Panther Creek Falls (Habersham County, Georgia)

Since moving to Georgia over three years ago, I've been told of the beauty of Panther Creek Falls and the terrific hike leading to it. Unfortunately, the US Forest Service has declared the trail closed for the majority of time I've lived here. In the spring of 2019, some severe thunderstorms came through the area and the creek washed out several key bridges. In an effort to keep hikers safe, the trail was closed. That said, I would be fine with a warning to tell people of the hazards, but to close a nature trail is just a bizarre concept to me. I guess I lived out west for too long, where there is an understood "it's dangerous; try not to die" mentality. Anyway, when one of the local hiking clubs posted a visit to the trail, it seemed like an opportune time to enjoy a day off from work as well as finally see this impressive waterfall.

I arrived at the meeting spot a few minutes before the start time and began chatting with another gentleman who was part of the group. Unfortunately, the rest of the group, including the organizer, arrived about thirty minutes late. They offered an apology. With the late start, we simply did introductions as we walked. Seven of us in total would be making our way to the water fall.

The trail very closely follows Panther Creek east from US-23. It rises and falls as the earthen banks have been carved by the waters of the creek below. There's nothing all that challenging, but the scenery is fantastic and I enjoy the conversations with the group.

Our first crossing challenge arrives at about the 1.5 mile mark, as this is the first of the bridges to have been washed out. After scouting out our options a bit, we find a section of rocks that we're able to cross the creek over. Most of us make it without incident or wet shoes, but a couple members end up submerging one foot or the other in the cold waters of the creek. Luckily, the weather is magnificent and it shouldn't take long for socks to dry out.

Just about another mile and we're forced to make another make-shift crossing. Some of us, including me, decide to balance our way across a sturdy log that has fallen across the small tributary creek, while others try to rock-hop (less successfully), but whatever the method, we all end up on the other side.

From this point, the trail gets a little more treacherous with a number of rock scrambles, including one where a rope has been tied off to assist hikers. With a little help, we all manage to get past these challenging sections and finally arrive at Panther Creek Falls. This is one of the more impressive waterfalls I've seen since moving to Georgia. The hype is valid. Our group makes our way down to a sandy outcropping with plenty of limestone seats at the base of the falls and spends some time eating lunch and admiring the majesty of this beautiful scene.

After about thirty minutes, we pack ourselves back up and begin climbing back out of the valley formed by the creek and up to the trail. We make our way back across the water-crossings and eventually back to the parking lot, having hiked just about 8.5 miles. Unfortunately, someone has bashed out the back window of the pickup one of our members had left at the parking lot. Terrible people that would do something like this. He contacts the local police and files a report. The rest offer to help in any way that we can, but there isn't much to be done and we say our goodbyes. This really was a spectacular hike and I'm really happy that I decided to take the day off and enjoy it.

Noccalula Falls (Etowah County, Alabama)

 My second stop on my way home from the Race to the Cave Half-Marathon at Cathedral Caverns State Park takes me to Noccalula Falls State Park to visit another mighty waterfall. This one is surrounded by a Native American legend. This one is much more developed than my last stop with a large paved parking lot, paved walking trails, picnic facilities, and even a walking bridge across the across Black Creek, from which the falls plummets.

The water fall itself is approximately 90 feet tall and allows the rushing creek waters to descend to a lower section of land and continue their journey. A large overhang has been carved out behind the waterfall. Unfortunately, there is far too many signs of man here. I really wish we would leave these natural wonders alone and simply taken in their natural beauty as we find it.

Legends tell of the young Cherokee woman, Noccalula, for which the falls is named. As the story goes, she was ordered by her father to marry a Creek brave, whom she did not love. The Cherokee had been pushed west into Creek territory by white settlers, and the marriage was though to be a peacekeeping measure. Noccalula had other ideas though and threw herself over the falls to avoid the loveless marriage. A bronze statue now memorializes here plunge. 

High Falls (DeKalb County, Alabama)

I'm on my way home from running a Half-Marathon in and around Cathedral Caverns State Park in north-eastern Alabama, but that doesn't mean I can't make a couple of stops on the way home. The first is to visit High Falls State Park near Grove Oak, AL. This park is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and when I arrive at the visitor's center, there is no one here except the receptionist and one ranger. They are friendly though and provide directions to the best viewing locations for the falls.

It's only a short walk, which is probably a good thing since my legs have already has a pretty good workout today. Arriving at Town Creek after only a hundred yards or so, I'm impressed by the waterfall. It's a powerful one and very broad. In addition the falls itself, there is an interesting arch rising from the water, which was in all likelihood carved out by the rushing creek waters. I spend a few minutes taking in the view before heading back to the car. It was only a slight detour for me, but well worth it.

Cathedral Caverns (Marshall County, Alabama)

This write-up is technically part of the previous event I wrote about, which was the Race to the Cave Half-Marathon, but due to the spectacular scenery I felt the cave deserved it's own section. The final mile or so of the race was within the cave and though I walked most of this part due to my poor eyesight, the minimal lighting, and of course, the twelve miles I had just run/walked, I think it was for the best. It kept me from falling and more importantly, allowed me to take all of the pictures included here. 

The large cave is contained within Cathedral Caverns State Park in North-eastern Alabama and is a karst-type cave meaning it was made of stone and mineral deposits. It includes one of the most beautiful stalagmite forests I've seen among all of the many caves I have visited. 

After entering the large entrance, the poured concrete path takes visitors through a gigantic chamber, roughly the size of a football field. From the amount of large boulders below the walkway, it appears much of the roof of this chamber has collapsed in eons past. 

From this large cave, we enter several chambers of stalagmites and stalactites. Jellyfish and bacon formations are very prevalent and I'm in awe of some of the gorgeous formations. One of the largest stalagmite columns ever discovered is located here. Goliath it is called and at a height of 45 feet and circumference of 243 feet it is a spectacle to behold.

There are approximately seven distinct areas within this rock forest and rather than try to describe how beautiful some of this amazing eye candy is, I'm simply going to let the pictures do the talking. It is worth noting how well preserved the rock formations in this cave are. I've visited a lot of caves where the stalactites and stalagmites had been broken off in decades past by visitors wanting to take a souvenir with them. That is not the case here, as most everything is preserved in its natural state.

The race course had us traveling through the cave making a turn and finally finishing just beyond the large chamber we started at. This is definitely one of the most stunning caves I have ever had the pleasure to be inside and I would recommend it to anyone.

Race to the Cave Half-Marathon (Marshall County, Alabama)

 

For most of the half-marathons I have run, I seek out new and interesting venues. Today, I'll be running the Race to the Cave Half-Marathon, which begins and ends at Cathedral Cave State Park in Northern Alabama. The finish of the race is actually inside the cave, which should make this really unique. Since the drive is a little over three hours, I had decided to drive over last night and stay at a nearby hotel. This, of course, after having attended a beer festival yesterday afternoon. One of my good friends always gives me a hard time about running the day after a beer festival, but my best times always seem to come in these scenarios. That's not to say that I'm looking to set a personal record at today's race, as I'm horribly out of shape for this race.

After parking my car in the grass in the designated area, I head over to get my bib and t-shirt. It's early and the sun has only just risen, which means it's going to be a very cold start. The weather app on my phone indicates that it is only 28°. This should be fun. Luckily, I prepared for this and have running gloves, a lightweight down vest and leggings on. I check-in and then head back to the car to enjoy some heat while pinning my bib to my shorts.

A few minutes before the scheduled start time, I head back over towards the start line and get in line for the porto-potties. Got to empty the bladder before shaking it up. The line is longer than I had hoped and I begin chatting with four ladies ahead of me in line. As we realize that the race will start a couple of minutes before our turn in the facilities, I tell them that we're probably just better off taking care of business now rather than waiting in line at an aid station along the way where there are only a couple of stalls. They agree and in turn, we each do our business and then start the race a couple of minutes after the horn.

The first short section is gravel, but this quickly turns to pavement as we head out onto the park roads. I'm at the back with the walkers at the start, but soon catch up to other runners. I would estimate about five-hundred runners for this combined half-marathon and 10k event. Though it's still quite cold, I feel pretty good for the first couple of miles and maintain a decent pace. 

Soon, we hit a few hills and my pace goes from a slow run to a fast walk. I really struggle with hills and by the looks of it many runners here do as well. I change what I'm hearing in my earbuds from the driving beats of my running playlist to continue an audiobook I've been listening to. That and the cold, which doesn't seem to go away even as the sun is rising higher in the sky, probably contribute to my lack of excitement for running a lot more, though I do make several pushes along the way.

The middle miles of the race are through some extraordinarily beautiful farmland, though we're at the last day of winter and nothing has been planted yet. The rolling hills in the distance and the open fields dotted with farm houses makes for a very Rockwellian feel to this part of the race. I end up walking and talking with a few other runners along the way.

As the course begins to take us back towards the starting line and the cave, we hit a large hill and now that I've run over ten miles, there is no way my knees are going to let me ascend this thing at any speed. I resign myself to walk most of the rest of the race. At the top of the hill, we enter the giant mouth of Cathedral Caverns and from what I'm seeing inside, I don't think I will regret that decision to walk.

With about a mile left, we enter the only minimally lit walkways within the cave. Of course, this forces me to choose to run in darkness or with everything being blurry since I've been wearing my prescription sunglasses. I opt for blurry, which seems the safer of the two choices. The first section inside the cave takes us through one of the largest cave chambers I've ever seen (and I've seen quite a lot of them), from there we enter the realm of the stalactites and stalagmites. It's amazing beautiful and I think this trip through the cave justifies it's own write-up. I'll save the detail for that. 

The course surface inside the cave is wet as you might expect inside a cave and the temperature has gone up. It's probably in the high 50's in here with very high humidity. As I make my way through the twists and turns of the walkway, I take time to several pictures, but I'm also going slow so that I don't injury myself. Between my poor vision and the slippery surface, I think that's best and it will definitely affect my overall time, but the beautiful scenery I'm experiencing makes me not care so much. 

Eventually, I reach the turn and a volunteer hands me a little glow-stick, which I assume proves I made it all the way through. From here, I follow the route I took coming in and eventually return to the large room near the cave entrance to pass through the finishers' arch with an official time of 3:23:48. It's a terrible time, but I was more concerned with the journey than the destination in this case and the cave did not disappoint. I grab my medal, some refreshment, and find a seat back out in the cold March air before returning to my car and heading home. Overall, I really enjoyed this race. Finishing in such a beautiful underground venue was completely unique in my experience and I would recommend this race to anyone.