubhouse, I got back in the truck and drove down the hill behind the clubhouse to a fork in the road. I got out here and walked the road that turned sharply downhill toward the pond. More deer and turkey tracks were noted in the occasional sandy ruts. The pines gave way to a mature hardwood forest that sloped down steeply to the sight of shimmering water.

The pond is like an oasis in this land of woods and hills. Small ripples broke the smooth surface as unseen fish moved about in the clear water. The road went on across the dam to a small landing, then up the hill on the other side. In the distance, I could hear a faint but familiar sound. It was logging equipment operating somewhere to the south. I turned around here and headed back to the truck.

I took the other road and followed it through some big pine timber and another stand of hardwoods. The road dipped downhill then back up to a hilltop where a big power line sweeps through the length of the property. To the south is another hilltop where the pine timber is being thinned, but the vista to the north is spectacular. The power line turns downhill and practically disappears on the horizon into Lee County. The road goes on to a gate on the eastern side.

There is more exploring to do, but this may be the place I've been looking for. It will need some work, but I am thinking of it as a diamond in the rough. All it needs is a group of people that will make it shine.

Reach Dan Geddings at cdgeddings@gmail.com.