RATtreks

Rocky Fork (Of Jackets, Cliffs, and Bears and Things) – 12-18-2013

On a recent trip to Whitehouse Mountain Cliffs in Rocky Fork on 12-13-2013, my friend Dave accidentally lost my jacket out of his pack on his way down the cliffs. It was almost a week later before I found time to go back and retrieve it. I know that I should probably not be climbing anywhere in that area by myself but it was a spur of the moment decision when I chose to go so, there was really no time to ask anyone to go with me. I did try to get in touch with my son but was unable to reach him. It was already early afternoon on a Wednesday when I headed out and it was sunny and in the 40`s. I figured I had time to get there and complete the short but arduous climb up to the cliffs and back going in reverse of the route we had taken down the week before and still get back in time for work. Of course I had to stop and get a couple pics of the triple falls on my way in.

Not far past the triple falls I began the steep ascent up the trail-less ridge towards the cliffs. It is not far but it is VERY steep and the terrain is rough. Add in the fact that I am currently overweight and out of shape so this climb was tough to put it mildly. I tried to follow the same route we took down so I would not miss my jacket wherever it may be. By the time I reached the boulder garden that borders the side of the cliffs, I had taken several  breaks and the muscles in my feet were burning from being on such a steep slope. After climbing up these random sized rocks it did not take long to get near the base of the cliffs. I stopped to look up at them and it was then that I saw it,,, my jacket.

It was hanging in the air like your moms freshly washed clothes on a clothesline made of briars that resembled concertina wire in a war zone. It was dry as could be and as I expected it was not more than 100 feet from where I had left it. You may be wondering why I left my jacket to begin with but if you have been following my blogs and read about our trip here the week prior, you would know that I left it laying on a rock near the top of the boulder garden where my friends Dave and Sam stayed while Bol’Dar and myself went out to the base of the cliffs. Since we took so much time exploring there, they decided to continue down the mountain and took my jacket with them in case we came back a different way. Apparently it would not fit in Dave’s pack and a briar caught it and pulled it out and left it hanging in the air ! I was just happy to have it back as it has been with me for a long time and has shared many memories with me.

It was not yet past 3 pm as it had only taken about 30 minutes to reach the jacket from the car, so I had this wild idea that instead of going back down the way I had came that I would traverse across below the cliffs and go down the other side. If you read about the last trip you know we could not get past ‘the crack’ in order to get below and on the other side of the far left hand side of the cliffs as we were right along the base which was a little too high to reach it due to a large drop off there at the crack. I figured I was below all that so if I could get through the gnarly growth and pickers I could make my way across to the other side if I did not run into any obstacles and be able to stand at the base of the cliffs on the far left side. Not sure why I thought this would be a good idea as I knew that going down the boulder garden on that side of the cliffs (as there is one on each side) would bring me out on the top of some cliffs that border the road and it would be really tricky if not impossible to get down them to reach the road. For some reason this did not stop me and off through the thickets I went.

There were some thick spots and some open spots plus a few rocky areas I had to negotiate around which did earn me some new merit badges but overall it was not that bad. I could see the cliffs right above me the whole time so it was easy to know exactly where I was at all times. I came across more triangle shaped rocks or ‘dragon’s teeth’ as I call them as it seems many of the rocks that are associated with these cliffs are in this shape which I find very interesting.

After only a few minutes I found myself standing right below the cliff on the left side where I was anxious to see what I call the ‘skull rock’ that sits loosely on a ledge near the top. I have seen this rock many times only from the ‘high road’ view and from there even when zoomed it looked skull-like however, on this day I would learn up close and personal that it is not in that shape at all but, in reality it is another triangular shaped rock sitting on a ledge where it obviously fell from the top and landed who knows how many years ago. I made my way farther and found the boulder garden that borders that side of the cliffs that I climbed up beside to reach the base of the cliffs edge. I could not believe it but there I was, standing right beneath this cliff that I had wanted to stand under for so many years.

This side of the cliffs is the prominent edge and is the most unique column of rock as it is separated from the rest of the cliffs by the large crack and is the only side seen from the ‘high road‘ which until recent years was the only view we ever had of these magnificent cliffs.

A couple years ago I managed to get some pretty good zoomed shots of the cliffs from the interstate (I-26), some from the high road, and very recently I got even better pics from the Flint Mountain Cliffs. I have not yet written that blog but, I will give you a sneak preview here:

I hung out at the base of this part of the cliffs for quite sometime taking pics and checking it out. I noticed something very strange, some pink stains on the cliff that start just below the triangle rock on the ledge and leading down almost to the bottom. This looks to be some type of pink quartz that I have seen in a few other places in this area. I will need to speak with a geologist to confirm this and also to determine what kind of rock the cliffs are actually made of.

This is a really nice area and I can’t wait to bring Bol’Dar back here so he can experience the base of this part of the cliffs and I am sure we will continue up past the cliffs on this left side to explore that part of Whitehouse Mountain as we have looked down on it from the top so many times and wanted to do so.

I am confident we will be coming back here soon enough but, for now I could see the sun starting to get lower in the sky so I knew it was time for me to get off this mountain. I also knew it was going to be another really steep descent and anticipated coming out on a cliff and having an interesting adventure just getting down to the road. Going down the boulder garden was not bad as it is open with hardly any growth in the way but one has to step very carefully here as one wrong step could lead to a twisted ankle or broken leg, busted head, etc., if you fall and my right knee has been really tender after last weeks trip down these same cliffs on the other side so I took my sweet time since I was by myself.

I had not gone down very far at all when I stopped to look back and take a couple last pics of the cliffs and when I turned around to get a shot of the Flint Mountain Cliffs on the other side I seen something way up in the top of a very tall tree. I remember saying out loud “How the hell did that tire get up in that tree” ? Looking closer I then said “That`s not a tire, its an inner tube” ! Of course it was at that time when I said that, that the inner tube heard me say it, and turned its head to look at me, and I realized that it was not a tire or an inner tube but was a black bear ! To me it looked like a small bear cub so my first thought was of fear and I wonder where mama bear is ? Because on this steep and rocky terrain, there would be no way to make any kind of getaway and I looked around for any other black spots but then my next instinct was to start taking pictures which I did. The look the bear gave me was an unhappy one of  ‘damn, now I have to climb down this tree and run away’ !  As I watched this ‘cub’ get closer and closer to the ground it became larger and larger and I soon realized that it was not a cub at all but a rather large and full grown bear which was even better news to me as at least I knew I would not have any mama bears chasing me. I made my way farther down and ended up right at the base of the tree where the bear had came down at as it was basically my only route available but never seen hide nor hair of it again. I felt very fortunate to  get to see it and even more so to get a picture of it even though I did not get any really good close up ones.

From there it was not far to the road but just as I had predicted I came out right on top of a cliff high above the road. I could see the creek and the road just below me, but it was so close yet so far away as everything was too steep to descend safely so I had to get creative. I carefully made my way across the point of the rocks and seen a low spot on the other side. The only problem was there was not much to hold on to and it would be easy to get out of control and ball-hoot right down and over the edge into the road ! I decided to toss my pack and hiking stick down and then lay down and gently ease down to the edge and then holding on to some exposed roots managed to hang off the edge and then drop down to the road below. It was a relief to be standing on level ground.

I walked a short distance up the road so I could see the other side of the cliff I had just came out on and maybe see if the bear had gone anywhere up that way. The cliff was much higher on that side and I was glad I chose not to go that way ! I also found a small cave there which I zoomed to see if any bears were hanging out. I got a couple pics of the creek and then went back down the road passing below the Flint Mountain Cliffs and on past the triple falls and back to the vehicle.

It wasn’t dark yet but was starting to get cold as I was sweaty and could see my breath. It had been great day to be in the woods, I had gotten my favorite jacket back, seen the base of the cliff on the far left side of Whitehouse Mtn. Cliffs, and got to see a black bear so I was definitely a happy camper and already looking forward to the next adventure.