Autumn in Western North Carolina--Gorges State Park & the Blue Ridge Parkway

Autumn in Western North Carolina--

Gorges State Park & the Blue Ridge Parkway

Saturday Oct. 29 and Sunday Oct. 30, 2016

Dana Koogler 

Mary Anne Brewer

Hiked approx. 9.5 miles total

Pictures are here starting with frame 351

  The hubby had a series of several Saturdays he was gonna have to work.  I made plans to get together with some of my girls to go hiking. I figured it would be a good time to see some Fall colors, finish some of my waterfall challenge , and act upon some plans made in the past.   It didn't work out for Vickie to go, but Anne and I went ahead.  She had experienced the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Asheville area, but not done any hiking in Western North Carolina.   We used some rewards points and got a free stay!  The Autumn colors in the area were lovely.    Anne met me at my house and we
went on from there.  We had no travel problems.  We decided to skip lunch and just hit the trails since we were both pretty stoked about hiking.  I had not been to Gorges State Park in fourteen years!

     We arrived at the visitor center for Gorges State Park and took a little bit to check that out.
It is really nice. Restroom facilities, picnic area, overlooks, free parking, free maps, nature exhibits, etc.  We went in and bought souvenirs in case the center was closed when we finished up later.
Glad we did.   We parked at the Grassy Ridge lot. It was busy, but we still found a parking space.
I was thrilled that it was not crazy busy.  The plan was to hike to the main attraction waterfalls adding
Stairway Falls into the mix.   I hoped that I would recall the trail system.   I was not disappointed.
Many changes have been made, but not enough to mess me up.

     

Rainbow Falls was the first place we stopped. It was looking good today.  Like seeing an old friend!

  The next stop for us was heading upstream to Turtleback Falls.  

Turtleback Falls is a good sliding spot during low water.  Swimming at Gorges State Park is supposed to be prohibited.   I am a law breaker apparently.  I had no idea.  

This photo is also of Turtleback Falls. It shows the short distance downstream to the brink of a 125 ft drop over Rainbow Falls.  

    We continued on to see Drift Falls which technically lies on private property.  It is easy to get a good view of it from national forest land though. It is worth a stop. Such a pretty spot and easy to reach.  Why would you leave it out?

Beautiful Drift Falls.  

     We headed back the trail along the Horsepasture River.  We would take a break and hit the last falls of the day.  My destination was to reach Stairway Falls which was one uncompleted on my CMC Waterfall Challenge up to then.  We ran into a couple while leaving Drift Falls. I asked them where they were headed next?  They indicated they were going to Stairway Falls.  I was glad and said we were too. I hoped we could just go at the same time.   After our snack and rest break we continued on.  I made a false start taking the left at the campsite.  It lead down to the river, but it only took me a few seconds to realize I had messed up.  We went back down the trail a bit further and picked up the correct unofficial path. It perfectly matched Kevin Adam's description in the guidebook.   It was a short, tough bushwhack.   It went along an embankment and got narrow and rocky.  I had my misgivings about it, but Anne was ever the trooper.  She was game so we continued.  I could see from the worst point that if we could just get past that we'd have it made.  

        A few minutes and some butt scoots later.. we stood by the falls congratulating ourselves on having made it.  I could not tell with certainty that the other couple did not get there, but the path up to then appeared totally undisturbed. No tracks of any kind.  I am guessing they changed their minds about going.   

 Golden glow of Autumn and gathering gloom along the Horsepasture River.

Stairway Falls is not as dramatic as some others along the river, but it has lots of character!  It was appealing that we were the only ones there

   We made it back up the trail such as it was.. and before we knew it we were on the real trail. We began the long trudge back to the parking area.  It was during this time our decision to skip lunch began to show ill effects.  We lacked energy from not eating enough.  I'm guessing it was 1/2 mile from the parking lot I began to have cold chills. It felt like electricity was crawling all over me. My hair stood on end in goose flesh.  Anne pretty soon got in the same shape.  We were flushed and our butts dragging.  We did make it back though and were we ever glad.  We were ready to head out.

I changed shirts, changed shoes, wiped off and put on some deodorant.  We were going to have to stop on the way back through Brevard and eat.  We both needed to refuel.  We stopped at Hawg Wild Barbecue in Brevard.  We ate delicious Carolina Style pulled pork BBQ. My all time favorite style.

Pure vinegary, smoky goodness. Only way to make it in my opinion.  Slaw and sweet tea and pork and we were feeling better about life.  It was back to the hotel to shower and sleep.

       Sunday morning we had breakfast. We stopped by Subway and took along a sandwich.

Not wanting to repeat the same mistakes as yesterday. We were in the negative on calories even after having eaten supper!  We headed up Route 276 stopping first at Looking Glass Falls which was new to Anne.  She knew of it, had seen it in photos, but had not visited until then.  

      Looking Glass Falls is a roadside attraction.  

We continued up the road a bit further to Sliding Rock which was also a new location for Anne.

Sliding Rock minus all the people!  A bit cool for sliding and swimming.

  We stopped by the Cradle of Forestry for a visit and bathroom break.  We then continued up to the Blue Ridge Parkway.    Our first stop was Looking Glass Rock Overlook where we parked to hike to Skinnydip Falls.  

 Blue Ridge Parkway colors

Looking Glass Rock in the distance from the overlook

  We hiked the 0.42 miles to Skinnydip Falls. We sat enjoying the bench at the Falls and ate lunch.

While there folks started rolling in.  By the time we were done eating lunch and ready to take photos the place was crawling with people.  I still got a few fair photos of the waterfall.

Above two shots of Skinnydip Falls.  To me the attraction at this waterfall is not the falls itself but the pool of clear, sparkling water.

    We headed back out and pushed on toward Graveyard Fields. I told Anne in advance that if we had difficulty finding parking to hike to Upper Falls I was not willing to fight the crowds. I would wait til another time to complete that hike.   Sure enough there was no parking to be had.  It was a mass of vehicles and people.   She was with me in not wanting to fight the crowd.  We went further down the parkway instead enjoying overlooks.   We planned to hit up Dill and Upper Dill falls on the drive down Hwy 215.  

 View from Fetterbush Overlook on a bluebird day.

 Graveyard Fields

Patchwork of colors in the mountains above Skinnydip Falls.

 Lastly we hiked to Dill Falls. Not much water, but still pretty.

Upper Dill Falls was a little harder to reach.  Steep downhill to get to it.  

      The leaf color was a treat for the eyes the entire drive on Rt. 215.   We had a good time.

We headed back toward Asheville and the interstate for home!  I had a very blessed weekend with my friend. I can hardly wait for the next trip! 

Below is a short video of the highlights of Saturday's adventure.  

Wintergreen Falls on the Toxaway River

Cranefly Orchid blooming in Gorges State Park, NC

Wintergreen Falls on the Toxaway River

Dana Koogler & Cathy Howell
Sunday August 24, 2014

10 miles round trip

Working on the Carolina Mountain Club Waterfall 100 Challenge

Pictures are here: Wintergreen Falls Pix

  

    We went out to dinner at Lone Star Steak House on Saturday night.    It was delicious.
We had a nice leisurely dinner.    We had no plan for what to do on Sunday.
I had brought church clothes and was thinking we'd go to church on Sunday morning and spend the afternoon tubing in Davidson River and eating ice cream.   Cathy's preacher was out of town on  family trip
for a wedding so we played hooky from church.   Back at the house we lay down in the floor with the maps
and guidebooks and the cat and just wallered.   We were trying to hit upon a falls neither one had been to.

     I was daydreaming about the Middle Prong Wilderness and some falls we had seen
up there long ago with Rich and the gang.   We were not sure how to reach those as they had no names aside from the ones we gave them.   I am not really sure how we came up with the plan to go to Wintergreen
Falls on the Toxaway River.  I guess in reading and comparing "have you been heres?" it was the first one
we discussed that neither had visited.  It struck a chord and we both wanted to go.  Cathy said we'd best get to bed so we could get an early start.   We agreed to set our alarms for 7 am.  I was so excited it was hard to sleep at first.   I was a little concerned about how difficult it was going to be. I wanted to do something
hard and be up to the task. I wanted to start something hard and finish it!   I said a little prayer about it and went to sleep.  I woke up in the night turned the wrong way in the bed with my feet hanging out in space.
I dreamed strange things.

       We got ready to leave in the morning quickly.  I got my duffel bag and toiletries put together.
I planned on driving home in the evening. I had to be back to take Michael to school and to go to a doctors appointment on Monday.   I knew I'd be tired and not looking forward to the drive home after a tough days hike.   We arrived at the Frozen Creek access to Gorges State Park and there was only one car in the lot.
We began the long trudge down the Auger Hole Road.  It certainly is pretty. I had forgotten just how
pretty that area was.   I had sworn to keep the camera put up for most of the hike and limit the picture taking especially on the hike in.   We booked it and it only took us an hour and 30 minutes to travel the 3.1 miles to the right turn for Wintergreen Falls.  We had passed Chub Line Falls way down in the gorge.  I will make it back to see that one another day. It looks powerful and impressive!

      We rested briefly at the trail intersection.  We moved on  speedily. We tried to cover ground quickly on the actual trail since we knew we wouldn't make much time on the off trail portion.  We arrived at the end of the "trail" and had a very brief rest before we took on the off trail portion.   I ignored swimming holes and three smaller, but significant waterfalls on the way in on account of trying to focus and get there.
I did snap a few photos at this spot along the Toxaway.

 

Toxaway River with cardinal flower. 

The trail can still be seen here in this beautiful spot.  Partridge berry and moss cover the ground.

Just beyond here the track comes and goes or is lost all together.

   The off trail portion was a real bitch.  It involved picking the best way upstream for about a mile.  

Part of that took us up a cliff climb on the edge of a bluff. Thankfully someone else had flagged it with survey tape which really helped.   We came to the end of that part and tied off some rope to rappell down.  

We got to the last ledge and ran out of rope.   We were able to climb down that one because the ledge sloped and at the far end of it it was closer to the ground.  It made it a manageable distance to get down.

Soon after that I ended up in a yellow jackets nest in the middle of the "trail".  I got stung six times.

I was being chased and swarmed.  Cathy got stung once.  We dove into the creek to get away from the little

bastages.   It hurt like a sumbitch, but I knew I'd hurt worse tomorrow.  That's how bee stings do me.

We finally got our nerve up and got back to the task of heading upstream.   I was very discouraged and paranoid about getting stung anymore.    It was not long until Cathy said for me to look through the trees.

I could see a glint of white. We were within sight of it!  

       We worked our way out toward the river and around and over some big rocks. 

I had already made up my mind I was NOT going above the falls. My ordeal on Flat Laurel Creek convinced me I was beyond my pay grade doing that sort of thing.   We approached the massive, roaring Wintergreen Falls at last.   A golden eagle rose from a downed tree in the plunge pool and flew into the forest down the Toxaway.   It was a benediction.    I was thrilled that we had made it.   It was an answered prayer.   I took pictures. I got in the water and cooled off my bee stings and briar scratches.  I had felt a blood vessel break in my right eye which was now bruised and sore.   I have only had the experience once before where I was so upset at what it took to reach a waterfall... that I did not enjoy being there.  All I could think on was what we had to do to get back out.  The first time was that Gragg Prong debacle.

Today was only slightly better.  I finally was able to choke down part of lunch.  I calmed down and 

tried to enjoy being there.   

Massive Wintergreen Falls on the Toxaway River.  The photo doesn't do it justice.

     Cathy and I are a good team.  We made it here. We'd make it back.   Each trip together. Each difficulty overcome bonds us and forges us as both better friends and a stronger team.    We managed to avoid the bees on the way back out.  We found the spot to climb back up the rope. Going up was a lot easier than coming down.  The cliff climb was still tough, but we made it faster and easier having done it once today already.    Once we got back to the intersection near the Toxaway where the real trail starts we were so glad!    We knew this would be our last chance to get in the water and it was hot and humid.  We got in the creek and soaked a long while.    We were doing good time wise.   The river felt good on my stings.
It washed away the sweat and heat.  I felt better about life.   We faced the long trudge back out.  Cathy turned out to be right. The hike back was mostly uphill which is harder to take when you're already tired.
We did it though.  We made it out in about 2 1/2 hours.   Back at the vehicle I changed clothes and it felt so good to be dry finally.   My legs were scratched and bruised and stung all to hell.   I was too tired to be hungry.   We had done it!   I told her on the hike back out I needed to take up a new hobby that was not so dangerous and difficult.  She told me she agreed and said I needed to take up quilting.
Below is a photo of the trail leading to the Toxaway where we went and got in the water.

What will the next episode bring?