RATtreks

Mystery Falls – 11-28-2015

On the third ride of the Camel Servicer`s Union for this season it was decided that due to the unusual warm weather that we were having that we would make a trip to what we have been calling Mystery Falls. The name was actually given by our late and great friend Dave Aldridge as he spied the upper drop of them from far off in the distance when looking for the way to Twisting Falls on the Elk River. He asked me to find the way to Twisting Falls for him and take him there and as I showed him the way he pointed out the ‘Mystery Falls‘ he had found on his previous trip. The Camel Servicer`s proceeded down towards the river and Twisting Falls and upon reaching the river just above them we then saw the lower drop of Mystery Falls where it drops into the river from high above. These are most impressive falls and after researching them and speaking to many of the areas oldest locals, I was amazed that few knew about them and that a name had never been given. I guess Mystery Falls it shall be !

Lower drop of Mystery Falls

The water that feeds these lesser known falls starts above the Mountaineer Falls Shelter along the Appalachian Trail and also is the source for the newly named Mountaineer Falls which are right beside the shelter. Those falls used to flow over a large log where the trail is now but, during construction of the trail and shelter in 2006 the creek was rerouted to flow over the rocky precipice that it now flows over and the name was given to them. Back in April of 2012 Dave, Bol’Dar and myself visited this area, coming in from above the shelter from Buck Mountain where we also did some exploring to try and follow the creek down in hopes to find the top of the upper drop of Mystery Falls but, even though we found an old log road which got us a ways in the right direction, the thick laurels costed us so much time that we ran out of daylight just short of the falls and we had to turn back. I have not taken the time to return to finish this quest until now. Our fellow Camel Servicer and fearless leader, Larry Jarret had recently been to these elusive falls from the bottom up by crossing the river and climbing an insanely steep ascent covered in laurels and rock cliffs to photograph the several drops of these magnificently pristine falls. He would lead us on the same route for this trip which promised to be an epic adventure.

View looking over the Elk River Gorge towards Watauga Lake from near the trail head

Getting a later start than usual to allow time for the frost of the morning to burn off, assuming it would not take but about six hours to complete this journey, it was after 11 am before we finally reached the trail head high above the Elk River. We were surprised to find the old landmark barn had finally collapsed. I think I predicted that this would be the year it would fall on an earlier trip here in the Spring. It did not take long to reach the trail down to the river which would bring us out above Twisting Falls and right across from Mystery Falls. This trail is crazy steep and with the dry leaves covering it the descent was more like skiing than hiking. I was glad when we reached the river and I dreaded the return climb up which would come later.

The old barn finally bites the dust

Sliding down the steep trail (Photo by John Forbes)

Pictures can not show steepness so you will have to judge by the body positioning as to how steep and slick this descent was ! (Photo by John Forbes)

It`s a long way down to the river and did I mention how steep and slick it was ? (Photo by John Forbes)

We truly surfed this route down to the river ! (Photo by John Forbes)

Trying to stay upright on the uber steep trail (Photo by John Forbes)

Finally at the river (Photo by John Forbes)

Finally at the river it was time to rest and as Bol’Dar swears by : ‘Snack early and snack often”

Lower drop of Mystery Falls

Lower part of Mystery Falls

Now we had to cross the river. We had expected waist deep water and were surprised to find the route across would only be upper thigh deep. It was still fast flowing and very cold so it was still a dangerous task. Also, there is something about this river that causes it to have the slickest slime growing over the submerged rocks that I have ever walked upon. It is more like ice skating thank hiking. Everyone had their own plan for getting across. John and I had planned on much deeper water and were prepared to do a Bear Grylles style naked crossing wearing only water shoes but, luckily for the other members of this party we did not have to resort to that ! John instead unzipped the legs off his guide pants and donned water shoes. I was wearing swim shorts under my hiking pants so I packed my pants and boots in my pack and also put on water shoes. Larry used the simple and practical approach of taking his boots off and wearing socks to provide much better traction on the super slick rocks and just allowed his pants legs to get wet. Bol’Dar would remove his hiking boots, roll up his pants legs and sported a pair of flip flops I suppose to show that it cold be done ! We all made it across without incident.

Larry makes crossing the river look easy as his socks provides the perfect traction on the slickest rocks on the planet (Photo by John Forbes)

Looking down river as I start my crossing I can see the Wasp Head aka Mantis Head Rock that sits high above Twisting Falls knowing that I did not want to fall in and be swept down there !

Taken during my crossing of this cold and slick river (Photo by John Forbes)

Trying to stay out of the deep part (Photo by John Forbes)

Whooaahh ! (Photo by John Forbes)

Always time for a Gnome pose , even though it is more difficult in string current ! (Photo by John Forbes)

Bol’Dar begins his crossing of the river

Bol’Dar and John trying to stay upright on the slick rocks against the hidden current (Photo by Larry Jarret)

Bol’Dar in the river while John does a Gnome pose for good luck before he starts across

John gnome posing as he begins his crossing , Bol’Dar is halfway !

John making good progress across the river

John gnome poses from the deepest part of the crossing

There was not a high flow on the Mystery Falls yet, there was enough to make them enjoyable. Larry scouted around for a minute looking for the old bear trail that would lead us up one of the steepest ascents I have been on lately ! Completely laurel covered, and lots of leaves across wet dirt and rock made it very hard to get traction but, somehow we dug down and climbed this earthen ladder we found ourselves on. This soon led to the base of the first huge rock cliff. It was wide enough to stand on and it was already time for a break.

It was straight up right off the bat. I followed behind Bol’Dar and Larry (Photo by John Forbes)

It was too steep to stand on esp. with the slick leaves so I spent most of the ascent crawling to keep from sliding backwards

Me in bear climbing mode (Photo by John Forbes)

Bol’Dar showing perfect form and technique of using the trees to climb this steep beast of a hill

Me climbing the ‘earthen ladder’. This is one of the few times when a picture displays the steepness of the terrain accurately (Photo by John Forbes)

As I climbed the earthen ladder I could see a huge cliff ahead with Bol’Dar and Larry already standing beneath it

Looking back at John while climbing the earthen ladder

Standing below the first big cliff

The guys stare up at the mighty rock formation before us

We had to negotiate around the cliff

Looking back down at the river from the base of the cliff

We could not see the top of the cliff from its base it was that tall

A meeting of the minds at the base of the cliff

Getting around this huge rock obstacle would require more climbing and some hidden ninja trails but, once above it we found some not as steep ground to belly crawl through the laurel hells on which would lead us over to the creek and the first sizable drop above the lower falls. The light was bright of course but, we took our time from here getting what shots we could and just enjoyed the beauty that was hiding there. Larry is the only person I know who has seen this pristine collection of falls until now so I felt privileged and thankful just to be there taking it all in.

Climbing up around the cliff (Photo by John Forbes)

Looking back at John and Bol’Dar as we climb around this big rock obstacle

Another view of the river as we get higher and higher

Once at the top of the cliff we could see more numerous cliffs above covered in laurel hells but, it was time to go left over to the creek so we followed our fearless leader, Larry Jarret across a narrow laurel infested ledge between cliffs

First falls (that you can get to) above the lower Mystery Falls

Me doing a gnome pose on top of these falls (Photo by John Forbes)

First drop (that you can get to) above the lower Mystery Falls

Side view of part of these falls

Upper right hand part of the falls

This fine jewel was hiding off to the right side of these falls

Another side view

Upper part of these falls as I climb to get above them. You can see the laurel hell to come,,,

Bol’Dar and Larry have climbed the falls and about to make their way upstream

John climbs the falls

My view of the left side of these falls as I climbed them to the top. These rocks are extremely slick.

Me climbing up the very slick falls (Photo by John Forbes)

I did take the time to setup my tripod and slightly larger cam to attempt to get some better shots of these falls:

Same drop with the bigger camera

The light was too bright but, I did what I could

Trying to get a swirlie but the light is too bright

About as good as I could do with this one

A better camera would have gotten a great swirlie here !

These would be nicer with a little more flow !

From there the path of least resistance was right up the gut of the creek to reach the next couple of falls above us. It was not easy and was incredibly slick so much care was taken not to get injured. I can not imagine a rescue from that location. The higher we went the nicer the falls became. We did our best to get what pics we could but, most of the time was spent in the arduous journey and to simply enjoy what we were seeing. We reached the tallest drop so far and it was then we could look up and see the ultimate purpose for this quest, the upper drop of the falls. It was quite breathtaking to say the least and was nothing like I had imagined it to be.

Small falls and lagoon found as we made our way up the gut of the creek

I did not setup my tripod or larger camera so these were taken with my pocket cam so the quality is not there

Trying to spotlight the falls with my limited pocket cam

Zoomed shot

Another cute drop found hiding behind some laurels

And then we climbed right up it ! (Photo by John Forbes)

Clearing out some laurels at the lower part of the upper Mystery Falls

John and Bol’Dar properly discarding the laurels

Lower drop of the upper Mystery Falls

Zoomed shot of the upper drop of the upper Mystery Falls

Lower drop of the upper Mystery Falls (Note the Sasquatch crossing the top)

Larry stands atop the lower part of upper Mystery Falls

Lower part of the upper Mystery Falls (taken with my larger cam)

Lower part of the upper Mystery Falls (taken with my larger cam) This was the best I could do with the bright light

Lower part of the upper Mystery Falls (taken with my larger cam)

Upper Mystery Falls

Zoomed in to see the upper part of the falls

Zoomed shot of the upper falls. They look small but you will see they are over 100 feet in height

Getting up to the upper drops of the falls was tough but, worth every effort expended. Well over 100 + feet tall their beauty was astounding. We spent a lot of time on these drops and took our group shot there. John, Bol’Dar, and Larry would take the time to climb to the top and investigate up there while I opted to stay below to get pics. They did find another 10 foot drop just out of sight of what I could see of the top of the falls.

From the base of these falls there was thick laurels to the left,,,

and even thicker laurels to the right,,,

Bol’Dar follows the route that Larry took up the left side to reach the upper drop of the falls

Bol’Dar making the tough climb to join Larry at the base of the upper drop

I got an up close and personal view of this lower drop of the upper falls as I made the climb up the steep left side

Climbing the steep side of the falls

Looking down on my way up

Looking back the way I had just came

Trying to get through the thick laurels to join the others at the base of the upper falls

My first view of the upper falls from its base

Upper falls

Looking down at where we were earlier,,, it`s a long way !

View from the base of the upper falls looking back towards the mountain where we started on I can see we are about the same elevation as the road there. This is about where the falls can be seen in the older zoomed pics.

Another drop of the upper falls

Part of the upper falls

John on the log getting a unique view at the upper falls

Larry being cat like across the super slick rocks as he makes his way to the next level of the upper falls

John and Larry high above me

John perched on a log at the upper falls !

Upper Mystery Falls

John sits on his puckering perch high above me at the upper falls

As I come out on the next level of the upper falls, I can see Bol’Dar on the ledge above me which starts to show just how tall these falls really are.

Bol’Dar gives some perfect scale to these magnificent falls

John joins Bol’Dar on the next level of the upper falls

Larry getting some shots of the upper falls. You can see just how little real estate there is to work with here and how very little of it is level or dry enough to be on. If you fall anywhere here it would result in serious injury or death. High water levels would make it much harder.

I had huge waterfall wood all day ! (Photo by John Forbes)

Looking back you can see the lower levels and the log John was on. These falls are well over 100 feet tall

Upper drop of the upper Mystery Falls

I had to zoom to see Bol’Dar and John at the top of the falls !

This is the view of Larry and I way down below as seen by John and Bol’Dar at the tip top of the uppest part of Mystery Falls ! (Photo by John Forbes)

These falls are just a few feet back from the tip top of the uppest part of the upper Mystery Falls and can not be seen from below (Photo by John Forbes)

Another shot of the beautiful falls just above the tip top of upper Mystery Falls (Photo by John Forbes)

It is very slick on every level of these falls. You do not want to slip and fall.

Me on the edge of one of the drops of the upper Mystery Falls. It is a long way down behind me. (Photo by John Forbes)

My life on the edge (Photo by John Forbes)

Upper part of the falls

Upper part of Mystery Falls. This is the drop you see from the old road where we started

Upper part of the falls

The light was too bright but, I did what I could. This was about my best

Closer up on the upper falls

It was a great feeling to stand beneath these raw and rugged falls knowing no one else has been there in who knows how long, if ever, other than Larry Jarret, until now.

Gotta love that big mossy rock at the bottom !

Blue skies and bright light would ruin any chances of good pictures during this trip but, it was still awesome to be there !

Group shot at the upper part of Mystery Falls

It is always hard to leave our destination points but, we were losing light and still had to get back down this unreal steep mountain to the river below. I was also hoping we would have enough time to go down our side of the river to Twisting Falls to enjoy all of that before going back across the river to the ascent that awaited us there. We said our goodbyes to the upper falls and slowly made our way back down the way we had came.

Another shot of one of the lower drops of the upper falls taken on our way back down

The colors here are amazing

The light was improving slightly as it was getting darker so I took a few shots of the upper falls / drops on my way down

I liked the side angle best

Another side shot on my way down

This was one of my best shots of the day here

One of my best shots of the day

One of the last shots of the upper falls. It was so hard to leave,,,,

Looking back at one of the upper levels on our way out

Looking back at one of the upper levels on our way down

Crawling through this was an easier way down than the laurels

Another shot of one of the small falls on the middle levels of the run taken on my way out since the light was better. This is with a pocket cam and no tripod

Another shot of one of the small falls (this time with John in it) on one of the middle levels of the run taken on my way out since the light was better. This is with a pocket cam and no tripod

Another shot of the same falls, pocket cam, no tripod

Lower part of the same falls

John got ahead of me when coming down the cliff

By the time we reached the river it was late evening and was nearly dark. We went down to Twisting Falls anyway, climbing to stand under the Mantis Head Rock and then climbed around to stand on top of it until it was completely dark. It was hard to get any usable pictures, but, it was awesome to see with our eyes. The power of these falls are like a huge meat-grinder of water as the entire river twists into a narrow channel that the bottom falls out of.

Coming out back at the river. It did not take near as long to go down as it did to climb up !

Looking back at our crossing place as we take a quick side trip down river to Twisting Falls

Making our way down the river

Looking towards the Mantis Head Rock that sits high above Twisting Falls

Large shelf falls just above Twisting Falls

Getting closer to Twisting Falls where the entire river condenses into a narrow channel as the bottom drops out from under it !

Bol;Dar sits on the edge of the shelf falls getting some pics,,,

Looking across the river at what I have referred to as the rectangle rock in my previous blogs

Shelf falls as seen from near the top of Twisting Falls

John captures the moment as Larry is mesmerized by looking up at the Mantis Head Rock, Bol’Dar is still back at the shelf falls getting pics, and I am making my way down the rocks towards the top of Twisting Falls (Photo by John Forbes)

Looking across the top of Twisting Falls. On my last visit here I was on that side standing at the edge of the falls on the bottom of Nature`s Stairway there. The view there was incredible !

Staring down the top of Twisting Falls It was getting dark so my pics are not in focus.

The Wasp Head or Mantis Head Rock above Twisting Falls

Twisting Falls. it is hard to describe the force of these falls but, I can say they have never been run by a kayak. They portal around it.

Twisting Falls

Looking down Twisting Falls, you can see not far down the channel from the base of the falls, the rock we roped down to in order to get a shot of the falls from that angle earlier this year. This shows just how steep that descent was and how small the level platform is to stand upon. I have seen that level spot go under water during high flow !

John and Larry make their way to the Mantis Rock above the falls

A happy John Forbes gnome poses while Larry relaxes beneath the triangular shaped rock above the falls

John`s view of us from under the Mantis Head Rock (find RAT) (Photo by John Forbes)

Larry Jarret above Twisting Falls

Bol’Dar and I trying to get some shots before it got too dark (Photo by John Forbes)

Larry above Twisting Falls

Looking down into the meat grinder that is Twisting Falls

I would soon join John under the Mantis Rock

Looking down into the churning narrow chasm of the falls from beneath the mantis rock

Narrow chasm at the bottom of the falls as seen from beneath the mantis rock

Bol’Dar checking out the falls as it gets dark

Looking down into the falls from under the mantis rock

Here you can see the top of Twisting Falls with the shelf falls just above them and our river crossing point above the shelf in the distance

Looking down the channel below the falls. The rock at the end is the one we roped down to on a previous trip to the base

Another view of the channel below the falls

Looking up the gut of Twisting Falls

Top of Twisting Falls and the shelf falls above them

Top of Twisting Falls

Just below Twisting Falls the river makes a sharp L. You can see the cliff and shelf that we perched ourselves on during our last trip here to get a view of the falls from that angle.

Looking off the other side of the mantis rock you can see really well the steeply slanted rock (on the other side) that we roped down to on our last trip to get the shot of the base of the falls from the waters edge. it almost looks like there is a rope there near the laurels at top now but, I think its just a limb (center right )

Looking down into the splash pool below the falls

You would not want to fall into this chasm but, I have seen people dive from the top of the mantis rock into the deeper hole just at the end of the current in this pic

Since I was not using a tripod for my pocket cam and it was getting very dark, my pic of Bol’Dar on top of the Mantis Rock did not turn out but, I will include a better one of John`s

Bol’Dar high atop Twisting Falls (Photo by John Forbes)

Looking down from a higher perch on top of the mantis head

Hard to imagine I seen a guy dive from here into that spot just at the end of the white water

Bol’Dar giving some scale to the top of Twisting Falls

Top of Twisting Falls and the shelf falls above them

Looking down into Twisting Falls

Top of Twisting Falls

Twisting Falls

John Forbes gnome posing on top of the Mantis Head Rock high above Twisting Falls in near darkness

Twisting Falls (taken in the dark)

Taken by flash and lightened some in photoshop by me, this picture captures John and I on top of the Mantis Head Rock and Bol’Dar underneath it, high above Twisting Falls (Photo by Larry Jarret)

We ended up crossing the river in pitch darkness by headlamp. John was the only casualty of this as he slipped off the bank into the river at the very beginning of his crossing. Once across we still had the crazy steep climb to get back to the old road above. This was just as hard as coming down it as getting traction was extremely difficult in the loose leaves that were now becoming wet with the rain that had started sprinkling while we were at Twisting Falls. John switched into mule gear and soon disappeared out of sight above us. I had the brightest light so the rest of us took our time going tree to tree until after what seemed like forever I looked up and seen a light in the sky. It was not a helicopter or an airplane but, was John standing on the road high above us like a lighthouse with a beacon of light to show the way. Another forever later and we would join him there.

John crossing the Elk River by flashlight

John crosses the river by flashlight

I was elated to be back on level ground and after my pounding heartbeat quietened and my heavy breathing subsided, I was able to talk and walk again. It had been another amazing day in Nature with my comrades seeing some unknown and unseen before sights and I would be on cloud 9 for the next several days as I looked forward to the next great ride with my fellow Camel Servicers. Until next time,,,,,