RATtreks

Hell Hollow, Small, and Delsatch Falls – 11-22-2010

With only one day for my ‘merit badges‘ and sore muscles to heal since my last adventure to California Creek Falls, and with the continuing above average temps, it was decided by my hiking friend Dave and myself, that we would go on what was planned to be a short hike to Hell Hollow Falls and Small Falls located in Clarks Creek which is within the Sampson Mountain Wilderness  Area. Of course as you know things don’t always go as planned !

Old tractor hood found along Chigger Branch

We left ‘Hairnt-quarters’ around 10 a.m. and arrived at the entrance to Hell Hollow by 10:30 a.m. It is not far to the falls but it does require negotiating down a steep embankment to get down to the creek which is required to even see the waterfalls due to the thick laurels. After this was accomplished we did manage to get a few pics of the double falls there where two creeks come together and another set of 20 foot falls just above them although there was not much water flowing that day.

Hell Hollow Falls

Hell Hollow Falls

Upper Hell Hollow Falls

I ended up falling through some rotten logs up to my armpits and skinned my leg up a bit, so caution is to always be used around any waterfalls regardless of their size. There was not a lot of water flowing but it is always nice to be in the woods and around waterfalls. We enjoyed the area for awhile and made the steep climb back up to the trail and back to the vehicle.

Cascades along Hell Hollow Creek

Our next stop was further up to the end of the road where we parked and hiked up to what is known as Small Falls. This requires crossing Clarks Creek a number of times before reaching the turn off to the falls. After the turn off, it is not very far to reach the falls. These can be seen from the trail and the steep creek bank is not as hard to get up and down to them as the Hell Hollow falls. These falls are nice even during low water times. We spent some time here taking pics and eating a snack before hiking back down to the road.

Small Falls

It was still fairly early in the day, around 1:30 pm, and since we were just one creek crossing and around the corner away from the trail to Delsatch falls, we decided we would at least walk up to the trailhead and have a look. Once we got there I discovered that what I had been told about the trail being cut out by a local hiker was indeed true. Previously there was not much of a trail but now it is fairly decent almost all the way to the falls. Seeing this and since we were already there and had plenty of time, we decided to make the trip to see them.

Dave at Delsatch Falls

It had been at least 20 years since I visited these falls so I was excited to see them again. The newly cleared trail was an added bonus, and I thank the person who did it. I am told they thought they were clearing the way to Buckeye Falls which is not the case, as they are considerably further up Clarks Creek and much more difficult to get to. I am unsure who named these falls Delsatch but, we named them Milky Way Cascades the first time we found them back in the late 80`s since the water spreads out across the rocks all the way down and looks like milk instead of water. We later called them Chigger Branch Falls.

RAT at Delsatch Falls

It is only about a mile or so to the falls and with a good trail,  it did not take us long to reach them. There was not much water flowing that day and it was too bright for pictures but, it was still a nice day to be in the woods. These falls are very tall at 85 feet and there is actually a part of them that goes higher at the top that is hard to see from the bottom. Sorry to say a large tree has fell over about half way down them which slightly messes up the aesthetics. I have climbed these falls before and went well beyond the top, and my friend Bol’Dar actually has done this within the past year, so I will share some of the pictures shot from that angle.

Delsatch Falls (photo by Bol'Dar)

Delsatch Falls (photo by Bol'Dar)

Delsatch Falls from top (photo by Bol'Dar)

Another friend of mine, Melissa, also made the trip to the falls this past  Spring during a high water period and I will share her photo as well.

Delsatch Falls (photo by Melissa Braswell)

After spending as much time as we could there taking pics and eating a snack, we made the hike back out to the old road and back across all the creek crossings to the vehicle before it got dark.  We passed a huge log that still had a broken cable wrapped around it from years ago when it was left behind. There was also a 55 gallon barrel in the creek that was still in tact. There were numerous piles of bear scat due to the abundance of fox grapes found in the area. It had not been the short hike we had planned, but it had been another awesome day in the mountains with three more waterfalls under my friend Dave’s belt. He had not seen any of these before this day so, he was definitely a happy hiker and was already looking forward to the next adventure. We stopped at the old Embreeville Blast Furnace on our way out as pictured below.

Old Embreeville Blast Furnace

To see more pics of all these falls, please visit our photo gallery here.