Ballplay Falls 2015

Fire pinks along the road to the trail head for Ballplay Falls 


Ballplay Falls 

Dana Koogler

Thurs. April 16, 2015
and Return Visit Thurs. April 23, 2015

Total hike distance 3 miles approx. today.

**This blog will give clear directions at the end for
how to reach Ballplay Falls. It does not divulge the locations
of all the wildflowers. Not all the wildflowers pictured
were found on the Ballplay Falls hike. **
Pictures are here:

Ballplay Falls Pix

     I started off to go do two hikes Thursday April 16, 2015.  I hiked to Jeffrey Hell and it began

raining on me rather hard.  I decided to eat lunch and head back toward Ballplay and hike to the falls. I was hoping going in that direction and a little time passing the sun would come back out.

I figured I'd just finish up the rest of my day elsewhere.   I got there and when I arrived the sun was out and I was so tickled.  I was taking pictures still at the trail head and the rain began again.

I was cold and tired and what I wanted was not happening.  What I wanted was a pretty day to visit this spot and enjoy it.   I decided I'd try again next Thursday.

Next Thursday April 23, 2015

   A week rolled around and the pretty day dawned that I had prayed for and longed for.  

I went to fulfill a couple things on my wish list.  I had wanted to check out a spot down along the Hiwassee River where a friend told me I could view Bent Trillium in bloom for the first time.

I found lots of it in bud when I was in Georgia.  I was not going to have the time to go back to 

Georgia this Spring.   I would have found it already finished blooming had I gone there.

I know it sounds silly to some people, but when I have a wish for something like that I pray

and ask God to help me get the chance if it is part of His plan.   I had to do some searching, but

I found the trilliums and while they were past peak bloom.. they were still pretty and I was thrilled

to see them.  Trillium flexipes is a pure white variety.  Very beautiful.

Trillium flexipes is the binomial for this flower.  It is also called Bent trillium or Jennison's White trillium.  It is erect like white wake robin with its bloom up on a stalk.  The ovary and stamens are

all white.   This is the 2nd different trillium I've seen this Spring.  The other being Trailing trillium

which is down on the ground!

    

  I will NOT divulge the directions for this location. It was shared with me by someone else and 

if I go blabbing everything I know .. no one will want to help me anymore.  I will share some things

with some people, but I will NEVER become part of the hive mind and tell all that I know. I will

ask folks sometimes to assist me when I have had difficulty locating something I've never seen.

Just because a person has shared one of their secrets with me I do NOT expect them to tell me

all they know either.   It would not be fair of me to expect it.  It would also not be very much fun

for me to always have everything handed to me.   I have seen areas where good wildflowers are located become well known and the flowers trampled out of existence.  

            

 Rock ledges covered in stonecrop. 

Stonecrop close up. Very lacy. 

Above are some of the photos from the Hiwassee area.  

Dicentra eximia--wild bleeding hearts above.

The start of my bluebird day along the banks of the Hiwassee looking at the sides of Starr Mountain.

    

              Once I had satisfied my soul with what was around the Hiwassee I ate an early lunch looking at the river and headed on up toward Tellico Plains to hike to Ballplay Falls.

 Two Off Trail Dumb Asses Bushwack to Ballplay Falls!

The Back Story

             I will  tell you the back story on how I first came to learn of Ballplay Falls and my first visit.

I should not tell it on myself because it is so silly, but it will demonstrate both my foolishness and dogged 

determination.    I learned of Ballplay Falls from the internet.  Waterfalls of Monroe County

Once I saw the photo of it on that link.. that was all she wrote.  I was going to see it.  I tried once with Kenny to find it.  We got in the general vicinity, but people filled our heads up with wild stories about the old Buck Highway and we'd get ourselves shot messing around out there.  I now know for a fact that SOME of that stuff is true having cared for people who've gotten shot or beaten out in those parts. I also know for a fact that some of those stories were intended to scare us off and keep us from finding good things.  The person who did the most of the telling turned out to be a treacherous bitch. 

             I was friends with Bill Stowell and he was also interested in finding it.   We decided we'd go 

hunt it with the waypoints off Tennessee landforms.  Bill had a real good GPS and knew how to use it.

I had one, but it was a sorry one and I lacked skill in using it.  I remember it was cold when we went.

I want to say it was late February or early March.  We found the beginning point at the trail.   We did 

see Ballplay Creek.  We saw a path going up the creek by it.  We followed it.  The first trail played out.

We jumped onto a rough old road one notch up from the first one. Eventually that played out too.

We were damn well going to find that falls so we just got in the creek and started rock hopping.

We went from side to side of the creek, forded back and forth.  After hours of floundering, struggling, 

bushwhacking, and having a worms eye view of the world... we rounded a bend in the creek.

The GPS indicated we were getting close. The terrain was changing and went from being flat... to looking like a place a waterfall might actually be found. Part of what intrigued me about Ballplay Falls was the fact it occurs in an area that you'd never expect to find a waterfall!  Ballplay gets its name from the fact it is mainly flat and the Cherokee played their ballgames there on that lovely flat ground.   Part of the intrigue was 

how out of the way and little known it was.   Part of the sell for me is the hunt.  Bill and I were having a grand hunt for sure, but we were also suffering to get there.   Finally we found it.  We were elated!

              The rest of the story jumps forward to several years later with me being in the Tellico Plains visitor center.   I was talking to an older lady who works there. I was talking to her about the area waterfalls. I asked her if she had ever been to or heard of Ballplay Falls? She said yes!  I told her about how rough that trip was and how hard it was to find.  The look on her face let me know I'd made a SERIOUS mistake!

I hung my head before her. I then looked up and said "There is a trail to it, isn't there?" She nodded

yes.  She then went on to tell me that you go behind the old house and pick up a good trail there

that will take you right to the falls.   I was embarrassed, but relieved to know the truth.  We went

and re-visited Ballplay Falls that day.  Kenny and I went and found the trail and walked right to it

without the first problem.  One of the worst cases ever for me of making something way harder than it had to be.   It is funny now though.  I'm the kind of woman if I want a mountain moved I'll do it .. If I have to do it a teaspoon at a time.  

 Today's Visit to Ballplay Falls ON the Trail 

       

  Now I'm an older, fatter,slightly smarter woman.  I still mess up bad sometimes, but wouldn't life

being boring if things were always perfect?!   Today I needed a perfect day and so far it was going swell.

I was not scared of the Buck Highway legends that had been told. I was not going to mess up and do dumb stuff.  I was just going to have fun and see pretty things.    I arrived at the trail head with no problem.

I enjoyed the view and the wildflower display on the drive there!  The old houses and buildings are neat 

to see on the drive there.  My favorite old house ever is located where you park.

 Old house you will see at the start of the Ballplay Falls hike.  I come from people who lived

like this so this sort of place will always be special to me.   It is break your heart beautiful here.

There is a bridge that is very narrow and muddy. 

 My jeep parked by the old barn.  Tires are muddy, but that's what its meant to do.

You've got to remember since I've shared how I first arrived at Ballplay Falls off trail that ANY trail to me seems great!   I am a rough dog so I often tell people its good when they might not

agree with me.  If you don't like vegetation touching you. If you don't like crawling over and under trees... if you are accustomed to very groomed trails like in the Smoky Mountains National Park or state parks you will probably not care for this hike.   The trail is an unofficial one and I don't 

think it is maintained.   It is getting visited a little more now so that helps keep it open.

Here the trail starts.. The old grassy path goes straight along the creek behind the house, but you can see here the turn to the right to start up on the path to the falls.  It starts off good.

The hike stays pretty good most of the way, but it has  some spot that  go through briars and stuff that looks like this.  Not too many.  

Downed trees.. two side by side along the path. 

I had   to negotiate two side by side .  

Gives you a small taste of my worm's eye view for just a few minutes.

But then the path is good again and wanders through piney woods. It smells good. 

Parts of the hike are through lush, green plants. Parts are through pine forest.

  The path bends sharply right here.  There is an old animal path or something heading down and left here.  

        

 pictured above.  The path splits.  

     Here I am still high above the creek.  I came out 

at the top of the falls eventually.  It is a relatively short  hike.    

 This is where the path meets Ballplay Creek just above the falls. 
The falls is about forty five feet high and has two drops.  

Above the leaf and bloom of Shuttleworth's Ginger. It is in the birthwort family of plants.

It likes piney woods.  Its binomial is Hexastylis shuttleworthii

I love a path through a pine forest.

Catesby's trillium blooms profusely just before the top of the falls.

I followed the path down to the base of the falls. It was prettier than ever.

More water coming over the falls today than I had ever seen on it!

Bottom portion of Ballplay Falls.  

Beautiful blue skies above me today!

This is the very bottom part of the path you have to take to reach

the base of the falls.  It is not even a manway.  It is slick.

I am posting a video that shows Ballplay Creek and both the upper and lower drops

of the falls. It shows off the beauty of it better than a mere photo. Plus it is set to

music by John Cowan who is one of my all time favorites.  The mood of this 

really captures the tone of the day and the place for me. 

    I  loved being here today! I found it myself.  No help.  No worries. I was not scared.
It was lovely and perfect.  I did go off trail just a little bit to try to find the waterfall Paul Gamble told me about that is above Ballplay Falls. I found the creek and could see movement through the rhodo.
I was 100% alone and there is no trail to that one at all so I decided I'd play it smart and safe and go back
to hunt that one when I have Kenny with me.    It would be better to hit that one up when it is Winter. Snakes are awake. I did not see any today, but Mike Gourley reminded me I see an inordinate amount
of snakes.


               The wildflowers and greenery of Spring were amazing!  Partial views are along the path.


   I found tea berries growing here and ate some.  I remember hiking in the George Washington National Forest with my parents. They taught me what teaberry was and how good it is!


Tea berry grows red and round on a tiny shrub that grows UP.  It is tasty and safe to eat.


Partridge berries grow thick around where the tea berries were too.  They are flat to the ground, and egg shaped.  I don't know if they are poison, but I don't eat them.

   

Ballplay Creek. I walked way up it today just recalling that I had gone all the way up this pretty stream
to the falls. Wow!  While I don't want to do that again........ I saw things I would never have seen if I hadn't done it.   Those are good memories too.  Me laughing so hard at the mess we were in laying on a tiny shred of rock with the creek flowing past and looking at Bill's hind quarters.  I was wearing that darn pink coat of mine.

Old photo of me in the pink coat


Back of the old house.   I was back at my jeep. Tired and happy and ready to go home.

The wildflower display at Ballplay Falls is excellent. It begins on your drive there and continues all the way to the falls.


Large cluster of fire pinks along the bank on the way.


Trillium cuneatum is abundant here in maroon and brown.


Unusual form of dwarf crested iris. White with a tinge of purple!



**Ballplay Falls is actually situated in the Cherokee National Forest, but the access is across private property.  I have been given the okay to visit by the landowner, but I am removing directions to it.