Overview: Raven Rock State Park, located south of the Triangle in Lillington, North Carolina, revitalizes one’s senses on a cold winter day with its dramatic scenery. The major attraction, Raven Rock itself, is easily reached on the Raven Rock Loop Trail (2.6 miles). The loop is an easy hike—until the climb back up the stairs after you’ve descended to the banks of the scenic Cape Fear River.
Directions: Raven Rock State Park is located in Harnett County, west of Lillington. From the intersection of US 1 and US 421, take US 421 south. Turn left onto Raven Rock Road, which will take you straight into the park. More detailed directions can be found online.
Observations & Ponderings: Raven Rock State Park’s topographic extremes—high jutting cliffs, hilly uplands, and muddy bottomlands—provide abundant habitat for numerous tree species. On this trip, we identified blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica), black oak (Quercus velutina), chestnut oak (Quercus montana), shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), northern red oak (Quercus rubra), white oak (Quercus alba), water oak (Quercus nigra), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and dogwood (Cornus florida) in the uplands alone.
Along the trail, black oaks were especially striking—both the leaves and the rugged, dark bark (Black oak, Quercus velutina, Raven Rock State Park, January 11, 2009; and black oak bark at Raven Rock State Park, January 11, 2009). Below Raven Rock, down along the Cape Fear River, the world shifted: colder air, bigger shadows, and the steady movement of the river holding the whole landscape together (Below Raven Rock along the Cape Fear River, Raven Rock State Park, January 11, 2009).
For me, this journey to Raven Rock State Park on January 11, 2009, had a much deeper meaning. At nearly 40 weeks pregnant with a baby boy, the spectacular view of the Cape Fear River and valley was particularly poignant (Overlooking the Cape Fear River, Raven Rock State Park, January 11, 2009). It triggered thoughts about the vastness of Earth’s history and how the landscape is continually changing at all time scales, macro and micro. It made me consider how my own life was about to change—how I was bringing a new life into the world, and that this new baby would see changes that I never would.
When I took this hike, I knew that baby Grant would be arriving soon. This hike, in fact, seemed to jump start labor contractions. After 27 hours of labor, baby Grant arrived into this ever-changing, awe-inspiring world.
Sense of Place 