We took advantage of a warm-weather day and did some hiking in our new temporary backyard at Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. It is only about 20 miles from where we are staying. Pilot Mountain is a state park with hiking trails, rock climbing, water activities, and campsites.
Pilot Mountain may look familiar to you even if you have never been there because of its iconic geologic knob called the Big Pinnacle (approximately 1,400 feet (430 m) above the surrounding area). You can see this distinctive formation from miles away. 
The top of the mountain provides breathtaking panoramic views of the Piedmont, Sauratown, and Blue Ridge mountains.
Pilot Mountain State Park offers a lot of options for hikers. There are trails around the base of the mountain, along the top of the mountain, and along the Yadkin River. You can get information at the new visitor center about the history of the area. 
As long as it is not too crowded, you can take a paved road up to a parking lot on the ridge and access hiking trails and scenic overlooks. The park was practically empty when we went. In the summer it can get crowded. During that time, the park offers a shuttle service to the top of the mountain.
We hiked the Jomeokee Trail around the base of Big Pinnacle and the Ledge Spring Trail. The Big Pinnacle trail was a moderate hike and only 0.8 miles long. The Ledge Spring Trail was a mile long but the rocks we had to climb up and down made the hike difficult. We plan to go back to explore the other trails at the park.
This was our first hike since we got back from Central America. It reminded us that we do not have to travel far to find beauty and experience the peacefulness and connectedness that we feel when we are in nature. This was a good reminder that adventure is all around us.
