Harper Falls – Thorp Cr. Falls – 9-30-2015
After a few days of flooding rains over in North Carolina, it seemed like a good idea to check out some waterfalls in that area. I had been wanting to show my hiking friend John Forbes the falls of Steels Creek and Harper Creek Falls for awhile now but, knowing it would not be safe to get below Steels Creek Falls when the rocks are wet so, we opted instead to go to Harper Falls. I decided to check out a new route to Wilson Creek off of Hwy 181 instead of the usual way down FS #464 which turned out to be a really nice back country drive on a decent gravel road however, after several; days of hard rains it was a bit mushy in spots. We came out down below the visitor center and immediately could see that Wilson Creek was no longer a creek but, was a river at the top of its banks. We later learned they would close that road the following day as well as the road to Steels Creek. We made our way to the Harper Falls trail head to park and began our hike towards them.
It was clearing off and as usual anytime I go near a waterfall the sun comes out in full force ! I had hoped for a cloudy day but, it was not in Mother Nature`s plans. It is just under 2 miles to reach the falls on a well worn trail. This is one of, if not the most popular swimming locations anywhere in this area however, we would not see anyone there on this day as the creek was raging at the top of its banks. I have been here many times and have never seen this much water flowing. We could hear the creek roaring long before we laid eyes on it and it was not long before we reached the top of the upper part of the falls. It was a sight to see.
You could not even see the large pothole cavern in the side of the base of the falls due to the massive amount of water that was coming down and the amount of spray was incredible making it resemble a miniature Niagra falls. I had my heart set on taking John down the rope to the base and back but, upon looking down at it I could see the rocks were totally saturated and would be slick as wet glass not to mention there would be no way to take any pics from there due to the amount of heavy spray that was blowing off the falls. It was also very apparent that it may be impossible to get back up the steep rope climb because there would be no way to get any traction with our feet and legs so it wold be an all arm event and it is a long way down. Of course we are not known for our being smart or safe so despite our better judgement the desire to stand at the base under these extreme conditions was overwhelming so down the rope I went.
I could tell by the look on John`s face as I looked up at him during my descent that I had definitely made a very unwise decision ! He captured the event on camera as I had a really hard time keeping on my feet without slipping and landing on my face and elbows. Soon as I passed the first ledge it was extremely slick and it never got any better all the way down. I knew I was past the point of no return and also knew that it would be near impossible for me in my current ‘out of shape’ shape to get back up this huge rope. I kinda thought that John would not follow me down but, rather stay up top and assist me on my return yet, as soon as I was off the rope, he began his descent right behind me. I was actually relieved as I captured it as best I could in the wet and extremely slick conditions.
Here is what it usually looks like:
Once at the bottom it was like standing on ice in a Monsoon. The wind off the falls was very strong and the spray soaked us within the first minute. It was quite exhilarating and exciting to experience but, all pics would be covered with water spots and I could not stop thinking how hard if not impossible it was going to be for me to physically climb back up the rope. I was running contingency plans over in my head the entire time I was down there.
We stayed at the base as long as we could but, it became inevitable that we needed to get out of the cold, wet, and very windy conditions. I was in no hurry since my arms were still stinging from the descent. I had already decided how I would get out if I were to be unable to complete the climb but, I was hoping it would not come to that as it would require getting very wet and sending the pack up the rope ! I elected to go first and slowly began the ascent. Within the first 20 feet I instantly knew that my fears were warranted as there was absolutely no way to use the legs during any of the climb as any pressure upon them would cause you to slip and would result in a nasty fall. This was an all arm event that I was not prepared for. I made it a little over halfway before my arms gave out the first time and I had to stop. It took all my strength just to hold my position as I tried to rest before continuing upward. I quickly realized that I was really not getting any rest for my arms as holding on continued the massive build up of lactic acid that was trying its best to defeat me. I did however, need to stop to get my heartbeat and breathing back into a tolerable range. On a dry day this would have been nothing to climb as I have done it many times but, on this day I would have to dig deep if I was going to make it out. I started again on what I thought was my second wind but, within 5 feet I was drained again and had to stop. I still had about 10 or 15 feet to go as I was about 3/4 done and it was at this time when it became a mind game. I was stuck physically so my mind started to go into that panic mode where the thoughts of not making it and sliding back to the bottom was surely going to be the end result. Had that happened there would be no second attempt as there would not be enough strength for it but, rather I would have to swim my way out the bottom ! I quickly suppressed those thoughts and did my best to turn them into a can do attitude and like an Olympic athlete I tapped into whatever adrenaline I could find deep down inside me and gave it everything I had going one hand over the other as I was over the ledge and within 5 feet of the top. It was not easy but I did make it although barely as I am positive had the rope been 2 feet longer I would have failed. John captured my struggle from below on his camera. I was happy that I had made it.
Here is the video that my friend John Forbes took of my climb back up the rope:
I had to rest for a few minutes at the top before I could even get off the rope and out of the way so that John could begin his attempt. Of course being in top shape and weighing almost 100 pounds less than me, he made it look easy as he climbed up the rope quicker than I had went down it !
I was totally drained and even after resting for several minutes it still took me a few more to get all the way back to the top. Once it was over, I was happy that we had done it ! From there we collected our thoughts and made our way down to the second rope that leads down to the base of the lower part of the falls. This climb is nowhere near as steep or difficult as the upper one is although as wet and slick as it was on this day, it would be harder than usual. With my arms still burning I went down the rope and was at the bottom in quick time. With the high water levels there was not much of a level place to stand but we were able to get some slightly better pics of the falls from there.
The sun was getting brighter so after a short while we took turns climbing back up the rope to the rugged trail that continues to climb to the trail on top. This is a very steep and very rough trail from the erosion and massive amount of traffic it gets. We took a long break on the level trail on top before heading back out to the trail head where we had began. My arms would tingle for the rest of the day after these rope climbs.
On the way out John nearly stepped on a snake which I was made aware of by seeing him jump one way and the snake jumping off trail in the other ! Luckily it was only a black snake yet, it took us by great surprise ! It soon calmed down and proceeded to check us out as it climbed around in the small trees below us putting on quite the show.
It was still fairly early in the day by the time we hiked the 2 miles back out to the car so I suggested we check out Thorp Creek Falls which is a small falls in the area that I had been wanting to see for a long time now but, had not yet taken the time to do so. This would make sense because I was not planning on going back the route we had came and Thorp Creek would be on the way. We found it without any problems and was soon hiking up a nice trail towards them. This trail starts at the back end of a campground so if it is closed for Winter you would of course have to hike a bit farther due to the closed gate but, on this day it was still open. Within less than a mile we soon found the falls. I was impressed especially with the higher water flow which actually made them very nice as they are a low flow falls but, not so much as to make them look flooded. It was actually as good as it could get. We spent a lot of time there taking pics and exploring the area above the falls where we found some really nice mushrooms and other fungi.
The Thorp Creek Trail continues well beyond the top of the falls and one day I will see where it actually goes but, on this trip we would only explore the immediate area above the falls where we found a variety of fungi to photograph. My only regret was leaving my bigger cam and tripod back at the base of the falls !!
On the hike back out, we noticed some old, heavy duty water pipe that had become exposed in the trail. This leads me to believe they used to get water from these falls a long time ago and the trail was most likely made when that was dug and buried there. We also noticed a very large tree that we missed going in.
The next three pics are of one huge tree (Beech ? ) that stands along the Thorp Creek Trail:
On our way out FS#464 we stopped at the top to get a view looking out over the valley above the Little Lost Cove Cliffs Mountain and the NC Mountains beyond:
We ended up stopping at the Highlander BBQ joint in Roan Mtn., TN. for the post hike grub out which is always excellent. It had been another awesome day in the wilds and once I recover from the arduous rope climbs, I will be ready for the next great adventure. Until then,,,,,
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