Raven Cliff Falls (White County, Georgia)

 

One of my friends in the Meetup group organized a short hike to do this morning before a water event that I organized later in the day. As we're both trying to get the miles in prior to a big trip coming up, it made sense for me to join her for these bonus miles. I've visited Raven Cliff Falls a couple of times in the past, but it's been a couple of years. I don't like to repeat hikes too often, but as this is near our second event and it is a nice trail with a rewarding waterfall at the end, I was easy to convince into making the exception.

The group of twelve or so hikers met at the parking area just before 8:00 am and after our customary round of introductions, we hit the trail. It's been raining a lot as of late and the trail is soft in a few areas, but nothing too drastic. Three of us get out ahead of the main group just due to keeping a faster pace. As we're chatting, I feel a sharp pain at my left ankle and one of my other friends mentions a yellowjacket buzzing around my legs. I didn't actually see the insect, but I certainly felt it as it stung me just above my sock. It's a little painful, but nothing too terrible and we continue on towards the waterfall.

Along the way, we see many other small plunges along Dodd Creek, which supplies the water for these waterfalls. With a couple of fairly steep uphills and just a minor amount of scrambling at the very end, we finally reach Raven Cliff Falls itself, which has cut a crevasse into the cliff over the eons. It's flowing pretty well today, but it's always kind of unique since the waterfall itself is several feet back into the crevasse. 

The three of us that arrived first decide to relax for a bit and wait for the others. When they do show up a few minutes later, it seems they encountered the yellowjackets as well and endured several stings. No one is badly injured, but certainly not pleased with the encounter. We check to ensure everyone is okay and then begin heading back the way we came. Knowing that we stirred up a nest somewhere, we push hard at a pace of over 4 mph and luckily don't encounter the nest on this return trip. 

Eventually, everyone arrives back at the cars. Between the stings and the humidity, this has not been an ideal way to start the morning, but visiting a beautiful waterfall and getting in almost exactly 5.0 miles is certainly not the worst way either. Now on to the next event.