Santeetlah Headwaters, Wright Creek Falls & Jeffrey Hell

Red Wake Robin trillium 

North Carolina's Mountain Treasures Series--Santeetlah Headwaters

Wright Creek Falls 

Kenny & Dana Koogler 

Pictures are here: 
Santeetlah Headwaters Pix

   I had become aware thanks to Kevin Adam's NC Waterfalls guidebook that a waterfall

existed on Wright Creek.  He mentioned that it was a tough bushwhack to reach, and in his opinion

not worth the trouble.  I later learned that it lay within the NC Mountain Treasure area of Santeetlah Headwaters.  In addition to the waterfall there were big trees to see.    Unfortunately the area is rife with a lot of dead, massive hemlocks which are falling.  Some have fallen across the falls. 

ENTS has been to the area and used LiDar to measure some of the champion sized trees of other species still living, but all the  giant hemlocks are now either fallen or dead standing.  We saw one that was four feet across easily.   The top had broken out of it and was hanging suspended like a dead- fall trap over where we stood at one point during our trip.  Nothing for it except to make tracks and get out of there!  

          I had studied the map of Santeetlah Headwaters which includes Huckleberry Knob and

the Santeetlah Bluffs.  I  purchased my first ever USGS quad map in order to have a

more accurate map of the area with as much detail as possible.  I thought I saw where the falls should be on Wright Creek since I had no waypoint.  One thing I thought that turned out to be correct?
The terrain back in that area looked to me like many waterfalls were possible. That much is true, but some of them are very small, choked with rhodo and not worth the extreme effort to reach.  I expect some of them dry up to a trickle in Summer. We made an attempt to reach it back in Winter by crossing Santeetlah Creek and coming up from the bottom. It was unsuccessful.  We did find another falls that day though that was not listed.   My rationale for why that approach?  

• It was closest to where I believed the falls lay
• It is usually best to approach a waterfall from below it.
• It is usually easier to locate a stream from the mouth of it as opposed to coming in from the top. A headwaters can mean many rivulets and springs to pick from making it hard to narrow down exactly which stream you want to follow.   

    We did not succeed that day, but thought better of it.  We figured we'd wait until we had a longer day for more light.  Slightly warmer temperatures and slightly lower creek levels having to ford the Santeetlah.    I figured in the mean time I'd try to gather as much information as possible from 

every source.  I didn't know how that was going to happen, but I'd see what I could do. 

Below  is a video of an un-named waterfall on Santeetlah Bluffs.

    

    I let it be known that I was interested in locating that falls among my pals on Facebook.

I also did some more searching and found on World Waterfall Database that they showed the falls

much higher in the headwaters than I had thought it would be.  I was not sure what to make of it.

I had personally witnessed their data being sometimes very accurate. Other times totally inaccurate.

I was not going to rely solely on that as my resource.  Meanwhile the Lord sent along help in the form of Mark Morrison.  He is writing another one of his awesome guidebooks and Wright Creek Falls will be included in that.   I will rework this blog and include the link to his guidebook when it is finished and ready for sale!  Mark is a tough hiker and tackles some rugged terrain in out of the way places.  He tends to include some really great waterfalls in his books that you won't find elsewhere.

    Going to take a moment to plug Mark because he deserves props for his work.  

 He gets Kenny Koogler's seal of approval more than any other guidebook writer. 

He gives the best, most clear, concise directions. He writes wonderful, inspiring trail narratives, but when it comes to the directions portion of his book he nails it every time.   Mark provided me with 

some help provided I did not give out the details or directions.  For now I'm just saying we went and where.  Not how.   I will tell you simply it was a good thing we did not attempt to reach it the way I believed we should.

 One of many springs in the headwaters.  Imagine trying to pick which one is the correct one.

 Plenty of rhodo.  Love/hate relationship with it. Hate climbing thru it. Love having it to hold on to when the climbing gets steep!

             This hemlock was four feet across at the base.  The top is broken off and hanging suspended in the limbs of the next tree over. We did not realize until we were on our way back out that it hung like  a deadfall trap over the place where we stood.


   

Saw this little guy sunning himself today. First snake of the season for us.
Harmless garter snake.

          We had been able to hear the waterfall roar early on.  Always a good sign!  This was our first glimpse of it.

Wright Creek Falls

Fin of rock with resurrection ferns and moss atop it.  The area is rugged and beautiful.  Didn't see any wildflowers in this immediate area though.

Our view of the eighty foot drop of Wright Creek Falls.  You can see the hemlocks down in the bottom.   It is a pretty falls for sure. Right by it on the left is yet another falls that is smaller. Then over from that is another one coming in from the opposite side.

Tiny bit of the waterfall to the other side.  The view was very obstructed.
We are up high here to get a view of the main falls.

We realized we would probably not get the best vantage of the falls from the base, but we did it anyhow.   We worked that hard to get here so might as well.   The terrain is  so steep and rocky and choked with downed trees and rhodo it doesn't give you much choice where to go or to stand.


     

Kenny climbing around on the rocks, logs and sticks at the base of Wright Creek Falls.  Getting to the bottom was more climbing under and over rhodo and hanging on to roots and shrubs.
Once we had seen all we wanted and taken photos we headed back slowly.
We ate lunch at the vehicle and rested.  We were thrilled we were able to find it and enjoy seeing this falls.   It was worth it to us.   I didn't get to see any wildflowers, but I had a backup plan for that.
I didn't want to do a lot after the exertion of the first bushwhack.  Kenny also didn't get a lot of sleep the previous night and craved an early return home.   I figured we could stop by Jeffrey Hell and I'd check out a few flowers there and we would go home.

Jeffrey Hell 

     We headed back the Skyway toward Tellico Plains.  It was a beautifully clear day today.   

We stopped by Jeffrey Hell trail. Kenny did not want to go with me so I went alone.  He kicked the seat back and rested while I hiked a little more.   It was like going back a month in time being here at this elevation.   Carpets of spring beauty all along the slopes by the Skyway including here. 

I saw loads of dutchmans breeches, squirrel corn, trout lilies, spring beauties, violets of blue and yellow, toad shade trillium, sweet betsy, cream and red wake robin.   It was a worthwhile stop. 

The green on the slopes is spring beauty.  goes on and on like this. 

These little bitty pink and white striped flowers are what you see in Spring beauties. 

Some are a little deeper pink.

Jeffrey Hell trail is a good Spring wildflower trail.   It was early though for up here. Not  a whole lot blooming yet.

Dutchmans britches all over this hill.

Closer view of Dutchmans britches .

Saw smaller amounts of squirrel corn. It is a relative of bleeding heart.

 Saw lots of trout lilies.  This specimen was six inches tall!

Saw lots of Sweet Betsy.

Saw some cream wake robin. It was very pretty.

Purple Toad-shade  trillium. Saw a few of these.

We had a gorgeous clear view from the Skyway today.  This photo of Spring in these mountains

is the first one I've taken that really shows the bronze and red tones of Spring blooming trees

as well as the pea greens!  

            We had a good day. Perfect weather. The plan came together for us this time.

Saw a lot of beauty.  Got home in time for Kenny to rest while I fixed dinner.  

Below is a short video of Wright Creek Falls from the different views up top and down at the base.

Jeffrey Hell

Hybrid wakerobin growing along the slopes of Jeffrey Hell


Jeffrey Hell 

Dana Koogler solo 

Total hike distance 3.4 miles

Thursday April 16, 2015

Pictures are here: 

 Jeffrey Hell Pix

    I had said for the past three years or so that I wanted to hike the Jeffrey Hell trail to see the 

Spring wildflower display.  I had read in guidebooks it was supposed to be an excellent Spring hike.

I saw Linda & Chuck's photos from last week and that was both the reminder and the decider.

I moved it up to the top of the list and planned to do it today.  I kept my word. We've been having 

a particularly rainy Spring season.    I am thankful for the rain for keeping everything growing and the

waterfalls gushing, but I admit I have grown a bit weary of it.  I decided to go rain or shine.

      The day dawned beautiful and clear and I was thrilled about it.  I was feeling hopeful

that our area might actually have a nice day with no rain for a change.    I was prepared though.

I brought along a picnic, extra clothes, rope, an umbrella, and new rain gear!

Reason to feel hopeful as the day dawns.   Sunrise over the Ellejoy Plain near my house.  You can see the veil of shaconage in the vales at the base of Chilhowee Mountain and our beautiful Foothills.

          Jeffrey Hell gets its name from the dense growth of rhododendron called "slicks" or "hells" by the 

settlers.   The rest of the story is that a hunter named Jeffrey lost his dogs in the area and swore he'd find them if he had to go to Hell to get them.   I have crawled through more than my share of rhodo and the all time worst was Defeat Ridge on the manway to Thunderhead.   Dan  Heimsoth and myself belly crawled through that mess until we positively ached to be able to stand up or move around.  We looked like we'd 

been in a cat fight and lost when we came out of there.    Jeffrey Hell does have rhodo patches, but 

there is a wide trail to follow and hikers today don't have to fret with it.   

    I tagged this hike as an all time BEST WILDFLOWER HIKE.  It was one of those trails that once I arrived and began hiking I was astonished at the number and quality of wildflowers. I wondered why on earth I had waited so long to do this? Thanks Linda and Chuck for the tip.  Once again.. you were right!

I also think this would be a promising Summer wildflower hike based upon what I saw sprouting.  We have 

hiked to Fall Branch Falls so many time's I've lost count.   I had never hiked the Jeffrey Hell trail though.

I am glad to have remedied that.

          Directions to Reach the Trailhead:  

From Tellico Plains turn and start up the Cherohala Skyway.  Drive to the West Rattlesnake 

Rock parking area just past the "Flying Bridge".   It will be on your left after the bridge about 1/2 mile or so.    The trail is through a gap in the stone retaining wall at the edge of the parking lot.

The trail goes down hill and at the bottom of the hill you will see a sign for Citico Creek Wilderness.       Jeffrey Hell trail #196 goes sharply RIGHT. 

Welcome to Citico!

If you want to hike to Fall Branch Falls turn left here at this sign and stay on Trail #87.

     

Trail intersection..  The trail here is in what I consider good condition. 

 I never saw another hiker all day.

      The wildflower display begins before you ever leave the parking lot.  The wildflowers 

were literally right by the parking area thick as hair on a dogs back! 

Great carpets of white squirrel corn were the first thing I saw.  Spring beauties were also present in large quantities, but they were closed when I first arrived.   I had not gone far until I began to see large

numbers of Dutchman's Breeches also.  

    

Closeup of Squirrel Corn

Dutchman's Breeches

Both these pretty flowers are in the fumitory family along with Bleeding Hearts which blood in our area, but 

I didn't see any along here today.   

   

The Jeffrey Hell trail is easy.   

        

The slopes above and below were overflowing with ferns and wildflowers. I love this time of year!

Green is my favorite color and I was soaking up plenty of it!  

   I began to see wakerobin trillium in clumps along the trail and down the slopes below me. 

Cream wakerobin

Purple Wakerobin

and this is their psychedelic offspring below!  

This is the trillium I want to be... weirdo trillium!   I gotta be different!  I posted a close up of this guy

at the top of this blog entry.   Based upon what I have seen in other areas... these hybrids tend to come back

year after year with the exact same color pattern. I also know they can grow in "hybrid swarms". I am not sure whether the hybrids are spreading and capable of reproducing their own kind or if the parents are just 

producing more of them. 

       The forest here was extremely quiet. Once I got out of earshot of the parking lot I heard things, but they 

were sounds of the forest.   Water.  Wind.  Birds.   I heard the drumming of a grouse twice today.  I heard

a turkey hen clucking. I heard a woodpecker hammering several times.  I also heard some beautiful bird songs . I enjoyed the smells of fresh air and the fragrance of rain and flowers and damp earth. 

Below is a very short video of the songs of the birds and and quiet of the forest. 

  I hadn't gone very far when I saw something tiny and different along the trail.


Meet Prester John!  First time sighting for me. I found two of them not far apart.
It is a variety of Jack in the Pulpit, but with subtle differences.  
Arisaema triphyllum ssp. quinatum 
Prester John was a legendary Christian Patriarch. 


Image from a book of Prester John.

   I saw Spring beauties opening up at last as the day warmed.  I saw trout lilies galore.


Not sure if these are Carolina or Virginia spring beauties without looking them up.


Lots of trout lilies along the trail. 

   I saw open areas. I saw a few streams I had to cross. I saw springs of water flowing from the banks.
I had one area along the trail I had a partial mountain view.  Seen below is early Spring looking generally east off the trail.

   I came to an intersection and here is where my day got funky. 

From this spot.. It was the first place I was not absolutely sure which way to go.  

To my left a wide path like an old road bent left or westward... it was piled up with a wall of brush and downfall.  

My view to the left.

Straight ahead of me was a possible path, but it entered an area of briars and rhodo.

View straight ahead.  I could not tell for certain, but it did not appear it was being traveled.

   To my right was a snag and a tiny ditch with a lot of downfall that went steeply down.
It looked like of all my choices this was the part being traveled.  I didn't get a good shot of the dirt ditch, but below is a view of the old snag just above it.



   I had two maps with me. One was a computer print out from the Cherokee Hiking Club's past hike.
It was good, but not real detailed.  I had the TI map.  I had carried Tim Homan's guidebook with me.

I read it to see if it would help me figure out which way to go.  According to it I should go straight.
It talked about cresting the ridge and the path before me through the briars did just that.
I carried it because it is small and compact.  I brought along Will Skelton's Sierra Club Guide to the
Cherokee National Forest, but owing to its size I left it in the jeep.  
The Will Skelton guide is the one with an accurate, easier to understand directions. Had I carried this I'd have been better off.   It focuses on directions and way finding.  It mentions scenery, but they were smart
enough to realize knowing what wildflowers were where.. was not as high a priority.

   Unsure which way to go I had about decided to try down and right when the sky opened up and it began
to pour on me!! I donned my rain gear and decided to be smart about it.   I'd come back with Kenny
and a better guide and try again another day.      I made it back to the jeep in one piece, but cold and damp.
I began coughing and sneezing and my throat turned sore from the damp.

I got in and warmed up and tried to decide what to do?  I sat and ate lunch in the vehicle as the rain continued.   I finally decided I'd head back in the direction of Tellico Plains. If the rain kept up I'd just go home.   If the rain quit I'd hike to Ballplay Falls.

Gloomy view from the Flying Bridge on my way back.  

     **I only had 1/2 mile to go to finish the Jeffrey Hell Trail.  I will complete it to satisfy my curiosity, learn the trail and know more about what is down there.  It is worth mentioning this is a great trail for just about anyone since it is easy up to the intersection I came to.   The wildflower display within the first mile or so is
worth seeing if you just go out so far and back.  **