- Hey, everybody, what's up? It's Mirna Valerio, AKA the Motivator. (Mirna laughing) And I am here today at the intersection of the Mountains to Sea Trail, which is an 1,100-mile long trail throughout the state of North Carolina that brings you from the
mountains all the way to the sea. So, let's go for a trail run. The Mountains to Sea Trail is
North Carolina's state trail and longest marked footpath. It meanders through three national forests and passes through three lighthouses. It climbs bot
h the tallest mountain peak and the highest sand dune in
the Eastern United States. This is like a painting. All of the mountains
stacked against each other. It's so cool. I'm here at Black Balsam,
mile marker 45 on the MST. (footsteps thudding) This is the life. Is slipping into my ENO hammock, listening to the breeze through the trees, feeling that sun on my face. Hmm. The Mountains to Sea Trail is especially great for folks who maybe don't want to do a hardcore multi-day backcountry hike, but
instead want to do a short day hike or visit several places along the way. I am at the Haw River Trail in
Saxapahaw in North Carolina, and it is fantastic around here. - [Speaker] This is
the local wine section. - Okay. - Our North Carolina
wine is like right here. - Okay. What do you think the importance of a general store is? - Something that the
owners would talk about sometimes is like the
third place, you know, between home and work. A place where you can hang
out, meet up with somebody. I
t's comfortable, familiar,
you know where you are and it's a place of meeting. (upbeat music) - You hungry? I am, let's go grab some lunch. (upbeat music continues) Oh, this place is cool. Hi there.
- Hi, I see you. Welcome to the Eddy.
- Thank you. - Nice to have you. - This is fantastic. The river's right there. - Yeah, the river's kind
of key to Saxapahaw. We get a lot of runners,
a lot of cyclists. So, we got a nice easy eight
miles of trails around here that we can get to easily. - It is th
e best sandwich
we have on our menu, I think hands down.
- Okay. Check it out, check it out, check it out. Oh, that's so cool. Up and ready to go. One of the reasons I really,
really love trail running is that it allows me to have
a really intimate relationship with the land that I'm on. What it makes me do is take
notice of the space that I'm in and appreciate it for what it is. Running on the sand during sunrise. We made it all the way from the mountains to the sea on the MST. I hope you've en
joyed our
journey and see you next time. (upbeat music)
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