Heroes of the Lawson Trek

I say constantly that the best part of this project is the people I meet. This segment, starting in Julian, NC, and walking towards Hillsborough, has made that especially clear.

Even Lawson seems to have felt the same way on this segment of his journey. First, though, terrain. Lawson said of this portion of the trail, as the Piedmont's higher hills (in the thousand-foot range) diminish to rolling, "We pass'd through a delicate rich Soil this day: no great Hills, but pretty Risings, and Levels, which made a beautiful Country." Hear, hear, Mr. Lawson. I noted on my last trek -- which ended in Julian -- that as I came down out of the hills I noted a couple enormous radio broadcast antennae: a sure sign that you're on the edge of the big hills. This time, leaving from Julian, I never stopped marveling at the rolling landscape -- hills to gently climb, then gracefully descend, covered with green meadows, omnipresent white-and-silver barns, and

I always think of barns with red sides. Lately it's been all white barns with silver roofs and I am in love with them.

And grassy meadows. Also: like ten skillion acres of soybeans, but they're just not photogenic.

crops like corn, soybeans, and hay. It's truly a lovely part of the world; when walking through it, Lawson said, "The Savages do, indeed, still possess the Flower of Carolina, the English enjoying only the Fag-end of that fine Country."

It's been vastly hot, too, but I'm tired of talking about that.

What I love talking about right now are the Heroes of the Lawson Trek, who have been out in force this segment. 

I started out this segment accepting a ride from Michael Johnston, himself passed on to me from Speed Hallman, a Lawsonian who had read about the trek and reached out to introduce himself and offer general assistance. When I said I could use a ride to help me place my car in Hillsborough, where I was finishing this segment, and then get me to Julian, where I was starting,  Speed reached out to Johnston, a pharmacist in Pleasant Hill, not far from Julian. Johnston gladly made the run to Hillsborough to grab me up and get me to Julian before going to work that day.

Michael Johnston turned out to be not only interested in Lawson but married to a direct descendant of Baron de Graffenried, the last European to see Lawson alive.

That's nice, and wonderful, and the kind of thing that makes this trek so much fun. But the universe being the trickster that it is, Johnston turned out not to be just a Lawsonian, which he became when he and Cristin, his wife (then his girlfriend), visited New Bern and learned about its history -- and its founding in 1710 by Lawson and de Graffenreid. Entranced with New Bern's history, the pair talked about moving there -- and a relative of Cristin's told her shat she was the eighth-great-granddaughter. "He sent her a whole packet of family tree stuff," Johnston said. De Graffenried was the guy with Lawson when the two were captured (and Lawson killed) by the Tuscarora in 1711.

That's an amazing coincidence, and I look forward to meeting and speaking with Cristin. But I loved hearing how Johnston fell for Lawson: "I just struck a liking for Lawson because of his attention to detail, natural history, his relationship to the natives.

"What I wouldn't give be able to go back and do what he did in an untainted new world," he said.

I couldn't have agreed more.

The next Hero of the Lawson Trek I stumbled onto was Ann Tilley, a seamstress and textile artist who was waiting to get her oil changed at Shoffner's, the service station/restaurant/store about halfway between Julian

Cedarock Park, the awesome Alamance County park where I planned to spend my first night. Not only did we have a delightful conversation about Lawson but she told me about the farm where she lived: "it's my boyfriend's stepdad's sister's husband's childhood home." Which, in a region where everybody I meet seems to have relatives stretching back to Lawson's time, is about par for the course. What's more, she told me that like so many, the farm doesn't work any more -- or actually, it does: "It's a solar farm," she said, harvesting sunlight now for utility companies. She told me about another one I'd pass along my way -- I did my best to take a picture of it. You think that's good? Then since she and her boyfriend, Adam, were going to Cedarock to play disc golf that evening, she picked me up later and drove me there, obviating the need for me to walk miles off Lawson's path to get to the park. She brought watermelon. Hero of the Lawson Trek indeed.

It's not easy to see -- I couldn't get too close without going into poison ivy -- but this farm along the old Trading Path trades in sunshine now. If you look in the center you can see the solar panels.

I'm sure Lawson had better hospitality at some point, but watermelon on a hot day? I'm happy.

Still more cool people, and mind you this is in two days total. The Trading Path has big mojo -- people have been walking along it for centuries, since long before Lawson. When you have a place that people tend to go, stuff tends to happen there. Civil War troop movements, for example -- and the Battle of Alamance. Years before the Revolution, in 1771, the Regulators, a group of Piedmont farmers who wanted protection from government officials taking advantage of their positions. Skirmishes led to an actual battle in 1771, where the Regulators got their buts kicked but lay down the early groundwork for government resistance. I visited the battleground, then wandered into the visitors center to escape the heat. There I met Lisa Cox, who had learned, once she started working there, that the Trading Path, Lawson's path, ran right through the 

Lisa Cox of the Alamance Battlefield visitors center talked Trading Path, Lawson, and Regulators. Yay, Lisa!

This gang was out for a walk on a hot day. Like me! They were all super nice, and naturally knew everything about the area.

battlefield. She also learned that she was a direct descendant of not one but two of the Regulators -- Simon Dixon and Brinsley Barnes, you're wondering. Lisa showed serious Lawson interest, so I took her picture.  And as I neared my stopping point for the night -- the Hampton Inn near Mebane, where after a night camping in the rain I confess I am enjoying the AC and the dry -- I ran into a group of four people out for a nice walk. Janet Eckleberger (in the black) had driven out to visit Lee and Betty Vernon (in the white hats) and Betty's brother, Kemp Kimrey. We were less than a block from Kimrey Road, because roads named for your family is how it is around here. We talked of course about Lawson, but just about the high point of the day came when Eckleberger described her experience writing down the directions she followed to the Vernons' home. With the various Old Hillsborough Roads and Salem Church Roads and Saxapahaw Bethlehem Church Roads, "I felt like I was walking through a historical short story just to get to her house." I knew just how she felt.

I'm closing with a picture of Detario, the dude who helped me get organized to drop bags, get a room, and walk my way to the Hampton Inn. It may be because I'm so glad to be sleeping comfortably tonight, but it may be just because this segment has been a party of Lawson helpers and he's a cool guy. So anyhow, it's nice to have a segment where with the beautiful countryside, the history, and the astonishing elements of Lawson's story, I just got to tell you about the people on the way.

Detario!