Labor day weekend brought us another opportunity for an extended backpacking trip. Christy, Kevin, Saucony, and I headed for Jocassee in search of adventure and solitude.
We left Friday afternoon in a daring attempt to get to the trailhead in time to reach camp before dark. Hideous traffic on the so called "bypass" through Shelby set us back, but some aggressive driving helped us make up time. We arrived at the new Gorges State Park trailhead at 6:30. We hastily filled out the required permit and hit the trail. We had 3 1/2 miles to backpack in 90 minutes. Luckily though, it wasn't raining. The forecast was calling for rain in the afternoon and overnight, with improving conditions through the rest of the weekend.
We hiked a newly constructed trail to a new bridge over Frozen Creek. We then wound around the hillside and reached the gated Auger Hole Road. This road is a good access route, and is closed to traffic except during hunting season. I usually don't like hiking even dirt roads, but this one passes through such a nice area that it doesn't bother me.
We climbed up to the continental divide, and then began the long descent to the Toxaway River. We were moving along at a good pace, except for Saucony who was getting used to her new doggie pack. She wasn't too enthusiastic about wearing it, but it was nice not carrying her food.
We reached a ridge high above the Auger Hole gorge of the Toxaway River. From there the road plummeted down to the river. We reached the ford right at dusk. The water was pretty low, but not low enough. I switched to tevas and waded across. Christy, however, did an impressive job rock hopping while carrying a fully loaded pack. Kevin switched from tennis shoes to tevas and followed me. He was in tennis shoes because he had brought 2 left boots.
Once across we took a side trail to Bearwallow Fields. We set up camp in a great spot not far from Bearwallow Creek. We pitched the tents in the dark and went to work on dinner. Our pasta was nearly finished boiling when the stove toppled and dumped our dinner in a bed of pine needles. Luckily, Christy was able to salvage most of it. By the time we added the pesto, you almost didn't notice the occasional twig.
We went to bed early, and it rained steadily throughout the night. It was hard to get up Saturday morning. Eventually though I couldn't lie in the tent any longer. I got up and cooked eggs and hashbrowns in the drizzle. The worst of the rain had passed, but it was still damp and gray.
After breakfast Kevin headed out. He was going to visit some family near Greenville. Christy, Saucony, and I headed on. We had planned to search for some nearby waterfalls, but decided to pass. I had hoped to get to Auger Hole Falls on the Toxaway River, but it requires bushwhacking down a very steep slope. With the wet, muddy conditions, it would have been dangerous and hard on the hillside. We decided to save it for another day.
We continued west on the Auger Hole Road and forded Bearwallow Creek after a mile or so. We then began a long climb. After awhile, we heard the unmistakable sound of a vehicle. We quickly leashed Saucony and got out of the road. To our surprise, a State Park Ranger pulled up. He was quite friendly, but informed us that we had camped illegally. This came as a surprise to me, but then we hadn't had a chance to read the information board before the hike. I had camped at Bearwallow Fields before, but that was prior to the creation of the park. As it turns out, camping is only allowed along the Foothills Trail corridor. The park does have plans to create some walk-in campsites at the north end of the park near Grassy Ridge Road. However, the Ranger said that the Toxaway River area and Bearwallow Fields would probably remain closed to camping. It was disappointing to loose one of my favorite campsites. The Ranger gave us a warning ticket before leaving us to our journey.
We continued our climb, and reached a 4-way intersection with Grassy Ridge Road. We left the park and entered the new game lands, still on the Auger Hole Road. We hiked until we reached Bear Creek around lunch time. We thought about stopping, but our intended campsite was only a mile away. We hiked an old jeep road down along the creek. We reached a junction with the Foothills Trail rather quickly, and followed it down to the creek. We found a decent campsite near the stream. We set up camp and had lunch. It was kind of novel to reach camp by 12:30.
After lunch I decided to take an extra hike. I followed the Foothills Trail west towards the Horsepasture River. Along the way I passed a solo backpacker. He was the first hiker we had seen. I hiked several miles before beginning the steep descent into the Horsepasture Gorge. Towards the end I passed a bed of Oconee Bells before descending a slippery staircase to a bridge. I crossed to the far side of the river, and headed downstream. I had been here once before, and the area had been underwater. The lake was low now though, so the scene looked vastly different. There was a tiny campsite on the bank, and a faint path to the edge of the lake. I had a long break here before heading back.
On the way out I found a primitive path heading south on a ridge towards the lake. I followed it for awhile, but the route was rough and the foliage was soaking me. Plus, I was tired of walking through spider webs. I returned to the foothills trail, but then decided to create some variety. I hiked a steep, primitive path up to the Auger Hole Road. I looped back to Bear Creek and returned to camp. Unfortunately the skies opened up just before I made it back. I was drenched when I reached the tent. I was also less than thrilled to find that we had neighbors. A group with a paid guide had arrived shortly after I left. It was a big area, but they set up camp about 20 yards from our tent. Oh well, so much for solitude.
Luckily the rain stopped and we were able to escape from the tent. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards and relaxing. For dinner, Christy made her boboli pizzas, which (hopefully) made our neighbors jealous. For after-dinner entertainment, we got to watch them attempt to hang a bear bag. I'll admit it's not easy (actually it's nearly impossible to do it right) but that doesn't mean it can't be fun to watch. I think it should be a sport. Contestants could be judged on speed, technique, and results. We've got Olympic events that make less sense.
Sunday morning brought more gray skies. We broke camp and headed east on the Foothills Trail. We hiked up high above Bear Creek, which cascaded over a waterfall far below. I thought about trying to get a better look, but it looked like a jungle down there. I knew the creek was quite small, so I decided that it probably wouldn’t be worth the effort.
We turned away from the creek and hiked back into the State Park. The next few miles were rather easy, and Oconee Bells were everywhere. We passed a nice camping area along Cobb Creek. Later, we were descending Mill Creek towards the Lake when the skies opened up. We hastily donned rain jackets, but skipped the rain pants. This was a mistake, as our shorts and boots quickly became soaked. The trail turned into a small river, and we slopped through it on the way to camp. The rain finally let up when we reached Cane Brake. We could almost see the lake through the heavy fog. Then, we encountered the biggest challenge of the day. We had to descend a wooded staircase that was EXTREMELY slippery. We hung on the railings for dear life and worked our way down, one step at a time. Near the bottom was a sloped platform that was impossible to stand on. We actually had to sit and slide to reach the bridge.
Going across the swinging bridge was almost as exciting. It was also slippery, and swayed high above the raging Toxaway River. Luckily the rain eased, and we were granted the best view of the hike. We could see out over the lake, which was partly obscured by rising mist. Below us the river spilled into the lake. In a meadow by the river were a doe and fawn. Despite the miserable conditions I actually got the camera out to try to capture the moment.
We hiked a short distance farther to a favorite campsite beside Toxaway Creek. Unfortunately, the site was trashed. The fire ring was filled with cans, a cast iron skillet, and at least a case of empty generic root beer cans. We filled up a trash bag, but could barely move it. There was no way that we would be able to carry it out. We left it by the trail, in hopes that someone in a boat would come by and haul it out. That seemed appropriate, since that’s obviously how the trash got there in the first place. My experience with Lake Jocassee has been that the rednecks tend to stay in lower part of the lake. The water is deeper there and more suitable for power boats. It worries me that they seem to be expanding their territory.
It was still raining, and we had a decision to make. Christy, with a special brand of communication mastered by most females, indicated that she wanted to hike out without actually saying so. I knew it was 5 miles uphill, and I was already tired. I felt like the weather would clear and I wasn’t ready to head home yet. Lengthy negotiations ensued. I offered the promise of Mexican food for lunch on Monday, the use of some dry clothes, a second round draft pick, and a player to be named later. She agreed to stay. We set up the tent and spent the rest of the afternoon reading and listening to the raindrops on the fly.
The rain stopped eventually, and I went out to cook dinner. Chicken Creole warmed us up, and we were able to enjoy dinner without any rain. Another shower sent us to bed early though.
On Monday, I had hoped to explore up Toxaway Creek. I had attempted to get a view of the Great Falls of Toxaway Creek previously, with limited success. The need to ford the creek had turned me back in March, but I was hoping to get there this time. However, the creek was swollen from the heavy rain. I was disappointed, but I’ll have to save it for another time.
We hiked out on the old Cane Brake Road, now an official State Park trail. We hiked up the ridge dividing the Toxaway River and Toxaway Creek. The roar of both streams created quite a symphony to accompany our climb. After 20 minutes though we left the ridge. We hiked the old muddy road through heavy woods. Eventually we reached a trailer, which marked our return to civilization. We turned away from it, and followed the ridge north to the Auger Hole Road. We turned back east at the junction, and reached the parking area around noon. We dropped our permit off, and took a minute to read the information board, and the rules. We also took advantage of the port-a-john, which was truly outstanding. It was oversized, which made it much easier to change out of our wet clothes. Afterwards, it was on to Brevard and Mexican food.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!