RATtreks

Twisting and Compression Falls – Feb. 7, 2015

Despite many maps and most of the information found on the internet, these are two very separate waterfalls about a quarter mile or so apart on the Elk River. Twisting Falls is located above Compression Falls and is NR (Not Runnable) for kayaks whereas many have taken their boats over other falls on this river such as Elk Falls and Compression Falls which is actually how Compression Falls got their name when one such boater compressed his spine in doing so. The rafters portage around Twisting Falls across a very narrow ledge using ropes to lower the boats down to their base where they continue down river to Compression Falls. Both are popular swimming holes and each have their own degrees of danger. Ever since my last trip to Twisting Falls when I discovered a very obscure ninja goat trail to a cliff just below them where a good view of the entire falls was possible, I have wanted to come back and go down what I named ‘the chasm’ in order to reach the base of the falls to get a picture from water level. Having only seen one picture from that angle ever that I found on the internet, I knew this would be a difficult task and would require a rope but, it has been on my list and caused me several sleepless nights ever since that trip. Finally that dream has came true.

On this trip I would be accompanied by Ken Woody and John Forbes. We left Hairnt-Quarters around 10 am not really knowing what our destination was going to be as I had wanted to go to Devil Creek but, had to wait until I checked in with Bol’Dar that morning to see if he was going or not. He was not able to go so the decision was made to go to Twisting Falls instead. After leaving HQ we made a quick stop at Millstone Falls so that John could experience them as he had not ever been there and they are very close to my house. Since I had been there a few days before I did not bother carrying my bigger camera up which was a mistake as there was a LOT more ice this time ! We spent about an hour there watching John`s excitement level rise to the occasion before backtracking to head to our next destination, Twisting Falls.

It took about an hour to reach the trail head (after a quick stop and a short detour) and I was pleased to see what`s left of the old barn still standing. There were some vehicles already parked there but, I assured everyone that we would not see them on the route we would be taking ! From there I proceeded to show them the not very well known way down into the river gorge that would come out above Twisting Falls. The trail is incredibly steep yet, not near as worn and hard to hike as the trail that leads down to below Compression Falls. It did not take long at all to make it to the bottom where the first sight you see is the lower drop of what I call ‘Mystery Falls‘. These falls are quite impressive and very tall. There are at least three drops, the middle one is a free fall that can be seen from the road above if you know where to look. They are hidden well by the laurels and trees that grow on the vertical side of the gorge and the only known pictures of the upper drops are by my friend Larry Jarret. These are also on my list of things to see.

It was a chilly day and the river was still partially frozen so one had to be extremely careful on choosing where to step to avoid any mishaps as falling into the water would result in some very serious consequences. There are some very nice shelf falls along the river here before you reach the top of Twisting Falls but, in order to see them you must find the secret ninja trail that leads down river just above the water level as it is not possible to continue on the slanted rocky sides. Although it was faint as it had obviously not been traveled much recently, I was able to find it and led the way down to our next stop which is what I call the ‘rectangle rock’ which sits just below the largest of the shelf falls (which has an awesome swimming hole btw) and just above the top of Twisting Falls. From there it is also possible to connect over to the tall vertical side that borders the top of the falls for the grand view.

We spent a lot of time there getting pics of the shelf falls and getting up close and personal to the tip top of Twisting Falls. They are spectacular in many ways. The first of which is the fact that the entire river narrows down to the width of a truck and drops straight down in a semi-spiral much like a sink full of water when you pull the drain plug out. Standing right at the brink only inches from this point was exhilarating and I was also able to climb to the top of the towering rocky cliff just above it. The view of the falls and the extreme ruggedness of the gorge below them is indescribable. Then there is also the diamond shaped rock that sits on the top of the rocky cliff on the opposite side of the falls that I have named the ‘bees or wasp’s head rock’ or ‘hornet`s head rock’ aka the ‘praying mantis head rock’ as it resembles those in my eyes. It is a uniquely shaped rock and it is also where the rafters portage their kayaks around right below it on the narrow ledge there. It it quite fascinating to watch this process as they maneuver the boats under this odd rock to get to the other side of it and then rope the boats down to the water again at the base of the falls. On this trip I would be directly across from the mesmerizing rock staring it right in the face from my  high perch on the other side.

From there we went back to the ninja trail to continue on the quest to see not only the falls from the high cliff overlook that I had found on a previous trip here but, to also see if going down ‘the chasm’ to reach the base of the falls was even possible. Finding the chasm was easy as you must ‘bridge the gap’ over the top of it to be able to continue on the ninja trail. I remember my last trip here when I had to talk Dave into coming across the gap ! (if you click those links you will see the looks on his face brought about by looking down into the chasm !)  A lot of folks would stop right there but, I led the way across it followed by Ken and John without issue. I wanted to find the cliff overlook first so that I could get a visual on the conditions of the steeply sloped rock at the base of the falls. Since you can not see it from anywhere in the chasm until you actually get down to it, I did not want to go through all the danger and trouble of roping down only to find it to be iced over and unable to proceed. This would turn out to be easier said than done. Since I had only been there once before it was kinda all new again and without any trails or fresh tracks to follow I was trying to recall the route from a 3+ year old memory. I ended up taking us up too high on the steep cliff slopes and it took me several minutes and some back tracking to locate a view of the falls. It still did not seem like the same place I was at last time but, I was able to see the rocks at the bottom and luckily they were on the sunny side and not ice covered so we made our way back to the chasm to attempt to get down to the base of the falls.

There are some huge vertical rock cliffs that line the entire top of the chasm and two openings that lead down into the abyss. The right side was a no go as it led to a drop off at a cliff wall that was completely vertical and covered in solid ice. The left side which was open the last time I was here, was now blocked completely with a very LARGE dead tree that had blown over and fell lengthwise down into the chasm. Although it was a gnarly mess, it would prove to be helpful to have the tree to use to get down the first half of the chasm and would allow us to get closer to the base before having to use a rope.

Ken wanted no part of this complicated and sketchy descent so he opted to stay at the top of the chasm to observe and be there to go get help in case anything bad happened !  John and I climbed down through the laurels to the top of the downed tree to assess the situation and see if we thought it was possible to continue down. After a brief study period we began our climb down into the nearly vertical shaft using the debris and downed tree to keep from plummeting to the bottom. It was at this point that I was wishing that my friend Derrick Hamrick was there to capture all that was about to occur with his excellent photojournalism talent.

It was tedious going but, we we soon found ourselves at the end of the upper half of the long, downed tree and the only way to continue would be to climb up onto the spine of the rock ridge that comes down from the top (which would also be an alternative way down). This however, would require climbing up a vertical rock that was slightly taller than I am and there were hardly any hand holds or places to put your feet. Using fingertip muscles I did not know I had, I was able to scale this obstacle and get atop the rock spine right below the last bit of growth between there and the water below. It was there I got out my rope and tied it off to three rather large laurel trunks and tossed it down the steep rocky slope where it disappeared over and edge about 40 feet below me. John who is much more agile than I am, was able to make his way up to join me easily within seconds.

My adrenaline was pumping at this time so I wasted no time in climbing down the rope to the edge where I had to carefully navigate over and descend another ten or fifteen feet on a more vertical part of the rock. It did have some natural steps so it was no problem although, from John`s viewpoint at the top of the rock it looked like I suddenly just disappeared over the edge ! He was relieved to hear me yell ‘off rope!’ and see me standing on the bottom at water level as I came out from behind the particular rock that had hidden me from his sight. It was now John`s turn to descend the rope and as he asked me questions about the ropes rating etc. I could not help but notice he was tying more knots in the rope before he began his descent ! Apparently he did not trust the way I had secured it ! I took a few action shots of him while he climbed down.

Standing at the base of the falls with my feet within one inch of the water was astonishing  and had made a dream come true for me. Luckily for us, there is a sorta flat rock that is located at the best place in the world at the base of the steep rocky side of this rock wall. Without this one would be trying to take pics while dangling from a rope. During higher water levels this rock IS submerged  but, I would still be willing to stand in knee deep rushing water there verses not having it at all. There is no other way to get a shot from the base without this rock or tied off to a rope. Now don`t get me wrong, on a dry day when it is not freezing with ice, it would be possible for a few capable individuals to carefully climb down this rock to the base especially if you can swim well and it is hot enough to not be an issue if you were to fall in the water but, I highly recommend against this as you could slip and injure yourself on the way down and fall into the water and drown. The current is pretty swift here with a very strong undertow. A rope just makes it so much safer.

I have not been this delighted since Dec. 3, 2014 when I was fortunate enough to be part of The Rat Pack when we became the first humans in decades (if ever) to stand upon the Great Talus Fields of Unaka Mountain. After finally being able to compose my extreme excitement of finally being at the base of the falls I was able to get out my larger camera (a NON SLR but, larger than my pocket cam) and get the following shots:

We spent quite a bit of time there to the point where I wondered if Ken was thinking we were never coming back ! I am sure he could hear our screams and giggles as we were both truly ecstatic with the jubilation of being there. We took many pictures while there as the light seemed to improve with the sun going behind the steep ridge above the falls with every passing minute. Looking down the river you see another small falls that empties into what I call the ‘L’ which is where the river turns sharply left underneath a tall vertical cliff on the other side of the chasm. It is the top of that cliff where the only good unobstructed view of these falls resides. I was able to see where I made my mistake earlier and knew that we would be able to stand upon it as soon as we got back to the top. There is also a huge ledge just below that overlook that was another dream of mine to stand upon. That would be our next task but, first we had to get back out of the gorge and climb back up the chasm. This would prove more difficult than the climb down.

Going back up the rope was the easy part. After untying and packing it up we would then have to get down off the rock spine and back into the gut of the chasm. With no hand or toe holds this was tricky and I almost considered climbing up the growth covered spine but, wanted to at least try going back up the less obstructed way of the chasm first. We managed to get down off the rocky spine and begin the steep and very slippery climb out of this gorge. It reminded me much of a scene from the Survival Alaska reality tv series with a raging river below us, and ice covered cliff beside us and having just used a rope to get to where we just were. It was slicker going back up due to the missing debris we had bulldozed off it on the way down and it was then that the sheer steepness of this climb came to life. Without the downed tree I am sure we could not have climbed out without a rope on that section. After much grunting and gaining a few steps at a time only to slide back down a step or two every other time, we eventually managed to get back to near the top of the chasm where the rock turns to vegetation and you can get better traction to finish the climb back up to the rock cliff where Ken was waiting patiently for us. I had to stop a couple times to catch my breath and let my heartbeat slow down. I am not sure it was all from the strenuous climb or perhaps partly from the exhilaration of having just accomplished my quest.

I required a break after all of that to not only catch my breath but, to also reflect on what we had just completed. Ken provided me with some flavored water which was a much appreciated reward. It was not long before my thoughts turned to getting over to the cliff overlook so that Ken could actually see the falls in their entirety and so that hopefully John and I could find a way down to the exposed rock ledge for the ultimate view from that angle. Now that I had my bearings on which way to go and had a landmark pine tree to shoot for that we could see from about everywhere along this makeshift ninja trail, I led the way around the base of the vertical cliff we were standing beneath and quickly navigated us over to the other side of the chasm and down the steep slope to the overlook. Once there I knew it had to be the same place I had been before yet, there was something different about it as it seemed less obstructed last time. I eventually figured out that there had been a fallen tree since that trip that has pushed down some laurels which are now in the way. Of course this would not matter as it was just a few minutes before John located a slide channel trail that led directly down to the exposed rock ledge.

Ken finally joined us at the cliff overlook and within minutes would find himself alone there hearing our shouts and screams to him to come down and join us on the ledge. He soon joined us there and a second dream of mine was checked off the list. The view of the falls, the L, the chasm, everything, could be seen without obstruction from this amazing vantage point. We spent a long time here soaking it all in. Such an incredible place to be with views that not many get to see.

Like so many of the unique places that we are privileged to see, it is always so hard to make yourself leave but, with the sun setting quickly knowing we had a steep climb out of the gorge yet to do, we pried our butts off the ledge and made our way back up to the ninja trail. On my previous trip to this point, my friend Dave Aldridge and I had continued on to another rock spine overlook that sits super high up directly above the top of Compression Falls. On that trip we had ascended up from there maneuvering  in and around the several rock cliff formations on our way back to the top to reach our vehicle to make a nice loop. On this trip I was hoping we could instead continue farther on the ninja trail and find a safe way down to somehow strategically come out right at the base of the falls if at all possible.

We could hear the loud roar of the massive Compression Falls way down below us as these are in my opinion the ‘Niagra Falls’ of our area and it added to the already high level of enthusiasm and adrenaline that was already flowing. As soon as I mentioned wanting to find a way down to those falls, John was off like a fox in pursuit of a rabbit and the next thing I heard was hollering below us telling us to come that way that it looked like it was doable and something about seeing trash. Ken and I proceeded down into the newly found hollow descending steeply down between some rather large rock cliffs following John`s tracks beneath them going back and forth as we lost elevation quickly. Within a few minutes I could see the river below and John already standing on a large rock taking pics of the falls as we had came out precisely at the base.

We soon joined him there and I was amazed what an awesome route we had taken and happy to be right at the falls not having to go up river at all (eliminating any backtracking) . It was perfect ! We had just enough time to get some pictures including a group shot before continuing on the main trail that leads down river to the exit point which would mean climbing one of the steepest trails around these parts. It was too cold and icy to be able to get far enough to the right to obtain a full shot of the falls as the left side is obscured slightly by the rocky escarpment. This normally requires a combination of rock hopping, wading, or swimming.

We met only one couple who had just came down the access trail from above as they made their way to the falls. We took our last photos of the falls from a distance and then began the dreaded climb out of the gorge to the trail head above.

My knees were hurting at this point and having been too exited to take time to eat anything all day I was lacking in the needed energy to make this climb any easier. I ate some power snacks and started the climb. Ken had already went first and like a mountain goat he soon disappeared from sight way above me. John kept my pace for awhile but, eventually passed me as well in order to get some pics looking down as it is always better for scale if there is someone in them. This was fine for me as I would also be able to get some scale in my shots looking up as it is almost impossible to show steepness in pictures but, in this case it would appear obvious.

I had to rest many times before reaching the top where the power lines come across and I was very happy when I finally made it to that point as it is much easier from there. I was even happier to see the jeep and that we had made it there before dark. We watched the sun set as we drove out. It had been a most incredible day in Nature with friends and two of my remaining dreams being fulfilled. I know I will be doing this same trip again soon to show some of my closest extreme hiker type friends these awe inspiring places but, for now I had food on my mind. Until next time,,,,,