Airmail Arrow via Tom Cooke Trail (Washoe County, Nevada)

One of the first uses of air travel was for the delivery of mail. Since flight technology was just slightly ahead of radio technology, other means had to be used to help pilots navigate. In the 1920's a series of concrete arrows were poured on ridge tops in the western US to direct pilots of these airmail planes to their destinations. The broken remnants of one such arrow remains on a hill overlooking Interstate 80 just west of Reno, NV. I've hiked nearby before and always been curious about the arrow, but never taken the time to find the exact route. As it turns out, it's only about half-a-mile beyond a well known trail known as the Tom Cooke Trail and it's final destination known as Hole in the Wall.

Parking my rental at Mayberry Park along the Truckee River, I head down the paved path and across a somewhat precarious bridge to the dirt trails. The first part climbs steadily until it reaches the ridge that follows the Steamboat Ditch. This ditch was cut to divert water from the river to the higher areas of Washoe Valley when settlers were first moving into the area. Once on the ridge, the trail remains mostly flat for a long distance and offers some spectacular views of the yellow grass covered hillsides of the dry eastern Sierra Nevada foothills.

There are a few hikers and trail runners out this morning. I know this a popular trail and hiked to Hole in the Wall nearly ten years ago. The area just opens up and gives visitors a sense of the vastness of the American West. The trail is easy though and I make good time.

Finally reaching Hole in the Wall, I wade out into the shallow water to see that a new pipe has been installed. Originally, it was literally just a hole in the wall that had been drilled through the mountain to allow water to pass through and continue on via the Steamboat Ditch. It was an interesting tidbit of history, but since my last visit, a large pipe has been added underneath the drilled hole. To my mind, it kind of takes something away from the history of the place, but it is what it is.

From Hole in the Wall, I join a double-track jeep trail and head up the steep incline above the hole. The trail then circles around to the ridge just to the northwest of the site. It's a pretty steep climb and I have to stop for a breather a couple of times, but soon, I reach the flat plateau and walk out to the northern end. There sprawled out before me the airmail arrow has survived the last century with only some mild cracking. Someone has spraypainted the head of the arrow in an with some odd colors and shapes, but it helps it stand out from the yellow grasses surrounding it. The fixture is roughly forty feet long and pointing east towards Reno, which was the presumed destination of the pilots looking for their route.

After taking a few minutes to circle around the arrow seeking the best angle, I start my trek back towards the parking area. The return trip is uneventful, but I do encounter several more people, a couple of which ask me how far it is to Hole in the Wall. I provide my best estimate of their distance to the site.

When I get back to my rental car, I see that I've hiked about 6.4 miles. I take a couple of extra minutes to get some pictures of the river and the gorgeous fall colors of the trees lined along the water. I'm glad I was able to find and visit this site today. It's an interesting piece of history and it was good to get a few more miles in before heading home tomorrow.

Rosetta Stone (Inyo County, California)

Most of the time I lived in Reno, I was always interested in Native American rock art and spent a lot of time in the surrounding region hunting the desert for petroglyphs, pictographs, and geoglyphs created by these ancient peoples. Some of the more well known sites and panels are shared in pictures, but few people talk about their actual locations. Among these is one often called the Rosetta Stone somewhere in the volcanic tablelands north of Bishop, CA. I've searched for this one a few times over the years and had success in finding a couple of it's other well known companions in the general area, including Sky Rock and 13 Moons. This particular one tough has eluded me for roughly 15 years. Recently, I discovered a write-up on the internet, which describes in some detail the exact location of the Rosetta Stone boulder and since I'm in Reno for business, what's a three-and-a-half hour drive each way to finally find this masterpiece.

As strange as it seems, the Rosetta Stone isn't hard to get to at all. It's just difficult to know the exact location (which I will not share here). As there has been a lot of theft and vandalism of these historical treasures over the years, the best way to protect them is to keep their locations in obscurity and I will follow suit on this philosophy. 

After parking my car, I make the short walk down a dusty road until I see the small cave mentioned by the poster mentioned above. I climb up through some rocks and bushes to check it out. I'm very conscious of overhanging rocks that may be home to rattlesnakes. The cave which is probably only big enough to provide shelter to a single adult was obviously used for shelter many times over the millennia, as the ceiling is covered in soot. 

Only about ten yards from the cave a tangle of tall bushes stand guard around the Rosetta Stone. I poke my head in and weave my way through the thick wall of branches to the center where I get my first view. Again, I stamp my feet and make exaggerated coughing sounds to alert any resting critters of my presence. Once inside the natural fortification, I stare at the masterfully adorned boulder that lay directly in front of me. The flat top surface covered with desert patina has a perimeter scratched into it. Within the perimeter line, which acts as a border for the artwork, numerous figures have been drawn with care. These include turkey tracks, a spiral and and a series of concentric circles with a lines drown through them like the sites of a targeting tool. I have no idea what it all means and certainly, it is not truly like the 'Rosetta Stone' in the sense that it will not unlock a lost language to us, but it is magnificent nonetheless. Further, it's the culmination of many years of research and hiking in search of this artwork. I feel a sense of completion having finally located the last of the three famous panels in this area. Experts have suggested the petroglyphs here were carved around 8,000 years ago. It is my sincerest hope that they last another 8,000 years or more.

Prison Hill (Ormsby County, Nevada)

I arranged my schedule during this week in Reno to allow me some time to seek adventure and to spend time with friends. With that said, today I'm going to be exploring a couple of places I've had on my radar for a while. Some years ago, I ran a grueling trail 5k on a small mountain overlooking Carson City, NV from the east called Prison Hill. It's named as such because of the various incarnations of prisons that have been constructed over the decades on the below the northeastern corner of the mountain. These include the Nevada State Prison (now a historic site) and the Warm Springs Correctional Center. It's an unfortunate way for a mountain to get a name, but we give things monikers that relate something about them and I guess this fits.

The trailhead was a little hard to find as Google Maps took me to someone's driveway before I had a difference of opinion with the software and found my own way, which was only a short drive on a dirt road away. The facilities here are like new, as I don't think the declaration of this place as a recreational area happened all that long ago. I'm fairly certain, it wasn't defined as such when I moved to Atlanta just over six years ago. Regardless, I park the car and start heading up the desert trails.

The trail system is fairly complex here and I'm forced to look at my map a few times to ensure I stay on the course I had planned. It's not that I could get lost on this mountain, as it is surrounded by Carson City proper to the west and farms and ranches to the east. However, I have a set amount of time I want to spend here before heading to my next destination and I want to stick to my plan to ensure I have plenty of time. After following a shallow grade for a while, the incline starts to increase and I begin to climb to the ridge. This whole mountain complex is pretty rugged, though the trails do a fine job of keeping to the easier paths.

With the ridge reached, I head north to start the North Loop trail, but soon diverge to climb to the summit of the northern peak, where a pile of white rocks mark the spot. Looking at the map, I had seen a side trail that heads back down from the summit to the North Loop Trail and after spending a couple of minutes at the top for pictures, I take it. 

From here, I continue around the northern 'peninsula' of the mountain, which offers a view of the prison, but to get a decent angle, requires me to bushwhack just a little bit. It's really rocky up here and and it must have taken quite a bit of work to clear out the paths the trails now sit in. Making my way around the backside, the trial follows the contour of the mountain while offering views of the ranches below. In the distance, I hear some cows doing their best to imitate the rooster's welcome to the rising sun.

Soon, I'm back at the junction and making my way back down the mountain towards the parking lot. I hear a couple of mountain bikers in the distance. The way these trails are laid out, I bet they are spectacular for that sport. It's not really my thing though, as I prefer road biking and keeping trails for my feet. Back at the car, I check my distance and see that I'm at 4.2 miles. Not a bad way to start a morning.

Sunrise from Rattlesnake Mountain (Washoe County, Nevada)

I was out fairly late last night having dinner and then drinks with several of my co-workers. This trip to Reno was a business trip after all. That said though, I got it in my head that I wanted to wake early and climb up to the summit of nearby Rattlesnake Mountain for the sunrise. This small mountain rises about five hundred feet above the valley floor. I've climbed it numerous times before when I lived in Reno, but never for sunrise.

With sunrise at 6:34am this morning and only a 10-15 minute drive from my hotel to the Huffaker Hills Trailhead, I left the hotel right about 6:00am. Though, I know the official time for sunrise, I also know that it will take a few more minutes for the brilliant rays of the sun to climb over the mountain range to the east. This should give me plenty of time to reach the summit on this short, but steep trail.

When I exited my rental car at the trailhead, the air was brisk, but between the brightening east horizon and the full moon overhead, I didn't need to use the headlamp I purchased yesterday just for this purpose. The initial part of the trail is a steady incline, but nothing crazy. Soon though, the very steep part of the climb heads up and around the western side of the mountain. In the past, I've even slipped here due to the steepness and loose gravel. I had no problems today though and soon, I'm at the summit surveying all that I can see. The view of Reno and Sparks from up here has always been outstanding. To the southwest, Mount Rose and Slide Mountain, capped with early season snow rise 10,000+ feet and contain the gorgeous blue water of Lake Tahoe beyond. To the northeast, the high-rises of downtown Reno sprawl out. And to the east and southeast, the neighborhoods of hidden valley and the south Reno subdivisions spread out across the land.

Right around 6:45am, the first blinding rays of our mother star start to peak over the ridge to the north of Road to Nowhere Mountain. What a glorious way to begin the new day. Soon, the rays begin to blanket the valley laid out before me and know that I've got to head into the office soon, I make my way back down the mountain. The hike was only about 1.6 miles, but it was well worth it for the views and fresh air.

Andesite Peak (Nevada County, California)

I had to travel to Reno yesterday for work and since I'm going to be here, I decided to arrange my schedule to allow me to enjoy a few extra days with friends and seeking adventure. This morning, I'll combine the two. Joining my long-time friend, Nick, we head across the border into California with Andesite Peak in our sites. I've hiked many other trails and peaks in and around this mountain, but never summited the peak itself. Today, we'll be attempting to do just that. It's late in the year and there is snow on some of the taller mountains, but hopefully, that won't be a problem.

Parking my rental at the end of the pavement on Castle Peak Road on other side of Interstate 80 from Boreal Ski Resort and then finding a 'facili-tree' to relieve myself before the hike, we prepare to start the hike. I'm taken by the fresh air and smell of pine up here on Donner Pass. I really miss this environment. I like hike in my new home near Atlanta, but it's just not the same. 

We make quick work of the dirt road and soon take a left turn onto the single track to begin heading up to the peak. Passing through the forest, we spot a few piles of black bear scat on the trail, but they appear to be a day or two old. The lazy creatures they are, bears will almost always follow human trails as they are the path of least resistance through the forest. We do pass a couple of patches of shallow snow, but there isn't much here. In the distance, we get a few great views of the nearby Castle Peak and the valleys to the north and south.

Following the switchbacks, we are soon above the tree line. The trail here becomes loose scree and the travel becomes much more precarious. There are a couple of sketchy areas, but eventually, we reach the summit. Andesite Peak rises 8,219 feet above sea level and offers some magnificent views of the Sierra Nevada Range, which surrounds us. The views really are breathtaking and I catch myself thinking about how much I truly miss living near this area. The mountains of Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina just aren't the same.

After spending a few minutes on the summit, we carefully make our way back down the way we came and returning to the car. We hiked about 5.1 miles today and it was a really nice hike. It was also nice to be able to hike with my friend, who I normally only see a couple of times a year. Hopefully, I'll be able to get more trails in during my visit.

Pine Mountain via Cooper's Furnace (Bartow County, Georgia)

Today, I'm returning to a great hike I've done a couple of times just northwest of Atlanta, and dragging a few members of the Meetup along for the ride. Pine Mountain, not to be confused with the long ridge of the same name in west-central Georgia, rises above Lake Allatoona near Cartersville, GA. I had read a few weeks ago, that much of the brush had been cleared off of the summit providing a much better view of the surrounding area. It seemed like a great way to spend a Saturday morning. 

Meeting the folks that had signed up for the hike near the historical Coopers Furnace, we did a quick round of introductions and then hit the trail. It starts near the giant iron furnace built in the 1830's and later abandoned after the nearby town was mostly destroyed by General Sherman's troops during the march on Atlanta. 

The first part of the trail is a gravel road leading into the woods and travels due north, but soon the trail crosses over a tiny creek and begins a mild ascent. After about a mile-and-a-half, the trail takes a sharp left and heads west up the eastern slope of the mountain. The trail is well maintained and most of us in the group are pushing a pretty fast pace. The trail will include a figure eight with stretched mid-section and so, we pass the forks that we will later revisit. 

Reaching the spur trail to the summit, we take the short offshoot and head uphill. Once we get to the top, we are rewarded with a magnificent view of all of the lake, with Kennesaw Mountain and downtown Atlanta in the distance. We agree to take a few minutes for a snack and to take pictures. However, some agitated, winged, stinging friends take some offense to our presence. There appears to be yellow-jacket nest nearby and they are on high alert against invaders. Though no one gets stung, we make a tactical retreat down the mountain towards safety.

Next we begin hiking down the norther side of the western figure eight loop, which requires just a little bit of rock scrambling. We encounter a number of other hikers on this side of the mountain. Most of them have probably parked at the western trailhead and will complete a shorter route than what our plan calls for. We make quick work of this second loop and then continue on the southern section of the eastern loop, finally returning to the parking area near Coopers Furnace. 

The rest of the hike was uneventful, but very enjoyable. The weather has been fantastic all morning and everyone seems to really enjoy the hike, though a couple of people were struggling to catch their breath on the uphills. Our total distance was just over 7.5 miles. After saying our goodbyes, we get into our respective cars and go our separate ways.

Fort Loudoun (Monroe County, Tennessee)

Beyond my love of the great outdoors and sense of adventure, I also consider myself a bit of a history buff and when offered the opportunity to visit notable historic sites, I always take advantage. While leaving the Knoxville, Tennessee area, one such site was only a short detour away and I had to go. Fort Loudoun was a wooden fortification built by the British between 1756 and 1757 to help garner support from the Cherokee at the outset of the French and Indian War. This definitely seems like some place I want to check out. Though the original fort was likely destroyed over time, it was recreated from the original plans in the 1930's.

A state historic site complete with visitors center/museum has been built nearby to preserve and educate on the historic fort. After passing briefly through the museum, I make way out to the fort, which sits on a small peninsula (itself on a small island) jutting out into the Little Tennessee River. The fort is of wooden construction and consists of a palisade surrounding somewhat complicated diamond configuration. As I read the information placards, I learn that it was also originally surrounded by a dry mote and row of thorn bushes. Built on a hillside, the palisade follows the contour of the land to fortify the structures within. At each of the four points of the diamond a platform has been built inside to host several small canons, which are shown here as replicas. I can imagine this would have been a fairly difficult fortification to attack with all of these defenses.

Inside the stake walls, a number of structures served as home to the residents. These include a series of barracks, a storehouse, powder magazine, and blacksmith shop. It's open and roomy in here and the flag of the thirteen colonies flies overhead. I can imagine being a British soldier back in that time and being stationed here at the furthest reaches of the known world. It must have been exhilarating. 

My tour of the facility now complete, I wander slowly back to my car still lost in my thoughts of what it must have been like back then. Back to reality though, I have a long drive home and I need to get started on that.

Meigs Falls (Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Tennessee)

 

After leaving the nearby Tuckaleechee Caverns, I decided to drive the short distance into Great Smokey Mountains National Park to visit a small waterfall visible from the road. Meigs Falls is not all that impressive, but is easily visible from a small pull off along the winding Little River Gorge Road. As I pull my car over, I see there are a number of people here taking in the view of the small waterfall. In the near distance, I spot a stream of water plummeting perhaps twenty feet over the left side of a rock cliff. The view is surrounded by fall colors, which definitely adds to the charm. However, I imagine this would be much more scenic after heavy rains when the waterfall is coming over the entire rock cliff, instead of just one side. Either way, it was only a short detour and worth a stop.

Tuckaleechee Caverns (Blount County, Tennessee)

Yesterday morning, I drove up to Knoxville to attend a Craft Beer Festival, but while I'm in the area, I wanted to hit a few stops. After a somewhat rocky night, I got ready and left the hotel headed for Tuckaleechee Caverns near Townsend Tennessee. This is a privately managed cave system like many others and draws a lot of tourists from the nearby Great Smokey Mountains National Park, though it is technically not within the park.

Arriving just as the facility opened for business, I checked in and paid the tour fee and just started looking around while waiting for the tour to start at 10:15 am. A number of others arrived afterwards and by the time of the tour, we had a group of about twenty people ready to descend into the earth. Our guide lead us down a hall way and then a winding ramp into the original sinkhole that revealed the cave to a group of children in the early twentieth century. It had been known to the local Cherokee, but apparently not widely used for an purpose. 

Here the tour guide offers a little history and a little geology, as well as setting expectations for the tour. He explains that there are some 410 total steps to climb up and down over the course of about a mile-and-a-half and that the full tour will take about 90 minutes. Everyone nods their agreement and we descend down a set of manmade steps into the depths. 

The area of the cave the tour travels through is mostly well lit with stairs, paved walkways, and hand rails. Like most caves, it's cool and humid. The first section seems to be little more than caved in earth, probably from the sinkhole. Soon though, we enter an area much more 'cavelike', complete with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones, and a running stream below us. Though much like the many other limestone cave systems I've visited in the the past, it's still quite beautiful.

We walk a short ways before the guide stops us and begins providing some basic cave education, and explaining in basic geologic terms how some of the features have formed over the eons. There are some really nice columns here and a very large flowstone that is considered (dead), as there is no longer water running over it causing the mineral deposit to grow any further. 

The stream below our feet ebbs and flows, runs in and out of the rock and continues through the cave at a pretty good pace in areas. Eventually, we reach the Big Room, which is said to be the size of a football stadium, though it's difficult to discern as depth perception in caves, which generally lack flat surfaces, is challenging. We reach an area in this room with some benches affixed to the stone walls and our guide askes us to take a seat. He proceeds to demonstrate true darkness by shutting the lights off. He also briefly convinces some of the younger participants that they can create "friction light", but rubbing their hands to together very fast. It makes for a good laugh, when he tells them the truth. 

Turning the lights back on, he points out a couple of large stalagmites far in the distance, including one called the "Dinosaur's Toothpick". This is a unique one in my experience in that it is so slender. It's impossible to tell it's height from so far away, but informs us that it is over twenty feet tall. 

Leaving the big room, we return the way we came and then passing back by the staircase we first descended to get here, pass by it an continue in the other direction along a paved path, which runs beside the stream in a zigzag pattern. There are a few areas to watch one's head, but the path is relatively easy to traverse. At one point we stop and our guide tells of the chemical composition of the water and how clean it is thanks to the limestone filtration. He invites us to reach down, grab a handful, and drink it. I and a couple of others do so. It's not as cold as I would have expected; cool, but not cold.

As we continue on, the sound of slapping water begins to fill the cave and our guide informs us that we are approaching the waterfall. Finally getting there, we are treated to a magnificent feature. A narrows stream of water is falling over a steep cliff in the ceiling to slap against a large mineral deposit and fan out around a moderately sized room and then falling into what may be the origin of at least this part of the stream. Looking up towards the source as it runs over the cliff, I can see another waterfall coming over another cliff much higher up. It must go on and on like this, but beyond this second waterfall, is darkness and the unknown. This is a really spectacular site and I'm glad to be able to see it.

After our visit to the waterfall, we return to the entrance and climb back up the stairs, returning to the visitors center. This really was a nice tour and a very interesting cave system. The waterfall at the end was the highlight and I would recommend a visit for anyone in the general area.

Elkmont and Daisytown Ghost Towns (Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Tennessee)

It's about 5pm and with the sun setting behind the mountainside above me, I'm debating on sleeping in my car, rather than putting my tent up at the campsite I reserved. I brought a tent, but I also prepared to sleep in the car due to the high potential for rain overnight. Not that I mind camping in the rain, but as I want to get an early start tomorrow, I thought it might be just as well to save myself from having to break camp. After all, I bought this Subaru Outback because I could fully stretch out in it when I put the seats down. I decide sleep in the car. 

Since I don't have a lot of time, I quickly walk through the campground and across the main road to hike the short Elkmont Nature Trail. I had seen images of old houses and from the research I did, it seems they may be in this area. The hike is very short and does a loop around small stream, but offers no sight of any structures. I did see a couple of large turkeys though grazing in the area between the campground and the road. 

Debating on what to do next, I head to the other side of the river across a sturdy bridge and discover another parking area and trailhead here. Walking up the trail a short distance, I see some kind of stone ruins, but more like an entry gate to an estate than anything else. I'm not convinced that is the right way either. Doubling back, I head up the paved road and wander into the restored homes of the 1930's resort community of Daisy Town. This was a destination that brought the attention of the affluent crowd to the park. I'm unsure of when it was abandoned, but the National Park service has done a marvelous job of restoring the houses on at least one street of that community. I wander about a bit, but don't delay too long as it's getting dark. 

As I start to make my way back to camp, I catch site of what appears to be an old chimney up another hill and climb up to check it out. Once atop the hill, I can see that there are actually the ruins of at least 4-5 houses up here. These appear to be older than those at Daisytown, which just a bit more than a hundred yards away. I'm unsure of whether this was part of the town or perhaps part of the older town of Elkmont. After exploring just a bit more, I head back to camp to make some dinner. 

It did end up raining through the night and it continued well after I awoke. Not having to pack up the tent and other gear made hitting the road much faster. Though I had wanted to do another hike today, I decided against it with the rain seemingly all that was on the agenda for the day. When I eventually got home, I did a little further research about Elkmont and Daisytown, but still came to no firm conclusions. I'm convinced there is more to Elkmont than what I found, but it's exact location remains something of a mystery to me.

Cades Cove (Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Tennessee)

Before heading to the campground, I decided to do the scenic 11-mile loop around Cades Cove, which is one of the most visited parts of Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Though, I've been to the park a few times over the years, I've never been to this section and thought this trip would be a good opportunity.

The entrance was a little confusing and I had to turn around a couple of times, but eventually found the correct way and joined dozens of other cars exploring the area. Cades Cove opens up beautifully this time of year. This secluded valley on the southwestern side of the park and was home to several settlers before the park was established. Many of their homesteads have been preserved and are one of the draws to this part of the park.

As I make way down the one-lane road, following numerous other cars, we are gifted with sites of the valley, which remains grasslands (after being cleared by the settlers nearly two centuries ago after the Cherokee were forced to surrender their claims) surrounded by low rolling mountains currently lush with the colors of fall. Movement is very slow, as the cars ahead of me stop often to look at . . . well, I'm not exactly sure what they are looking at in most cases. 

Making a sharp 90-degree turn, cars get backed up a long way and I see two people a few cars ahead of me get out and begin taking pictures of something, but it's not until they have moved on that I can see what they are looking at. A large black bear, fat and ready for winter, had just crossed the gravel road and was lumbering through the field on the right. I didn't stop, but I did slow down to get a picture through my passenger window of this big guy. Unfortunately, there was a barbed wire fence somewhat obstructing the shot, but it still turned out pretty good. 

Continuing further, I park at near the Cades Cove grist mill and walk around to visit the preserved buildings in this area, which includes a home and several other farm buildings. They are all well preserved and this appears to be a very popular part of the area, as there are dozens and dozens of cars parked here and people walking around taking it all in.

Soon and after having seen most of the structures, I head back to the car and start heading out of the area. There are couple of more old homesteads along the way, but for the most part I'm just anxious to get to my campsite as darkness is approaching and I have another hike to do from camp. Overall, this was a pretty scenic drive into yesteryear. I only wish visitors would do as the signage asks and pull over instead of stopping traffic constantly.

Autumn Colors in the Smokies (Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Tennessee)

I had originally planned on camping in Great Smokey Mountain National Park earlier in the year, but had to change plans due to some family obligations. At the same time I cancelled my original reservation, I was able to make another for October. Now that time is here and I'm headed to the second largest national park east of the Mississippi River. 

As I traverse the winding Newfound Gap road, I'm can't help but be in awe of the amazing palette of autumn colors on these ancient mountainsides. This should be just about peak time and the examples I'm seeing, suggest that to be true. I know Acadia National Park in Maine is well known for it's fall colors, but the combination of color and the aging Appalachian Mountains just does something magical to the visual sense. The colors stretch out like thanksgiving cornucopia as far as the eye can see. Truly stunning!

Fort Yargo Super Moon Hike (Barrow County, Georgia)

Fort Yargo State Park is only a few miles from my house and knowing that tonight would not only be a full moon, but a super moon (when the moon is at it's closest point to the Earth), I decided to schedule a hike for the Meetup to for an evening event at the park. Why not get some miles in while enjoy the lunar show. That said, it had been drizzling off and on all day and while the forecast for this evening looks to be partly cloudy with no call for rain, I'm going to prepare just in case. I had called the park office before scheduling this hike to confirm that the gates didn't close until 10:00pm, by which time we need to be out of there.

Once at the park and after wrapping a work conference call, I met up with the hikers that had signed up for my event. Nine of us in all. We did a quick round of introductions and I explained the plan, which was to hike the loop trail around the lake, which should give us multiple angles to see the moon, which was set to rise about twenty minutes after our planned start time. With all of that out of the way, we crossed the long wooden bridge departing the visitors center and entered the woods. 

Joros, joros, and more joros. That is the theme of the first part of this hike. Very large, but harmless joro spiders seemed to have colonized this part of the park. We pass by hundreds of them waiting for prey in their large, sticky webs. We stop to take a better look at a couple of the larger specimen before continuing on. 

The cloud cover doesn't seem to be easing up and I'm beginning to doubt if we actually get any views of the moon. We continue on though, as there are two objectives to tonight's event and the moon viewing is only one of them. We make pretty good time as we round the northern end of the lake and by this time darkness is beginning to set in. The kudzu tunnels offer a season-appropriate vibe as we pass through them in the twilight. 

Shortly after this section, we begin to feel some rain drops and when it finally starts raining harder, I stop the group and those that prepared properly put on their rain gear. The rain is coming down pretty good now and we are almost exactly halfway across the lake from where we left our cars. We're going to get soaked, but ah well. It's still nice to be outside, though our chances of seeing the moon have shrunk to near zero. 

As we tromp through the wet and somewhat muddy trail, I point out a few things to my comrades, including the ground spider eyes which sparkle back at us when our headlights hit them. I also catch sight of a tiny little snake on the trail and we stop to examine him, as he slithers around in the mud trying to escape us. He's a tiny little thing, only about eight inches long and with a body-diameter of no more than a quarter-inch. Later, I will find out this is called a smooth worm snake and is common in this environment. 

Finally getting back to the parking area and fairly wet, we say our goodbyes and head to our respective homes. I use the restroom and speak with another ranger who very nicely informs that the trail actually close at sundown. I explain that I had gotten conflicting information from the park office and he doesn't make a fuss about it, but just wishes me well. Total distance for the hike was about 6.4 miles, which isn't bad for a Monday evening. On my way home, the rain stops and the clouds part just a bit to allow me to get a picture of the moon from my driveway. So, I guess it was mission accomplished.

Caesars Head - Devils Kitchen (Greenville County, South Carolina)

 

I was thinking I was done with hiking and site-seeing for the day and was content to finish the drive home from Asheville, NC to my home, outside Atlanta, GA. Nature had other ideas though. After departing the trailhead where I got two different hikes in, I passed Caesars Head Overlook. I decided to turn around and check it out and I'm glad I did. 

Caesars Head State Park is apparently named for a large outcropping that someone at some point in time thought looked like the head of Julius Caesar. After having seen it myself, I'm not sure I see the resemblance, but to each their own. The overlook itself though is pretty impressive as it opens up south towards Table Mountain, exposing all of the lush greenness and very beginning of fall colors in the valley between. 

Walking around just a bit, I see a sign at the top of steel staircase that seems to descend into the rock itself. The sign says Devils Kitchen, and with I name like that, you just know I had to explore it. There isn't a lot to it, but what is there is a large fracture of one of the building-sized boulders that make up this outcropping. Though at an roughly 30° angle, the crack is perfectly flat and the staircase descends into it. After about forty feet, I pop out the other side and look back at what I just walked through. It's in impressive crack to be sure. 

The trail from here offers a view of the other side of Caesars Head, which doesn't look any more to me like the famous general than the first side did. I follow the path around and back up the other side, which returns me to the parking area. This wasn't really a hike, but the overlook and interesting geology made it worth a stop.

Raven Cliff Falls at Caesars Head Mountain (Greenville County, South Carolina)

 

I'm headed home from a craft beer festival in Asheville, NC and wanted to get in a couple of hikes along the way. Departing from the same trailhead as my previous hike, I headed the opposite direction and followed a small connector trail to a second parking lot, from which the Raven Cliff Falls Trail departs. This short trail leads to what I'm told is a spectacular waterfall. There is another waterfall by this same name in Northern Georgia, which I have hiked to a few times, but it's only real claim to uniqueness is that it has carved out a trench in a large cliffside and now flows behind the scenes. It's pretty and a nice hike, but I've always been curious about it's South Carolina counterpart. Today, we'll see how they compare. 

As I make way downhill on a gravel path, I see a few other hikers and realize that this route actually shares trail with two much longer trails, the Foothills Trail and the Palmetto Trail, both of which I would like to backpack at some point in the future. So, there is a good chance that I will pass this way again.

Soon, the gravel ends and the trail passes over tree roots and dirt as it flows mostly downhill towards the vantage point for the waterfall. There are a few junctions and I pass a number of other hikers, but overall, it's a pretty easy hike. That said though, there does appear to be some indicators of coming rains in the cloud cover and I push my pace a bit more. I don't mind getting wet, but if I can avoid it, I will.

Eventually, I come to a T-intersection and having reviewed the trail map, I know I need to turn left while the option to the right is a continuance of the much longer trails mentioned previously. After only a short distance, I come to a covered observation deck which has been built on the side of the opposing cliff from Raven Cliff Falls. 

The waterfall is quite impressive and while I can't get anywhere near it from here, I am rewarded with a great view for my trouble. Several small falls cascade into small pools towards the top of the cliff, while the main highlight is the primary vertical drop of roughly 300 feet. I'm kind of glad we got that moisture overnight, as I'm sure it's contributing to the current impressive flow over the falls. 

Having seen what I came to see and with the threat of more rain, I turn around and head back the way I came. I make really good time and end up back at the trailhead where I left my car after only about 45-minutes. My distance for this little adventure was about 4.5 miles. When added to my earlier hike along the Silver Steps Trail, it's not a bad day at all. 

Silver Steps Trail (Greenville County, South Carolina)

 

Returning home from a Craft Beer Festival in Asheville, NC, I decided to get a few trail miles. My first stop was to hike the Silver Steps Trail near Caesars Head State Park just across the border in South Carolina. When I pulled in, the trailhead only had a couple of cars and I quickly put on my pack and after getting my bearings, headed into the woods. 

I think we got just a little rain overnight as the trees and ground appear to be a bit wet. No matter, that shouldn't stop me. This trail leads to junction with another trail in the park's system and towards a couple of waterfalls. I make good time along the well traveled path as it undulates through the forest.

Crossing over a small, rickety bridge, I find the junction with the other trail and begin down that path with the intention of reaching at least one of those waterfalls. However, as I continue I'm confronted with wet, slick rocks as far as I can see down the trail. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but I feel my ankles rolling occasionally as I try to traverse this terrain. The last thing I need is a sprained ankle and after some internal debate, I decide to head back the way I came. There are other options in this park. Arriving back at the trailhead, I check my tracking app and see that I got in about 2.6 miles on this short hike. More to come.