Whitehouse Mountain Cliffs – 12-13-2013
Somehow after last weeks hike up to Long Branch Falls after first stopping to look at Whitehouse Mountain Cliffs from the high road, I knew that I would soon be making another trip to the cliffs. I was planning on taking my friend Sam Kilby up there but I never dreamed that my friend Dave Aldridge would want to come along. It was a cold morning but the sun was shining brightly as Sam, Dave, Bol’Dar and myself began the hike into Rocky Fork. We stopped to take the obligatory pics of the triple falls and the cliffs that sit along the opposite side of Whitehouse Mountain Cliffs before taking the little known trail that leads to the gap behind Whitehouse Mountain.
Looking off of the left side of Whitehouse Mountain Cliffs to the cliffs on the opposite side and Rocky Fork below
After a much needed rest and snack break at the gap, it is uphill on an unmarked bushwhack trail that leads to the red boundary trail above which follows the incredibly steep spine of the ridge to the summit of Whitehouse Mountain. Dave did well on this climb and the view from the summit is well worth it.
Climbing up the steep boundary trail
Looking back down the boundary trail (Find Dave)
View from the summit of Whitehouse Mtn. Looking out over Rocky Fork towards Snakeden Ridge and Coldspring Mtn. The AT is on top of the profile seen in the skyline.
Flint Mtn and Flint Gap
Flint Mtn
View looking towards Spivey Gap, FLattop Mtn., and No Business Knob
The descent from the summit down to the top of the cliffs is steep and there is no trail. It`s one of those slow going ‘path of least resistance’ things until you get there. Once there it can be a dangerous place to be and is not for the inexperienced hiker. I personally love this place and the views are outstanding.
Looking down from the summit at the steep descent that leads to the cliff tops below
Dave and Bol’Dar on the steep descent down to the cliffs
Looking over at Big Bald and more of the AT profile on the way down the steep descent
There are some drop offs to negotiate before reaching the real cliffs
Making our way down the huge drop offs to get to the top of the cliffs
Bol’Dar and Sam, almost there,,,
Bol’Dar and Sam standing atop the last drop off before the edge of the actual cliff tops
Dave, Sam, and RAT hanging out on the cliffs
There is what I call the ‘shrine rock’ which has the ‘Dragon’s Tooth’ rock at the edge of it which is very unique and has always fascinated me. Just below it there is an overhanging rock on the top edge of the center cliff column and I always sit on this even knowing there is air under it however, after standing at the base of the cliffs and seeing just how much air and all the cracked rocks that support it, I don`t know if I will do that again !
Looking down on the Dragons Tooth Shrine Rock that sits on the edge of the cliffs
Sam and Bol’Dar checking out the Shrine Rock
Close up of the Shrine Rock aka Dragon’s Tooth
Looking beyond the shrine rock to the overhanging rock below that is the very edge of this part of the cliffs. I sit on that rock, or at least I used to !
Looking farther to the right of the shrine rock over to the separate cliff across ‘the crack’ which is the outermost cliff on the right side of the whitehouse mtn cliffs which is the side you see from the high road
View of Rocky Fork from the cliffs
View of Rocky Fork from the cliffs
Looking over at the overhanging rock I like to sit on
Gnarly Ents that live on the steep slope of Whitehouse Mountain beside the cliffs
Looking back farther up the steep slope of Whitehouse Mountain from the cliff top
Dave hanging out with the older Ents that guard over the cliffs
Weathered wood near the edge of the cliffs
Another shot of the awesome Ents that live on the steep slope of Whitehouse Mountain near the cliffs
Looking across ‘the crack’ to the cliff on the far right side that towers high above Rocky Fork
One last shot of the Shrine rock (Dragon’s Tooth) and the overhanging rock below it
Looking past the Dragon’s Tooth rock to the cliffs on the opposite side of Rocky Fork
Zoomed view of the cliffs across the way Whitehouse Mountain cliffs (I am planning a trip soon to stand on top of those cliffs soon)
Sitting on the edge of the main cliff just below the ‘shrine-rock’
Life on the edge
Looking across the crack to the cliff on the far right hand side of the cliffs. Notice the Monkeyhead or Egyptian head or whatever you want to call it. It is the whitest rock on all the cliffs
RAT standing on the overhanging rock on the edge of the main cliff
RAT relaxing on the ‘shrine-rock’ leaning against the ‘dragon`s tooth’ rock
RAT sitting on the overhanging rock of the cliff`s edge below the ‘shrine-rock’
View from the main cliff, looking over top the last cliff on far right hand side over the Rocky Fork area with Coldspring Mtn in the background
Looking down from the rock I was sitting on
Large crack that runs through the ‘shrine-rock’ seen from standing below it
View of the cliff on the far right hand side with Flint Mtn Cliffs and Flint Gap in the background
Looking down from my perch, over the huge crack between the main cliff and the last one on the far right hand side
close up of the head
View across the gap of the last cliff on the far right hand side of the cliffs
Some of the many rocks on the cliff tops
Amazing view of Rocky Fork as seen from the cliffs
Amazing view from the cliffs. Flint Gap on left, Coldspring Mtn in middle and ridge leading to Wilson Knob on right.
Not a good picture but if you look close you can see the high road in the trees there and if you look farther out you can see Buzzard Rock on the far distance
Zoomed view of Buzzard Rock
We hung out there for quite a while as it is one of those cool places that you just hate to leave but, eventually a decision had to be made, either climb back up the way we came down or, descend down the cliffs and back to the road in Rocky Fork. That sounds easy but, the route down the cliffs and then down to the road is extreme to say the least. It is VERY dangerous and incredibly steep and a lot of care has to be taken to find the safest route which we had done only one time before. I fully expected Dave to decline any offers of going down the cliffs and choose going back the way we had came but, to my surprise he agreed to go down the cliffs with us ! I was flattered by his trust in us. Although he says he does not regret it, at the time I bet he was thinking otherwise ! The descent begins first by crawling under an overhanging rock on a very narrow ledge and then hugging the base of the cliff above you on a very slanted grassy edge to reach the next level spot over. From this spot you can get a side view of the cliffs you were just on and begin to see just how high these monoliths of stone really are. it was there that we came across some red straps on a dead tree that looks like someone had actually been rappelling here. This was hard to believe and I also had to wonder why they left the straps.
As we were standing on the edge of the cliffs discussing which way to go, Dave said, “Let me guess, the way down is under that overhanging rock there?” . He was speaking of the rock seen in the distance of this pic to which I replied, “Yep” !
You can see Little Bald (top of my AT section) in the distance above the overhanging rock we were about to crawl under
Crawling under the rock on the narrow ledge just wide enough to stand on right on the edge of the cliffs (this is not for the squeamish)
Sam just after crawling under the overhanging rock, making his way along the narrow ledge on the edge of the cliffs. A foot or two to his right is a LONG way down !
Dave and Bol’Dar carefully traversing across the cliffs
One mistake or stumble here would lead to certain death
It is easily over a couple hundred feet vertical from here
Dave making his way carefully across the top of the cliffs. RAT already on the next cliff where the red strap is, taking pics.
Two large gnarly Ents that guard the top of the cliffs
Red rappelling straps we found above the cliff on the far left hand side
From looking down from the top of the cliffs, it appears that there are some level places at the base of them but, this is an illusion. There is nothing level anywhere there ! From the red straps, you have to climb up to a higher level to get to a safer ledge to continue traversing across the cliffs in order to reach the rocky ravine and woody ridge on the other side which is the only way down.
Looking down from the cliffs on the far left hand side. Nice view of the cliffs across the way. These are the ones you walk under on the Rocky Fork road
walking out onto the cliff on the far left hand side of the cliffs, looking towards the nearby ridge and Little Bald off in the distance
view from the last cliff on far left hand side looking towards the head of Rocky Fork. You can see Big Bald and Little Bald in the far distance
Sam, Dave, and RAT chillin` on the cliffs, halfway across,,
Dave and Sam going across the cliff edge on the far left hand side of the cliffs. This is not for inexperienced or squeamish hikers
At this point there is another drop off that is unsafe which requires moving up to a slightly higher level in order to continue across the cliffs to reach the ridge. I am already on the higher level where I took this pic from
As you can see the slope is a bit too steep to cross so one has to climb up a click to continue across safely
On each side of the cliffs is a large boulder garden and we had to cross the one on the left side (left side from looking off the cliffs) to reach the steep, tree covered ridge on the other side. You can go down the rocky area but I prefer the more solid ground of the ridge. It is all unbelievably steep so each step must be placed carefully to avoid twisting an ankle or breaking a leg as this would not be a good place to get hurt due to its extreme inaccessibility. Making our way ever so slowly guiding Dave across the ledges, across the boulders and down the wooded ridge, we stopped when we were parallel to the base of the cliffs so Dave could rest. Bol’Dar and I decided we would finish our quest to stand beneath all the cliffs as our last trip here was cut short due to actions by someone who was with us at the time. Sam stayed with Dave while we made our way across the boulders to the overgrown, slanted area that would lead us to the base of these mighty monoliths of stone.
crossing the massive boulder garden
The huge boulder garden
Looking up at some of what we just came across the top of
Looking up at the cliffs
Making our way across the bottom of the cliffs
Looking up as we go
Bol’Dar taking pics from the base of the cliffs
From the base of the cliffs (yes that is the overhanging rock I was standing on earlier !)
It is impossible to get all the cliff in one shot, so I took three,,, here is the bottom,,
This is the center section,,,,
the top,,,
continue along the base of the mighty cliffs
Bol’Dar finding the best way along the base of the cliffs
Almost made it under the main cliff
Looking up at the rock I was sitting on earlier ! I knew there was air under it but had no idea there was air under the air under the air !!!
There was a couple of gnarly spots but we soon found ourselves standing right below the main cliffs staring up at the very rocks I had previously been sitting on and we were in awe.
Looking up at the overhanging rock I ‘used’ to sit on !!
Overhanging rock and you can now see the huge crack and cliff on the far side of the cliffs
Standing directly under the overhanging rock on the main cliff
Looking up from underneath the main cliff
Can you see the indian face ?
Looking up in awe
Burned tree that sits in front of the crack between the main cliff and the cliff on the far right hand side (now is our left) Obviously hit by lightning as there is no other signs of anything else that has been burned
THE Crack
Bol’Dar stands in THE Crack !
Bol”Dar in THE Crack with the overhanging rock directly above
RAT standing at the base of ‘the crack’
Looking at the indian head rock (you DO see the Indian in head dress right ? )
As you can see it is not level at the base of the cliffs !
last shot before making ourselves leave
From the route we had taken we could not get over to the last and main cliff on the far right side of the cliffs (or left if you are standing at base facing them) which is across the big crack which separates that cliff from the rest, but we did manage to get to the crack and climb right up into it. This was quite awesome in itself. If we had more time we could have went on a lower track and got to the other side of the cliffs but since Dave and Sam were waiting on us and we had been there for what seemed like a very long time, we knew we needed to get back.
From the level we were on we could not reach the far side of the cliffs and it was time to go back anyway. Until we meet again cliffs,,
Looking down from the base of the cliffs. (yeah the road is down there) As you can see it is NOT level and its like looking off another cliff !!
We took a slightly lower route going back to avoid the trouble spots we encountered going in, and we heard Dave down below us as they had decided to go ahead and start making their way down the steep boulder field and they hollered to let me know they had my jacket that I had left where they stayed behind so we would not have to go back to that point. We soon caught up with Dave but Sam was already way down below us and hard to spot in his all black gear ! I did not know who had my jacket and I did not think about it until we finally reached the road which seemed like forever to get to, but then it was not in Dave’s pack ! Seems it had fallen out on the way down. Not knowing how far back it was and being very tired with aching knees, I left it and decided I would come back and get it later. Dave felt bad and wanted to buy me a new one but, that could not replace the sentimental value as that coat had been so many places with me over the years so I would definitely be coming back for it as soon as I could. I dreaded that trip knowing I would be going up the way we had just came down and it would be a killer and very rough climb but would be a good excuse to come back to the cliffs.
Going back on a slightly lower level. You can see there is no level ground anywhere here
Bol’Dar making his way back below the cliffs on a slightly lower route than we had taken in
There is still a good view even from the base of the cliffs. This is looking towards the AT between Sam`s Gap and almost Big Bald
Dave coming down the ridge beside the boulder garden. it was about here where he lost my jacket ! You can see the cliffs in the background
a camera can not do justice to how steep this really is
It was still a ways down to reach the road and you can tell it is super steep
Looking back the way we had came
You can barely see the cliffs through the trees
It was exactly 4:20 pm when I reached the road so we had plenty of time and daylight left to walk out the short ways to the vehicles. Of course I had to stop for a minute to get some pics of the awesome triple falls on Rocky Fork Creek on the way out:
Small triple falls on Rocky Fork Creek
triple falls on Rocky Fork Creek
triple falls on Rocky Fork Creek
triple falls on Rocky Fork Creek
triple falls on Rocky Fork Creek
Ice Arches
I was riding with Dave so we took the long way out around Edwards Branch and went down by way of Big Branch where we stopped long enough to get a shot of Big Branch Falls on the way home.
Big Branch Falls
Big Branch Falls
It had been an awesome day in the woods and the cliffs are always amazing especially when I get to go down them and I was happy that Dave had chosen to go do so and made it down without any mishaps. I usually am always excited when I go to the mountains but, I was actually dreading the trip I would have to make back here to go the reverse direction to retrieve my jacket.
To see the complete collection of pics from these cliffs, please visit our Photo Gallery here.
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.
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