Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Week 5

Week 5 Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge - Crowders Mountain

The Spring 2017 Climb Every Mountain encourages participants to exercise an average of at least 20 minutes per day. Week 5, beginning April 2 and ending April 8, features Crowders Mountain.

Eleven hiking trails, ranging from easy to strenuous, are popular activities at Crowders Mountain State Park in Gaston and Cleveland counties about 30 miles west of Charlotte. Some hiking trails offer a 25-mile view of the Piedmont. Visitors may wish to camp, canoe on the 7-acre lake, or participate in orienteering at the park. Experienced climbers will find areas for rock climbing and bouldering.

A famous botanist who discovered and named the Big Leaf Magnolia, Andre Michaux, passed through this area. Twin peaks marked boundaries between Catawba and Cherokee Indians prior to the 1770s. Local citizens and the Gaston Conservation Society were concerned that the Crowders Mountain area might be mined, and they eventually were instrumental in the area becoming a state park that connects to Kings Mountain in South Carolina.

Have you ever visited Crowders Mountain State Park? If so, what were your favorite activities?

To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
    the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.

Jonah 2:6

Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Week 3 Results

Week 3 Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Results

Here are Week 3 results from our Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge. Twenty-one participants submitted points for week 3 with a grand total of 292 points, equaling more than 97 hours of exercise for the entire group.

As the weather begins to warm, a wealth of outdoor exercise opportunities begin to peek around the corner. One participant mentioned that she walked a lot at a flea market. Yes, even shopping can be great exercise!

Many of us struggle to commit to a regular fitness routine. Group activities like fitness challenges and partnering with someone who also wants to exercise are two great ways to stay motivated. It is normal for some weeks to be better than others due to a variety of reasons. So, what motivates you?

Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Week 4

Week 4 Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge - Stone Mountain

The Spring 2017 Climb Every Mountain encourages participants to exercise an average of at least 20 minutes per day. Week 4, beginning March 26 and ending April 1, features Stone Mountain.

Not to be confused with Stone Mountain in Georgia that has figures carved into the rock, this North Carolina state park, located in Wilkes and Alleghany counties, features a natural 600 foot granite dome that became a national landmark in 1975. Near the base of the dome, visitors can walk around the Hutchinson homestead and see a log cabin, barn, meat house, and corncrib. Another historic site, Garden Creek Baptist Church, is located near the banks of Roaring River at the state park.

Hiking, trout fishing, picnicking, and rock climbing are favorite activities near Stone Mountain State Park. The park offers nine hiking trails ranging from moderate to strenuous while offering views of waterfalls, streams, and a variety of views of the granite dome. Those with mobility issues may park near the Hutchinson homestead and walk a short distance to the base of Stone Mountain.

Have you ever visited Stone Mountain State Park? If so, what were your favorite activities?

How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”

Isaiah 52:7

Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Week 2 Results

Week 2 Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Results

Here are week 2 results of our Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge. Twenty-two participants submitted points for week two with a grand total of 329 points, equaling over 109 hours of exercise!

Although I don't require participants to tell me what sorts of exercise they are doing, many people mention some of their activities, and I've been impressed with the wide variety of exercises. One participant likes to wake around dawn and walk outside in the driveway, and another person did a lot of lifting walking when helping to move a relative to a new home. Several people joined me for group walks at nearby parks where we watched wildlife while we hiked. The gym and exercise classes are also popular types of exercise.

In my opinion, the best types of exercise are those that folks will do and hopefully enjoy. It also helps if the exercise location is convenient. If you are interested in joining the challenge, click here for more information and I hope to hear from you soon!

Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Week 3

Week 3 Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge - Pilot Mountain

The Spring 2017 Climb Every Mountain encourages participants to exercise an average of at least 20 minutes per day. Week 3, beginning March 19 and ending March 25, features Pilot Mountain.

Pilot Mountain State Park, located in Pinnacle, towers above Highway 52 just north of Winston-Salem and is often used as an iconic landmark for people traveling by land, water, and air.


Big Pinnacle, a knob known by native inhabitants as Jomeokee literally means "Great Guide" or "Pilot." Visitors are invited to explore Pilot Mountain State Park by foot, horseback, or canoe. If you are looking for an amazing view without a lot of hiking, this park boasts a breathtaking view from the parking lot! Experienced cyclists may wish to tackle the 2.5 mile road to the upper parking lot. The park offers fourteen hiking trails ranging from easy to strenuous. Climbing and rappelling are popular activities at the park.



Those who like to camp have several choices, including a canoe-in primitive area. Enjoy seeing the Catawba rhododendron, mountain laurel, blueberries, huckleberries, and grapes while listening to the natural chorus of frogs and songbirds. Visitors might also consider dates for guided nocturnal hikes and the astronomy program offering viewing in the summit area after dark.



Have you ever visited Pilot Mountain State Park? If so, what were your favorite activities?

The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.

Genesis 8:5

Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Week 1 Results

Week 1 Climb Every Mountain Challenge Results

Here are our results for Week 1 of the Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge.


Week 1 included March 5 through March 11, 2017. Participants are encouraged to exercise an average of at least 20 minutes per day, receiving one point for each 20 minutes of exercise. Those who earn at least 7 points per week meet average exercising at least twenty minutes per day.


Twenty participants joined during this first week of the challenge, logging a total of 272 points, which translates to more than 90 hours of exercise for the entire group. As you can see, many participants have exceeded 7 points for week 1. What a great start!


If you are interested in joining our fitness challenge, click here for details.

Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Week 2

Week 2 Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge - Hanging Rock

The Spring 2017 Climb Every Mountain encourages participants to exercise an average of at least 20 minutes per day. Week 2, beginning March 12 and ending March 18, features Hanging Rock.

Hanging Rock State Park, located in Danbury, offers over 20 miles of hiking trails (21 trails from easy to strenuous), lake swimming and canoeing, rock climbing on Cook's Wall or Moore's Wall, mountain biking, camping, picnic tables, and a park museum. This park of over 7,000 acres is part of the Sauratown Mountains that are known as "mountains away from the mountains" as they are separated but close to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Hanging Rock Trail is a moderate 1.3-mile trail offering an amazing view at the peak. Visitors looking for an easy trail with a view and sound of a waterfall may wish to try the 0.3 mile one-way Upper Cascades Trail that is paved to the rock garden and continues to the base of the waterfall on crushed rock.

An observation deck for viewing Hanging Rock from below flanks the parking lot. The exhibit hall offers interactive exhibits, information on the region's air quality, a video about the Civilian Conservation Corps, dioramas of area plants and animals, a seasonal art gallery, and more. Educators may be interested in Rock Around the Clock, a free educational program featuring Hanging Rock State park developed for grades 5-8 that correlates to North Carolina's competency-based curriculum in science, social studies, mathematics, and language arts.

This park is one of my all-time favorites! Have you visited Hanging Rock State Park? What were your favorite activities?

He who forms the mountains,
    who creates the wind,
    and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
    and treads on the heights of the earth—
    the Lord God Almighty is his name.

Amos 4:13

Climb Every Mountain Fitness Challenge Week 1

Week 1 Climb Every Mountain 2017 Fitness Challenge - Morrow Mountain

The Spring 2017 Climb Every Mountain encourages participants to exercise an average of at least 20 minutes per day. North Carolina is blessed with a plethora of mountains throughout much of the state, including the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachians, and Great Smokey Mountain Range. As we begin this healthy lifestyle journey, let's explore some of these natural beauties together on the blog. Better yet, schedule a hiking trip to see some of these mountains up close and personal!

Week 1, beginning March 5 and ending March 11, features Morrow Mountain. Morrow Mountain State Park, located in Albemarle, is part of the Uwharrie Mountain Range. The park features a nature museum for exploring the geology and plants and animals of the area, learning a little about panning for gold, and provides information on American Indians who used to live in the region.

Those interested in traveling to Morrow Mountain State Park will discover that the park offers 15 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy to strenuous options, 16 miles of bridle trails, boating (rowboats and canoes), fishing, picnic tables, and a swimming pool. The Morrow Mountain Trail, peaking at 936 feet, is 2.6 miles one-way.

Visitors interested in history might want to look at Dr. Kron's homestead at the foot of the mountain. Emigrating to America from Prussia in 1823, Dr. Kron is considered the first medical doctor to settle and practice medicine in North Carolina's southern Piedmont.

Have you ever visited Morrow Mountain State Park? If so, what were your favorite activities?

Before the mountains were born
    or you brought forth the whole world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalm 90:2