Small Group, Big Impact: Unexpected Perks from Our 5-Person Overmountain Trail Adventure
What was supposed to be a 50-person expedition turned into something much more personal—a journey shared by just five Appleseed volunteers. And honestly, we wouldn't have had it any other way.
Sometimes, a curveball leads to the most memorable stories. While we initially imagined a large crowd, the reality of a smaller group gave us something rare: deeper conversations, spontaneous flexibility, and the time to reflect on everything we were learning. Without the logistics of a large group—no long waits, no herding—we were free to explore more, ask more, and absorb more. It felt less like a trip and more like a shared adventure among friends.
Our journey began at our home range in Ramseur, then took us to the Alamance Battlefield. Greeted by a ranger in period dress, we were ushered into the visitor center where we got a compelling overview of the 1771 battle, its causes, and its aftermath. The ranger patiently fielded all our questions. Next we toured the Allen House. Though built nearly a decade after the battle, it still offered a vivid window into 18th-century life. Lisa, our costumed guide, spoke about life in 1780 while tending a fire for some cornbread—at 10 a.m., in North Carolina's summer heat and humidity. It's hard to imagine 14 people living in that tiny two-room house. WileyCoyote took in every detail—so bets are on for when he starts replicating something he saw.
Finally, we walked the battlefield. What struck us most was the scale of the event compared to the casualties: nearly 3,000 men crowded into a small battlefield using 18th-century firepower—yet only 18 were killed and a few hundred injured. Standing where it all happened, that number seemed almost unbelievable. It made us reflect on how chaotic, yet strangely restrained, that moment in pre-Revolution history was.
We wrapped up our Alamance tour and hit the road to Kings Mountain. Honestly, the van ride was a highlight in itself. Over Publix lunchboxes (their grinders > fast food, no contest), we dove into deep Appleseed and history conversations. AF5US shared his tour of Tryon's Palace he'd visited just the day before. There's something about Appleseeders—you may not know each other at first, but that shared commitment to history and marksmanship builds an instant connection. It felt like family - but family you choose.
At Kings Mountain, we caught both rifle and musket demos. Both rangers again answered all our questions and allowed us to get better looks at their firearms and equipment. We continued the tour by hiking the 1.8-mile battlefield trail with a self-guided tour. Along the way, we added our stones to Ferguson's cairn—a quiet, powerful moment. We wrapped up with a quick stop at the museum and gift shop before heading home.
With fewer people, even dinner was an upgrade—no fast food this time. Conversation was just as rich as it was on the way in. Seeing the places we'd only heard or even taught brought fresh perspective. Even seasoned instructors gained new insights.
Would we do it again with 50 people? Absolutely. But this unique, unexpected trip was something special. And we're all better for it—recharged, reconnected, and ready to pass it on at our next KD.
AF5US, Tennessee Beast, WileyCoyote, and Cincinnatus-Dchelwig - Thanks for a great trip. Please share your pictures and/or comments.
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Battle of Alamance sign
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Our tour guides and rangers were sooo knowledgeable! He gave us so much new information and answered quite a few questions.
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Cannon at the Battle of Alamance
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Ranger Lisa stands with Appleseeders outside the Allen House
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Wileycoyote checks out the fireplace, taking notes on how to replicate everything.
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The 2nd floor of the Allen House - 14 people lived here?!?
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Lisa talks about life in the 1780's
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The 5 of us at the cabin
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Pugh Rock with 3 men hiding behind it. James Pugh is said to have used this rock for cover during the battle against Governor Tryon's militia. It's even said that three men reloaded rifles for him at this spot, allowing him to shoot much faster and effectively.
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Pugh rock at the Battle of Alamance. 3 men lay behind the rock with Wiley standing for scale.
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Battle of Alamance monument. Most Appleseeders (and historians) would take issue with the inscription.
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This monument, erected in 1901, features a statue of James Hunter, known as the "General of the Regulators"
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This aeration was not part of the original statue, but still pretty cool to see (don't do this at home...or at a park!)
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We made it to the Kings Mountain Battlefield
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Rifle demo - we were told that nearly all the patriots used rifles at this battle.
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Preparing the rifle
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Priming the rifle
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The tory ranger shows off his confiscated cartridge box.
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musket demo
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Wow! There's a reason the men turned their heads while shooting.
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This is a glimpse of the steepness of Kings Mountain and also shows some of the destruction of Hurricane Helene that ripped through the area back in September 2024.
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Monument at Kings Mountain was built in 1911. It honors those killed or wounded in the battle and is a key feature on the park's loop trail
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Centinnial Monument, placed in 1880. It marks the area where the battle's first shots were fired and the most intense fighting occurred.
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Ferguson's marker where he's said to have fallen.
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Ferguson's cairn. Rocks are placed on the cairn by many visitors.
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One of the many plaques on the trail.
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Ferguson's rifle - 1 of 5 still in existence.
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Ferguson's rifle compared to a "normal" rifle of the same time period. His could shoot, much faster and be loaded while prone.
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Tennessee Beast was able to give us a tour of the Ramseur range before it got dark out. Thanks!
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The patch - there was a hiccup with the production, but they'll be mailed out by next week.
Looks like an awesome trip! Great pictures! O0
Seeing Pugh's rock paints an entirely different picture in my mind now... makes what him and his companions did even more impressive.
The ranger explained that the previous owner of the land before it was taken over as a national park had heard the story and believed the rock was too small to hide three or four people behind it. In the 1950s he dug out the depression you see around it. It's the same rock, but less of it was probably exposed in 1771.
Quote from: ScottInTX on June 10, 2025, 03:27:17 PMSeeing Pugh's rock paints an entirely different picture in my mind now... makes what him and his companions did even more impressive.
That was my reaction as well. I kept hearing about this "big rock." Big enough for me and two of my friends to take cover, from an opposing force 30 yards away.
Then I see the rock.
"Excuse me. I would like to respectfully request a larger rock please. I worry that this rock may be insufficient to my current needs."
Quote from: ScottInTX on June 10, 2025, 03:27:17 PMSeeing Pugh's rock paints an entirely different picture in my mind now... makes what him and his companions did even more impressive.
Small comment here to first of all thank upacreek for organizing all of this.
As soon as I got back Sunday morning, my family and I were pretty much out the door and only got back late Monday. I have a to-do to attach more pictures, and should do that within 24-48 hours. I have a number of pictures and will probably divide them out by location:
Tryon's Palace (not part of this official tour)
Battle of Alamance
King's Mountain
For now, I'll simply say that I was very blessed to see all 3 locations, in what amounted to chronological order. After visiting Tryon's Palace I can understand how it came to be so expensive. What was always described to me as government offices and the odd parts for the governor's residence, seemed a lot more like the governor's residence with the odd couple of rooms for government offices. Absolutely beautiful, but given the scale & detail I understand how it was that the initial budget was approximately 165 times the annual salary of the average highly-skilled craftsman - and then they tripled that amount.
I'm later than I would have liked uploading these pictures - apologies for that. I was having some trouble getting them off my phone, but I finally did.
There's over 200 pictures of the three locations. For now, it seems the best way to share these is to link them from my Dropbox account instead of trying to resize each of them to something that the forum will support directly.
Tryon's Palace (409 MB)
Not part of the official tour, but I was fortunate enough to be able to visit individually a day before the group tour. The construction of this building was a significant factor in the tensions that lead to Alamance Creek, which lead to King's Mountain
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/yqmo7ojfufaqsy85znfti/Tryons-Palace.zip?rlkey=2fonxco1yil8g6u9xt5bi2mx0&st=ntvlcacl&dl=0
Alamance Creek (253 MB)
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fvporlofxbh88nyxbsys0/Alamance-Creek.zip?rlkey=fuz1glt3lp9jnbrkfbegfws8o&st=pxpfsgm3&dl=0
King's Mountain (385 MB)
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4piia6rf4oiexui2im9qa/Kings-Mountain.zip?rlkey=mzi7t2hv6mo7jebghwtjinhcv&st=spasjly2&dl=0