The next thing on our list would be Coyote Falls. After waiting a long time for water levels to recover enough to make it worth visiting, we finally got our chance. I had not been to these falls in over 20 years and did not have any pics of them as we rarely carried cameras back then. Tyler had never been there so, on a chilly mid December morning we made our way to the area to find a place to park along the road to see if I could still remember how to get there ! There is no designated trail head nor is there a marked trail for these falls but, in recent years someone did list them on TN. Landforms so, their gps coordinates are easily known meaning, they get way more visitors than ever before. Parking beside the road at a place where some very inconsiderate people dump dead animals and trash, we jumped the guardrail and proceeded to look for the correct hollow that we would follow to the falls. It was not hard to locate and we were soon climbing the fairly steep route up this part of Unaka Mountain.
Coyote Falls
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Posted on 22 March '18 by RAT, under RATtreks. No Comments.
A spur of the moment decision to leave before daylight to drive up to the Pinnacle Mountain Observation Tower on Buffalo Mountain to night hike up to catch the sunrise came from out of nowhere but, we acted upon it and did it ! It was a frosty morning and hunting season was now open so when we arrived at the parking area there were two trucks already there with deer hunters in them waiting on the first light. It goes without saying that they were a bit surprised when we parked and donned our packs and noisily hiked off into the pitch black darkness ! I did not feel guilty about it as I was surprised that any deer hunters would be hunting that high on the mountain since any good hunter knows that at that time and in that area they are mostly in the lower elevations due to the current environmental influences. It was colder as we hiked the half mile or so to the tower but, climbing the fairly steep grade kept us warm enough. We got there just before the first light could be seen and as I setup my tripod I was anxiously waiting and hoping it would be a good sunrise as it is such a gamble each and every time. We would end up losing this bet as it was not a phenomenal sunrise so no killer photos would be obtained however, any sunrise is to be considered beautiful as it means another day has been given to us and I can`t think of a better way to spend it than being in nature at the top of a high mountain with my son Tyler, watching the miracles unfold around us.
Sunrise. The sun is coming up on the far left side of Roan Mountain.
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Posted on 21 March '18 by RAT, under RATtreks. No Comments.
Being able to visit 1000 major waterfalls in only 4 years is quite a feat so, I am glad that I was invited and able to be there when fellow hiker Thomas ‘The Honey Badger’ Mabry completed this astonishing accomplishment. I am sure he could claim way more than 1000 during this time depending on what your definition of a ‘waterfall’ is but, knowing the Badger like I do I am sure he only counted the major ones and not every small falls he seen. Much like so many of the previous waterfalls he went to, the route to #1000 would not be an easy one. Badger chose a great location for this special occasion as it is not a well known falls and even the very few that know about them do not list them because, there is really no way to get to them without crossing private property. All of which would be difficult if not impossible to obtain permission for due to the seasonal use of the expensive homes there. I will also mention that there is no actual trails to these falls either but, that is pretty much the norm for most of the falls we go to.
Thomas ‘The Honey Badger’ Mabry presents his #1000 waterfall, Fulfillment Falls !
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Posted on 18 March '18 by RAT, under RATtreks. 1 Comment.
Continuing to check more waterfalls off Tyler`s list we chose our next adventure to be Margarette Falls in Greene County, TN. A local favorite named after Mrs. Margarette Cordova ( formerly known as Shoot Creek Falls and Mull Creek Falls ) as I recently learned of this history from a friend and local historian, Ben Gentry who was raised in the area. We would be meeting our friend Tommy ‘Bol’Dar’ Warden there but, since we arrived ahead of him we began the journey without him. We got an early start though, the sun was already starting to shine above the ridges when we got on the trail. I was hoping we could make it to the main falls before the sun got on them to be able to get some decent pics. That is hard to do as there are so many smaller falls along the way ! The water levels were almost perfect so I did take the time to stop and set up for at least two of the smaller falls.
Group shot at Margarette Falls
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Posted on 9 March '18 by RAT, under RATtreks. No 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.
