The Adventures of Bushwhack Jack: October 2020

Saturday, October 31, 2020

2020-10-27 Cedar Rock Sunrise and Bursting Rock

Cedar Rock Sunrise and Bursting Rock

DuPont State Forest, NC and

Headwaters State Forest, NC

Tuesday, October 27th, 2020

Cedar Rock Mountain Sunrise

My plan for the day was to continue my exploration around the maze of forest roads that meander through Headwaters State Forest.

But first, I decided to start my morning with a hike up Cedar Rock Mountain for sunrise! I was definitely not disappointed!

Cedar Rock Sunrise

A Sea of Clouds from Cedar Rock Mountain

Cedar Rock Sunrise

Cedar Rock Mountain - DuPont State Forest

DuPont State Forest was a peaceful delight for sunrise, but soon after the crowds started waking up and it was time to move on to Headwaters State Forest a few miles away.

Headwaters State Forest is a maze of forest service roads. The only official trail is the Foothills Trail which runs along the southern end of the forest from Gum Gap to Sassafras Mountain.

Somewhere in the depths of Headwaters State Forest

View of Table Rock, SC from Bursting Rock

Bursting Rock - Headwaters State Forest, NC

View of Table Rock, SC from Bursting Rock

View from the north side of Bursting Rock

I did not see a single other human during the five hours I spent exploring around Headwaters State Forest. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the forests and mountains of North Carolina!

Thursday, October 29, 2020

2020-10-25 Moonshine and Confusion with Dillon and Blizzy

Moonshine Falls and Confusion Falls
with Dillon and Blizzy
Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area
Greenville County, SC

Sunday, October 25th, 2020

Group Photo at Confusion Falls

L to R: Me, Dillon, Blizzy

I've been to Moonshine Falls and Confusion Falls many times, but I am always up for a return visit. Especially after I found out that Dillon had never been to either of them.

We were in the fog for most of the day, but conditions were perfect for hiking and waterfall photography!

Here are some of the photos from our day of adventure:

Dillon and Blizzy at The Overlook

Dillon and Blizzy find a Cool Campsite

Foggy View from The Overlook

Foggy view from The Overlook

Group Selfie at The Overlook

Twisted Tree

Moonshine Falls

Dillon at Moonshine Falls

Dillon and Blizzy at a Waterfall below Moonshine Falls

Confusion Falls

My complete set of photos is posted here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8146392@N05/albums/72157716669149408

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

2020-10-23 Pisgah Tower to Tower hike

Tower to Tower Solo Hike

Mount Pisgah to Frying Pan Mountain

Pisgah National Forest

Transylvania County, NC

Friday, October 23rd, 2020

Shortly after Sunrise from Buck Spring Gap

For today's Solo hike I decided to start the day in the dark with a hike up to Mount Pisgah for Sunrise.

Gotta start hiking in the dark if you want to be on top of a mountain for sunrise!

My timing was near perfect as I arrived at the summit a few minutes before sunrise. However, the weather did not cooperate. Fortunately I love the fog and was not the least bit disappointed.

In the Fog at the Summit of Mount Pisgah

By the time I returned down to Buck Spring Gap, the fog had lifted and the views started opening up.

Shortly after sunrise from Buck Spring Gap

The Buck Springhouse

Shortly after sunrise from Buck Spring Gap

View of Mount Pisgah after the fog had lifted

I continued my hike over to the Frying Pan Tower which was also enveloped in fog during my time at the summit.

Anyone else see a problem with this sign placement?

How many no trespassing signs do you see?

The Frying Pan Tower

High up in the Fog on Frying Pan Mountain

Anyone lose a pair of sunglasses along the Frying Pan Trail?

I moved them from the ground to a more visible location.

I finished my hike with the section of the Mountains to Sea Trail from Buck Spring Gap to Elk Pasture Gap (Hwy 151) and back.

View from the Mountains to Sea Trail

GPS Track from my hike

Click here for interactive link

It was a beautiful day to be up in the mountains!

My complete set of photos is posted here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8146392@N05/albums/72157716647582331

Monday, October 26, 2020

2020-10-21 Big Thunder Falls, Holcomb Creel Falls, Ammons Branch Falls

Big Thunder Falls, Holcomb Creek Falls,

and Ammons Branch Falls

with Kyle, Angelina, and Sammy

Rabun County, GA

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

Big Thunder Falls

Big Thunder Falls has been on my radar for several years now. When Kyle and Angelina mentioned they had an afternoon appointment up that way, I suggested Big Thunder Falls. It turned out to be the perfect adventure to start the day!

Note: Do not trust any map applications or websites for driving directions. Most will have you turning on gated roads that are not accessible to motorized vehicles. If you are coming from the west, you can use this website for driving directions:

https://www.hikingtheappalachians.com/trail-reports/big-thunder-falls

Or if you are coming from the southeast like we were you can follow this route:

Turn on Warwoman Road from Hwy28.

Turn on Overflow Creek Road and continue past John Teague Gap (Three Forks Trailhead).

From John Teague Gap, continue on Hale Ridge Road

Turn North on FR86B (Billingsly Creek Road).

Park before the gate.

While I waited for Kyle and Angelina, I took the short and obvious path down to Put-in Falls.

Put-in Falls

Giant Culvert above Put-in Falls

The hike to Big Thunder continues on FR86B past the gate. The road is overgrown and long pants are definitely recommended, but there are no major obstacles along the way.

At some point you will either have to creek walk upstream, or Bushwhack. We creekwalked on the way in and Bushwhacked on the way out. The Bushwhack route we took out was definitely easier, more direct, and much quicker than the creekwalk.

Here are some of the photos from our adventure: