Pisgah 400: Avery Creek/Twin Falls Loop – 5/22/22 – 10.4 Miles
Looking at 7 pages of notes I wrote about this hike on the day I did it, figuring how to whittle it down to a post that my little band of followers will enjoy reading. Here goes.
Like many people, I’ve had more cancellations than successful plans since COVID rocked the planet. Jim and I managed to avoid being sick…until this week [in May 2022]. Now Jim is isolating (canceling our weekend in the mountains) and I am restless and thinking how to relieve the itching both short term and long term.
My waterfall challenge is SO close to being completed, but the remaining hikes involve swift creek crossings and bushwhacking that I will not attempt solo. The Pisgah 400 Challenge is always looking over my shoulder, though, so I settled on Avery Creek Trail in Pisgah National Forest, out-and-back, about 7 miles total. Not a full day but there it is.
Out of curiosity, I looked at Carolina Mountain Club’s “100 Favorite Trails Challenge” and saw that Hike #65 combines Avery Creek Trail with some trails I’ve done and some snippets that I have not, totaling 10 miles. Bonus points, it includes Twin Falls, a few more miles, a more interesting route.
Thunderstorms were predicted for the afternoon, so I left home very early to give myself a good chance to finish before getting drenched (ended up having no rain at all, just overcast skies). With no traffic on this Sunday morning, I was on trail by 9:00 a.m.
I started on Buckhorn Gap Trail, which is long, disjointed, confusing and manifests multiple personalities. I’ve hiked this particular little stretch before and recalled that it crisscrosses both Avery Creek and Avery Creek Trail. These are horse trails with unbridged horse crossings and (hopefully) bridged people crossings. Signage is good but not perfect and blazes are sporadic.
Adding a degree of difficulty, Hurricane Fred had flooded Pisgah NF in August 2021, choking many of the creeks and drainages with piles of debris. Much of it will be there through my lifetime. That is how nature works.
Some bridges along my route were washed away as well. A few temporary structures have been put in place, challenging me to cross some sketchy logs to keep my feet dry. One particularly impressive debris pile was my only choice versus knee deep water.
Turning left on yellow-blazed Twin Falls Trail, the previous night’s rain had left the trails wet/muddy in some places, dry on the south facing slopes, full foliage in shimmering green. I glimpsed a high waterfall on the left and took the first social trail I saw. A couple hundred yards in, that trail petered out. [This waterfall is probably only visible during/after a good rain event.] I backtracked to the main trail, went a little farther, and saw two high waterfalls on my right – the real Twin Falls.
I followed the slippery trail up to the base, but the best view is really farther down because there are multiple cascades. Really beautiful, even when the forest “gets in the way.”
I had a bit of confusion picking up the trail continuing past the waterfalls – there is a campsite and many social trails around it. Once again GAIA helped me from getting turned around. [How did I do this in my pre-GPS days?? Oh, yeah, I didn’t hike solo in Pisgah very much.]
Continuing on Buckhorn Gap Trail for a short distance, I turned left onto another trail (Still Buckhorn Gap? Maybe Clawhammer?) and hiked the steep 1.3 miles to FS 5058, turned left again and walked a mile on the forest road, then turned right to pick up Buckhorn Gap/Clawhammer (?) again for yet another mile up to the intersection of Black Mountain Trail, an old forest road, and even more Buckhorn Gap Trail.
Too many turn-by-turn directions? Here are a few wildflowers along the way:
At this intersection (the actual Buckhorn Gap) I stopped for lunch before tackling Black Mountain Trail. A young woman on a mountain bike came through and we chatted for a minute as I munched on my cheese and crackers. She shouldered her bike and climbed the stairs – impressive physical and mental strength, confident in what she wanted to do. Made me feel courage to keep going and push myself.
Mountain bikers were now showing up, solos and groups. Some were vocal in announcing their presence, a few just blowing through like they owned the trail. What is the etiquette? Yield to hikers? A myth.
Buckhorn Gap Shelter is on this stretch of Black Mountain Trail. I had not known of this shelter before seeing it today. The large three-sided structure with built-in bunks is raised up on stacked stone corners, like old log cabins, set in a large clearing with a couple of fire rings and space for multiple tents and hammocks. Didn’t see a water source but assume it is close by. The latest users left a very clean camp.
This part of Black Mountain Trail follows along Soapstone Ridge, pleasant sandy undulating tread for a mile or so to Barnett Branch Trail. Another cycling group passed me, including a man pushing his bike, and for some reason he said that his wife was a ways behind him (perhaps to explain why he was walking?) Soon a woman came up behind me, also pushing her bike, and I realized it was the man’s wife.
I made small talk as she smiled gamely and said she was working hard to keep up with the group. I said that she didn’t need to keep up, she could just go at a pace that made her happy. She seemed to take encouragement from that, and I meant it.
Why am I relaying this interaction? Because I’ve felt like that woman many times, and it’s no fun when all you think is that you have to keep up to someone else’s idea of fun. “Hike your own hike” is an affirmation that, once internalized, can apply to just about anything.
Without apology, Black Mountain Trail is all about the mountain bikers. The terrain is awful for hikers, huge deep ditches of red dirt and steep curves, worrying that someone is going to come careening down on you. Sharing trails is the right thing to do, but for hikers it’s just a link to other hiker trails.
I was relieved to reach Club Gap. Rather than two trails crossing, this is the intersection of four different trails. Some clever folks carved logs with the trail names so there is no mistaking which is which. Brilliant idea and masterful execution.
The first couple of miles of Avery Creek Trail is a lot like Black Mountain Trail (but less traffic), lots of deep ditches and curves and a steep descent.
hiking trail following Avery Creek
Beaver work
Once again I entered the tangle of Buckhorn Gap Trail and Avery Creek Trail, crisscrossing Avery Creek on piles of debris and rudimentary bridges. I passed Avery Creek Falls (accessible from the Avery Creek Trail side, in case you ever go looking for it). I ventured most of the way to the water’s edge, stopping short of the bottom because of slippery rocks. A beautiful moment to exhale.
My final crossing of Avery Creek (hallelujah!), a big log crossing with no handrail. The water was about calf deep and no rocks, clear water, so I just waded it rather than try my balance on the log. Very refreshing!
Sometimes the hike is about meeting nature and sometimes it’s about meeting people on the trail. Today was both.
The drive home was okay with my music turned up loud. I was ready for a shower, pizza, and cider, in that order. Jim was feeling a little better after a quiet, restful day alone. We both agreed that life needs to jump start soon.
“Hike your own hike.” ~Everyone
