It was predicted to be a beautiful December day with warm temps so my friend Bol’Dar and I decided we would go back to the cliffs on Whitehouse Mountain that we call ‘Stonehenge’. This time we would be accompanied by Joe Parrot, an old friend whom we had not heard from in at least 15 years. If you read my blog from 12-3-2011, you will recall that we had actually thought of Joe while climbing the Middle Spring Ridge Trail, wondering what had happened to him. Low and behold he showed up at the Rat`s Hole several days later ! We all met at Hairnt-quarters around 9 am and after stopping for coffee we started our adventure at the trail-head in Rocky Fork by 10 am. The sun was starting to rise above the ridges as we made our way up the old road beside Rocky Fork Creek that had very impressive water levels which made the cascades very enjoyable to see and photograph. We noticed some recent bulldozer work and patches of new gravel along the road and someone had a truck and small trailer parked inside the gate. We later heard a four wheeler making several trips back and forth through the valley and by the time we made it to the summit we heard a rifle shot. It was assumed that someone with a key to the gate was hunting on the last day of deer season. After checking out the cascades I pointed out the place where I had been wanting to venture up the hill at, that I had calculated would be the best place to reach the bottom of the Stonehenge Cliffs. At that time Bol’Dar just shook his head as if to say “Well you COULD get there that way, but you`d have to dig way down’ !
Whitehouse Mountain and Cliffs aka 'Stonehenge'
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Posted on 26 January '12 by admin, under RATtreks. No Comments.
Although I had recently visited the Devils Creek area in February of this year, my waterfall addicted friend Dave Aldridge had been antsy for us to take him there to see the multitude of waterfalls that form as the creek flows out the lower part of the steep and rugged gorge. Although it was a very chilly Saturday, my friend Bol’Dar and I decided that since Dave was available for a hike and since the water levels were at a respectable level from some recent rainfall, that we would take him to the waterfall mecca that only few people have seen. As I have mentioned before, these falls are protected from having very many visitors due to their inaccessibility not to mention they are not very well known and there is not any information available about them on the internet. Having found them some twenty odd years ago during a trip to Lost Cove, we have been visiting them infrequently ever since. Starting around 9am from Hairntquarters, we were hiking up the tracks by 10am. PLEASE NOTE: It is very dangerous not to mention illegal to walk on railroad tracks !!!! If you choose to do this, please do so at your own risk !!!!
Upper Devils Creek Falls
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Posted on 12 January '12 by admin, under RATtreks. No Comments.
It has been many years since I did any hiking in the Horse Creek area and even longer since I have visited the falls on Pete`s Branch so, my friend Bol’Dar and I decided we would take advantage of the recent rains and get some decent pics of the falls. This seemed to be a good plan as the weather was fair for an early December day and the water levels had risen due to some recent rainfall in the days prior, however, this turned out to be not such a good idea. It seems we had not given any thought to it being the peak of bear hunting season and we found ourselves in the middle of at least a dozen trucks and even more hunters with their guns and hunting dogs all trying to kill a bear. As we walked up the rough forest road, we were passed by a few trucks in a hurry to get somewhere and we were told that it might not be a good idea for us to be walking there as they informed us there was a bear being chased in our direction which includes lots of hunters with guns. We were also reminded that we were not wearing orange as is required by law during this time of year and that my black pack would resemble a bear from a distance ! Of course this did not scare nor hinder us and we continued our trek towards the falls, stopping to check out the many cascades found along the way.
Horse Creek flowing under the Squibb Creek Trail Bridge
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Posted on 6 January '12 by admin, under RATtreks. 1 Comment.
For over 20 years I have been telling about a pond on No Business Knob but, I can always see the doubt and disbelief in peoples eyes when hearing that story so, the time finally came when I decided a trip was in order to revisit the pond to not only verify its existence (as I had no pictures of it) but to also prove to myself that I did not imagine it ! My friend Bol’Dar was also anxious to see this pond because after hiking the Appalachian Trail across the knob and having climbed off trail to the summit of this gnarly hill where it is apparent that being aptly named, one has ‘no business’ being there, it is really hard to imagine a pond being anywhere in an area so steep and rugged. I had discovered this pond many years ago quite by accident when attempting to find a trail that would lead into the Devils Creek Valley in hopes of not only finding an easier way to get there but also eliminating having to walk so much on the railroad tracks. Of course we now know that there is no easy way to this rugged and pristine wonderland and perhaps that is a good thing as many times inaccessibility is Natures way of protecting some of her most prized treasures.
Trail-head at Unaka Springs
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Posted on 3 January '12 by admin, under RATtreks. No Comments.
With the Fall colors being in almost full peak, my girlfriend Linda, Daisy the dog, and I took a trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway to enjoy them. We started just South of Grandfather Mountain and traveled all the way to Boone, NC. It was crowded but the views and colors were spectacular which made it all worth it. We stopped at the Dollar Store in Newland, NC and just across the street from there was this quaint little park complete with its own waterfalls. After stopping there briefly we continued to the high country where the views were breathtaking. The light was intensely bright but I got a few usable photos.
Viaduct along the Blue Ridge Parkway
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Posted on 23 December '11 by admin, under RATtreks. No Comments.
When I am not trekking through the back-country looking for waterfalls you can sometimes find me high in ‘the balcony‘ on some rocky outcropping on top of some tall mountaintop enjoying whatever views might be available at the time. On Saturday October 8, 2011, my friend Bol’Dar and I began our adventure at Camp Creek Bald on top of what is called Viking Mountain. Our goal was to hang out on the two major cliffs near there being Whiterock and Blackstack Cliffs. One faces the North Carolina side and the other faces Tennessee so the views can be breathtaking. The fall colors were very nice so we hoped the views would be extra special for this trip. Our original plan had been to take the shortcut trail over to the Appalachian Trail and go North to Whiterock Cliffs on the Carolina side but, for some unknown reason we changed our minds and ended up walking the gravel road up to the fire tower on the high point of the mountain. This would add a few extra miles to our hike but it was worth it and after all, it was a beautiful sunny day and I needed the exercise.
Whiterock Cliffs
Blackstack Cliffs
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Posted on 19 December '11 by admin, under RATtreks. No Comments.
I was unable to go on my annual week long birthday hike in September of this year, but I did go with my friends Dave and Lou to a place I had been wanting to go for a long time. Having recently heard on the news that access would soon be closed to Abrams Falls in Virginia, I wanted to go while it was still possible. Of course we did not know it at the time but it had already been enacted and there were some No Trespassing signs but we thought they were for the property being developed adjacent to the creek and not actually for the trail to the falls as they were not right on the trail and not specific. (That`s my story and I`m sticking to it !) I later found out that the land has a new owner and is all private property and no one is allowed access and violators will be charged with criminal trespass and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department does patrol the area regularly to enforce it so, I would not advise going to these falls. We could see that the land was being developed and a road was freshly cut across the creek and up the hill on the other side most likely to what will be a new house or something in the future. We assumed the signs were intended for that part of the property so we headed down the creek towards the falls ! We got lucky on this Friday and there was no one there and apparently the cops did not come by at the right time as we got in and out without incident but I am told this is a risky venture that charges are now being placed to those caught trespassing here.
Abrams Falls (Southwest Virginia)
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Posted on 7 December '11 by admin, under RATtreks. No Comments.
My last trip to the Roan Mountain area was up to Grassy Ridge so this time it was decided to go the other way to the Roan High Knob. We started at Carver’s Gap on a cloudy Sunday morning where we parked among the many usual tourists who were all headed up towards Round and Jane Bald as we took the way less traveled through the pines in the direction of the highest point of the Roan Mountain high country. Although you can drive to the top, it is a very scenic hike instead. The road was closed most all of last year as renovations were done to the bathrooms and the road was paved. The first thing Bol’Dar and I noticed was a strange dead fly phenomena around the new bathroom and parking area. It was odd to see so many dead flies clustered together all over the place, even on the tops of the plant growth, but it was only a prelude to what we would find later that day and what we would learn from it.
Sign for Roan High Knob Shelter
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Posted on 24 November '11 by admin, under RATtreks. 1 Comment.
I had the distinct pleasure of accompanying my friend Dave Aldridge on an awesome waterfall adventure on the last day of July 2011. He took me to a place I had been wanting to go to for some time now as he had been there a couple of times already and was more than happy to share it with me. After a mid-morning start and a large cup of cappuccino we made our way towards the town of Hot Springs, North Carolina. Taking the back way off route 70 to 107 towards Del Rio where we would get on 25/70, we arrived at the trail head after about an hour or so worth of driving. The scenery in this part of the country is spectacular and I enjoyed every mile of it. From the Forest Service gate where we parked, the road was mostly downhill gradually to the falls. Of course this is the easy and not very well known way to get to these falls.There are other ways to access them, one being from the Wolf Creek Trail-head which is located off hwy 25/70 before you get to the secret route we used. It is a much longer hike, mostly uphill going that way. The other way would require a lot of driving and much of it on high mountain gravel roads some of which are very narrow. This would be from Max Patch through Lemon Gap and then Rattlesnake Gap where you could eventually drive to within 1/4 mile of the falls. The lesser known route we took (Shutin Creek) is an easier and much shorter drive with a less than 4 mile round trip hike is by far the best way to go.
Wolf Creek Falls
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Posted on 22 November '11 by admin, under RATtreks. No Comments.
It has been a while since the renovations to the old fire tower on Pinnacle Mountain have been completed along with the new trail that was constructed coming up from Unicoi, Tennessee. I have been wanting to hike the new trail and I finally got around to it on Sunday July 17, 2011. It was a warm and very hazy day when I left the trail-head located at the Unicoi exit off I – 26 so it felt good to be in the shade of the dense woods. Knowing it was not more than a mile to the top as the power lines go and as the crow flies, but I had already been told that the trail was some 4.5 miles one way to the top ! This I could not imagine but I was about to find out ! The trail is very wide but obviously machine made and there are several places where there was a trail made and then discontinued and started again going slightly different. I learned later that the trail builders were told it had to be a certain length so they had to keep changing it until it came out long enough ?? This is in part to it being a mountain bicycle trail as well as a hiking trail. I did pass two coming down on my way up. I would be wishing I had brought mine by the time I came back !
Pinnacle Mountain Lookout Tower
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Posted on 16 November '11 by admin, under RATtreks. 2 Comments.
My name is 'RAT' and I love the mountains and waterfalls of the East TN. area where I live and I hope you enjoy this blog about my outdoor adventures.
