Walker Sisters & Grayback Falls

                                  

Walker Sisters & Grayback Falls 

lead by Dana Koogler

Trip report by Dana Koogler

Saturday Dec. 4, 2021

Hiking With Audi Group

(click the link above for her Facebook Group)

Audelia McCarroll 

Grayback Falls Waypoint on Tennessee Landforms

**Edited to Add Informational Commentary by Barb passed on to her by Jim Lawson ** 8/11/2022

You said you went from Wears Valley into the park, you called it the Wears Valley manway through the gap.  That manway is called The Katy Holler (I know it only by this name) and along the way as you walk up a bit there was a homesite with barn and apple orchards, garden space, etc.  The homesite literally sat right next to the old road.  Jim Lawson's grandfather and thus his father lived up the Katy Holler.  Maybe he will read this and comment. 

   Sometime back during late Summer or early Autumn I was asked to lead a hike to Grayback Falls.   It is a short distance behind the Walker Sisters house.

Kenny and I hiked this in March of 2020. It was a hike/bushwhack. We had fun and had the falls to ourselves!   I got asked by Audelia McCarroll over the Summer would I lead a hike to go see it? It didn't take long speaking with her for me to accept.  She is an awesome human being. Lots of fun and very laid back.    We put it on the books for a weekend in December.   I wanted Kenny to go along since I wasn't sure about finding it again on my own.   

    We scouted it in November around Thanksgiving with our oldest two grandchildren, Michael and Tessa.   We did this to flag it with survey tape in the event Kenny wound up either working or just not wanting to go.   The road to the Walker School is gated off during Winter so we went in via a manway out of Wears Valley.  I have used it many times before.   That is how Kenny and I hiked it in March 2020.   <~~Here is a link to the previous trip report.  This report is a combination of the scouting trip and the actual hike.

    Tessa and Michael are long legged, lanky critters who love the outdoors.

They found the whole thing not much of a challenge.  They were not thrilled with the off trail part, but they didn't complain either.  We had fun.

They were tickled to find the pioneer junk in the woods and get to see a waterfall many folks don't ever know exists.  

  Saturday December 4, 2021-Day of the Group Hike

  I met the Hiking With Audi group at Metcalf Bottoms early Saturday morning.  A large number of people were already gathered in anticipation.

I got my gear and walked over to where they congregated to introduce myself.    I met so many extremely nice, fun people on this trek.  I made all kinds of new friends who were keepers.   It did me a lot of good to get out and socialize.  I  was proud to have been asked to lead the hike and honored to do it.    It is really fun being with a bunch of cut ups in the woods. It is also fun and more interesting being with people who ask good questions!  Questions you may have been wondering as well, but had not asked.  This is the vibe when you go hiking with this group.   It was a large, but very cohesive group.

All getting along. No big egos or show offs among the entire collection. 

Just salt of the earth hikers.   I found myself thinking of Mike Maples a lot on this hike today.  I also thought of my buddy Mike Gourley who has visited this and lead people on an even more involved exploration of the old homesites throughout the forest here.  

       The road was gated today, but Audi wisely suggested we hike in from civilization.  I think we'd have had an altogether different experience coming in from the Wears Valley manway.   They would not have thanked me for that route.   It would have angered and discouraged a good many.

     The hike in from Metcalf Bottoms was leisurely and on a maintained trail.

Not this : Below shown three different parts of the manway that is more of an obstacle course coming in from Wears Valley.

  The day was sunny, perfect temperatures, and fresh air.  The only off trail today was one mile round trip on an unmaintained manway.  There is a very small part of it... say 100 yards where there is NOTHING.  No trace of a trail or manway, but the woods are open here and with it being Winter no worries about snakes. Weeds and vegetation were as optimal as they could be.  The flagging we put in place weeks earlier came in very handy.  I took the GPS and had it navigating for me just in case.  I ended up not needing it at all.

       I had not expected Audelia to be so well informed about the history of the area!  She answered questions for me that I had wondered the previous two trips.  She could tell us how the course of the former road ran back there. She could tell me all about who lived where and what structures went with this pile of stones.  It was amazing!   

       

Below are the only photos I took from the scouting trip. Inside the Walker Sisters Cabin.

Above: Grandson Michael by the fire place

Above two photos showing the ladder to the loft in room #2 of the cabin.  Granddaughter Tessa climbed up in there.

Above: The springhouse at the Walker Sisters cabin.

    Once you get to the Walker Sisters cabin in the yard... there is a path leading into the woods. It is not hard to see, but following it is a little trickier.

It gets worse the further you go and the part where there is zero trail.. is just large enough that picking it up from the path you began on would be quite challenging.    So I won't be providing directions to this falls.  I have talked to quite a few people who attempted it and did not find it. I also talked to a couple who DID find it, but went at it the super hard way.   Our first attempt was to try the way they went. It was foolish and we opted to wait for another chance and an easier, simpler approach.

        

Above: neon orange survey tape  

Above: Spring branch flowing down to Wears Valley on the manway we used trips #1 & 2

Old set of bed springs .. pioneer junk in the woods was a most reassuring marker that I was on the right track

Above: a piece of pioneer junk.. a chunk of porcelain--signs of human occupation

Above: one of several rock piles in the forest on the bushwhack to the falls

Below: a massive cedar tree is another marker that lets you know you are on the right track. 

Below are three photos I took of Grayback Falls on the first trip. 

Once we arrived at the creek where the falls lies, the real fun began!

The look on Audelia's face was priceless.  She at last realizes I am indeed crazy and who the heck has she enlisted to lead this hike.  We got a good laugh out of it.  But she is a sport for sure.  I will never forget standing IN the creek of this "One Butt Waterfall" and telling her before all present... "I tried to tell you. I gave you plenty chances to back out".  In order to view Grayback Falls it becomes necessary to get IN the creek and clamber around and right up to it close and personal to see it. We had a large group of people. I think it was around 18-20 total including me.  So we took turns climbing up in there to view it. Everyone was cooperative and good natured.  No rush.  

  The upside was this is not a long hike and it was the singular goal for the day.

So we were at a relaxed pace.  

Below is a triple panel of the only photos I took of the falls or this trip today.

  We enjoyed the falls. We made our way easily and carefully back to the cabin.  We  hiked out to the vehicles the way we had come to start with.  It was a nice day.  I am very glad I went. 

Below is a video of the falls