RATtreks

Buckeye Falls (left ridge) – 4-11-2015

I have made many trips to Buckeye Falls in the past 30+ years yet, only once before have I seen it from the left side ridge. This is due to the incredible difficulty involved in climbing what has to be one of the steepest and most gnarly trail-less ridges in this region. It is overgrown with thick laurels, briers, and other scrub growth, not to mention the cliff-like obstacles encountered before becoming very narrow at barely 3 feet wide. Before it is all said and done it transforms itself into a narrow spine of solid rock, having been eroded over time. Even after all the strenuous effort is sweated out and, all the blood has clotted from the numerous pickers that gouge and tear your skin, there is still not many views afforded as it is very overgrown however, there are a couple spots where one can get a small window to catch a unique glimpse of the falls, almost in their entirety. It is rare that there is enough water flowing to make it worth going to these falls never the less going through the agonizing Hell of climbing the left ridge, but, on this trip there would be just enough water to make it almost worth it. Besides the aforementioned obstructions, some of the worst parts of this trek would be the swarms of blood sucking flies and the intensely bright sun which, would impede any chances of getting top quality pics of the falls.

Due to the distance (7.4miles round trip) and off trail nature of this hike, an early start is recommended but, it ended up being around 10 am before we would all arrive at the trail head. I would be accompanied on this journey by Bol’Dar, John Forbes, and Larry Jarret as including any larger number would not be safe once on the left ridge. It was a beautiful, sunny morning as we began our assault on the numerous creek crossings that end up being too many to even count. Larry and I were sporting our Muck boots so there was no worry of us having wet feet which is rare on any trip to Buckeye Falls but, Bol’Dar opted to bring along an extra pair of dry boots to change into once we reached the left ridge. Of course John would attempt his usual method of rock hopping with the hopes of keeping dry boots the entire time. I must say that would end up being successful on this day.

The first part of the hike is along the old road that was closed off years ago when the Sampson Mountain Wilderness Area was extended. This will take you through the first 7 or so creek crossings and is the easiest part of the hike. Each time I walk this section I am flooded by memories from the last 30+ years especially the ones from when I used to drive my old `71 Chevy pickup truck all the way to beyond the last creek crossing where the road broke off and fell into the creek some 100 feet below many years ago. We used to camp almost every weekend at a spot we created after about the 4th creek crossing not to mention the numerous times we would drive to the end of the road and then hike to Buckeye and back, which made the trip much shorter then. It was also more open and much easier to hike in those days, unlike the way it is now with the many blow-downs and flood ravaged areas that make it much harder. I have noticed however,  that there is now a visible trail almost all the way due to the increased traffic to this area in the last few years. This is due to increased information found on the internet including social networks.

The old road trail passes by the turn off to Small Falls at almost one mile in and just beyond it there is a creek crossing where that creek enters into Clark Creek  A smaller falls is found there if you look for it. It makes a nice place to take a break.

It did not take long to reach the ‘caved off part’ and just past that, the ‘end of the road’ where there used to be a huge bridge (before my time) that crossed a deep expanse over the now gorge-like creek. Most people climb steeply down into this and cross the creek and then scramble to ascend the steep, solid rock part on the other side to continue on the old log road found there however, I do not take that route any more as there is much more enjoyable route along a ninja trail that will descend gradually into the gorge further upstream which provides views of some rarely seen beauty of this min-gorge. John and Larry who had been to Buckeye before, were amazed at this hidden gem and were very happy to enjoy its beauty. In the early years we never came that way but, had explored upstream from original crossing so we knew of this glowing green chasm of rock and always made a point to visit there. There used to be a HUGE log sitting at the base of the original crossing point that we always climbed up on and took a long break there at the ‘end of the road’ before continuing on. It is no longer there as it has been moved a ways downstream two times in my lifetime due to massive floods. I was able to locate it again on this trip to show the others and share the fond memories of our times upon it. It was like an old shipwreck to us then.

The white Trilliums were out in full glory and were leaning towards the bright sun as we continued on our way. I can not recall ever seeing so many in one spot ever. We also seen some of the largest I have ever seen in my life with single leaves being larger than my hands.

It is always a pleasure passing by the old bulldozer blade. I am unsure how long it has been sitting there but, I am sure it is off the dozer that made the old log road (and most likely many more in the Clark Creek area) that leads all the way to the head of Clark Creek. It is hard to fathom the amount of dirt, rocks, and trees that thing must have pushed around. There are pieces of steel cable to be found everywhere as well, each time a tree that was so large that it broke it and they just left it behind. Somewhere buried in the creek not far from the old blade is on old V8 engine that used to sit beside the trail many years ago but, I have lost track of it after the last two mega floods.

After the dozer blade the next point of interest is the ‘Rat Tub’ which is a large pool in the creek with a small falls flowing into the upper end of it. Too many times to count have I spent sitting in that hole, drinking cold beer and cooling off in the Summer heat in years past. It is one of my favorite places on this earth.

There are a few very large downed trees to negotiate now in order to continue following the creek upstream. One is a real pain to get over and is too large for a hand saw and no chainsaws allowed in a wilderness area so we have to live with it. Bol’Dar came across an old metal Coleman cooler laying along the trail that was quite a sight to see !

There are also a few small falls to see during the wet seasons as they flourish this time of year flowing freely off the steep mountain sides as they make their way down to join Clark Creek . We stopped at a few of the closer ones along the way to get a few pics and enjoy their beauty since they only come around a couple times a year.

There is a huge downed tree that stretches across the entire valley that most people just walk under and pay it no mind but, we spent some time under it on this trip as there is a nice little falls in the creek there and I was amazed at the amount of bark hanging down like hair on a wooly mammoth on this old growth specimen. Some of the pieces are taller than I am ! It is also a nice shady spot to cool off at as it reminds me of a tiki hut !

Further upstream there is the ‘strata rock’. I will never forget my first time seeing this. I was not a geology major but, I knew enough to know this was formed millions of years ago when the rocks were flowing up and down like water and this is the position it came to rest in and I must say it is a sight to see. It rolls like the waves of the ocean and the layers are all different thicknesses from very thin to really thick. On this trip we would notice a birds nest built in the archway of the largest opening. I am told this may be built by a ‘Phoebe’.  I always spend time here admiring these amazing rock patterns.

Just past this strata is another one on the other side only it is not as profound yet, it is nonetheless just as marvelous as the first. They actually kinda face one another and it is apparent they were made at the same time and the creek has divided them. At the second one we noticed a large ‘TuanTuan’ tree sitting high on the rocky cliff above us. This provided an opportunity for Bol’Dar to ride and tame which we were more than happy to get pics of. He had his work cut out for him just climbing up the slick, moss covered, rock cliff to get up to it and more so when coming back down !

Once you pass the strata rocks it is not far to the turn off to Buckeye Falls where we stopped for a long break to ‘snack early and snack often’ as Bol’Dar always says. We would rest up before beginning the arduous climb up the ridge from hell while Bol’Dar changed out of his wet creek crossing boots and into his dry ridge climbing boots ! Once the climb began, it was slow going and we were instantly consumed by the thick forest growth.

Everything there is trying its best to stop you from proceeding. There are constant laurels catching you and your pack from all directions. Even the smallest ones can stop you and drain you of precious energy. Then there are pickers that cut you like tiny razor blades so I had not gone far at all before I was bleeding. After that there is the rocks that form a series of small cliffs that have to be negotiated. Normally that would be the easy part but, in this situation they are covered with growth and going to either side is too steep to stand on and if you lose traction here you could slide back down a considerable ways before something stops you and it will hurt. All you can do is take your time and go slow and steady being extremely careful. That and my secret is to take a lot of breaks !

Bol’Dar ended up ahead of the rest of us as usual and we played catch about the whole time. One of the most interesting things we came across on the steep spine of the ridge when we first started gaining some serious altitude was a small bear`s nest. We actually encountered two of them , the first was the smallest but the freshest as the chewed laurel leaves were still green. It was kinda funny because we had been talking about it earlier as Larry Jarret came across a couple of them on Holston Mountain only a week or so before this trip. There were some skeptics that said it was made by wild cats but, we can prove it is done by bears as at each one of these was not only bear hair in the nest but, there is also obvious signs that bears have scratched and clawed the trees right beside them. it is a known fact they make these nests on the South slopes of steep ridges, each is on a small overhanging rock cliff type location where they can see and hear all around them while the rest in the warmth of the sun which is found on the South side of the mountain most of the day. They are very unique and we felt very privileged to see not one but, two.

Once beyond the two bear nests we began to get some visuals of the surrounding mountains in between the gnarly trees and growth that seems to impede your travel and views from every angle. The flies were getting worse the higher we climbed and even when the terrain finally became less steep, it was still nearly impenetrable with the thick growth growing on the main spine as everything competes to reach the sun. Like I said before, going around it is just as hard due to the insane steepness on either side of the extremely narrow ridge that gets narrower the further you climb.

Soon we would get our first visual of Buckeye Falls although,  there is not much of a view trying to peer out between the pine trees and other obstacles. They were also shaded due to their unique location so, even if you had a clear view (which you do not) you still can barely see the water as it is in the dark an the rest was intense bright sun. That is why my first trip here was in the Winter time. We would be going farther up the ridge on this trip though.

I was happy when we finally made it to the top of the ridge and it started to level out some. The growth is less there but, the ridge gets more narrow and much steeper which is something you could not imagine being possible ! Once there we could see the falls on our right and off to our left could see Chigger Ridge looming high above us. The viewpoint from there is much better from there but, it requires a good zoom to get the falls due to the distance. The left ridge is closer but affords very little views of the falls. There were many trees along the ridge top that were clawed and chewed by bears so they apparently like this ridge.

We finally found one spot to get a slightly unobstructed view of the falls where we got a few pics but, we continued up the ridge to get a closer view.

The ridge becomes very narrow and eventually turns to mostly rock where the dirt has eroded away from it. It is very dangerous here as the sides are steep resembling the sides of a concrete dam. Just trying to get around one of the many gnarly trees on the spine could cause a slip and you would not stop until the bottom. Mostly twisted and crooked pine trees so lots of pine needles which are slick to walk on so we took our time making sure we did not make any mistakes. Finally we reached the point to where the ridge becomes a solid rock spine that goes more or less straight up into the sky. There is no reason to go any farther as you would be passing the falls and could not see them and it would require some serious climbing to continue anyway. We had a good long break there despite the annoying bugs that were literally eating us alive. My arms ended up being infected for two weeks after this hike from the countless whelps I had from those blood sucking vampire flies.

Since there were several things blocking our view of the falls we had to work to get any shots of the falls from this extreme side angle. Luckily Bol’Dar had a small rope of sorts. It actually resembled more of a string but, John volunteered and tied himself off for safety reasons and volunteered to take my sierra saw and remove some limbs which required going down a short ways on the unbelievably steep side. It made a difference and we eventually got our sun-washed pics before the bugs and the heat made it unbearable to be there and we began the slow retreat back down the ridge.

Going down is just as hard as climbing up as it is very hard to keep from losing traction plus the ridge turns slightly to your left as you go down which is much harder to follow going down that it is going up making it easy to get off track which we ended up doing and came out at a slightly different place than where we started. In doing this I did come across a very unique rock strata that contained the tightest circle of rocks that I have ever witnessed. it was quite a pleasure to see this interesting creation of Nature.

Larry and I had worn our muck boots to surf this crazy ridge which in my case was not a wise decision because by the time I got back down I had done some damage to my knees that I am still suffering from nearly two months later. I can not say it was worth it because the pictures were of poor quality and not worth the risk or effort which of course means that to get better I have to come back and I am just not sure I am physically able to do it again. Only time will tell. I suppose the one really cool thing about it is the fact that we seen the falls in their entirety from an angle and puckering perch that not many people have ever seen it from or, most likely ever will see it from. I was happy to be back at the creek and stand on level ground. I was drained and my pants were shredded off me with blood flowing from every limb with too many bug bites to count. My eyes were gouged and, my knees were killing me yet, it was another 3 miles back to the cars. We took our time and still made it back just before dark which is always a good thing.

There was no post hike grub out on this trip, at least not for me as I had to get home and soak in a hot tub to ease my aching bones, bloodied limbs, and gazillion bug bites. it will take me a long time to recover from this adventure, if ever. I would not recommend climbing that ridge to anyone. Until next time…