NEARLY LOST YOU

(or, the Crack of Doom)

Suddenly I found myself sliding backwards, towards the abyss. The surface was mostly smooth rock, littered with dirt and tiny pebbles. I threw myself flat against the rock and dug in with my fingers and toes. I probably should’ve called out for help, but I was too scared to shout. In fact, I think I was too scared to breathe.

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We had enjoyed a splendid hike up to that point. We’d hit most of the highlights of the Horsepasture River – Drift Falls, Turtleback Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Stairstep Falls. From there, a long hike on old roads brought us out just upstream from Windy Falls. A moderate bushwhack and a steep descent delivered us onto a massive rock face at the brink of the first big drop. From there, we were treated to a spectacular view down the gorge. We followed the rock steeply downhill. It was a bit sketchy, but the rock was dry, and we were cautious. Near the end, we reached the edge of the abyss. There was a 2’ wide vertical fissure between us and the best views. Fortunately, it was easy to hop across to access the far end of the cliffs.

The rock ends abruptly at the brink of the first major drop of Windy Falls. Upstream, the river races under a house-sized boulder before squeezing through a 2’ wide rock channel. It then turns a corner before tumbling and plunging 150’ or so into a pool encircled by cliffs. Our perch gave us a great view, both upstream and down. Farther downstream, Narrow Rock Ridge towered over the river, and the brink of the next waterfall was just visible. While we were eating lunch, someone spotted a black bear at the edge of the pool directly below. We were only a couple of hundred feet away, but he had no idea we were there.

After lunch we started the hike back. After only a few feet we reached the edge of the bottomless crack we had hopped over on the way down. Suddenly it looked much more dangerous. On the way down, the jump was easy because our landing spot was a little lower than the launching point. In fact, it had been effortless. Going back, we had to jump up, onto a steeply sloping rock face. It still wasn’t much, but to be on the safe side, I waited until everyone else had hopped across.

I had looked into the abyss on our way down. It was just wide enough to swallow a person, and pitch black. How deep did it go? Deep enough that a fall would almost certainly result in death, or a serious injury. At best, it would be extremely difficult to extract someone from it.

Five or six other hikers hopped across, until the only other person remaining was a young, athletic guy from Australia. He jumped across nonchalantly, landing flat footed, without any forward momentum. Suddenly he began sliding backwards, towards the abyss. Without thinking, I leapt across and shoved him forward. That was enough to propel him out of danger. However, when I gave him that push, it caused me to start sliding backwards. There wasn’t anybody behind me to help.

I threw myself flat against the rock and dug in with my fingers and toes. Luckily, that created enough friction that I stopped sliding. My lower body was in the chasm, but I was able to get just enough finger and toe holds to slowly crawl out. After crawling a few feet, the grade eased and I was able to get on my feet. The entire group was ahead of me, hiking up the rock face. None of them had any idea that I had been in mortal danger. When I caught up with them, they were obviously puzzled as to why I looked so flustered. The guy I had “saved” was incredibly calm. Somehow, he had failed to recognize the danger he had been in.

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Back in the late ‘90’s the Sierra Club was heavily involved in a proposal to save the Jocassee Gorges from development. Their strategy was to publicize the area to the general public, to increase support for a new state park. At the time, I occasionally led hikes for the group. So, I volunteered to lead a series of hikes in the gorges to raise awareness for the proposed park. The last of those hikes had included that near-disaster at Windy Falls. The good news is that the Sierra Club’s strategy was effective. Part of the area became Gorges State Park, while the remainder was purchased by the State of North Carolina as a game land.

I returned to Windy Falls in March of 2003 with a few friends. On that trip, I hoped to find a way down from that huge rock face, to the base of the first big drop. I wanted to get down to where we’d seen the bear! On that visit, we made it out onto the massive rock face, but stayed well clear of the “Crack of Doom”. From there, Bob and I had searched for a route down. Initially we were thwarted, but we eventually found a way. It was steep, wet, and horribly overgrown, and at one point we used a rope to help us down. We eventually reached a rock ledge adjacent to the bottom of the falls, 40’ above the plunge pool. We didn’t see any way to proceed from there, but I was satisfied – we were in a place that few humans had ever visited, looking at the base of the biggest drop of Windy Falls.

I managed to see most of the rest of Windy Falls on separate trips. I’ve visited Narrow Rock Ridge twice. From that lofty perch, you can see most of Windy Falls, including the massive rock face previously described. The view is a distant one though. Once, Christy and I followed the river upstream from Auger Hole Road. A tough hike led past “Standing Up Rock Falls” to “Roostertail Falls”, which is just below a large island that is clearly shown on the topo map. An incredibly difficult scramble, featuring a sketchy crossing of one of the channels of the Horsepasture River at the brink of “Roostertail Falls”, brought us onto the island. From there, we were able to hike all the way to the island’s upstream end. At that point, the next waterfall was visible a short distance upstream. Unfortunately, we were stuck. Further progress would’ve required wading the river, and the water was too high to cross safely. Even if we had crossed, both sides of the gorge featured sheer cliffs. I didn’t see any way to continue without rock climbing. Plus, we were completely worn out. To this day, I think it was the hardest hike I’ve ever done.

So, I’ve always wondered how much of Windy Falls had eluded me. From studying Google Earth, it looked like there were 2 or 3 additional waterfalls between the base of the first big drop and the island. For years I wanted to go back and explore that stretch of river. Approaching from downstream seemed virtually impossible, so I would have to repeat the route Bob and I had taken from the top down. That route is difficult and dangerous, too. Maybe that’s why it took me 11 years to give it another try.

SPIDERMAN AND FRIENDS

Last Saturday Brenda, Bob J, and Billy decided to join me for another visit to Windy Falls. I was thrilled that Bob was coming. We hadn’t hiked together since he had hip replacement surgery over a year earlier. Plus, he had been with me on my last visit. Brenda had always wanted to visit Windy Falls, and I was able to talk her into coming. Somehow, my story about the “Crack of Doom” failed to scare her off. Billy was a friend of Bob’s that I had met two years earlier in Colorado. Billy works in the summer at Rocky Mountain National Park as a volunteer ranger. Billy had treated us to dinner one night after we’d been hiking in the park. During dinner, we began talking about Gorges State Park, and Billy asked if we had ever hiked to Windy Falls. It had been on his to-do list forever, but he had never found the way there. We told him that we had, and that we planned to return there sometime soon. Luckily, Billy was able to join us for this adventure.

We all met at the new Gorges State Park Visitor’s Center Saturday morning. We then drove over to the Rainbow Falls Trailhead. It was early enough (10am) that it was still quiet there, though all of the backcountry campsites were occupied. I leashed the dogs, and we headed down the trail towards Rainbow Falls. Before long we took the fork to the left, towards the backcountry campsites. A few minutes later we rejoined Grassy Ridge Road / Chestnut Mountain Road. This road is normally gated, but it was open during our visit – probably because it was hunting season.

I knew this hike was inherently dangerous, and I nearly left the dogs at home. That would’ve been the wise choice, but I eventually caved. The dogs hate being left behind.

The fall color was spectacular up near the Visitor’s Center and the trailhead. However, it diminished somewhat as we descended. There was some good color near the river, but Narrow Rock Ridge was still mostly green. Peak color is still a week or two away at the lower elevations closer to Lake Jocassee.

We followed Grassy Ridge Road / Chestnut Mountain Road for a few minutes before reaching an old road on the right. We followed it a short distance before passing a large boulder in the middle of the trail. Beyond, the roadbed was littered with fallen trees. We skirted them, and descended to a junction with another old road. This junction is easy to miss on the return, but the other road also comes out on Grassy Ridge Road / Chestnut Mountain Road, farther down the mountain.

After a short distance we reached two cairns marking the turn onto a Bernie Boyer trail to Sidepocket Falls. We made a note of it, as we were thinking about visiting Sidepocket after returning from Windy.

A gradual descent led to a steep descent, which ended at a campsite next to the river. It’s a great spot, immediately upstream from Windy Falls. There are two small waterfalls upstream from the campsite, too. The first is a 20’ cascade through a boulder garden, while the second is a pretty 15’ slide into a nice swimming hole. I’m not sure if these waterfalls are officially part of Windy Falls, but they don’t have independent names that I know of. I guess they could be considered the entrance cascades to Windy, since the biggest drops start a short distance downstream.

We regrouped at the campsite before following a beaten path through the woods downstream. After a few minutes we emerged onto a large rock. There is a huge sliding cascade immediately below this point. Farther downstream, a house-sized boulder is visible on the right, and the massive rock face containing the “Crack of Doom” is on the left. This spot seems reasonably safe, as long as the rocks are dry. However, it was apparently the spot where a fatal accident occurred in 2008. There is a memorial here for James Karpinos: http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20080429/NEWS/804290322?p=1&tc=pg

Don’t go out here if the rocks are wet!

It was a bright, sunny day, which made for terrible conditions for photography. Shooting downstream was hopeless. Looking back upstream was better though, as there wasn’t much glare and there was nice fall color in that direction.

After a break, we began the real adventure. Our first goal was the massive rock face. It’s a dangerous spot, but the rock would be dry thanks to a week + of sunny weather. I was reasonably comfortable going there, as long as everyone was cautious and we stayed clear of the Crack of Doom.

I made my only navigational error of the day along here. It had been 11 years, and my memory was fuzzy. Initially I tried climbing above a big cliff. We couldn’t find a safe route down from there, so we backtracked and stumbled onto the correct route, which traverses the cliff about halfway up. From there, an obvious beaten path led all the way to the rock face. We worked our way out onto it carefully, descending to a point that was less steep. It was a comfortable spot for lunch, and it offered a great view. The upper cascades, the house-sized boulder, the narrow channel, the brink of the first big drop, the plunge pool at the base, the cliffs of the gorge, and Narrow Rock Ridge are all visible from here. I saw no need to go anywhere near the “Crack of Doom”. Incidentally, the massive rock face and the crack of doom are clearly visible on Google Earth.

We were eating lunch when Bob exclaimed, “Hey, there’s somebody down there!” He was pointing to the plunge pool 150’ below. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was indeed someone hiking down there. With a big pack, no less. Was he rock climbing, or canyoneering? The hiker was on the far side of the river. He strolled out onto a large boulder, and approached the edge of the river. The water roared 10’ below. Directly across from him was another boulder. This one looked like a fang, guarding the mouth of the lower gorge. It is a spire towering out of the water. We watched him, and wondered – was he thinking about trying to jump over to it? Landing on top of it would be impossible.

I decided that he couldn’t possibly be considering it. Then he leapt. He landed on the face of the fang-shaped boulder, bear hugging it. Wow! I was impressed. Was he a superhero? The penalty for failure would’ve been extreme. Almost all of the flow of the mighty Horsepasture was directly below, and he was just upstream from the brink of another waterfall.

He scrambled around the fang and disappeared briefly. Where did he go? I thought he might be changing his underwear. I certainly would have after a maneuver like that! He re-emerged in shallow water, at the base of the cliff on the east side of the river. He disappeared out of sight, and another hiker appeared. He actually saw us and waved. This one contemplated the same jump, before coming to his senses. He disappeared, before reappearing along the cliffs a few minutes later. My guess is that he waded the river a short distance downstream.

This raised a lot of questions. Most notably, where had they come from? They were where I hoped to get. As far as I knew, there was only one route between us, so I figured we might run into them. It’s not often that I’m overly eager to converse with other hikers in the backcountry, but this was a notable exception.

After lunch, I found the route down without any trouble. I guess my memory is better than I thought! I’m not providing a detailed description of the route down, because it is quite dangerous. Experienced hikers skilled at bushwhacking and scrambling off-trail can probably figure it out on their own. Hikers without those skills and experience are risking serious injury or death by continuing beyond this point. I will say that it is a hardcore bushwhack, and there is only one route that does not require full-blown rock climbing. As it is we crawled through mud, fallen trees, and vicious briars just to get to the scary part. There, we tied off a rope to assist with a slippery, steep descent. The rope was nice to have on the way down, and even more helpful on the way back up. The climb is so slippery, it helps to have something to pull on coming out. Oh, and at one point someone dislodged a large rock, which tumbled down the slope and hit Brenda in the leg. Helmets would be a good idea on this hike, too.

Once past the steep part we worked our way through a forest of devil’s walking stick and briars. We reached a massive boulder pile, and an overhanging cave. Spiderman and his friend were holed up in there. In fact, they were camping under the overhang. Spiderman’s name was actually Matt, and his friend was Evan. They were in their mid-30’s. Evan is an ER doctor at the hospital in Greer, SC. I always appreciate running into doctors in places like this. You never know when you might need one.

They were on day 3 of a 4 day backpacking trip. They had parked on Grassy Ridge Road / Chestnut Mountain Road and descended the same route we had followed. They’d spent Thursday night in the cave, and Friday night down at Lake Jocassee. Now they were on their return. And how had they reached the lake? They had followed the river the whole way. With backpacking gear. Holy crap! I didn’t think such a feat was possible. If that doesn’t blow your mind, get this – they did the whole thing barefoot.

They had done this trip multiple times over the years. Evan said that this one was tougher. Recent high water had left many of the boulders wet and slippery. Apparently slick rocks even affect superheroes. Evan mentioned that he might be getting too old for trips as dangerous as this. He had a wife and infant daughter at home. In the future, he might be inclined to dial it back a bit. I suggested Wintergreen Falls on the Toxaway. That one is hardcore, but relatively mild compared to hiking the entire length of Windy Falls.

I quizzed them on what was downstream. They told me that the next stretch was the hardest part. They call the next waterfall down the “Meat Grinder”. Evan described it as tricky. I’m thinking if they find it “tricky” I would consider it “impossible” or “suicidal”. He said that below the “Meat Grinder” is one more major waterfall, and then the island. So at least that confirmed what was in my personal terra incognita. And hey, I could see the brink of the Meat Grinder from where we were. The next waterfall I had seen years earlier from the upstream end of the island. So I think I can say that I’ve seen all of Windy Falls, more or less. At any rate, I’m going to go ahead and declare victory.

So, based on my first-hand knowledge, plus what I learned from Evan and Matt, Windy Falls includes the following, starting from upstream:

- 20’ cascade through a boulder garden

- 15’ sliding cascade

- A short stretch of nearly flat but fast moving water

- A big sliding cascade, followed by more cascades, the house-sized boulder, and the stretch where the river squeezes through a 2’ wide rock channel

- The big one – probably a 150’ drop, starting with a violent cascade and finishing with a nearly vertical plunge.

- A short stretch of nearly flat but fast moving water, with a curve to the right and then a sharp bend back to the left.

- The “Meat Grinder”

- Another big cascade (as seen on Google Earth)

- The unnamed waterfall upstream from the island

- A short stretch of nearly flat but fast moving water

- The island. Most of the river runs to the right, but there is a sizeable channel on the left, too.

- Sliding cascades at the lower end of the island

- “Roostertail Falls”

- More cascades and rapids

- “Standing Up Rock Falls”

Evan asked me not to publicize this area. They’d been coming here for years without seeing another person. I don’t think he has to worry though. A certain level of insanity is required to even attempt reaching this point. And most insane people don’t have the necessary motivation. I don’t think they need to worry about flocks of tourists crowding them out.

Getting down to their cave required a bit more scrambling. That led to a rock ledge adjacent to the base of the falls. It’s about 40’ above the plunge pool, and offers a fantastic view. Evan said that the pool is an incredible but dangerous swimming hole. He said he’d heard that it was 30’ deep, and that some of the flow of the river actually goes underground before emerging a short distance downstream. Getting from their cave to the plunge pool requires scrambling down through another cave. I believe this is the route that Mountain Wizard calls “the keyhole”. I didn’t get a look at the route, but Brenda eyeballed it. She said that it would require chimneying down into the cave, and then scrambling across irregular boulders with some exposure. She didn’t seem very enthusiastic about attempting it.

Boone and Kona couldn’t make the final scramble down to the upper cave. Instead, they parked themselves on a boulder and barked non-stop. I was pretty sure that Evan and Matt hadn’t come here to listen to dogs barking, so I climbed back up and waited with them. Once I returned, they calmed down.

We eventually headed back up by the same route. The climb out wasn’t any worse than the descent. The biggest challenge was pulling the wet, muddy rope back up as I climbed. I think I managed to snag it on every root, rock, and tree. We returned to the campsite upstream from the brink around 4pm. Over 4+ hours, we traveled approximately ½ a mile! And 0.4 of that distance was the round trip from the campsite to our lunch spot. So, we spent several hours to go only a few hundred feet.

The light had been terrible for photos earlier, but by late afternoon it was nice at the upper cascades. We took more photos before hiking out. We were running late, so we skipped the side trip to Sidepocket Falls. I’ll have to save that one for another day.

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