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One day, Myanna and Courtney 

decided to go on a huge road trip. They 

had been saving up their money for 

years, and were now going to use it all 

on the trip of their lifetimes across 

America. 

Their mission was to experience all that 

nature has to offer by visiting national 

forests, parks, resource lands, wildlife 

refuges and even a state park in their 

very own state of North Carolina!

 As they begun to plan their journey, 

Courtney   and Myanna decided that 

their first stop would be Chimney Rock, 

a North Carolina State Park. 

They chose this particular park because 

it's value lies in the fact that there is so 

much to do there. People can hike, go 

fishing, climb, and most of all, enjoy the 

gorgeous scenic view at the top of the 

cliff. 

To plan the trip, the girls first made a list of all 

the packing supplies they would need, which 

included light clothes for the hot summer 

weather, water bottles and snacks for their 

hike, hiking boots, money for lunch, and a 

camera to capture all of the amazing 

discoveries they would encounter. 

Next, the girls looked up how to get to 

Chimney Rock from their starting point 

at Mooresville High School. 

They discovered that the state park 

was 123 miles away, and after some 

calculations determined that they 

would need about $25 to spend on gas 

money for the car they were driving to 

get there and back. 

Myanna and Courtney arrived at Chimney Rock 

State Park that morning after a long but 

worthwhile drive, ready to hit the trails and 

have fun! 

When they got to the entrance they found that 

there were 6 different trails they could take up 

the mountain. They decided on the Rumbling 

Bald Trail because unlike the others, it 

wouldn't cost them any extra money to get 

into. 

On their climb up, Myanna and Courtney 

saw tons of cool wildlife, which they got 

photos of on their camera. 

There were cute squirrels and 

chipmunks, a variety of birds, and even 

fish in the Rocky Broad River at the 

trail's entrance. 

They saw a few fishermen out, but the 

NC Wildlife Resources Commission had 

required all of them to have permits and 

fish only during certain seasons so that 

the fish population wouldn't be badly 

harmed by any over-fishing. 

When they reached the top of the mountain, 

Courtney and Myanna were amazed by the 

beautiful view. They could see everything!

They took some pictures, and then Myanna 

shouted, "hey look!" Down below them, figures 

could be seen climbing up the rock, with bungee 

cords and helmets to keep them safe. 

Myanna and Courtney thought that rock 

climbing looked fun, but soon discovered 

that NC State Parks required climbers to 

have a permit to ensure their safety and 

the safety of the climbing environment. 

Besides, the girls didn't have the proper 

equipment anyway. 

So they headed back down by foot. Once 

reaching the bottom, they ate lunch at the 

Old Rock Cafe and then began the drive 

home. They were tired but very full after 

their lunch and overall were satisfied with 

that day's experience!

Next, the girls decided to hit a national park in South 

Carolina called Ninety Six National Park. 

The park's value lies in the historical aspect of it; it 

was an important location in the Revolutionary War 

and is a very interesting place to see. People can also 

go there to take tours and learn more about life 

during the 18th century. 

Besides tourism uses, the National Park Service 

manages the site to preserve the history there and 

the natural ecosystems within it. 

Myanna and Courtney again made sure 

to pack all that they needed for the trip. 

This included their camera to capture 

the experience, snacks and water to 

keep them energized throughout the 

day, good shoes for all of the walking 

that they would do, and some extra 

money to buy their meals. 

They mapped out the route to get to the park 

from the high school, which ended up being a 

total of 166 miles away. To get there and back, 

the girls would need to bring about $35 to 

spend on gas for their car.  

When they got to the park, the girls took 

the battlefield tour, which was very 

interesting and educational. 

Along the way they saw animals such as 

white-tailed deer and a variety of birds, 

reptiles, and fish in the streams. They took 

lots of pictures. 

They even learned from a tour guide that 

15% of the plant species in the park are 

invasive species. These species have 

become a threat to the park because they 

are taking over the natural environments. 

Later that night, Courtney and Myanna took 

the Autumn Candlelight Tour and talked to the 

re-enactors along the trail. They learned a lot 

more about the park's history and even saw 

more animals come out including opossums 

and raccoons! 

Driving back home, the girls were tired from a 

long day but were very happy with the 

experience and curious to discover more about 

the history that exists in the nature all around 

them. 

So when Courtney and Myanna got 

back to Mooresville, they began to plan 

their next adventure, thinking of any 

possible places they could go to learn 

more about the interesting history 

behind their protected natural 

environments. 

Courtney knew of a state forest in the town she 

used to live in, Litchfield, CT, called Topsmead 

State Forest. 

It was the perfect place to go because it has a 

lot of history behind it with its ancient cottage 

and landscaping, and also has many unique 

forest trails to hike and beautiful fields to picnic 

on. 

The National Forest Service manages the forest 

at the will of the previous owner, who wanted to 

preserve the unique architecture and 

landscaping as well as the ecosystems that exist 

there. They also allow people to hunt there, but 

only in certain areas and seasons. 

When looking up the route, the girls discovered 

that it was 730 miles to get there from Mooresville 

High School. This time the drive would be a little 

longer, so they made sure to take money for gas, 

meals and a hotel, which ended up around $300. 

They also made sure to pack hiking shoes for their 

day in the forest, light clothes because of the 

warm weather, lots of water bottles, a picnic lunch, 

and their camera to once again document the 

amazing experiences they would have on this trip. 

Once they got to Topsmead, Myanna and 

Courtney began their tour. They got to see 

inside the cottage and learn about it's 

history, which was very informative. 

After the tour they ate their lunch on the 

lawns outside of the house. It was so 

beautiful, with all types of flowers and 

trees everywhere. There were also 

butterflies and other pollinating insects 

buzzing around, and a variety of birds. 

There were other people there as well just 

enjoying the nature and eating lunch on the 

hillside. Coincidentally, Myanna and Courtney 

actually ran into some old friends of Courtney's 

who had been to Topsmead for the day to 

hike. They decided to all join up and hike the 

trails together after lunch. 

While hiking the forest trails, the group 

saw a variety of plants and animals. 

There were so many ancient trees that 

towered above them, but the most 

common was oak trees. They were 

everywhere!

One of Courtney's friends had binoculars 

from the gift shop for bird-watching and 

was pointing out all of the different 

species of birds that were there.   They 

also saw deer, squirrels, chipmunks, 

and even a fox!

As the group hiked, they came across several other 

hikers, all of whom they exchanged smiles and 

friendly "hello"s with. But for the most part, the forest 

was peaceful and quiet. 

Then suddenly, a trio of men brushed past who were 

dressed in hunting gear. Hunting was allowed only in 

certain areas, and Courtney and Myanna were pretty 

sure that where they were was not one of those areas. 

They exchanged a look, knowing that the perimeters 

were set up for a reason. If they weren't followed, it 

was dangerous for both the visitors there and the 

natural deer population!

When the group returned from the hike, 

they found a forest manager from the 

National Forest Service and told him 

about the hunters. He thanked them and 

immediately went out to investigate. 

Courtney and Myanna breathed a sigh of 

relief. They had helped save the forest and 

its deer population! They parted with 

Courtney's old and Myanna's new friends, 

and began the drive home happy about 

their experience and relieved that they had 

been able to help out the forest. 

Back in Mooresville, it was time to plan 

the next step on their journey. This 

time, they wanted to go somewhere 

further, and get off the east coast!

The girls decided on the state of 

California because it was huge and was 

sure to have some interesting places! 

The girls decided that they wanted to go biking this 

time. After all, they had hiked a lot and were ready 

for a change! 

So they looked up national resource lands in 

California where they could possibly bike. What they 

ended up with was Ford Ord National Monument, 

valued for its 86 miles of trails that people could bike, 

walk, or ride horses on and its beautiful fields of 

grasses and wildflowers for people to enjoy. 

They also discovered that the Bureau of Land 

Management preserves the land to keep its history 

intact as well as its unique ecosystems. 

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