HENSON FANTASY
If
you got here by Googling “Muppet Porn”, you are in the wrong place.
In
October, 2012 Brenda and I attempted a rugged, off-trail loop hike in Linville
Gorge combining Henson Creek Canyon, the Westface
Route, and Fantasy Creek. We descended
the spectacular Henson Creek Canyon, but it took longer than we expected. After reaching Ledge Point and the two
waterfalls on Henson Creek it was mid-afternoon. We still hadn’t reached the river, so we
decided to retreat rather than to attempt to finish the loop.
For
some reason it took me more than 3 years to make another attempt. This time, two friends from Team Waterfall,
Thomas and Kitty, decided to join me. I
drove up to Linville Gorge on Friday afternoon, as I was eager to camp up on
Sitting Bear Mountain. Thomas and Kitty
had originally planned to join me, but due to some miscommunication they ended
up camping near the Hawksbill Trailhead with Bob Underwood. I enjoyed a quiet evening with a nice fire
and some cold beers in a great campsite.
The
next morning I hiked back down to the Halfway
Trailhead and drove over to the Hawksbill Trailhead. There is an extensive camping area behind the
parking lot, and I found Thomas, Kitty, and Bob there working on their morning
coffee. It was great to finally meet
Bob, a true Linville Gorge legend!
Thomas
and Kitty had attempted to sleep in their car, but that hadn’t gone well due to
frequent traffic on Table Rock Road and general discomfort. We finally got going after 10am. We all met back up at the Mountain Park
Circle / Brushy Ridge Trailhead to start the hike. Bob accompanied us a short distance before
heading back. Later he would meet up
with Lonnie Crotts for the hike across Gingercake and Sitting Bear mountains.
We
took the short cut past Allen Hyde’s house down to Henson Creek. There we joined the Red Trail briefly, before
locating the junction with the route down into Henson Creek Canyon. After a short approach we spotted the first
large, overhanging cliff ahead. There is
a campsite here, and what appears to be rock art (?) on one of the walls.
Beyond
that cliff, we crossed the creek to reach the brink of the first
waterfall. At the falls the creek enters
the canyon proper. We crossed back to
the River Left side to descend. Some
scrambling brought us to the base of the upper drop and then the bottom of the
full waterfall. The waterfall has two
tiers, each totaling about 15’. There is
a brief shelf between them that provides a nice view of the upper drop.
From
there we continued down the canyon, scrambling over rocks of all shapes and
sizes. Fortunately
it was dry, and the rocks weren’t particularly slippery. We passed under a thrilling, overhanging
cliff and crossed the creek a couple of times.
A bit farther on we found ourselves on a narrow ledge, once again on the
south side of the stream. We missed a
turn along here, but that worked out ok.
A few minutes of extra hiking along the base of the cliffs brought us
out to Ledge Point, which features great views down Linville Gorge and of
Avatar’s Rib on Babel Tower directly across the river.
After
a break there we doubled-back until we found a route down to the creek. This turn is easy to miss and is probably the
crux of the whole route. Some
bushwhacking and scrambling brought us back to creek level. From there, some hardcore scrambling was
necessary to continue down underneath another immense, overhanging wall. This brought us to the lower waterfall in
Henson Creek Canyon. This cascade is
smaller than the upper falls, but in an exceptionally beautiful setting. It tumbles into a grotto formed by a massive
cliff.
From
there, we continued scrambling and rock hopping downstream. A short distance above the river I scouted
another ledge that is parallel but below Ledge Point. It may be possible to get down to the river
from there, but I don’t think that is the best way. Instead we followed the creek a bit
farther. A few minutes later we reached
the overhung campsite that is situated just above the confluence of Henson
Creek and the Linville River. From there
we followed a beaten path down to the river.
We had a late lunch there in the shadow of Babel Tower before resuming
the hike.
From
the river we climbed back up to the overhung campsite and then climbed along
the base of the Westface cliffs. We followed faint trail along here, generally
staying close to the wall. We explored
several small fissure caves along here, too.
Eventually the climb eased, and several minor ups and downs brought us
to a junction. Westface
Rock, which marks the end of Midcliff Ridge and the
Futuristic Wall, towered above us. We
considered heading down here into the Rockgarden to
look for the caves. Instead, we decided
to climb up for a better look at Westface Rock.
We
reached the very base of the rock and the beginning of the gully that leads to
the top of it. We couldn’t resist the
temptation to climb it, so we began scrambling uphill. The climb was steep, and the dry pine needles
added to the challenge. We eventually reached a little saddle at the head of
the gully. From here, it is easy to
reach the top of the rock fin on either side of the gully. We headed for the south fin first. This narrow spine of rock has incredible
exposure. It is only a few feet wide,
and there are sheer, 100’+ drops off both sides.
I
was determined to reach the very end of Westface
Rock. At one point this required a short
but sketchy descent. I was extremely
careful here, as one slip could result in a long fall. Once down, a rock outcrop blocked the
way. I crawled under it and carefully
walked out to the very end of the rock.
From there I had a great view down the gorge. Directly across were the cliffs of Babel
Tower. Above were the higher cliffs of Midcliff Ridge and Windy Point.
Thomas
and Kitty caught up a few minutes later.
Shortly after, a group of hikers on Babel Tower spotted us and shouted
greetings. They were the only people we
saw all day, and I’m not sure that should count since they were on top of a
cliff on the far side of the river!
Leaving
Westface Rock was more sketchy
than accessing it. The spot we had
climbed down proved to be a significant obstacle due to a lack of
handholds. There was one rock on the far
left edge of the ridge that may have worked, but the exposure was extreme. Instead, we used a small pine tree growing at
the base of the climb to get up. That
was actually pretty easy, and much safer than trying to scramble it without any
protection.
Before
heading back down the gully we explored the fin to the north. This was easier and safer, and I actually
like the view more (particularly up the gorge).
The descent back down the gully was mostly a butt-sliding affair.
Once
back at the base of Westface Rock we had a decision
to make. To explore the Rockgarden and caves, we would have to descend most of the
way to Fantasy Creek and then return. It
was getting late, and we still had a long climb back out of the gorge ahead of
us. We decided to skip the caves but
return another time to explore them.
We
turned the corner at the base of Westface Rock and
followed the base of the Futuristic Wall.
This wall is an immense, vertical cliff.
The hiking along here was actually fairly easy and exceptionally scenic. Before long we reached Fantasy Creek. Fantasy Creek is a small but fascinating stream. It’s water frequently disappears
underground. We followed it briefly,
before picking up a trail on the far side.
This faint path actually has a couple of switchbacks! We lost the trail at one point, but regained
it after thrashing around in the bushes.
After a bit more climbing we reached a more defined trail. We headed south on it to visit Windy
Point. From there we enjoyed one final
view. It offers a great vantage of Westface Rock, where we’d been an hour or so before.
From
there it was a fairly easy hike up to the Lower Cross Trail. I made one navigation error though, as I led
us up the MidCliff Trail to connect with the Red
Trail. That section of the MidCliff Trail is horribly overgrown, and going that way
added an unnecessary climb and descent.
The map I was using doesn’t show the northern connection of the Lower
Cross and Red Trails. They do rejoin
though, not far south of Henson Creek. I
realized my error when we reached that junction.
The
final climb out of the gorge was slow and grueling. We met back up with Bob at the
trailhead. He was eager to hear all
about our trip. At had been a total
success, with the exception of missing out on the Fantasy Creek caves. We’ll save them for next time.
For
my next big Linville Gorge adventure I want to combine the Devil’s Hole Trail,
the LGT, the Spence Ridge Trail, the Ledge Trail and Hawksbill in a single
loop. That one might be good for this
summer or early fall, since it will require two river crossings.
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