Close up shot of Bishops Cap bloom along Big Eagle Creek
Standing Stone State Forest Camping Day 2
Garrett's Mill Falls & Bryan's Fork Falls
Dana & Kenny Koogler
Sunday April 7, 2019
Garrets Mill Falls
We woke up on Sunday and got ourselves ready for the day's adventures. I was having a serious jones to check out Garrets Mill area. I had a number of questions about the trail system as well as the Spring wildflower bloom. Kenny was also curious about the trails.We headed toward Livingston and dropped off a rented movie at Red Box on the way through town. We kept going until we got outside town on Hwy 111 North. We missed the turn onto Garret Mill Road by about two miles before we turned around. Once on the road we had no more navigation problems. It is private property, but in one of those states of grace where folks visit, and thus far are not stopped. It lies near private homes so be respectful in every possible way. It seems to be a bit of a dump site for trash and perhaps a party spot.
Once there I was thrilled to see I was correct and the wildflowers were thick as hair on a dog's back! I was actually more curious about the trail system when we first arrived. We agreed we'd head out far as we could go in my jeep on the four wheel drive road. We'd work our way back toward the falls and cave. It didn't take long to answer the first questions. The main trail goes out so far and ends at a gate. It turns right and goes up a hill which we did not check out because we would need the RZR to travel on that. We had spent some time looking at satellite photos of the area so we knew that it eventually ended behind someone's yard in that direction. Had we been able to go left we'd have eventually run into the same thing. You'd find yourself in a yard or field on private property. The structures shown on Cal Topo for the most part were either current homes or non existent. We did find a turn to the left that ended shortly at a pair of gas wells.
Their presence here is probably why the road has remained open to travel. Spots along the stream where I believed there might be falls turned out to be false hope. Just a few riffles, but nothing to shout about.
Sweet Betsy trillium.. these are but a few of the wildflowers that grow in this spot.
We made our way back to the main falls and stopped to get out. Garrets Mill sat down between the cave stream and Big Eagle Creek. You can see the piers of the mill and some rock cribbing where the bank was shored up. Other remnants of the mill are scattered around. We got out and started wandering up and down the hills enjoying the beautiful wildflowers. The surrounding slopes were filled with white trilliums, the tiny rose buds of prairie trilliums, southern red trillium, chickweed, pink and white rue anemone, blue violets, white violets, trout lilies, purple phacelia, ferns of many types and lots of shining green moss. The stream flowing out of the cave was strong, but not overwhelming. It was about normal. Someone had thrown trash around the falls and cave. I took time to pick that up and put it in the jeep.
Kenny wandered down the bank below the falls toward Big Eagle Creek. He was hoping to find morel mushrooms, but he did not. He warned me before I headed down that a dead rottweiler dog was lying on the bank below where I stood. I had a brief whiff of decomposing flesh. I saw it, but just tried to avert my eyes and nose. I have to wonder if the dog just died or was shot. A lot of folks don't care for rottweiler dogs. They lump them into the vicious breed category. Not judging since I don't know, but next time back I'll have to take some Vick's salve to put under my nose. I went down the slope to the stream safely away from the nastiness. I saw old tires in a few spots. :-(
Garret Mill Falls.. main drop. It is actually a series of a couple falls. The falls to one side of it was nothing more than a damp rock today! See the photo below. I am standing on the brink of it.
Damp rock is all that is left of the one falls today. Not sure why with as much rain as we've had. It's stream source comes from underground.
We spent a fair amount of time exploring around Big Eagle Creek. It was not only wildflower paradise, but a particularly pretty stream just by itself. It is filled with many colored rocks that also have different textures. Some of the rocks contain fossils! The fresh greens of Spring and the many tones of the stream are a visual feast to me. I am like a magpie and like all things shiny and colorful. My back porch looks like a Gypsy Caravan. I've had this tendency since I was a toddler. The murmuring of the stream was soothing to the ears. The rock forms around it are interesting and the banks around it have holes that look like caves. The ones Kenny investigated were nothing more than deep holes though. The massive rocks were topped with every form of green growing vegetation and festooned with wildflowers!
Great white trilliums and chickweed are among the flowers topping the rocks.
All these things were part of what I'd been craving. The sights, sounds, fragrances, rain, and chance to be artistic and curious fed my longing soul today.
Above: Fossils in a stone in Big Eagle Creek. Fascinating!
Below: One of many interesting rock formations strewn with flowers and mosses.
We were having a fine old time, but while we were yet exploring Big Eagle Creek fat, cold drops of rain began to fall. We hoped it would pass, but it did not. Instead it rained harder and showed no signs of letting up. We headed up the bank toward the jeep. Reluctantly we got in and left. On the way I noticed a gravel road turning to the left down toward creek level. I asked if we could follow it to see where it lead? I figured we'd be turning around, and going back the way we came in. We were both pleasantly surprised to find that was untrue! This little road goes along Big Eagle Creek eventually fording it. It climbs back up going way through the country. We followed it all the way back to Hwy 111. It was a beautiful drive. I look forward to returning to further botanize this area this Summer. I hope to make at least two more trips. The area we came through took us near Little Eagle Creek and we hoped we'd find a way to visit Parrot Falls and Little Eagle Falls.
After many tries and no luck. Kenny had a bad feeling about it. It was also private property, but no route of approach satisfied him. Part of it was that it was raining and cold. Part of it was that he was ready for lunch. Rather than argue we headed back toward Livingston. We'd eat some lunch and figure what to do next. We ended up at Wayne's Grill. It was cozy and had a great atmosphere. The proprietor himself checks on you!
The food was amazing. A good hot lunch in a clean, warm, dry restaurant with friendly faces was exactly what we needed. Before we could leave the sky opened and rain poured down as if coming from buckets! We were glad to be out of the weather.
We'd have to see what the sky was planning before we did anymore exploring. We headed back in the direction of Standing Stone in the rain.
Bryan's Fork Falls
Once back at Standing Stone the rain let up. The sun peeped out. We were still not sure what we wanted to do, but figured we'd best do something round here. Kenny would have to drive home this evening since he had to work Monday morning early. We checked out the dam, the swinging bridge, Mill Creek, and the picnic area. We figured we'd try to find Bryan's Fork Falls which is a Chuck Sutherland find. You know it's gonna be good! It is on public land so no worries there. The distance to it was about 0.6 miles by my measure. No trail to it, but the terrain looked manageable.
Standing Stone State Park is an old CCC era park. It is constructed with the X shaped Kelley Lake as it center. One trail runs the perimeter of the lake. Few other trails are constructed within the park boundary. Standing Stone State Forest is immediately beside the park, and it has a few other features and trails. Kenny and I are off trail hikers so the idea of exploring to find a seldom seen waterfall was appealing. We parked at a small pull off beside Beach Road near some sort of splash dam. We forded a side stream and went up Bryans Fork. We crossed back and forth seven or eight times total. Part of this was due to our unfamiliarity with the terrain. Part of these could probably be avoided.
Below: Bryans Fork is a pretty stream. It was flowing very well, but not real high. Most spots were rock hops. We stayed dry.
We continued up through the forest with slopes full of wildflowers all around us. Wet weather cascades flowed down from the hills in a few places. It was incredible. The air was fresh smelling from the wildflowers and rain. The new green growth of Spring made the woods spectacular and bright looking. Bryans Fork flowed ever onward from out of the hills ahead. We spotted an old road grade in the woods which appeared and disappeared in the brush. I saw yellow violets, shooting stars in bud, blue violets, chickweed, jack in the pulpit, prairie trilliums, white trilliums, wood poppies, phlox, sweet shrub, rue anemone, foam flower, southern red trilliums, long spurred violets, allegheny spurge, larkspur, sweet betsy trillium. Loads of beautiful flowers. Dogwoods bloomed in a few places. Yellow buckeye trees and poplars and oaks were some of the trees in the forest. I saw basswood also. Moss coated rocks and tree trunks. We did not see any signs of human habitation most of the way back except for the road. Kenny had made the remark about the splash dam and the road that something was brought out of that hollow. He said something had to be mined there in the past and brought out. I considered logging operations, coal, metal ores? I could not imagine what it would have been.
Smooth yellow violets along Bryans Fork off trail hike.
Below: dwarf larkspur was thick up that bottom land near Bryans Fork.
We passed a spot on the trek up where a side stream flowed down to merge with Bryans Fork. Across it the old road climbed the bank. The terrain pushed us toward a crossing here. We realized we were very close to the falls, and would soon arrive.
Below: Side stream flowing down to meet Bryans Fork. The old road is on the same side as this on the final approach to the falls.
Above: Confluence of the two streams.
Below: Kenny is engineering a bridge. He is putting flat stones in the stream to step on.
The road grade that lead up to the falls was the only steep part of the trip. It was very short. It takes you to a good view of the falls, but not directly to the base. There are two turn offs on this part. One is about 100 yards before you get to the view of the falls shown below. The other was back further and was a sharp switchback to the right. We will have a few things to go back to investigate on any future trips. I will spell those out at the end of the trip report. I use these as reminders for myself. At last we came to the trailside view of the falls. It was lovely! It was one of the most picturesque, rewarding hikes I'd done in awhile. The scenery was splendid. Being together with Kenny to find something different and new to us was icing on the cake. I took time to enjoy the view from the old road, which continued straight ahead and up the slope before me. Kenny back tracked to try to find a way down. A trace of a path lead down to the stream. It was then possible to rock hop a short distance up to the base of the falls. I looked down and saw he had made it down to the base already!
Above: View of Bryans Fork Falls from the old road grade up top.
I back tracked and found the way down the bank. I then carefully picked my way up the stream amidst slippery rocks and downed logs. It was not bad at all since it was such a short distance. Once at the base of the falls the view was even better! The rim of the pool at the base of the falls was a mini beach of bright colored pebbles of all shapes and sizes. At the base of a tree lay a huge millstone! It had a band of rusted metal around it. I know that millstones have a top and bottom stone. I am not sure which one this would have been. I had never heard mention of any mill being on this spot, but until recently I did not know there was a waterfall back here either! I wondered if it was a millstone or used for some other purpose? I had read of a marble mill. It was some sort of device for making marbles out of stone. I do not know what one is supposed to look like. I know from the description it was a stone with a hole in it. The marbles were placed in there and water flowed over them for a time which smoothed them and polished them perfectly round afterwhile. Standing Stone is the Rolley Hole marble capital so it made sense that might be related. I am more inclined to think millstone though. Mills covered Overton County in the past.
This stone looks a little like a geode, but not that fancy.
Below: Kenny peers through a rock with a hole he found on that shoal.
Below: Millstone near the falls. How did it get here?
Below: Standing at the base of Bryans Fork Falls. What a glorious waterfall! It is about 35 feet high.
We were thrilled to have made it to this pretty falls. We soaked it up, but finally pulled ourselves away to head back.
The return hike was easier and we avoided some of our harder spots. I was not snapping pictures of everything on the way out. We made better time. It was such fun. We were still not ready to call it quits for the day. What to get into next?
We did not have a lot of time left so we would explore in the immediate area.
We continued down Beach Road and headed toward Jackson Swamp and the state forest at the back of the park. The lake looked very pretty. Families were out fishing and enjoying a nice evening. We drove past one wet weather falls after another. We came to what is known on the database as Grave Flower Cascade. Another Chuck Sutherland submission, and a nice one at that. We pulled over and forded the creek to get a closer look. It was really running good. The stone was bleached white and shiny. We climbed the cascade higher. It was foolish and slippery, but we did it just the same. Kenny helped steady me so I did not crash. It was very slick. It was just too pretty to pass up the chance. The surrounding banks were filled with more wildflowers. It looked heavenly.
Above: Kenny is standing on the slope of Grave Flower Cascade. the bank is coated with trilliums.
Close up shot of my favorite trillium. Freshly bloomed with raindrops!
Above and below" Grave Flower Cascade"
Lower image is where we have climbed higher into the holler to see the top part of the falls.
Below: Grave Flower Cascade's upper portion.
We finally climbed back down and forded the stream back to the roadside. We were getting tired and our day's adventures coming to a close. We went back to the camper and had some dinner and spent some time hugged up. I was going to miss Kenny for a few days, but I would also enjoy the time to myself. I needed to rediscover my own essence. I have lost myself in parenting a small child. I have forgotten some of how to be alone and entertain myself. Time alone here would be good for me. Kenny finally headed out for the house. I watched cooking shows, travel shows and journaled. I drew pictures and wrote down ideas. I read. I tidied up after our muddy messes.
I finally climbed into bed and read until I was ready to sleep. It was a perfect day.
I was very thankful for time as a couple and time outdoors.
Edited to Add the following Side Notes:
Kenny turned out to be right about the fact something was brought out of the holler at Bryans Fork.
We met Alvin Lee and Patsy Mason on the final day of our trip. They are fascinating explorers. A married couple who I aspire to be like. They had been to the falls on Bryans Fork. They learned that the old road there used to go all the way through to Rock Quarry Road in Standing Stone State Forest. Stone was quarried there and brought out on that road. It came out and crossed a bridge down at that splash dam. I want to go back and explore the road all the way through. I want to drive Rock Quarry Road. I also believe there are additional cascades above Bryans Fork Falls if the topo map is to be believed. Kenny believes that the right turn switchback we passed on the old road probably leads across the adjacent ridge and down into the drainage of that confluence stream. It appears there may be another falls up there. More trips will be needed to check on all these things!
Something to look forward to. We also need to attend the Wildflower Festival next Spring. The history portion of it would be especially enlightening. They encouraged us to do this and we shall make every effort. I hope we get to hike with them again and visit with them again some day.
Below is a video of Garrets Mill Falls
Bryans Fork Falls video
Grave Flower Cascade is about 80 feet worth of run. Not height, but length.
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