I'm on my way to a weekend camping trip at Cloudland Canyon, but along the drive, I thought I would hit at least one more spot. A couple of years ago, I did a long hike with a different Meetup group than the one I normally go with. We hiked about sixteen miles in and around the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wilderness Management Area. And though we started the hike on the eastern side of the mountain, we eventually made our way to the western side and explored a boardwalk trail through some wildflowers and then to a nearly dry waterfall. Today, I'm going to hike into that area along a much, much shorter trail from the west. Mostly, I'm trying to confirm that my memory is correct and that this waterfall area is called the Pocket.
The drive to the trailhead is uneventful, though a little bumpy on the final section. There is plenty of parking and I quickly head up a shallow incline along a gated gravel road. This is the Pocket Trail and it's only a short distance before I reach my destination. Far below me, I see the rock formation I sat at on that previous hike. We haven't had rain in a couple of weeks and the waterfall is completely dry. Further, from this point, there is no safe way to get down to it, but I do hear creek water running in the distance and people talking. So, there must be another trail. When I return to my car, I realize that the boardwalk trail also starts from this trailhead and that is where those voices I heard must have been. I don't have time to hit that one as well, but at least I confirmed my memory of this place. I'd like to return when the waterfall is actually running.
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