Pettigrew 

 Staterark 



HOME TO ANCIENT LAKE, TREES, CANOES 



A 



By Ann Green • Photographs by Scott D. Taylor 



Sid Shearin heads 

 deep into the forest at Pettigrew State 

 Park, he points to a majestic bald 

 cypress tree that towers near the Lake 

 Phelps shoreline. 



Several years ago, Shearin, the 

 park's superintendent, nicknamed the 

 120-foot tree the "Lake Phelps monster" 

 because of its bizarre shape and hollow 

 spots that look like peering eyes. The 

 tree's swollen buttress has a cavity large 

 enough for children to hide in. 



"This tree probably got started in 

 the water 100 or 200 years ago," says 

 Shearin. "The shoreline has gradually 

 caught up with it. We think this area on 

 the northern rim of the lake is a virgin 

 forest." 



The mighty trees are so unusual 

 that Shearin has named several of them 

 — from the "wishing well," a hollow 

 sycamore stump, to "the tunnel," a 

 hollow sycamore tree that can be 

 entered from the picnic area or parking 

 lot. "I'm the tree nut of the state park 

 system," says Shearin. "Trees are my 

 bag. I started naming trees when I 

 started having children." 



During a "Paddle to the Sea" 

 workshop several years ago, Shearin 



shared his enthusiasm with North 

 Carolina Sea Grant education specialist 

 Lundie Spence and teachers from across 

 the state. "By the end of the workshop, 

 we were all hugging the trees and 

 measuring their diameters," says Spence. 



Draped in Spanish moss, the 

 cypress trees along the northern shore of 

 Lake Phelps — the state's second largest 

 natural lake — evoke an eerie, mystical 

 feeling. They also give you a glimpse 

 into an area in northeastern North 

 Carolina that was once dominated by 

 swamplands. 



Hike farther down a short trail 

 covered with cypress needles and 

 discover the 350-foot boardwalk on 

 Moccasin Overlook that extends into 

 Lake Phelps. 



"This is the most scenic point in the 

 park," says Fred Spear, the son of the late 

 Robert Spear, Pettigrew Park's chief 

 ranger for more than 40 years. "In the 

 winter, this is the best place to view 

 waterfowl." 



Away from the water's edge, large 

 sweetgum and tulip poplar trees domi- 

 nate the forest, and vines as large as 

 human thighs wind their way up some 

 trees. 



Continued 



At right: A towering bald cypress tree is nicknamed the "Lake Phelps monster" 

 because of its bizarre shape and hollow spots. 



14 HIGH SEASON 1999 



