Adventures of SCJack

2012-02-12T14:13:00.000-05:00

CMLC Bearwallow Mountain Hike

Henderson County, NC

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

After our hike to Rainbow Falls, Andy and I continued up the road to Gerton, NC to meet the CMLC (Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy) group at the Florence Nature Preserve Trailhead. This would be the end point of our hike. I was surprised to see some light snow flurries in the air! On top of that, the weather seemed significantly cooler than I was expecting! And it would only get worse!

From there the group gathered together and formed a shuttle to the starting point along Bearwallow Mountain Road. The snow got heavier as we drove up the mountain and the ground was covered with a light dusting. Compared to the warm winter we have been having, this was was downright frigid! And the gusting wind made things much worse!

The group gathering at the trailhead in blustering wind and snow

I have hiked to the summit of Bearwallow Mountain several times in the past, but it has always been along a wide track access road. Since my last hike, a new trail had been constructed which avoids the road walk and would make for a much more interesting hike. Despite the cold and wind, I was excited to check out the new trail.

This is a very well constructed trail, with gradual switchbacks making the climb to Bearwallow Mountain surprisingly easy. The only challenge was dealing with the cold, wind, and snow!

The group hiking the new trail up Bearwallow Mountain

I had checked the weather forecast beforehand to prepare for the hike and saw the high for the day would be 48 degrees in Chimney Rock Village. However, I failed to take into consideration that the starting point of the hike was a good 2,500 feet of elevation above Chimney Rock Village and parts of the hike would take us to elevations over 4,000 feet above sea level.

This was much colder than I was prepared for! Less than 5 minutes into the hike, the water tube on my Cambelback had frozen solid. Temperatures were well below freezing and with 40 mph gusts, the wind chill factor was probably close to zero! I was extremely grateful that I though to bring along my goofy cold weather hat and a pair gloves! But some thicker socks and a warmer pair of pants would have been nice!

But the group of about (25) hikers pressed on and made it to the summit of Bearwallow Mountain without any issues!

Approaching the summit of Bearwallow Mountain

On a clear day, the summit of Bearwallow Mountain offers some spectacular views! Today the views were limited, but we were treated to a spectacular display of winter fury! We took a short break, but due to the cold and the wind we didn't linger at the summit for very long!

A touch of Rime Ice on the trees at the summit of Bearwallow Mountain

Since the rest of the hike would be along some very rugged terrain, part of the group elected to turn back while (14) of us continued on. We descended down the east side of Bearwallow Mountain towards the meadows at Bearwallow Gap.

Bearwallow Gap

A mountain spring forms several watering holes in the meadow between Bearwallow and Little Bearwallow Mountains. Apparently bears wallow in these watering holes which is how the mountains got their names!

The Bear Wallowing Water Hole at Bearwallow Mountain Gap

We continued on at a good pace up to the summit of Little Bearwallow Mountain and my body had warmed up to the point that I no longer felt cold!

Hiking up Little Bearwallow Mountain

We continued on the Little Bearwallow Mountain Trail and where we were treated to an extensive and impressive display of icicles.

Icicles along the Little Bearwallow Mountain Trail

Our plan was to take our main break of the day at Wildcat Rock, so we took the short side trail that leads to this impressive rock outcrop.

The side trail to Wildcat Rock

Wildcat Rock offers up some really nice views, but it also offered up full exposure to the blustering wind! I took a few quick photos, but i didn't feel comfortable working my way out to the fully exposed rocks which offer the best views! Covered with snow and ice, and with wind gusts strong enough to blow a human off a mountain, it did not seem like a good idea!

view from Wildcat Rock

While the plan was to break for lunch on Wildcat rock, most of the group elected to break down below which was more sheltered from the wind. My camelback water tube was still frozen solid rendering it useless. I was glad a tossed in a couple of extra water bottles which even inside my pack had started to form ice crystals, but were still drinkable!

We took a much quicker than planned break as the group was eager to get moving again! It is best not to stop for very long in this type of weather!

We continued to the east on the Cliffs Trail. With its northern exposure may parts of this trail never see sunlight during the winter. As a result, we were treated to some more very impressive displays of icicles which form as water seeps down the cliffs as freezes!

Hiking along the Cliffs Trail

This trail is well blazed and easy to follow, but it is very rugged! It is the type of trail that you are not likely to travel much more than a mile in an hour. Fortunately, the direction we were heading is mostly downhill which would take us out of the worst of the wind and down to slightly warmer temperatures.

We stopped for another short break to check out a wet weather waterfall at Little Bearwallow Cliff. Today this was very unimpressive! This one would have to be visited immediately after a significant rain shower to be worthwhile!

An impressive cliff face with a less than impressive wet weather waterfall

The hiking got much easier from here as the trails got closer to civilization making trail maintenance access much easier. Also, the terrain started to level out as we approached the creek alongside US74A. There are several nice cascades along this stretch of trail which would make for some good photo opportunities. Since I elected not to tote along the tri-pod, today I would just have to settle for a quick balance the camera on a rock type of shot!

Cascade Falls

At 2,500 feet lower than at the high point of our hike, the temperatures were much more bearable near the end of the hike. However the wind was still gusting and as we were getting towards the end of the trail we heard and saw a large tree come crashing down about 100 yards away from us!

The hike ended with a leisurely stroll through an old Apple Orchard just across the road from the Florence Nature Preserve Trailhead where our vehicles were waiting for us!

The end of the hike through an old Apple Orchard

This was a great hike! Much more extreme than the typical CMLC hike! Fortunately the entire group managed to escape without any significant falls or injuries! Thanks to Peter and Chet for leading this awesome hike!

The complete set of photos is posted here:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/582322624lWmqad

2012-02-11T18:29:00.000-05:00

Rainbow Falls

Rutherford County, NC

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

Me at Rainbow Falls

There are several "Rainbow Falls" in the Carolinas, but one that I had yet to visit has been the one in Rutherford County, NC. I have caught some distant views of it on occasion from way across the gorge at Chimney Rock Park, but I have never see it up close.

Andy and I had signed up for the CMLC (Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy) hike to Bearwallow Mountain. However, that hike didn't start until 10:30am which meant we had some time in the morning to do a little exploring.

Thanks to the efforts of groups like the CMLC, the Rainbow Falls property is now owned by the State of North Carolina. However, official public access has still not been established. Fortunately Andy and I received a tip on how we could access Rainbow Falls.

The morning started with an unusual event! Andy actually arrived at our meet-up spot at the Lake Lure Marina a few minutes before me! We combined into my truck and continued up through Chimney Rock and turned into the "Reserve at Rainbow Falls" development.

Years ago, the side of the mountain below Rainbow Falls was scarred when a developer put in a road and tried to sell about a dozen $400,000 lots. Years later, not a single lot has been sold, but the road is still there and would lead us to an access point to Rainbow Falls.

Yes, technically we started out on private property, but if anyone asks we were looking to invest in a mountain side piece of property. Lot #6 looked like a good one to check out, so we parked my truck, grabbed our cameras and tripods, and walked up the hill to the far back corner of the lot where low and behold we ran into the official boundary line of the new State Park. Maybe we could get a better overview of lot #6 if we continued higher up the mountain?

We could catch a few glimpses of Rainbow Falls through the trees up ahead, but from here the more impressive view was an across the gorge view of Hickory Nut Falls.

Zoomed in distant view of Hickory Nut Falls

Officially inside public property we followed an obvious trail which switchbacks up the mountain gaining about 400-feet of elevation. We were surprised to come across a small A-Frame cabin, obvious signs that this land was once private property. We did receive confirmation later in the day that the cabin is now owned by the State of North Carolina and officially inside the state park boundary.

A-Frame Cabin near the base of Rainbow Falls

We continued on a short distance past the cabin towards Rainbow Falls. I was glad I convinced Andy to meet a half hour earlier than planned. While this wasn't a long hike by any means, we would have been pushed for time if we went with our original meet-up time. Plus a half hour later and the sun would have made photography much more difficult.

The sun creeping over the ridge making photography from this angle difficult

We spent about a half hour photographing Rainbow Falls from various vantage points before heading back down to my vehicle.

Rainbow Falls

On the hike down, we rain into a group of about 12 hikers. Apparently they were interested in checking out Lot #6 as well. In fact, I think I will have to head back and check out Lot #6 again during the spring. We noticed a few trillium starting to come up by the base of the falls!

The complete set of Rainbow Falls Photos is posted here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/582324165ExiwbT

Coming up next (most likely tomorrow): The trip report and photos from our CMLC hike to Bearwallow Mountain

2012-02-07T04:30:00.004-05:00

Waterfall Wandering Bushwhacking Adventure

Little Cove Creek

Green River Game Lands

Polk County, NC

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

The Bloody Elbow!

We are always learning about new waterfalls from the waterfall gurus of Bernie, Kevin Adams, and Waterfall Rich. However, every once in a while it is nice to be able to beat them to the punch! I believe that this was one of those days!

Andy, Johnny and I decided to that there was definitely potential for some undocumented waterfalls along several of the tributary creeks and streams in the Green River Game Lands near Saluda, NC.

All indications led us to believe that Sunday would be the perfect day for this type of exploration:

Sunday is the only day of the week when hunting is not allowed in the Game Lands.
We had a good bit of rain on Saturday to fill up all the smaller creeks and streams.
Open winter foliage makes for much easier bushwhacking.
Poison Ivy is not out yet
Unseasonably warm weather would allow us to get in the creeks if necessary
Forecast for cloudy skies would make for excellent waterfall photography.

Unfortunately, due to injury, Johnny had to cancel out at the last minute which left just Andy, Boone, and I.

We decided to see what Little Cove Creek had to offer. Nearby Cove Creek contains the spectacular Big Bradley Falls, and Little Bradley Falls. Since Little Cove Creek follows the same elevation drop it just made sense that it would contain waterfalls as well.

We started our hike from just past the Tube Rental Shack on Green River Cove Road. This is the same spot where in the past we have started the hike to Big Bradley Falls from downstream. Turn just before the Tube Rental Shack, drive past the shack a few hundred yards to a small parking area just before a gate. On Sundays, the parking area will likely be empty like it was for us today. However, on just about any other day the parking area will be packed and the Game Lands will be full of gun toting hunters!

Andy and Boone by one of the old cabins

The first mile of the hike is very easy along the access road. If it wasn't for the gate, you could actually drive a vehicle through here. The road comes to a fork at a pair of old cabins just before arriving at Cove Creek. Heading towards the right would take you upstream towards the base of Big Bradley Falls.

However, today we would turn left and explore some new territory! Eventually we realized we would have to get our feet wet as the road fords across Cove Creek. During times of low water flow, you could probably rock hop across, but today there was no avoiding getting wet! Andy and I both removed our shoes, socks, and zip-off pant legs before entering into the much warmer than expected knee deep water.

Andy crossing Cove Creek

Past the creek crossing, the road continues through some cornfields. The state of North Carolina plants these acres of corn to lure deer and other wildlife into the Game Lands where the hunters can pick them off, keeping the area deer population in check.

Boone frolicking by the corn fields

We eventually left the road and meandered along the edge of the corn fields towards Little Cove Creek.

At this point we were still on public land and as long as we stayed on the South side of Little Cove Creek we would not have to worry about trespassing across a small section of private property. However, it appeared that the terrain would be much easier on the North Side of the Creek.

Since we didn't see any private property signs or no trespassing signs, we rock hopped across the creek and picked up an old access road. This "road" is definitely not maintained anymore, but is still easy enough to follow as it parallels Little Cove Creek heading upstream.

Eventually the road petered out at around the spot where we re-entered the public game lands. We started some easy bushwhacking alongside the creek and eventually arrived at the base of a 40-foot waterfall! Andy decided to name this one "Milton Bradley Falls".

"Milton Bradley Falls" (Lower Waterfall on Little Cove Creek)

This one was pretty nice except for the large about of deadfall at the base. Also, the light was absolutely horrible for photography!

I am not sure what happed to the cloudy skies the weather guys promised us! All we had was bright sunlight with the sun located in the worst possible location; directly above the waterfall, shining directly into our lens. Since we knew we would have to pass by this same spot on the hike out, we decided to save any photography for later when hopefully the sun would be in a better position.

All my shots from the initial visit went strait in to the deleted files. The above photo was actually taken later in the day when the lighting was much improved. Unfortunately the improved lighting did not help the deadfall situation.

We continued upstream through some very steep terrain with absolutely no semblance of a trail to follow. It definitely wasn't the most difficult bushwhack I have ever done, but it was far from easy! We took the approach of heading towards higher ground, where the forest was a little more open before eventually making our way back down to the creek.

We found our second significant waterfall on Little Cove Creek just upstream from where a smaller tributary joins the slightly larger Little Cove Creek.

Andy at the Upper Waterfall on Little Cove Creek

There was also another small cascade on the tributary steam. With a wide angle lens, you could capture both the small cascade on the tributary and the larger waterfall on Little Cove Creek in the same shot.

Cascade on the tributary stream

Next up, we decided to continue our exploration upstream. We were surprised to see a rope positioned to make the climb up to the top of the waterfall much easier. It appeared that we were now on an actual trail with a series of ropes showing the safest way of travel.

But before following the ropes and continuing upstream on Little Cove Creek, we decided to see if we could head up the tributary. We were almost immediately rewarded with our third significant waterfall of the day, a beautiful 30-footer!

Waterfall on Little Cove Creek Tributary

We took our main lunch break of the day here and we spent a good bit of time photographing this one. It reminded us a little bit of Courthouse Falls, except without the crowds of people!

Waterfall on Little Cove Creek Tributary

We suspect that there is at least one more significant drop on this tributary, but we really didn't see a safe way to continue upstream, so we backtracked to the main creek and followed the series of ropes up Little Cove Creek.

We ran across many additional smaller cascades, but no more significant drops. Eventually the terrain leveled out and the "trail of ropes" entered into private property. We took this as a sign to head on back.

Cascades upstream on Little Cove Creek

Me by some cascades on Little cove creek

Not long after we started turning back, I slipped on some slick rocks and did my best impression of Charlie Brown trying to kick a field goal with Lucy as the holder! My feet literally went flying and I landed flat on my back, whacking my elbow on some jagged rocks in the process.

There was a good bit of blood gushing down my arm, so I decided to stop and address the situation. I cleaned out the wound as best I could, globbed on some triple-antibiotic ointment, slapped a bandage on, and then wrapped my elbow in an ace bandage to keep pressure on the wound and hold the bandage in place.

The lighting was much better for photography by now, so despite my injury we stopped for a while at the earlier waterfalls to take advantage of the better photo opportunity.

Me by the Upper Waterfall on Little Cove Creek

Notice my bandaged elbow!

Lower Waterfall on Little Cove Creek (aka Milton Bradley Falls)

It was definitely an awesome day of Waterfall Wandering! And the football game that came on after I got home turned out to be the perfect ending to a great day! I'll most likely have a scar to remember it by for quite some time!

This is a hand drawn route of our hike. It is not based on any actual GPS data, just my best guess as to the route we took. The (3) circles are the approximate location of the (3) significant waterfalls we found.

The complete set of photos from our adventure is posted here:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/582291491JtcONz

Three New Waterfalls

2012-02-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

Here are the three new waterfalls Andy and I discovered yesterday.

Upper Waterfall on Little Cove Creek

Waterfall on Tributary of Little Cove Creek

Lower Waterfall on Little Cove Creek

The full trip report and photo set should be posted tomorrow!

An Awesome day of Waterfall Wandering!

2012-02-05T17:32:00.000-05:00

Andy and I had a great day today! We discovered three significant waterfalls that we don't think any of the local waterfall gurus (Kevin Adams, Waterfall Rich, or Bernie) know about.

Here are a couple of self portrait shots from today's Waterfall Wandering Adventure!

I'll probably have a scar to remember this hike for a long time! Notice my bandaged elbow in the second shot!

More photos to come tomorrow!

Is it Spring Already?

2012-02-04T18:26:00.000-05:00

It has been an unusually warm winter so far. As a result, this is the earliest that I have ever seen the Daffodils start blooming! So I took a few quick photos this afternoon:

Here is another flower that was blooming in our yard. Not sure what type it is:

2012-01-30T18:44:00.000-05:00

DuPont State Forest Hike

Lake Dense, Joanna Mountain, Grassy Creek Falls

Transylvania County, NC

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

After our morning CMLC (Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy) hike, there was still plenty of time left in the day for another hike.

Andy, Brenda, and I decided to head on over to DuPont State Forest. Our main goal for the afternoon was to hike to the summit of Joanna Mountain since Andy and Brenda have not been there before. I've hiked there on several past occasions, but I had no problem making a return trip since it is one of my favorite spots in DuPont State Forest.

We started at the Buck Forest parking area, hiked across the covered bridge at the top of High Falls, and then took the Pitch Pine Trail over to Lake Dense where we took a nice break to enjoy lunch in the sun.

Andy and Brenda taking a break at Lake Dense

Picnic area at Lake Dense

From Lake Dense you get a nice view of Joanna Mountain where we would be hiking to later in the day. While not the highest mountain peak in the land, the rocky west face of Joanna is fairly impressive.

view of Joanna Mountain rising over Lake Dense

After our lunch break, we hiked the Lake Dense trail to check out Lake Alford, which I would consider more of a pond than an actual lake. Lake Alford is in a nice secluded spot that doesn't get a whole lot of traffic and is another one of my favorite spots in the Forest.

Lake Alford

From there, we backtracked past Lake Dense and hooked up with Joanna Mountain Road, which rises gradually up Joanna's backside! The road takes you most of the way up and then the Joanna Mountain Trail takes you to within 100 feet of the summit.

From the end of the trail its a steep scramble up a rock slide. I don't remember this being too difficult from my previous hikes, but after all the rain we've had lately there was significant seepage down the rocks making it as slick as goose snot!

Andy and Brenda coming down the steep section.

Photo is out of order, but I didn't get any good shots of them coming up,

so you will just have to settle for this one of them coming down!

After the steep rocky section, it is a short and easy bushwhack to the summit. There are no actual views from the summit, but some more easy bushwhacking down the west side takes you to the exposed rocky areas we saw earlier from Lake Dense.

View to the North from Joanna Mountain

While the bushwhacking is easy, there are a bunch of Briers to contend with. And since I unzipped my pant legs earlier, I ended up with the standard bloody calves and shins that tend to result from bushwhacking through briers in shorts.

We took another break on the Rocky Face of Joanna to soak in the views and the beautiful sunshine!

Andy and Brenda taking a break on Joanna Mountain

Another enjoyable thing about this spot was that we were able to view several of places we had hiked to earlier in the day. Rich Mountain (our earlier morning hike) could be seen directly to the West while Lake Dense was very obvious down below.

View to the West from Joanna Mountain

Rich Mountain is the peak on the left side (with the radio tower)

Lake Dense is in the Foreground

After our break, we returned down Joanna Mountain using the butt slide method on several occasions and decided we had time for one more sight. Grassy Creek Falls!

To be honest, I wasn't all that excited about Grassy Creek Falls. I visited it one time in the past and was less than impressed. But since the water level was up, it might be worth checking out. Therefore it didn't take much for Andy to convince me. And I am glad he did!

Grassy Creek Falls

While nowhere near as impressive as the some of the other waterfalls in the forest, this one we had to ourselves and the higher water level made it much nicer than I remember. I've upped my rating from a 2 to a 4 (out of 10).

Andy photographing Grassy Creek Falls

We thought briefly about visiting High Falls on the way out. And while High Falls is one of the more impressive waterfalls in the area, I have been there more times than I can count on one hand and didn't feel the need to go back today. Brenda was also ready to head on home, so we called it quits for the day and hiked back to our vehicles.

Here is our hike route for the afternoon which totaled about 8 miles according to Brenda's GPS. Making for a total of 11 miles on the day (including the earlier morning hike).

Hike Route

It was another great day to be outdoors! I wonder if we are going to get winter this year?

The complete set of photos from our DuPont Forest hike is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/582253814svtOBo

2012-01-29T11:09:00.000-05:00

CMLC Rich Mountain Hike from Camp High Rocks

Adjacent to DuPont State Forest, NC

Saturday, February 28th, 2012

A few weeks ago I saw the following hike posting in the CMLC (Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy) newsletter.

CMLC invites you to a public winter hike to the top of Rich Mountain. Starting from Camp High Rocks’ beautiful grounds, near DuPont State Forest, we’ll cross a few horse pastures, then pick up a strenuous trail through open forest. We’ll pause for a breather between two unique and massive rock formations, and then we’ll make a short, but steep climb up the southeast ridge of Rich Mountain to the top. The summit affords virtually 360 degree views, with particularly good views of the Blue Ridge to the west and north—perfect for a lunch break before heading down. CMLC has been granted access by the Camp’s owners, Townsend and Hank Birdsong. This is a special opportunity to walk through the camp en route to the beautiful Cathedral Rock formations and up to the summit of Rich Mountain, where you’ll have breathtaking views of the surroundings. This is a STRENUOUS HIKE on existing trails, with a total elevation ascent of about 700 feet in 3 miles. Be aware, there are several steep sections during the ascent and descent.

I am generally not a fan of large group hikes, but it in this case it was an opportunity to hike someplace that is no open to the general public.

Andy, one of my regular hiking buddies decided to sign up for the hike as well. And since the trail is right across the road from Brenda's community, she also decided to join the group.

Andy met me in Spartanburg and rode with me the rest of the way to Camp High Rocks in Cedar Mountain, NC. We were the first to arrive, so we took a few minutes to check out a small lake at the camp.

The Lake at Camp High Rocks. Rich Mountain can be seen rising above the lake.

Other hikers started to show up and we ended up with a group of about (20) humans and (2) dogs. Normally dogs are not allowed on CMLC hikes which is why Boone didn't come along with Andy, but these dogs belonged to the owners of the camp and took it upon themselves to join the group.

The two dogs that decided to join the hike

The hike starts off with a easy stroll through the camp and a few open fields before entering the woods and climbing up the mountain.

The group hiking across one of the horse pastures

There are a few steep sections but nothing too strenuous. The highlight of the hike up, is several huge rock formations along the way.

Not the greatest photo, but it shows some of the huge rock formations we passed along the way to the summit

We originally thought it would be 3 miles to the top, but it is actually only 3 miles round trip making it only a mile and a half to the top of Rich Mountain. There used to be a fire on top of the mountain, but now all that is left is the foundation. In its place are several unsightly radio and cell towers.

The old house where I assume that whoever monitored the old fire tower used to live still stands as well as several other run down structures.

The old fire tower keepers house

At the summit of Rich Mountain

The views from the summit are not as impressive as I as hoping for. The highlight is the distant view of Whiteside Mountain.

view of Whiteside Mountain from the summit of Rich Mountain

This is not a hike that I would really want to do again, but at least whenever we view the summit of Rich Mountain we can say we've been there! I appreciate the CMLC for giving me the opportunity!

Since we only hiked about 3 miles and it was still was only about noon when we finished up; Andy, Brenda, and I decided to head into DuPont State Forest for some more hiking! That will be tomorrow's blog post!

The full set of photos from our first hike of the day is posted here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/582246330kHhrxR

2012-01-24T19:08:00.000-05:00

Waterfall Wandering Bushwhacking Adventure

Mill Creek and Rachael Creek

Just outside of Table Rock State Park, SC

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

After contemplating several different hike options, we decided that Sunday would be the perfect day for a Waterfall Wandering Bushwhacking Adventure.

I had heard about a waterfall on Rachael Creek just outside Table Rock State Park several years ago from Waterfall Rich (http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/) and have been wanting to check it out ever since. Bernie (another master waterfall seeker) had found several additional waterfalls in the area and recently supplied Johnny with a map.

All of these waterfalls are off trail and would require a good bit of bushwhacking. They are also on fairly low volume creeks and streams, so it is best to visit when the water is up a bit.

The area has had a good bit of rain recently supplying the first necessary ingredient for a perfect day. Second, it was early enough in the year that the forest would be as open as it gets allowing easier navigation, and the poison ivy would not be out yet. Another essential element would be the overcast skies, making for perfect waterfall photography conditions.

In addition, the weather was absolutely perfect for bushwhacking. Cool enough that you could wear long pants and long sleeves so you don't turn into a bloody mess from all the briers, but warm enough that you don't have to worry about getting too cold, even if you end up falling in a creek (more on that later).

Johnny, Bob, Brenda, Andy, Boone, and I met up at the Palmetto Trailhead inside Table Rock State Park and began our hike!

Johnny and Andy at the Palmetto Trail Trailhead

About a mile in, the trail crosses over Mill Creek. Shortly afterwards, and unsigned, but fairly obvious side path heads up the left side of the creek.

Andy rock hopping across Mill Creek

This unblazed, but well-worn side trail gains approximately 600 feet of elevation over a little less than a mile and ends at the base of a very impressive waterfall on Mill Creek.

Waterfall on Mill Creek.

To give a sense of scale, Bob can be seen lining up a photo

There is a Mill Creek Falls on the same creek inside the State Park Boundary. However the one we visited is located just outside the park a short distance downstream from the more well-known and visited Mill Creek Falls. Fortunately, it is still considered public land, so no trespassing is required. I would guess this series of drops fall more than 150 feet and in my opinion, is far more impressive as the Mill Creek Falls upstream inside the Park.

One of the drops of this multi-tiered waterfall on Mill Creek

We backtracked to the Palmetto Trail and continued towards the West. Over the next two miles the trail gradually gains elevation, crossing a ridge, before beginning it's descent into the Rachael Creek area. The most notable thing about this section of trail is the amazing amount of recent damage done by wild hogs.

The trail first crosses over the main branch of Rachael Creek and a short distance later, it crosses a smaller tributary stream. All my previous hikes on this section of trail have been during the spring or summer when you cannot see very far upstream through the foliage. However, with the lack of winter foliage we could see upstream to the next waterfall! It is a bit of a scramble, but not overly difficult to get to the base of this one.

Waterfall on Rachael Creek Tributary

Continuing to the West, the Palmetto Trail crosses a second tributary of Rachael Creek. From here, we left the trail and headed downstream into the forest to begin some fairly intense Bushwhacking!

I just had to squeeze this photo of Boone in somewhere

There is absolutely no trail here and the woods are thick with Rhododendron, Briers, and a very uneven footing. We crossed the steam several times following the path of least resistance. As we got to the top of the first drop, it was obvious that the West side of the stream was the way to go.

We meandered our way down to this next waterfall, a very scenic 15-20 footer. It was nicer than anything I was expecting, but nothing compared to what was yet to come.

Waterfall above Yucca Falls

Not much further downstream, it appeared that the stream dropped off the face of the earth! It was obvious that the next waterfall would much taller than anything I was expecting. With steep cliffs all around, there was way to safely get down the side of this waterfall. So we headed into the woods and found a much safer way down around the cliffs.

My favorite part of the entire hike was coming down the side and catching our first view of what was up ahead! According to Bernie, this one is called Yucca Falls and it far exceeded my wildest expectations!

First view of Yucca Falls from the side

The fact that I was in minor pain from stepping in a hole between some rocks and twisting my knee did not stop me from continuing the steep scramble down to the base of Yucca Falls! Wow, this one is a beauty!

Yucca Falls

Just downstream from Yucca Falls, is another small but scenic waterfall of about 10-15 feet tall.

Me by a small waterfall just downstream from Yucca Falls

Shortly downstream this tributary joins the main branch of Rachael Creek, significantly increasing the volume of water. We continued downstream and found ourselves at the brink of the next drop which I am calling Rachael Creek Falls.

Finding a safe way down to the base of this one proved to be a major challenge. My knee didn't feel quite right from when I twisted it earlier and I managed to step wrong and started to fall down the side of a cliff. I managed to stop my downward momentum using my hiking pole. However the force of the fall was enough to significantly bend the end of my shaft!

My Hiking Pole

From there on out, I decided to use the much safer butt slide method to make my way most of the way down. The last part of the descent was probably the most difficult, but fortunately it would not be too far of a fall if things went wrong, so I followed Johnny's lead and used the Tarzan Swing method for the final 5 or 6 feet of descent.

Johnny then used a large log as a balance beam to get to a better vantage point across the creek. I made the mistake of using a smaller log which snapped in half from my weight and sent me plunging feet first into knee deep water. The January water was definitely cold, but since my feet were already soaked it made any remaining exploration of the creeks much easier as I wasn't concerned anymore about keeping my feet dry!

The main waterfall on Rachael Creek is not as high as some of the others we have seen, but it is still much higher than it appears to be in the photos. I would guess this series of cascades to be about a 40-50 foot drop.

Rachael Creek Falls

Downstream from here the terrain appeared to level out, and I am sure if there was any more significant drops, Bernie would have noted it on his map, so we followed Rachael Creek back upstream.

We found one more worthwhile Falls a short distance upstream, and a couple additional small cascades. We could have continued following the creek, but with the heavy vegetation creek side, we took to the more open forest back to the Palmetto Trail.

Small Waterfall on Rachael Creek just upstream from the main falls

With the shorter days of winter, we only had about 2 hours before dusk and still had about 3 miles of hiking back to our vehicles. Fortunately while a bit uncomfortable, my injured knee didn't really slow down my hiking pace.

GPS Track and Elevation Profile (Thanks to Brenda!)

This was definitely one of my most enjoyable hiking adventures in quite a while, but later that evening and the next morning I could barely walk. Fortunately my knee is feeling much better now and I don't anticipate any long term lingering effects!

The complete set of photos from our adventure is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/582220168eIOReI

Sunday's Waterfalls

2012-01-23T18:20:00.000-05:00

Waterfalls Wandering Bushwhacking Adventure

Just outside of Table Rock State Park, SC

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Here photos of the (7) significant waterfalls we Bushwhacked to on Yesterday's Waterfall Wandering Adventure.

1. Waterfall on Mill Creek

2. Waterfall on Tributary of Rachel Creek

3. Waterfall just upstream from Yucca Falls on another tributary of Rachel Creek

4. Yucca Falls

5. Waterfall just downstream from Yucca Falls

6. Rachel Creek Falls

7. Waterfall upstream from Rachel Creek Falls

Next post will be the full trip report with additional photos and a link to the complete set of photos

Awesome Waterfall Wandering Adventure

2012-01-23T05:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Andy, Bob, Boone, Johnny, Brenda and I teamed up to seek out some little know off trail waterfalls around the Jocassee Gorge Passage of the Palmetto Trail. This adventure was a roaring success as we visited (7) relatively unknown waterfalls!

With plenty of rain the previous day, a nice overcast sky, and perfect hiking weather (not to hot and not too cold), we picked the perfect day for this type of Waterfall Wandering Adventure!

Here is a quick self portrait of myself in front of my favorite of the bunch!

This one is on a small tributary of Rachel Creek

and involves one hell of a bushwhack to get to!

Plenty more photos to come over the next few days!

Free Flowing - Beaver Battle Part 2

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon a Spartanburg County Road Maintenance crew came out and removed the Beaver Dam from the culvert. Here are a couple of before/after shots of our little stream.

Before (Same photo as posted yesterday)

After the Beaver Dam inside the culvert was cleared out

Before (notice the tree in the middle of the pond)

After (the tree is back on dry land)

2012-01-06T11:37:00.000-05:00

Dam Beavers!

We have a small stream that flows along the edge of our property. Except after heavy rains, the water is rarely over a few inches deep. The stream flows under our street through a culvert. About a month ago I noticed that the water level was much higher due to what I thought was a build up of debris at the entrance to the culvert. So I busted up the debris pile which brought the water level back down to normal.

A few days later, I noticed that the debris pile was back and the water level was up again. So I busted it up again.

When we returned from the our week away for the holidays, we found that our little stream had turned into a small pond. The water wasn't flowing through the culvert any more and was backing up onto our property. The location of the previous debris pile was now completely under water.

There is normally just a few inches of water flowing through the bottom of the culvert

The tree in the middle of the pond is normally above ground alongside the banks of the stream

This required some further investigation! I couldn't see inside the culvert from my yard, so I got with my neighbor across the street to investigate from his side of the road. Inside the culvert was completely blocked up with debris.

Blocked up Culvert

Also along his part of his creek we spotted several tree stumps which were obviously downed by beavers! Now normally, I have no problem with Beavers! I think they are pretty amazing critters, but when they decide to flood my property, something has to be done!

Some recent Beaver Activity

I wasn't about to go crawling inside the culvert, so we contacted our Homeowners Association and the County Road Commission. They should be out later today to bust up the dam inside the culvert, but I am afraid the Beavers will quickly rebuild!

Another Beaver Dam on my neighbors property

The battle against the Beavers has begun!

2012-01-05T17:14:00.000-05:00

Busch Gardens Christmastown

Williamsburg, VA

Wednesday, December 30th, 2011

During our visit to Virginia to visit my family for the Holidays, our whole gang took a trip down to Williamsburg for the Annual Busch Gardens Christmastown Celebration. We had a great time! Here are a some photos from our visit.

My Niece and Nephew Marielle and Liam

My Brother Bill and his family

Me and Liam

Me and my wife Amy

Busch Gardens Christmastown

Amy, Liam, and Me

Amy enjoying a Pretzel

My sister Mary with Marielle and an Angry Bird Pig

Busch Gardens Christmastown

My complete set of photos from Christmas 2011 is posted here:
http://family.webshots.com/album/582115777AXtnei

Christmas Photos - Part 2

2012-01-04T17:02:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2011

Since this year we spent Christmas with Amy's family, we didn't make it up to Virginia to visit my family until after Christmas. However, there was still plenty of festivities going on. We spent time at my parents house, my brothers house and my sisters house. Here are a few photos from our visit:

My niece Marielle and my wife Amy

My nephew Liam

My Mom, Marielle, Liam, and Katie

My nieces Marielle and Katie

Puff

Marielle and Conner Jammin'

The whole family also made a trip down to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. That will be tomorrows post!

Christmas Photos - Part 1

2012-01-03T19:16:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2011

Rutherfordton, NC

This year we spent Christmas at my wife's parents house. Here we are on Christmas Eve with Amy's side of the family.

After opening up all the presents on Christmas morning, we headed over to Amy's Grandmas house and added a few more family members for this next photo:

From there, we headed on back home for a day before heading up to visit my side of the family for the a few days.

2011-12-18T09:19:00.000-05:00

The Hollywild Festival of Lights

Spartanburg County, SC

Saturday, December 17th, 2011

The Hollywild Festival of Lights is an annual tradition here in Spartanburg County, SC. Amy and I went several years ago and had a good time, so we decided to go back again this year!

WARNING! NEVER GO TO THE HOLLYWILD FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS ON THE SATURDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

We made the mistake of going last night and it was WAY TOO CROWDED! However, we made the best of it and still had a good time.

We were fortunate to get there right as they opened at 6:00pm and only had to wait about a half hour to get in. As we were leaving, the line of cars waiting to get in was over a mile long! The Hollywild Festival of Lights is something that should be done on a week night or much earlier in the Holiday Season!

Here are a few photos from last night.

Christmas Lights

2011-12-04T18:01:00.000-05:00

We put up our Christmas Lights this weekend.

Enough to show some Christmas sprit without going overboard!

The 2011 Hess Truck

2011-11-27T11:43:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I have a little side business where I sell Hess Collectable Toy Trucks. With many repeat customers every year it has grown to the point that it becomes a second full time job during the holiday season.

With the four day holiday weekend, I finally had time to open up one of this years Hess Trucks, put the batteries in, and check it out! I took this shot so I could update the photo on my http://www.hesstrucks.net/ website.

Here is a link to the story about how I got started with this!
http://scjack.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-that-time-of-year-again.html

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T17:13:00.000-05:00

Amy's family traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. So this past Saturday we went to visit her family in Rutherfordton, NC for an early Thanksgiving Celebration!

How to deep fry a Turkey!

Shooting the Bird (injecting the marinade)

The deep frying rig

Dropping the Bird

My wife Amy and Brother-in-Law Hugh watching my Father-in-law dropping the bird

The finished Product - Good enough to eat!

1938 Cadillac

2011-11-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

At my in-laws party Saturday evening, one of the guests showed up in a beautifully restored 1938 Cadillac!

1938 Cadillac

My father-in-law Chris checking it out

1938 Cadillac

Amy checking out under the hood

I get behind the wheel

The owner of this fine looking vehicle is Mr.Joe Bennett, who I have met several times in the past. However, I never knew that his family owns and operates The Bennett Classics Antique Auto Mesuem in Forest City, NC.

Next time we are up visiting Amy's parents and have a little time to kill, we are going to check this place out to see the rest of the Bennett car collection!

The Sane Soiree

2011-11-07T19:40:00.000-05:00

The Sane "Ladies Night Soiree"

Rutherfordton, NC

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

Some nice fall color at my in-laws place

This Saturday, we went up to my in-laws for their annual "Ladies Night Soiree". Almost every Saturday their is some sort of gathering at "The Shop". Most of these gatherings are very much impromptu and usually involve only men. However, every fall their is a more thought out event where the wives and significant others are welcome to join the men at "the shop" for an evening of food and drink!

Here are a few photos from this years event:

As you can see there were a lot of laughs and a great time was had by all. The complete set of photos is posted here:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/581781959hMdrPF

2011-11-06T17:23:00.000-05:00

In Memory of Brandon Sane

Just over a year ago, Amy's cousin Brandon was killed in a car accident. Yesterday on the way to visit Amy's Parents, we made a stop at the Cemetery to visit the grave site and pay our respects.

2011-11-05T07:27:00.001-04:00

The 2011 SSPBDT Mancation Camping Weekend

Mortimer Campground

Caldwell County, NC

Friday, October 28th through Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Every October since 2005, the SSPBDT has invaded the Mortimer Campground for a weekend of camping fun.

The purpose of the SSPBDT Mancation is a once a year opportunity for us men to get away for a weekend without contact to the outside world and drink large quantities of FABs around the campfire. Unlike the SSPBDTSOCE, women are not allowed to attend the Mancation.

As usual, it was raining when I arrived at the campground Friday afternoon. I was please to see that the early arrivals had snagged our favorite campsites and had already erected our giant community tarp! As usual, I was quite impressed with the erection!

Steve and Scott M. got a head start on the weekend and arrived the previous day, while Jeff and Ron arrived earlier that morning.

I usually like to get a little hiking in after I arrive, but with a cold rain falling I instead spent most of the afternoon relaxing by the campfire with my buddies, drinking a few FABs, and listening to the rain fall on the giant tarp overhead. I did take advantage of one lull in the rain to set up my tent.

My tent and campsite (photo taken the next day)

Around dinner time Scott R. finally showed up making a total of six members attending this year's event. The campfire was kicked up a notch keeping us warm and our giant tarp kept us dry throughout the evening. At least until we decided to go for the midnight graveyard tour!

The graveyard tour is a tradition and the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. At least until we got to the graveyard when it started falling heavily again. Needless to say this was the shortest midnight graveyard tour ever. We quickly retreated back to the campfire to dry off and warm up! I didn't even get a chance to set up the camera and tripod for any nighttime graveyard shots!

For some reason, I don't remember much of what happened around the campfire after that!

The first nights campfire

The next morning it appeared that the rain was done, but it was definitely still cold. Unusually we don't bother keeping the campfire going throughout the day, but with highs not expected to get much above 40 degrees for the day we would keep it burning all day long! But would our wood supply last?

These next photos show some of our creative wood gathering techniques!

Some redneck engineering

Pulling down a dead limb

Ron and his big wood

Jeff doing some tree limb fishing

Scott chopping away

Needless to say there are now a few less dead trees and limbs at the Mortimer Campground!

Usually when I head to the mountains I like to get as much hiking in as possible. However, since this is about my 10th time camping here, I have hiked just about every trail in the area. This makes it much easier for me to resist the hiking urge and just be able to relax!

In fact, this would turn out to be the first time ever that I didn't do a single hike. I did do a few walks and a little exploring, but nothing long enough to even bother bringing the backpack!

Thorps Creek Falls

The Mortimer Graveyard

The campground equivalent of Super Walmarts

The evenings meal was left up to the Piglet Enemy BBQ team. Jeff, Steve, and Ron have gotten into competition BBQ and know how to whip up some awesome grub around the campfire!

Ron's FAB of Choice

Ron Prepping the Ribs

Jeff and Ron putting the final touches on the Redneck Aluminum Foil Smoker

Jeff prepping the Chicken Wings

Our wood gathering throughout the day had paid off and it looked like we would have enough wood to keep the fire blazing throughout the night. At times a little grease from the fried chicken wings added to the blaze! It was a good thing because by nightfall, the temps had dropped below freezing and the only thing keeping us warm was that fire and plenty of FABs!

Jeff adding some grease to the campfire

Ron taking a nap

Star Trails

My "20-degree sleeping bag" was just enough to keep me warm throughout the night, but it sure was cold getting out. 27 degrees to be exact! We had just enough wood left to stoke the fire back up and take the chill off!

I packed up my tent and camping gear taking plenty of breaks to warm my hands back up at the campfire. There was actually a thick layer of frost covering the outside of my tent. I said my goodbyes to my camping buddies (at least the ones that were awake by 9:30am) and hit the road back to Spartanburg.

It was another successful and very enjoyable SSPBDT Mancation Camping Weekend!

The complete set of photos from our camping weekend is posted here:

http://community.webshots.com/album/581758433oRsRyy

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T20:39:00.000-04:00

Amy must have been a little jealous of my camping weekend with the guys (more on that later), so she requested a fire for Halloween. So I lit a fire in the driveway and we spent a few hours hanging out together around the fire, cooking hot dogs, and handing out Halloween Candy to the Trick-or-Treaters!

Amy by our Halloween driveway campfire

Buzz

2011-10-26T17:08:00.000-04:00

It is getting to that time of year when I don't have time to update my blog on a regular basis. However, I did pull out the camera this past weekend to photograph one of the last Bees of the season!

2011-10-08T09:22:00.001-04:00

The Back Country Ranch Alpaca Farm

Pearisburg, VA

Saturday, October 1st, 2011

After my hike to Cascade Falls, Amy and I still had a few hours before heading to Blacksburg for the 6:00pm kick-off Virginia Tech Football game.

Carol at the Huffman House Bed and Breakfast suggested a visit to the Back Country Ranch Alpaca Farm. Up until then, I had no idea what an Alpaca was, but since I love animals it sounded like something worth checking out.

It was good fortune that this just happened to be one of the few days of the year when they have an open house at the farm and allow the general public to "Get up close and personal with the Alpacas". You can check the calendar on their website to see what days they are open to the public and find directions.

The farm has a Pearisburg, VA address, but it is really a good bit outside of Pearisburg in "Middle of Nowhere, VA". We took the back roads which took us even further out into the middle of nowhere on a very scenic drive.

What is an Alpaca? They are members of the Camilid (Camel) family and indigenous to South America. The Back Country Ranch is one of the few places in the United States where these lovable animals are raised mostly for their soft fleece.

Amy mentioned that they look like something that Jim Henson could have created for the Muppets and I think her description hit the nail on the head!

Amy feeding an Alpaca

We had a great time, feeding, petting, and spending some time with these adorable creatures. They currently have about (40) Alpacas on the farm. In addition to the Alpacas they also have a few Llamas which are in the same Camilid Family, but a bit larger (and not quite as cute) as the Alpaca.

One of the Llamas

It was a very enjoyable visit and one of the highlights of our weekend. Here are a few more photos:

Yours Truly feeding the Alpacas.

This was right before that black one behind me tried to mount me!

An Alpaca peeking through the window!

Baby Alpacas

The complete set of photos from our visit to the Back Country Alpaca Farm is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/581384319ItypXU

The Virginia Tech Football game that followed certainly was not a highlight!

This was the most difficult time I ever had finding tickets to a Virginia Tech Football Game. Sure there were plenty available on eBay and Stub Hub if you are willing to pay $150 a piece for lousy seat or $300-$500 a piece for good seats. After several weeks of trying to find tickets somewhere closer to the $48 face value I eventually gave up and decided to just try out luck finding tickets on gameday outside the stadium.

On the drive to Blacksburg, the light rain that was falling on and off throughout the day had turned into a steady shower and the outside temperature was reading 38-degrees. I knew Amy would be absolutely miserable spending three and a half house sitting in this kind of weather, so we went with Plan B!

We scrapped the idea of finding parking and tickets and instead went to a restaurant called Bull and Bones. Half of the restaurant is set up as a sports bar with two huge television screens and about 20 smaller (but still plenty large) TVs. They also brew their own beer on site.

Freezing our butts off in a cold rain, or drinking excellent beer, eating good food, and watching the game in High Definition of the big screen? I think we made the right choice! And I can drink a lot of beer with the money we saved on game tickets!

The nice thing about Blacksburg is you know the Virginia Tech game will be the featured game at any Sports bar and the first half was quite enjoyable. Unfortunately the Hokie offense never showed up and by the middle of the second half things seemed hopeless for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech ended up losing to Clemson by a score of 23-3. I don't like seeing my Hokies lose to any team, but living in South Carolina, losing to Clemson is even harder to take. Fortunately that was the only downside to an otherwise wonderful weekend!

2011-10-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

Cascade Falls

Cascades Recreation Area

Jefferson National Forest

Giles County, VA

Saturday, October 1st, 2011

Cascade Falls

After a great breakfast at the Huffman House Bed and Breakfast, I knew I wanted to go hiking. There are several excellent hiking options available nearby. I decided to revisit one of my favorite waterfalls.

Since it was cold, cloudy, and rainy Amy decided to hang back at the Bed and Breakfast. But for me, these are perfect conditions for waterfall photography!

Its about a 2-mile hike to Cascade Falls making for 4-mile round trip hike. You can do it as an out and back along the more scenic creekside trail, or use the easier but less scenic "Upper Trail" to make a loop. I decided to head up the creekside trail which follows Stony Creek all the way, crossing it twice on a couple of well constructed bridges.

The Cascades Creekside Trail

There are many spots along the creek to stop and take in the beautiful scenery and photograph a virtually endless series of cascades.

Cascades along Stony Creek

The trail gains about 800-feet of elevation making for a good little workout, but it is a gradual gain making it not overly difficult. The reward at the end is what I consider to be the nicest waterfall in Virginia, the 70-foot high Cascade Falls.

Cascade Falls

There is an awesome swimming hole at the base of the falls which during nice summer days fills up with beautiful Virginia Tech Bikini Babes. However with the rain and the cold, there were no babes in Bikinis out today. However, photo conditions were just about perfect. The rain had mostly stopped, but the cloudy skys still offered that perfect diffused light.

Cascade Falls

The water flow was lower than I have ever seen it, but that did not effect the beauty of this waterfall. And it enabled me to position myself in places which would be much more difficult to get to during high flow!

Cascade Falls from Downstream

It was a bit early for peak fall color, but there were still plenty of colorful leaves to add a bit of character to the photos.

Fall Leaves at Cascade Falls

After my hike, I still had a little bit of time before I told Amy I would be back, so I stopped to check out a couple of nearby Covered Bridges.

This first one is on private property and since there were some locals out and about I didn't want to press my luck and spend too much time. So I just snapped off a couple of hand held shots and headed on my way to the next one.

1st Covered Bridge - Mountain Lake Road / Covered Bridge Lane

This next Covered Bridge is located in a little park which I assume is open to the public, so I spent a little more time photographing this one utilizing some nearby flowers to make a nice foreground.

2nd Covered Bridge - Clover Hollow Road

The complete set of photos is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/581303810CJvRsq

2011-10-05T16:38:00.000-04:00

The Huffman House at Creekside Farm

Bed and Breakfast

Newport, VA (near Blacksburg)

Friday, September 30th through Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

The Huffman House Bed and Breakfast

For the third year in a row, Amy and I booked a room at the Huffman House Bed and Breakfast for our annual Virginia Tech Football weekend. Located only about 15 minutes from Blacksburg and in the opposite direction of the majority of the game day traffic, it makes for a convenient location during Virginia Tech Football Weekends. It also offers a unique charm that you just don't get at the Holiday Inn!

Amy and I really enjoy staying at Bed and Breakfast's and the Huffman House is one of our favorites!

Owners Carol and Ron Baker are excellent hosts, make you feel at home, and serve an excellent breakfast each morning (included in the room rate). The rates are a little higher than your typical hotel room, but like I said before, you don't get this type of lodging experience at the Holiday Inn!

One of my favorite things about the Huffman House is that it is also a working farm. I just love roaming around the property photographing the farm animals.

There are at least two cats that roam around the property:

Three Dogs

Amy with one of the Dogs

About a dozen beautiful horses.

A pair of pigs

And a heard of Cattle! This year my favorite farm animal was Lily, a three month old calf.

Jack and Lily

On rare occasions, Mommy Cows sometimes reject their young calves. If left on their own these baby calves will die of starvation. Lily was one of these calves. As a result, Lily gets bottle fed twice a day and stays close to the house.

Ron feeding Lily

Lily with Milk Mouth

Lily is very friendly and acts more like a pet dog, than a cow!

Lily in front of the Huffman House

Here are a few more photos from around the farm:

Lily

The backyard of the Huffman House about an hour after sunset

A flock of Ducks and Geese hangs out in the creek that runs alongside the property

Red Barn and Horses at the Huffman House

The Old Huffman Store that sits at the front of the property

I didn't even realize when I snapped this shot that the black cat is hopping across the yard

It was a wonderful stay as always and we will be back next year!

The complete set of Huffman House Photos is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/581269650LksDFv

2011-10-04T11:26:00.000-04:00

Stone Mountain State Park

Wilkes / Alleghany County, NC

Friday, September 30th, 2011

Amy and I both took Friday off from work for a little weekend getaway to Virginia this past weekend. On the way, we stopped off at Stone Mountain State park.

First up was the short stroll to Widow's Creek Falls. This one is short enough that you can't even call it a hike. It is a nice little waterfall, but it is probably one that is much more impressive after a good bit of rain.

Jack and Amy at Widow's Creek Falls

Widow's Creek Falls

After that, we hiked over to the Hutchinson Homestead.

The Hutchinson Homestead at the base of Stone Mountain

Tractor at the Hutchinson Homestead

I decided to continue on and do the entire 4.5 mile Stone Mountain Loop Trail. Amy elected to sit back and relax with her book.

The trail takes you right past Stone Mountain Falls, which again is one that would be more impressive after a good rain.

Stone Mountain Falls

The trail climbs steeply alongside the waterfall before leveling out a bit past the brink of the falls. It then starts to climb again to the summit of Stone Mountain.

The Stone Mountain Summit

Several nice viewpoints along the way make for good stopping points, and a series of switchbacks make the climb fairly easy.

View from Stone Mountain

Past the summit the trail descends very steeply back down to the parking area.

There are several other trails inside the park which I will save for another time!

From there we took a short stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at a couple of overlooks back to I-77 into Virginia.

Amy at one of the Blue Ridge Parkway Overlooks

The complete set of photos from Stone Mountain State Park is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/581257596obXrtV

Back from Virginia

2011-10-02T17:50:00.001-04:00

Amy and I just got back from wonderful weekend getaway to Blacksburg, VA. The only thing that would have made it any better would have been if my Virginia Tech Hokies would have played better.

As usual, I took lots of photos. Here is a sample.

The Huffman House Bed and Breakfast

Out of all the B and Bs Amy and I have stayed at over the years,

this one is our favorite!

Amy makes a new friend

Does anyone know what type of animal this is?

The Cascades

One of my all time favorite waterfalls

Jack and Lily

Covered Bridge

Many more photos to come!

2011-09-29T16:50:00.000-04:00

Linville Gorge Wilderness

Burke County, NC

Sunday, September 25th, 2011

Near the Summit of Hawksvbill

This past Sunday I joined my buddy Andy and his dog Boone for a hike into the Linville Gorge Wilderness. Our plan was to do the following loop hike:

Sitting Bear Trailhead > Devil's Hole > River ford > Linville Gorge Trail > Spence Ridge Trail > Spence / Ledge connector > Ledge Trail > Hawksbill > Sitting Bear Trailhead

This would require a crossing the Linville River, which should not be a problem this time of year. During the summer, the river levels generally stay low except immediately following a very heavy rain. Since there was no rain in the forecast we figured it would be OK.

Andy decided to take advantage of the nice weather forecast and spend the night camping near the trailhead before our hike.

Somehow the weather gods must have mistaken Andy’s tent for mine because a freak storm brought about 5-inches of rain to the area overnight!

Andy could not remember the last time he experienced rain that heavy while camping, but at this time we were not aware of the immense amount that actually had fallen, so we went ahead with our plan and hit the trail.

The Trail Head

The Devil's Hole Trail Sign

We don't know where the Helicopter came from,

but we discussed several theories during our hike.

A miniature alien spaceship seems the most likely explanation

The Devil’s Hole Trail begins at the Sitting Bear Trailhead and descends about 1,200 feet to the Linville River. About half way down, the trail meets up with a small stream which today was roaring!

The trail crosses over the stream several times. On most days, these crossings would be a non-event, but today they were quite challenging!

Based on the way this small stream was flowing, we were not very optimistic about being able to cross the Linville River. However, we decided to keep going to take advantage of what the rain did bring.

We stopped several times to photograph some nice cascades and small waterfalls, which during most days would not be worth a second look.

Eventually, we made it down to the Linville River and immediately upon seeing the river any thoughts of trying to get across were erased! I have never seen the river flowing this high!

Andy at the Linville River

We arrived at the river at around 10:30am. Checking out the river flow gauge, you can see that at this time the river was flowing at around 3,000 cubic feet per second which is over 100 times the normal flow rate!

While it was impressive to see the river like this, it did put our hike plans to a screeching halt. With no way to cross the river, there was really nowhere to go from here except back the way we came.

The Linville River

We stopped to check out several more small waterfalls on the tributary stream before eventually making our way back up the 1,200 feet of elevation to the Sitting Bear Trail.

From there we hiked over to Sitting Bear Rock.

Sitting Bear Rock

To me, Sitting Bear Rock does not look like a sitting bear, but it is impressive nonetheless. I am sure there are some nice views from up top, but it would be virtually impossible to get up there without climbing gear. Fortunately there are some nice viewpoints nearby that are easily accessed.

View from near Sitting Bear Rock

Andy and Boone

Boone on a Rock

Andy and Boone checking out the view

After taking a nice lunch break, we hiked on up to Hawksbill and enjoyed the excellent views from there!

View of Table Rock and Linville Gorge from Hawksbill

Andy and Boone on Hawksbill

Even though the high river thwarted our original hike plans we made the best of it and still had a great day of hiking! And we have an excuse to get back and try our planned route again!

The complete set of photos from our hike is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/581134247ToPIxG

2011-09-28T10:06:00.000-04:00

Photo Summary

Jack and Amy's

2011 Glacier National Park Vacation

Saturday, August 27th through Saturday September 3rd, 2011

It took me about a month, but I finally finished going through and posting the photos from our awesome vacation. In case you missed any, here is a link to all the photo albums

Day 1 - August 27th, 2011

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580819884YERqyh

Day 2 - August 28th, 2011

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580825109fDhAMp

Day 3 - August 29th, 2011

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580850503Jrrbda

Day 4 - August 30th, 2011

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580896260vqShPr

Day 5 - August 31st, 2011

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580960157rgHkRT

Day 6 - September 1st, 2011

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580982174kmtjih

Day 7 - September 2nd, 2011

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/581044800iKmgzl

Day 8 - September 3rd, 2011

http://community.webshots.com/album/581090551bNdWtp

2011-09-27T12:29:00.000-04:00

The Last Day

of our Glacier National Park Vacation

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

This would be our travel home day. However, after a nice breakfast at the Glacier Park Inn Bed and Breakfast we still had a few hours to kill before getting to the airport for our flight home.

We decided to check out Whitefish Lake which was kind of in the direction of the airport. First stop was at a small park along the lake shore.

Whitefish Lake

After that, we drove up Big Mountain which is a ski resort for most of the year.

Big Mountain Ski Resort

I was hoping for some better views up here and could have got them by taking the chair lift further up the mountain, but we weren't really sure how long that would take so we decided to skip it.

Chair Lift up Big Mountain

Best view I found without taking the Chair Lift

We stuck with the back roads for the rest of our drive to the airport just to see a bit more of the area.

Along the backroads outside of Kalispell, MT

Our last stop was at a little park along the Flathead River.

Amy at the Flathead River

Jack at the Flathead River

It turns out you really don't have to get to the Glacier Park Airport as early as we did. However, by getting there early we were able to upgrade to exit row seats which gave us a lot more legroom making for a much more comfortable flight back to Atlanta.

The last of over 2,500 photos taking on our trip

It was a great trip and I would definitely like to get back to Glacier National Park again sometime in the future!

2011-09-26T07:27:00.000-04:00

The Glacier Park Inn Bed and Breakfast,

The Hungry Horse Dam, and Lion Lake

Hungry Horse, Montana

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

For the last night of our Vacation we checked into the Glacier Park Inn Bed and Breakfast. In my opinion, this was the nicest of all the accommodations we had during the week and a great ending to a great trip!

The Glacier Park Inn Bed and Breakfast

One of the best features was the great view of the Flathead river from the back porch!

view from the back porch

I was hoping to get one more short hike in, but didn't really have time to head back into Glacier National Park. Instead I made the short drive to check out the Hungry Horse Dam. There was not any hiking trails there, but it did make for a nice photo opportunity.

The Hungry Horse Dam

On the way to the Dam, I passed a sign for Lion Lake and decided to check it out on the way back. There a nice trail that circled the small lake which made for just the kind of hike I was looking for.

Lion Lake

I returned to the Bed and Breakfast just before sunset and joined Amy on the back deck for some reading, a few FABs (Frosty Adult Beverages), and a nice sunset.

Sunset from the Glacier Park Inn Bed and Breakfast

Amy and Jack

What I was drinking = Moose Drool

After sunset, a spectacular starry sky appeared. I set the camera up for a 15 minute exposure the capture the star trails. While the camera was doing its thing, Amy and I enjoyed some snuggling and cuddling under the stars!

Star Trails

Coming up Tomorrow:

Our last Day

2011-09-25T10:25:00.003-04:00

Polebridge, Bowman Lake, Lower Quartz Lake

Glacier National Park, Montana

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

For our last day at Glacier National Park, we decided to check out the Polebridge and Bowman Lake area.

Polebridge, MT

Polebridge, Montana (Population = 90) is located just outside Glacier National Park and for some reason I wanted to check it out. Downtown consists of one General Store and One Restaurant.

The only store in Polebridge, MT

The Only Restaurant in Polebridge, MT

We had planned on eating lunch at the restaurant, but they were close.
Business Hours = "Open: Whenever we feel like cooking"

Fortunately we had enough snacks to tide us over until later, so we continued into the park to the Bowman Lake Area. Although the road from Polebridge to Bowman Lake is only about 6 miles, it took over a half hour to drive the dirt road.

Bowman Lake is beautiful and there were several hike options that start from the various trailheads at the campground. I decided on the Lower Quartz Lake Hike for no particular reason.

Deer at the Trailhead Parking Area

Bowman Lake

A couple of Cabins at Bowman Lake

Out of all the hiking I did during the week, this would be my last hike inside the park and unfortunately it was my least favorite. There was really not much to see along the trail and to climb a total of 2,200 feet without being rewarded with any views is kind of disappointing!

One of the only open views on the trail to Lower Quartz Lake

Time did not allow me to continue on to Upper Quartz Lake and my final destination (Lower Quartz Lake was probably the least scenic of all the lakes we've seen inside the park. However, a less than awesome hike in Glacier National Park is still pretty good, and I did get a good workout.

Footbridge over the creek feeding Lower Quartz Lake

Lower Quartz Lake

I met back up with Amy after completing my solo hike, and together we took a much easier stroll along the Bowman Lake Shoreline Trail.

Bowman Lake

Jack at Bowman Lake

Amy at Bowman Lake

Bowman Lake

After our hike, we headed on to Hungry Horse, MT to grab some dinner and check into the Glacier Park Inn Bed and Breakfast where we would be spending the last night of our Vacation.

The Full Set of Photos from Day 7 of our trip is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/581044800iKmgzl

Coming up Tomorrow:

The Glacier Park Inn Bed and Breakfast,

Lion Lake and the Hungry Horse Dam

2011-09-24T11:23:00.000-04:00

Glacier National Park, Montana

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

I got up early on Friday hoping that the weather would cooperate and I could capture a sunrise from the Aspenwood Resort where we were staying. To the west it looked like some storm clouds were moving towards us.

Storm Clouds moving in

I got some nice morning twilight shots of some of the horses.

Morning Twilight with the Horses at the Aspenwood Resort

Just as the sun started to rise, the rain started falling.

Sun starting to rise just as the rain started to fall

So we started our drive back towards the West side of Glacier National Park. The state of Montana has five times as many cows as it has humans. Therefore scenes like this are pretty common when driving around.

Cows in the Road

This one just didn't want to move out of the way

One thing about having perfect weather is that you don't get to experience the awesomeness of storms rolling in over the mountains. There was no lack of awesomeness this morning!

For our drive west, we decide to hug the southern boarder of Glacier National Park along Hwy 2. We made several short stops along the way.

I don't remember what this was all about, but I took a photo of course!

This was called "Goat Lick"

Apparently the rocks release minerals that the goats like to lick.

However, we did not see any Goats here.

The Izaak Walton Hotel.

Neat place, but too expensive for us to consider staying

At the Izaak Walton Inn, they also converted a number of railroad cars into little cabins

A few more roadside views we stopped to check out

Coming up Tomorrow:

Polebridge, Bowman Lake, and Lower Quartz Lake

2011-09-23T07:20:00.000-04:00

Glacier National Park, MT

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

After my main hike of the day, I took a few more photos around Two Medicine Lake.

Two Medicine Lake

Amy and I then went into East Glacier, MT (just outside the park) to grab some dinner and to check out some of the shops.

Amy at the World's Largest Wooden Spoon Shop

We didn't get to see the World's Largest Purle Spoon because someone stole it!

TeePees near East Glacier, MT

East Glacier, MT entrance to Glacier National Park

Amy waiting for the restaurant to open

Back at the Aspenwood Resort later that evening, I went out to try and photograph the sunset:

Our Cabin at the Aspenwood Resort

Beaver Pond Sunset at the Aspenwood Resort

The complete set of photos from Day 6 or our trip is located here:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580982174kmtjih

Coming up Tomorrow:

The start of Day 7

(the last full day of our trip)

2011-09-22T07:48:00.000-04:00

Two Medicine Lake, Pray Lake, Twin Falls

Upper Two Medicine Lake, Aster Creek Falls

Glacier National Park, Montana

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

For my main solo hike of the day, I decided to hike the trail around Two Medicine Lake.

Hike Route (highlighted in blue)

I did the hike counter-clockwise starting at the camping area alongside Pray Lake. It was an awesome hike and I experienced just about every type of weather you can experience on one hike! Fog, Rain, Sun, Sleet, Wind, and Snow.

I'll recap the hike in photos:

Pray Lake

Along the Trail

Lots of small waterfalls like this one coming down the mountains

Two Medicine Lake

A Big Bird (not sure what kind it is)

Twin Falls

The left side of Twin Falls

The Right Side of Twin Falls

Along the Trail

Small Lake along the Trail

Upper Two Medicine Lake

Jack at Upper Two Medicine Lake

Critter along the Trail

Two Medicine Lake

Jack at Two Medicine Lake

Aster Creek Falls

Along the Trail

Two Medicine Lake at Paradise Point

The complete set of photos from Day 6 of our trip is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580982174kmtjih

Coming up Tomorrow:

A few more photos from

Day 6 at Glacier National Park

2011-09-21T07:27:00.000-04:00

A bit of Summer Snow

and Running Eagle Falls

Glacier National Park, Montana

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

According to the outside temperature reading in our rental vehicle it was 36 degrees and a cold light rain was falling when we hit the road on Thursday Morning. As we gained elevation, the temperature dropped a few degrees and the rain had changed to snow!

A thick fog covered up most of the views, but during the occasional clearing, we could see a fresh blanket of snow on the mountain tops!

Fresh snow on the Mountain Tops

Conditions were perfect for waterfall photography so we made a stop at Running Eagle Falls which is a very easy hike of less than a half mile.

This is a very interesting waterfall that is completely different during times of low flow vs. high flow.

Running Eagle Falls

Even though we had a good bit of rain during the previous 36 hours, this would still be considered low flow as only the lower portion of the falls is present rushing through a cave.

Running Eagle Falls

When the creek level rises, not all the water can fit through the cave and the rest comes roaring over the top shelf. Here is a link that shows Running Eagle Falls during higher flow!
http://theparksproject.org/2010/04/26/wallpaper-running-eagle-falls/

Afterwards we continued up the road to Two Medicine Lake for my main hike of the day. But first, we took a few Jack and Amy photos!

Jack and Amy at Two Medicine Lake

Coming up Tomorrow:

An Awesome hike to Upper Two Medicine Lake

2011-09-20T07:39:00.000-04:00

Two Medicine Lake

Appistoki Falls

and the Aspenwood Resort

Glacier National Park, Montana

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

It was still a bit too early to check into our cabin at the Aspenwood Resort, so Amy and I took a drive over to the Two Medicine Lake area of Glacier National Park.

Two Medicine Lake

The days fog had still not lifted and it had been raining on and off all day long. However, I decided that the rain was light enough for me to get another short hike in. I decided on Appistoki Falls which was less than a mile. After that if things look like they are clearing up, I could continue up the trail to Scenic Point.

The trail to Appistoki Falls was mostly uphill, but fairly easy. As I got closer to the falls, the heaviest rain of the day started to fall. I continued on to a distant view of the waterfall and was less than impressed.

Appistoki Falls

It seems that this is as good as the view gets from the trail. I thought briefly about trying to find a better view, but with the steep terrain and wet rocks it did not seem worth the effort. Plus I started hearing some thunder which sounded much too close for comfort.

I decided to give up on this hike and head back to Amy!

I really would have liked to get a bit more hiking in today, but the weather just did not cooperate. Instead we enjoyed a nice meal in East Glacier, MT and then headed to the Aspenwood Resort where we checked into our cabin for the next two nights.

The Aspenwood Resort has a small lodge with (3) guests rooms, a campground with about (20) campsites, and a couple of rental cabins.

The Aspenwood Resort

and one of about four or five large dogs that roam the property

Horses at the Aspenwood Resort

We would be staying in the Beaverlodge cabin.

Amy at the Beaverlodge Cabin

The cabin was very roomy and clean with a comfortable queen sized bed. However it did not have a bathroom or running water for that matter. We did have our own private bath, but it was located in a separate building about 50 yards away from the cabin.

I am pretty sure the way they had the electricity rigged up, it would not pass any fire codes. Basically, a heavy duty extension cord was run from another building into the cabin where a power strip was plugged in. Extension cords were running from the power strip throughout the cabin to operate the lights, refrigerator, space heaters, TV, and other electrical stuff. If you tried to turn on more than one space heater, the power strip would fault out and you would have to reset it.

Despite the few drawbacks, it was the least expensive accommodations that we had for the week and the cabin was a good bargain. Of course in the middle of the night when it is pouring down rain and you have to pee, the walk to the bath house is not that enjoyable!

I really wanted to go for another hike, but the rain picked up to a steady downpour, so we just spent most of the evening reading inside the cabin and enjoying few local brews (this might explain why I had to pee in the middle of the night).

Around sunset, the rain did let up just enough for me to take a stroll down to a beaver pond on the property where I took a few photos.

Sunset at the Beaver Pond

The complete set of photos from Day 5 of our trip is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580960157rgHkRT

Coming up tomorrow:

Running Eagle Falls
and a bit of Summer Snow!

2011-09-19T07:54:00.000-04:00

Back in the USA

Glacier National Park, MT

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

I was planning to photograph the sunrise again, but there was no sunrise to be had this morning. Instead the air was filled with fog and a light rain. I did take a few photos and enjoyed another great breakfast at the Simply the Best Bed and Breakfast before hitting the road back to the USA and Glacier National Park.

One of the Horses at the Simply the Best Bed and Breakfast

View of the Front Yard at the Simply the Best Bed and Breakfast

It was a good day to be driving, but I regretted my decision a few days earlier to save the Chief Mountain International Highway for today's drive. There are suppose to be some great mountain views along this road, but this was the extent of our views!

Foggy Roadside View

These are the Mountains we could have seen!

We arrived at the USA border and I was happy to see only two vehicles in line ahead of us at customs. However, the must have spent a good 15 minutes searching the van in line ahead of us. It looked like they confiscated a few bags of fruits and vegetables and never did allow the van though. They made them turn around a head back into Canada.

They searched our vehicle as well, but only gave it a quick 5 minute search before allowing us back into the USA.

Things were no clearer in the USA and we knew that this would not be a good day to enjoy the awesome mountain views that Glacier National Park has to offer.

Lake St Mary and Wild Goose Island

However, it would be the perfect day to check out some waterfalls.

So I selected a hike that would take me to (3) different waterfalls.

Hike Route (highlighted in Blue)

Amy had no desire to be out hiking on a dreary day like today, so she dropped me off at the Sunrift Gorge Trail head and agreed to meet me back there about 3 hours later.

There were several nice cascades at the start of the hike, but I decided to save them until later if I had time. I did stop to take a photo of a four-legged friend who was not at all afraid of me.

Deer on the Trail

The first waterfall I came to was Baring Falls. Except for the challenge of keeping rain drops off the lens, photo conditions were perfect for waterfall photography!

The next section of trail followed some cliffs above the shores of Lake St Mary.

Fog over Lake St Mary

Next up was St. Mary Falls which I thought was a really nice waterfall!

St Mary Falls

And finally I arrived at Virginia Falls, the tallest of the three waterfalls on this hike.

Virginia Falls

There were several smaller unnamed waterfalls and cascades along the trail between Virginia and St Mary Falls. I stopped to photograph a few of them on the hike back.

Un-named waterfall between Virginia and St Mary Falls

I stopped briefly for a few more shots of Lake St Mary on the way back as well

Lake St Mary

After my solo hike, I convinced Amy to join me on a short hike to Sun Point. While things still hadn't cleared up any, at least for now the heaviest of the rain had stopped.

Sign at Sun Point showing all the mountains we could not see

Amy at Sun Point

(in the center of the photo you can see a distant view of Virginia Falls)

Jack and Amy at Sun Point

(very typical: Me in shorts and t-shirt, while Amy is dressed for winter)

Coming up Tomorrow:

First Glimpse at the Two Medicine Area of Glacier National Park

and our first night at the Aspenwood Resort

2011-09-18T09:55:00.000-04:00

Cameron Lakeshore Trail

Waterton Lakes National Park

Alberta, Canada

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Cameron Lake

After my hike to Bertha Lake, I met back up with Amy and we enjoyed an early dinner. There was still plenty of time afterwards to check out another area of Waterton Lakes National Park. So we took a drive to the end of the "Akamina Parkway"

This road ends at a picnic area at the North End of Cameron Lake, where Amy and I did a short "Amy Approved" hike along the Cameron Lakeshore Trail.

Cameron Lake

This one mile trail (two miles out and back) follows the west side of the lake offering up some nice views all the way. There is virtually no elevation change with just a few very minor ups and downs making the hike easy enough for just about anyone.

Along the Cameron Lakeshore Trail

Jack and Amy at Cameron Lake

The Akamina Lake Trailhead is located at the same parking area. This is another short and easy trail of less than a half mile. One of my guidebooks said that the lake at the end of this trail is a good place to see Moose, so we decided to check it out.

Akamina Lake is more of a small pond than an actual lake and we did not see any Moose.

Akamina Lake

One the drive back along the Akamina Parkway, we stopped for a few photos at some roadside views.

Jack at Amy at Waterton Lakes National Park

We made a few other stops outside the park to check out some other spots.

Payne Lake

Hay - Thats a cool sky!

Hay - Looks like rain in the distance

I had planned to make another attempt at night time photography, but the clouds, fog, and rain rolled in which covered up all the stars. So instead, we just spent a nice relaxing evening at the Simply the Best Bed and Breakfast.

The complete set of photos from Day 4 of our trip is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580896260vqShPr

Coming up Tomorrow:

Back in the USA

2011-09-17T05:39:00.000-04:00

Bertha Falls and Bertha Lake

Waterton Lakes National Park

Alberta, Canada

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Wildflowers at Bertha Lake

The Village of Waterton is the perfect place for Amy and I. There are plenty of little shops to keep Amy entertained for hours and there are many miles of hiking trails that start right at the edge of town. Our plan was that I would find a nice solo hike while Amy would spend a few hours hitting the shops!

At the visitors center earlier in the day, the Bertha Lake trail came highly recommend so that is the one I decided to do.

Hike Route (highlighted in Yellow)

The trailhead parking area is located a short distance down the main road from Cameron Falls. The trail starts out with a gradual climb and offers up some nice views of Upper Waterton Lake and back towards Waterton Village.

View of Waterton Village from the Bertha Lake Trail

view of Upper Waterton Lake from the Bertha Lake Trail

At about the halfway point, the trail arrives at the base of Lower Bertha Falls. This is actually a long series of cascades and sliding waterfalls. If you followed the creek upstream, I am sure you would come across many other significant drops.

Lower Bertha Falls

I stuck with the trail that begins a series of switchbacks up the mountain as it gains approximately 1,500 feet over the next 2 miles. There are a few nice viewpoints, but it is mostly just a grunt of a climb!

view from the Bertha Lake Trail

Towards the end of the climb, Upper Bertha Falls can be seen through the trees. I did not find any safe spot to make my way to any better views than this one from the trail:

Upper Bertha Falls

It was a relief to reach the crest of the trail and catch my first glimpse of Bertha Lake. The last section of trail descends about 100 feet to a camping area along the shore of Lake Bertha.

The first view of Bertha Lake

I thought about continuing on and hiking all the way around Bertha lake, but I don't think I could have done that and made it back to the trailhead in time to meet back with Amy when I said I would. So instead, I just hiked a short ways alongside the lake until I found an area that was full of Wildflowers! Here are a few more shots of Bertha Lake.

Bertha Lake

Bertha Creek Flowing out of Bertha Lake

I returned back the way I came, making much quicker time on the way down.

View of Waterton from the Bertha Lake Trail

The complete set of photos from Day 4 of our trip is posted here:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580896260vqShPr

Coming Up Tomorrow:

More Waterton Lakes National Park

Jack and Amy hike the Cameron Lakeshore Trail

2011-09-16T07:13:00.000-04:00

Blakiston Falls and the Red Rock Canyon Area

Waterton Lakes National Park

Alberta, Canada

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Blakiston Falls

After my short visit to Waterton Lakes the previous afternoon, I knew that Amy would enjoy Waterton Village. She would be able to spend hours exploring the various shops at Waterton Village while I went out hiking.

But first, before heading towards Waterton Village we decided to explore a more remote area of Waterton Lakes National Park for a short “Amy Approved” hike.

Hike Route (highlighted in Yellow)

So after entering the park, we turned right (west) onto the “Red Rock Parkway” to the trail head at the end of the road.

On the drive, we spotted a herd of Bison in the distance. Nowhere near as impressive as the hundreds of Bison we saw during our Yellowstone Trip two years ago, but still a nice sight.

Bison Herd

A bit later, we spotted a Bear right along the side of the road.

At least we thought it was a bear at first, but quickly realized it was just a prop alongside an information sign warning about Bears.

Amy and the Bear

The hike to Blakiston Falls is about 1.5 miles round trip and maintains a fairly constant elevation. There are a few minor ups and downs, but it is easy and short enough for just about anyone to handle.

Blakiston Falls

Blakiston Falls is a nice waterfall, but I really didn’t like the wooden platform located right next to the falls. It is virtually impossible to take a photograph of the falls without including this unsightly platform. It was still a nice hike and waterfall.

Jack and Amy at Blakiston Falls

There are several other trail heads at the same parking area. We decided to do another short and easy hike on the Red Rock Canyon Loop Trail.

The Red Rock Canyon Loop Trail

Red Rock Canyon

The complete set of photos from Day 4 of our trip is posted here:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580896260vqShPr

Coming up Tomorrow:

Bertha Falls and Bertha Lake

2011-09-15T07:21:00.000-04:00

Simply the Best

Bed and Breakfast

Mountain View, Alberta, Canada

We knew we wanted to make a visit to Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada. However, it was a challenge finding reasonably price accommodations. I don’t think I found anything for under $200 a night in Waterton.

Fortunately I found a Bed and Breakfast about 10 miles outside the park. Amy and I enjoy the unique experience of staying at Bed and Breakfasts and this place was a very reasonable $85.00 a night (including breakfast for two). Therefore, we booked two nights at the Simply the Best Bed and Breakfast.

The Simply the Best Bed and Breakfast

This Bed and Breakfast is the home and working ranch of our hosts Dixie and Charlie Murray. They raised ten children in this eight bedroom home. Now that their Children are all grown and “out of the nest”, Dixie and Charlie use five of the empty bedrooms as a Bed and Breakfast.

View from the back of the Bed and Breakfast

If you ever plan to visit Waterton Lakes National park, I would highly recommend staying here! The only problem that some people might have is that the rooms do not have their own private bathrooms. This is common among Bed and Breakfast and has never caused us any problems. Especially not this time as we were the only guests at the Bed and Breakfast during our two nights stay.

view from the road in front of the Bed and Breakfast

I got up early on Tuesday Morning to hopefully catch a nice sunrise with the Horses and Cows on the Ranch. It wasn't the most spectacular sunrise I have ever seen, but sharing it with the animals on the ranch made it very enjoyable.

One of the horses - shortly before sunrise

Cows - just before sunrise

Sunrise with the Cows

Sunrise at the Simply the Best Bed and Breakfast

Friendly Cows

The complete set of photos from Day 4 of our trip is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580896260vqShPr

Coming up Tomorrow

Waterton Lakes National Park

Blakiston Falls and the Red Rock Canyon Area

2011-09-14T07:13:00.000-04:00

Waterton Lakes National Park

Alberta, Canada

Monday, August 29th, 2011

Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada

After checking into the "Simply the Best" Bed and Breakfast I figured there was still enough daylight to make the 15 Kilometer Drive to Waterton Lakes National Park.

Amy decided to hang back, relax and take take advantage of the first internet connection of the week. She was also looking forward to a nice soaking bath in what would be the only actual bath tub for the week. (all our other accomodations only had showers).

I didn't really have enough daylight left for a hike, but figured I had enough time to get a feel for the area.

I started off with a nice stroll along Upper Waterton Lake. I quickly spotted a Deer frolicking along the lake shore. I took a seat on a bench to watch the Deer and was bummed that my zoom lens was not working. However as I was sitting there the Deer came closer showing absolutely no fear. I think she was looking for a food handout and came close enough that I could touch her.

Deer along Upper Waterton Lake

I didn't give it any food and I didn't pet the Deer, but did come out with a few good shots even without any zoom. Even though they appear calm, you have to be careful with Deer or else this could happen:

It didn't take me long to realize that there are Hundreds of Deer that roam around the streets of Waterton.

Deer roming the streets of Waterton

Waterton is a bit different than Glacier in that there are private homes inside the park. My first impressions is that it reminded me a lot of Ocrakoke village on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Except Waterton is surrounded by mountains and lakes instead of ocean and it is not quite as crowded as Ocrakoke.

I checked out a scenic roadside waterfall called Cameron Falls

Cameron Falls

Cameron Creek entering Upper Waterton Lake

I made a quick visit to the famous Prince of Wales Hotel. We could have stayed here for about $700 a night, but in my opinion there is no bed that is worth that kind of cash!

The Prince of Wales Hotel

View of Waterton Village from the Prince of Wales Hotel

view while leaving Waterton Lakes National Park

Since I told Amy I would be back before dark, it was time to head back to our Bed and Breakfast where I finished up the evening with Amy checking out the stars and playing around with some night time photography.

Nighttime at the Simply the Best Bed and Breakfast

There were seveal cats keeping us company.

Their blur can be seen in the wagon wheel

The complete set of photos from Day 3 is posted here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580850503Jrrbda

Coming up Tomorrow:

Simply the Best Bed and Breakfast

2011-09-13T07:10:00.000-04:00

Entering Canada

Monday, August 29th, 2011

Since Glacier National Park is right on the Canadian Boarder and Canada has it's own Waterton Lakes National Park right across the boarder, we decided to plan a couple of days in Canada.

Amy has never been outside the United States and was excited to be able to use her passport for the first time!

We basically had two routes to take into Canada. The Chief Mountain International Highway, or Hwy 89 into Cardston Canada. We decided to head up on Hwy 89 and save the Chief Mountain Highway for the return route. I would later come to regret this decision as we should have taken advantage of the Chief Mountain Highway when the views are clear! More on that later!

Highway 89 passes through some wide-open farm land. Miles of cows and hay bales are pretty much the extent of the scenery until we approached the US/Canadian Boarder, where a few little boarder shops popped up.

Leaving the USA

Waiting in Line at Canadian Customs

The worst part about leaving the USA and visiting a foreign country is Customs! We had to wait almost an hour before we were able to get through.

Amy waiting patiently in our rented Chevy Suburban

A note about our rental vehicle:
We reserved a mid-sized 4WD SUV. We like having the higher ground clearance of an SUV and you never know when 4WD would come in handy. When we went to pick up our Rental Car at the Kalispell, MT airport several days ago, we were informed that they were out of all Small and Mid-Sized SUVs. However, they did offer us a "Free" Upgrade. This "Free" Upgrade ended up costing us about $100.00 in additional gas as it turned out to be a Chevy Suburban. While it offered plenty of room, comfort, and power it only averaged about 12 miles per gallon!

Entering Alberta, Canada

We would be spending the next two nights at a Bed and Breakfast in Mountain View, Canada. But first we wanted to check out the town of Cardston, Canada.

Except for the roadsigns being in Kilometers and gas being sold by the Liter, Cardston didn't look much different than any small mid-western USA town. It is home to the "Largest Carriage Museum in the World"

Jack at the Remington Carriage Museum Sign

The Remington Carriage Museum was closing for the day when we arrived, so we didn't get to visit. However, there was a Carriage on display in the Cardston Visitors Center, which was more than enough for me!

An obligatory Carriage Photo at the Cardston Visitors Center

One of the more photo worthy subjects in Cardston is the Cardston Temple of the Latter Day Saints

The Cardston Temple

After our short visit to Cardston, we made our way west on Canadian Hwy#5 to Mountain View, Canada. There is not much in Mountain View. There is one small store that contains the towns post office, gas station, and general store. They did have some really good ice cream there!

Mountain View is also the location of the Bed and Breakfast we would be staying at.

The "Simply the Best" Bed and Breakfast

I'll go into more detail about the "Simply the Best" Bed and Breakfast in a later post.

Coming up Tomorrow:

Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada