Waterfalls of Highlands, NC – 9/19/16
I participated in a weekend retreat at Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia, an institute dedicated to contemplation,
established by Trappist monks from Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky where Thomas
Merton lived. This was my first experience at a monastery. My time at Holy
Spirit was peaceful, reverent, enlightening and much too short. I look forward
to visiting again soon.
On my return home from Holy Spirit I planned to camp
overnight near Franklin, NC and arranged a shuttle set-up for a long
dayhike on the AT around Standing Indian.
When I left the monastery at noon on Sunday, though, the weather was
uncooperative, heavy rain settling in for the next 24 hours. I called the shuttle driver and canceled – I
didn’t envision a soggy ending to my enlightened retreat – but I wasn’t ready
to go back to my real world, either. My
waterfall guidebook and the Carolina Mountain Club Waterfalls 100 Challenge
list were in the back seat, so maybe I could work out a Plan B. Waterfalls are
best after (or during) a big rain, right?
Looky here – while I was driving and deciding what to do, I
found Brasstown Falls tucked in a corner of upstate South Carolina (which is
not out of the way if you’re not sure where you’re going). It’s a series of
waterfalls very close together on Brasstown Creek. The trail became very rugged
after the first two so I counted it as a good day.
Brasstown Cascades
Brasstown Veil
Still raining, getting hungry, where to spend the
night? A cozy hotel in Highlands, NC
sounds about right. Tomorrow morning (a Monday for the working folks) will be
my day to conquer the waterfalls – I’m going for six of ‘em! I let the hubby know
that I was changing the plan. I wasn’t specific about exactly which waterfalls
I wanted to explore…but I was working off of the Highlands chapter in Kevin Adams’ North Carolina Waterfalls book…
Dry Falls: Foggy and ethereal in the early morning,
an empty parking lot, a short walk along a stone path and down the stairs, I
felt like I was approaching one of the viewpoints to Yellowstone Falls. Dry Falls was thundering after yesterday’s
rains. The name refers to the ability to
walk behind the falls while staying dry, but not today – the mist was blowing
everywhere. The cavelike grotto behind the falls and the deafening roar of
water gave me shivers. There was a tint
of fall color, orange/yellow leaves. The
serenity of my monastery experience followed me to this place.
Glen Falls: Adams
claims that if you have time for only one waterfall in the area, Glen Falls is
a “good choice.” I suppose that is vague
enough, but today I was underwhelmed. The
trail is easy to find and short enough for the masses to do a simple round
trip. There are several vantage points –
main upper falls, second main falls – and the shortcuts looked as
well-established as the switchbacks, so everything leads to some sort of
view. I took my time at each vantage
point and was glad that I persevered.
Still, I had hoped to see a lot more water.
Main upper falls
Second main falls, shot from the
middle of a ledge
Picklesimer Rock House Falls: Again, an underwhelming
water flow, but the creepy factor rang in at a 10. Finding the trailheads for many of these
waterfalls requires driving along gravel forest roads, keeping your eyes on
your odometer while scanning for the ubiquitous “narrow pullout,” which as
often as not is on the opposite side of the road from the trailhead itself. On
a Monday morning, I didn’t have to worry about sharing the road or the
trails. For Picklesimer Rock House
Falls, I walked up a logging road lined with white pines and then through a
small field that author Adams calls a wildlife clearing. At the far end of the clearing was a campfire
ring of very large rocks that could seat more than a few cowboys. I’m not sure why, but this was the first
point where I felt little hairs standing up on the back of my neck. From there the trail wound through the woods
to a creek which I followed upstream for no more than a tenth of a mile to the
base of the falls.
What does the name mean?
Well, “rock house” was a term used back in the day to describe a deeply undercut
bluff, an overhang broad enough to serve as shelter for hunters and possibly as
temporary homes. The “falls” refers to
the water flowing from the top of the ledge – on the day I was there, just a
trickle. Which “Picklesimer” relative is
anybody’s guess, as the name is common in that part of western NC. [There is a Picklesimer Fields near Butter
Gap Trail in Pisgah National Forest.] A big name for a teeny waterfall.
Inside the “rock house”
Fire ring under the bluff
Walking inside the rock house got the shivers going again,
similar to my reaction to Dry Falls earlier in the morning. This time, though, I wasn’t a hundred yards
from a big paved parking lot beside the main road. I was almost a mile off of a gravel road that
was miles from a paved road. What’s that
sound??? Time to go!
Secret Falls: Big score for the day! THIS is the waterfall that is worth seeking
out. Adams’ trail description did not
match up with what I encountered; I believe I started from a different point
closer to the falls. My clue was a big
“Secret Falls” sign at a parking area on the same forest road. No other cars there, but I trusted the sign,
and there were blue blazes marking the way that kept me from wandering onto
private property. On my return hike I
sort of figured out where Adams’ trail intersected with this new one.
SO… Secret Falls is one of several features along Big
Creek. As I neared the creek, the path
split and I followed the left leg to this lovely wide cascade.
The split to the right led steeply down some rather slippery,
cockeyed, mud-covered steps to the impressive Secret Falls and pool. This beauty begged me to
stay awhile. If I had been with people I
would have removed my boots and waded in the pools, but it didn’t feel safe
alone. It’s soooo easy to slip and fall,
and then where would I be with a broken ankle?
There may be nobody else there all day.
It is a secret, after all.
This was the main event, but I noticed a sketchy trail
following the creek further down. What
happened to that notion of safety being alone?
I dunno. But I followed the
extremely rugged path, ducking under trees and stretching over boulders, to
these spectacular cascades. The faint
trail continued even further, but I stopped at this vantage point and counted
myself rewarded for my effort.
Rounded edges and holes in the rock tell how
powerful water is - and I spy some color in the corner
On the way back to my car I passed a group of four hikers
who had started from a point much further away than I had… so at least I would
have been rescued if a mishap had occurred!
Foreshadowing: within an hour I
would be learning that lesson in a big way.
Scotsman Creek Waterfall: Feeling strong, my next
goal was an off-trail waterfall. I obeyed the usual scavenger hunt type directions, including following a gravel
forest road around “several left-hand curves… be on the lookout for a small
gated road on the left less than 0.1 mile beyond the correct curve.” I crossed my fingers that the pull-off I
chose was the right one. I left my
daypack and hiking poles in the car for this quick trip.
I crossed the road and started bushwhacking down the steep
bank – no trail, but the distance is supposedly very short - working toward the
sound of water. Near the bottom I slipped in mud and fell on my back, mentally
berating myself for leaving my poles behind.
I was in the right place, though, as there on Scotsman Creek I found a
waterfall that no doubt sees more robust days than today.
According to Adams, there is a lot to explore going down the
creek bed, but this is as far as I got. I
felt a pinch on my left arm and looked down to see if I had gotten a scratch during
my clumsy descent. Much worse: a yellow
jacket was giving me the business for disturbing the peace. As I slapped at it, my thoughts began
cranking that yellow jackets are never alone – and I felt another sting, and
another, and another. (It hurts just writing about it months later!) I was not
allergic so far in my life, but I knew well that allergies can develop,
especially for these nasty creatures.
Swatting everywhere and trying to (hopefully) get away from
their nest, I scrambled back up the steep (did I mention muddy?) bank, slipping
and falling multiple times, all the while talking loudly to myself, “Sharon,
get up, get going, don’t stop, you can do this, grab that limb, keep moving!” I
made it to the car and the yellow jackets didn’t follow me. I tore through my daypack looking for
Benadryl tablets that I always carry, but in my panic I couldn’t find them
anywhere. (I found them the next day.) There
I was in a remote area, nobody knew I was there, and I had been stung multiple
times. How bad was my reaction going to
be?
The short story: I
drove about 10 miles to the town of Cashiers, rushed into a pharmacy looking
very disheveled, smeared with mud, by this time thinking that I probably
woudn’t die. Just in case, though, I got
an antihistamine for swelling. (Seven stings in all, big burning welts.) I sat in
my car, pondering whether I should just go home. BUT… there’s still one waterfall in my plan
for today…
Silver Run Falls: The trailhead access is easy-peasy,
right off of Highway 64, and the walk to the falls is short, so no more remote
solo exploring for me today. Still, I
was alone at this natural sanctuary so I stayed for a while in silence. A peaceful (albeit itchy) book-ending for my retreat.
“With meditation I
found a ledge above the waterfall of my thoughts.” ~Mary Pipher
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