RATtreks

South Harper Falls – 9-27-2017

First off,  I must state the following DISCLAIMER ! :
There are NO good pictures from this trip !!!!!

This is due in part to mainly two reasons. 1. The sun was intensely bright the entire time. 2. I was using a new pocket cam for the first time and I did not get the settings figured out during any time on this trip ! I may also add that our purpose of choosing this location was primarily to check another one of Tyler`s list of places he has not yet been to and, for us to swim in the ‘Hillbilly Rock Quarry‘ at the base of the falls. Besides, I already have several decent pictures of these falls from previous visits so I was not overly concerned with taking pics on this outing.

It was a warm and very sunny morning when we arrived at the trail head. Despite an ample amount of weed growth the trail was in really good shape as it is fairly well traveled and is maintained. It did not take long to cover the two mile or so distance to the top of the falls. My plan was to check out the top of both drops then proceed to the top of the mountain where the cliff overlook is. After that we would come back down to check out the small falls just inside the private property  and then back down to the top of the falls and proceed to climb down to the base of the falls where we could boulder our way to the dead end of the box canyon there and then swim in the ‘Hillbilly Rock Quarry’ as a grand finale. Tyler was impressed with the view from the top of these huge falls as they are at least 200 feet in total drop. The colors of the rock in the circular canyon makes it very picturesque.

From there we followed the Raider Camp Br. Trail (formerly the MST) up to the top of the mountain where the side trail to the cliff overlook is. We hung out there for a while as it is the only place you can view the entire falls and it is quite an awesome area. The trees have grown a lot since my last visit there and they are starting to block out the view of the falls. If action is not taken in the near future this view may disappear altogether. (this would require rappelling gear and a a good hand saw) While we were there I showed Tyler the route up the narrow, rocky, spine ridge that I took the first time I climbed up to the overlook , which was from the base of the falls. Back then I did not know there was an actual trail to it ! It was very sketchy yet, very fun to say the least !

After hanging out there for awhile longer we went back down the way we had come. Once back to the creek I showed Tyler the small private falls. I did not even snap one pic there as they were fully exposed to the bright sun and it would have been a waste of effort. I did get a pic of the old Mill gear assembly that in recent years has been removed from the creek and drug up onto the bank and secured there. It is a great reminder of an older era when things were not as easy.

From there we crossed the creek and climbed down the super steep descent to the base of the falls where we put on our water shoes and made our way to the back end of the amazing box canyon that the falls has carved out over the years. The rocks there are enormous and difficult to maneuver but, it is a lot of fun especially if you are not trying to stay dry which I did manage to do on my first trip there with my old friend Dave Aldridge. After a full exploration of the canyon and a ‘Hillbilly Baptism‘ in the falls, we swam for awhile in what I call the ‘Hillbilly Rock Quarry‘ before drying off in the hot sun and changing back into our boots to begin the steep climb back up to the trail above.

This short yet, very steep and rugged climb always kicks my butt so, I was happy when we were finally back onto the much smoother and well graded trail. We took our time going back to the vehicle and just enjoyed being in Nature. It had been another outstanding day to an awesome and favorite place of mine which we both enjoyed immensely. We were already talking about the next location on our way back to the Jeep. Until next time,,,