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At the left is Spencer Mountain. At one time a quarry was operated near its peak and you will still find a large
hole there. At the right is the pinnacle of Crowder’s Mountain. In the background Spencer is faintly visible.
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There Are Mountains
in Gaston
Our trusty guide lakes us on another moun¬
tain hike. This time we visit mountains
which have strayed off by themselves.
By EDGAR ABERA'ETHY
NO, reader, that title isn’t a
typographical error; Gaston
County, though quite a dis¬
tance removed from the main body
of our North Carolina mountains,
has several mountain peaks scattered
about over it. We who live here are
quite proud of our mountain scenery,
and after a glance at the accompany¬
ing photographs no doubt you’ll agree
that our pride is justified.
At least three peaks will repay the
climber with some glorious views. The
twin peaks of Pasour Mountain, be¬
tween Dallas and Cherryville, are so
thickly wooded that not much can be
seen from them, so I'd advise you to
pass them up unless you are climbing
purely for exercise, but Spencer,
Crowder’s and the Pinnacle in the
Kings Mountain range will all reward
any climber.
Spencer Mountain, an irregular
cone 1,304 feel high, is located on the
South Fork of the Catawba River
l1/» miles northeast of Ranlo, and is
easily reached by a paved road. It’s
a short and easy climb, too, over a
wide, graded trail which was once a
road. At one time a quarry was oper¬
ated near the mountain top, which
accounts for the great hole you’ll
find there.
You’ll be surprised at the extent
of the view from Spencer, in spite
of the fact that its altitude isn't par¬
ticularly great. As you probably know,
more incorporated towns arc found
in Gaston than in any other county
in the State. Two of them, Bessemer
City and Cherryville, cannot be seen
from Spencer, but Gastonia, Dallas,
Stanley, Mt. Holly, Belmont, Lowell,
Cramerton, and McAdenville may all
be identified, as well as Charlotte,
Paw Creek, and either Huntersville
or Cornelius, or it might be Davidson,
in Mecklenburg. It would be a safe
bet that more towns are visible from
Spencer than from any other moun¬
tain in North Carolina, unless it be
Crowder's. The view from Crowder’s
takes in more territory, but not all
the towns within this area can be
identified. And it seems certain that
more cotton mills are visible from
Spencer and Crowder’s than from any
other mountains in the world.
Spencer Mountain is a convenient
grandstand for viewing the surround¬
ing countryside, but if you want to
see our real mountain scenery you’ll
have to journey over to the south¬
western corner of the county, where
Crowder's Mountain, the Pinnacle,
and Kings Mountain form a chain
six miles in length. A portion of this
range is in Cleveland County, but
Gaston claims all the higher peaks.
In order to keep the record straight,
the Kings Mountain Battleground, in
South Carolina, although situated
among the hills which form the
southern terminus of the range, is a
couple of miles from Kings Moun¬
tain proper, which lies entirely within
North Carolina.
The Pinnacle, highest point in this
section of the State, is easily reached
from the City of Kings Mountain by
a good dirt road. Several trails lead
to the 1,705-foot. summit, but the
easiest begins at Sherrar’s Gap. be¬
tween the higher peak of Kings
Mountain and the Pinnacle. This trail
follows the ridge, and isn’t so steep.
When you reach the sharp point of
the summit, over seven hundred feet
above the surrounding countryside, a
wonderful, unobstructed view rewards
you, spreading out in all directions
until it fades away into blue infinity.
Far to the east, if it’s clear enough,
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