{"id":302,"date":"2010-02-08T19:52:30","date_gmt":"2010-02-09T00:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/?p=302"},"modified":"2010-02-18T15:37:41","modified_gmt":"2010-02-18T20:37:41","slug":"big-pine-ridge-and-the-unaka-waterfall-hikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/trailstealth\/big-pine-ridge-and-the-unaka-waterfall-hikes.html","title":{"rendered":"Big Pine Ridge and the Unaka Waterfall Hikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Groundhogs Day was just the other day, and it got me thinking about just how early do those people in their suits and hats start hitting the bottle anyway?\u00a0 I imagine you would have to be quite snockered to stick your hand in a groundhog burrow, drag him out, and parade the poor li\u2019l critter around.\u00a0 If you tried that in East Tennessee, someone would be groundhog bitten<\/a>— seriously!\u00a0 And who could blame them?\u00a0 I imagine if I were a groundhog, or any kind of hibernating creature, I would bite the hell out of somebody if they woke me up when there is still snow on the ground.\u00a0 The furry li\u2019l varmints here didn’t even wake up, roll over, and as much as poke their noses out of their burrows–and why should they?\u00a0 It is still winter.\u00a0 There isn’t any sweet clover or acorns to eat.\u00a0 Go back to sleep, \u2018Puxatony Phil\u2019…<\/p>\n

Indeed, it is still winter, and the mountains<\/a> here are covered in snow right now, and a couple of days ago when I started to write this (Groundhogs Day) the clouds were so thick on the mountains that they were completely buried beneath them and I couldn’t even see the closest one.\u00a0 It is very scenic, however, if you can get up into the mountains, but that can be a bit of a problem; and with the intermittent melting snow waters, rain and more snow, the creeks and waterfalls are moving at a fairly high volume.\u00a0 With that in mind, my trail hiking buddy, \u2018Rat Patrol<\/a>\u2019, wanted to hike out to a few of them and take photographs.<\/p>\n

\"Dick<\/a>

Dick Creek Falls<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

The first \u2018waterfall hike\u2019 was a 5 1\/2 mile trek out to Dick Creek Falls on Unaka Mountain and back.\u00a0 It had been over 20 years since the last time I had visited those falls; I used to camp<\/a> near there in the summertime with friends, and swim in the cold pool of water beneath the falls–that was very refreshing, as I recall–but I wasn\u2019t very tempted to jump in<\/a> on the mid-January Saturday afternoon while we were there.\u00a0 The weather was quite cool, and there was a layer of slushy snow in the trail <\/a>from Rock Creek Park, where \u2018Rat Patrol\u2019, his son Tyler, and myself began our hike, all the way through Dick Creek Gap, beyond the \u2018Rattlesnake Ridge\u2019 trail<\/a>, and to the well-hidden waterfall<\/a>.\u00a0 We had met a couple of friendly hikers<\/a> on the way who were on their way back from the falls, so it was easy to follow their boot tracks in the snow, and avoid getting lost.\u00a0 The falls are not very tall, only 22 feet, but they are pretty attractive, especially with a healthy flow of water plunging off the top and ice clinging<\/a> to the sides.\u00a0 On the way back we (inadvertently) decided to hike up the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail<\/a> for a little while before returning to Rock Creek Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Rock<\/a>

Rock Creek Falls (upper)<\/p><\/div>\n

The next \u2018waterfall hike\u2019 was to the \u2018Rock Creek Falls\u2019\u2014two impressive 50-footers on Unaka Mountain.\u00a0 Although there are other<\/a> – falls<\/a> on that network of streams, these seem to be the largest and most visited ones.\u00a0 Indeed, on the day we hiked up there, the entire creek<\/a> looked like a cascading waterfall.\u00a0 Again, it was \u2018Rat Patrol\u2019, Tyler, and myself, hiking out of Rock Creek Park for a 5 mile, round trip, hike; the weather was cold and quite windy.\u00a0 There were several creek crossings<\/a> we had to negotiate, which weren\u2019t very easy because of the depth of the water, and we had to do some log-walking<\/a> in places (I actually fell in on the way back).\u00a0 We also ran into the same friendly hikers we had met the week before\u2026again returning from the falls to which we were going.\u00a0 The falls themselves were remarkable, if not spectacular, with much water flowing off the tops<\/a>, and ice<\/a> clinging to the cliff walls<\/a> nearby.<\/p>\n

\"Rock<\/a>

Rock Creek Falls (lower)<\/p><\/div>\n

After that trek, I decided to go out for a solo hike into the Sampson Wilderness one afternoon.\u00a0 The plan was to hike up the Big Pine Ridge Knob<\/a>\u2014the one we have nicknamed \u2018The Volcano<\/a>\u2019\u2014and then out the narrow \u2018land-bridge<\/a>\u2019 to the next knob on Big Pine Ridge, the one we call \u2018The Pyramid<\/a>\u2019.\u00a0 From there, I could either find a way down into either Sill Branch<\/a> or Devil\u2019s Fork<\/a>, or continue hiking up the ridge<\/a> beyond the cliffs<\/a> that overlook<\/a> the Devil\u2019s Fork until I reached the old roadbed<\/a> that connects with Sill Branch to the left and the road to Bearwallow Gap on the right.<\/p>\n

\"Big<\/a>

Big Pine Ridge<\/p><\/div>\n

It was another \u2018extreme\u2019 hike for me; while the weather was sunny, and a little bit cool, the trail was extremely rough, if not non-existent and very steep<\/a> in places.\u00a0 For long stretches at a time, with every step I took, I was either stepping over, under, or around some logs, while plowing my way through the hardwood saplings that are growing in on top of that part of the ridge as thick as grass, it seemed.\u00a0 It was pretty frustrating, actually, as I kept tripping over blackened logs and getting swarped in the eyes and face with branches.\u00a0 Whatever trail used to be up there between the knobs is now completely buried in fallen logs, saplings and stickers.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Volcano<\/p><\/div>\n

The hike didn\u2019t start out too bad, having parked at the Sill Branch trailhead, but I had to really pace myself to get to the top of \u2018The Volcano\u2019 because of the sharp inclination from the Sill Branch side, but I gained quite a bit of altitude in only a half mile, or so.\u00a0 The views<\/a> from the top were very good, since I had a direct line of sight to the Sill Branch Overlook<\/a>, the Sill Branch Valley<\/a>, Devil\u2019s fork<\/a>, Longarm Ridge<\/a>, the Longarm Valley<\/a>, and I could even see over the top of the Longarm Ridge to view much of Sampson Mountain<\/a>.\u00a0 The trail over the narrow \u2018land-bridge<\/a>\u2019, the connecting piece of mountain between the knobs, was as I described before, and by the time I reached the top of \u2018The Pyramid\u2019 I was very tired, and considering dropping back down into Sill Branch where I would come down right where the right fork splits again.\u00a0 However, the moon was just rising over the \u2018Meatgrinder Ridge<\/a>\u2019 and I could see the cliffs<\/a> that overlook Devil\u2019s Fork just up the Big Pine Ridge a ways, and having never stood on top of them, I was very tempted to continue on to them (I didn\u2019t get the \u2018Boulderman\u2019 name by sniffing daisies, you know).<\/p>\n

\"Moon<\/a>

Moon over The Meatgrinder Ridge<\/p><\/div>\n

Standing in the snow at the very edge<\/a> of the cliffs<\/a> overlooking Devil\u2019s Fork is not the safest thing I have ever done, as one slip there could have been my last, and it is quite possible that no one would ever find me.\u00a0 I was careful, though, if not just a little bit scared, and could look right down into the impressive Devil\u2019s Fork Valley where so many cascading creeks and waterfalls reside.\u00a0 Some people think that I am crazy, risking my life to take photos from rocky cliffs and such, but when you think about how many people slip, fall and subsequently die in their bathtubs every year, it is a risk that I am willing to take, experiencing what is left of the wilderness and enjoying the divine natural world while I still can.<\/p>\n

\"Cliffs<\/a>

Cliffs on Big Pine Ridge<\/p><\/div>\n

In the end, despite being exhausted, I finished climbing the ridge to the old roadbed and followed some coyote tracks<\/a> in the snow back to the south fork of Sill Branch.\u00a0 From there, I followed the steep trail down, arriving back at the car just about dark.\u00a0 It was a rough 6 mile hike, but worth the effort, I believe.<\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>

View from Big Pine Ridge<\/p><\/div>\n

The very next day, my trail-hiking buddy \u2018Rat Patrol<\/a>\u2019 called me wanting to go take more waterfall photos.\u00a0 I was still tired and sore from the previous day\u2019s hike, so I suggested that we go to \u2018Red Fork Falls\u2019 on Unaka Mountain.\u00a0 Red Fork is a very impressive 100 foot waterfall when the water levels are up, like they are right now, and the trail down to them isn\u2019t very far.\u00a0 It is a bit steep, however, and quite slippery when the rocks are wet or iced over<\/a>, so we proceeded with caution<\/a> down to the bottom of the falls.\u00a0 The water shooting off of the top<\/a> was extraordinary, forming a large \u2018rooster tail<\/a>\u2019 as it fell to the rocks below, churning in the deep pool<\/a> at the bottom, and the sound of the water was so loud, I could not even hear what Rat was saying from only a few yards away.\u00a0 There are more falls<\/a> and cascades<\/a> along the \u2018Red Fork\u2019 stream<\/a>, both above<\/a> and below<\/a> the main falls<\/a>, and they all were kicking butt that day!\u00a0 It was a fun, and rewarding hike.<\/p>\n

\"Red<\/a>

Red Fork Falls (upper)<\/p><\/div>\n

More adventures soon, I hope\u2026<\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Boulderman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Groundhogs Day was just the other day, and it got me thinking about just how early do those people in their suits and hats start hitting the bottle anyway?\u00a0 I imagine you would have to be quite snockered to stick your hand in a groundhog burrow, drag him out, and parade the poor li\u2019l critter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":315,"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions\/315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.trailstealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}