WEEKEND WITH BERNIE
Recently
I heard from Bernie (by way of Brenda) about a planned dam release from Lake
Glenville (Thorpe Dam) on the West Fork of the Tuckaseegee
River. Duke Power started doing these
recreational releases in 2013 as a result of the most recent re-licensing of
the dam. The releases occur
a handful of times each year. Duke Power
has a schedule here: http://www.duke-energy.com/pdfs/WEST_FORK_Bypass_Releases_Flow_Calendar_2014.pdf
This
is exciting, because there are two major waterfalls on the West Fork of the Tuckaseegee River a short distance downstream from the
lake. Under “normal” conditions, there
is little to no water flowing over Onion Falls and High Falls. I was looking forward to seeing High Falls
with actual water.
The
release was scheduled to start at 10.
Since it is a 3 ½ drive from my house, I decided to drive up Friday
afternoon. Christy was out of town
Friday evening, so I had no reason to hang around there anyway. My initial plan was to car camp somewhere Friday
night. However, at the last minute, I
came up with a more creative idea.
The
Pinnacle above Sylva has been on my to-do list for several years. The area is part of the Sylva watershed, and
it used to be off-limits. However, a few
years ago the town opened up the entire area to hiking and even camping. The hike from the Fisher Creek Trailhead just
north of town to the summit of The Pinnacle is 3 ½ miles. I decided to hike up there and camp Friday
evening. That meant that I would need an
early start (and some fast hiking) on Saturday morning to be at High Falls
before 10am.
I
found the parking area empty at 5pm. I
filled out the required permit and dropped it in the box. The back of the permit features a trail map
that must’ve been the inspiration for the term “not worth the paper it is
printed on”. It would be impressive work
from a kindergartener. The rules on the
permit also indicated that camping is only allowed in designated
campsites. Although I allegedly passed
campsites 1, 2, and 3, I didn’t see any of them on the hike up. I did spot site 1 on the return hike. It’s just off the trail, but the sign and
site aren’t visible from the trail if you’re heading uphill. I have no idea where the other two are. It’s possible that I may have camped in site
3, but if so, the location of it on the map is way off.
The
hike was pretty grueling, as I climbed 2,000’.
The trail is an old, rocky road.
The first two miles are pretty blah, though there are a few
highlights. Early on Fisher Creek
provides pleasant company. A bit farther
on is Split Rock, which is impressive boulder with a jagged, vertical
crack.
After
a little over 2 miles I reached a major junction. A right turn here apparently leads to Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I turned left. Before long I crossed a small stream. This was the last water source, but I had
carried all of the water I needed. From
there, the trail was much prettier. It
still followed an old road, but it was narrower and in a lovely high-elevation
forest. Eventually I joined the ridge
connecting Pinnacle Bald with The Pinnacle.
There was quite a bit of Mountain Laurel in bloom, along with some Flame
Azalea.
I
camped on the summit of The Pinnacle.
The campsite is really just a wide spot in the trail, surrounded by
Mountain Laurel. There was the threat of
thunderstorms in the forecast, and camping on the top of a mountain probably
wasn’t a great idea. Those Mountain
Laurels provide only limited shelter!
Unfortunately, I had no other real options. The sky was mostly clear, so I decided to
risk camping there.
I
set up camp and followed the trail out to the cliffs just beyond the
summit. The view from here is
fantastic. It’s a 360 degree view, with
the best vistas stretching from the southeast to the southwest. Sylva is directly below. To the north, the view is interrupted by the
higher peaks of the Plott Balsams.
I
cooked and ate dinner there and waited for sunset. Sunset was a bit of a disappointment though,
mainly due to low clouds on the horizon.
I
slept well that night, and the weather cooperated. I got up at 5:30 on Saturday with high hopes
for sunrise. This time I was not
disappointed. Sunrise was preceded with
some fantastic color. Also, the Tuckaseegee River valley was completely lost under a sea of
fog. It looked like a vast ocean, with
mountain tops emerging from the froth like lost islands.
I
ate breakfast, had some coffee, and packed quickly. I was on the trail at 7:15, 15 minutes later
than planned. The race was on! I really wanted to get to High Falls before
the water arrived. I didn’t fool around
on the hike down, and reached the car at 8:30.
After a brief stop in Sylva, I drove highway 107 straight to Shoal Creek
Road, which is a mile or two north of Lake Glenville.
There
are actually two trails to the base of High Falls. One, built by Duke Power, is fairly new. It features a short but steep descent from
the dam. However, the other route, which
follows old roads, ends on the east side of the river. That vantage is better for photos.
I
wasn’t familiar with the trail, but I figured it out without much trouble. I drove down Shoal Creek Road a short
distance and saw several vehicles on the side of the road. One had a Smokies
license plate, and another had a Blue Ridge Parkway plate. I figured that must be the place. Just below the vehicles was a gated gravel
road heading downhill. It was 9:15, and
I really had no idea how long the hike would take me. I set an aggressive pace, following the road
down to Shoal Creek. After crossing the
bridge, I reached a fork. My instinct
was to head down and to the right, towards the river. However, after glancing at the map, I
realized that was wrong. The correct
route contoured around a ridge before gradually descending to the river farther
upstream.
Although
the water hadn’t arrived, there was a fair bit of water in the river. The dogs went straight in, which made me
nervous. That would be a raging torrent
in a few minutes, but they didn’t know that.
I called them, and we raced up the trail along the river.
I
arrived at the base of the falls at 9:50.
I met Brenda, Bernie, and John there, and spotted Kevin Adams, his wife
Patricia, and Paul Albert, too. There
were 40 or 50 other folks on the other side of the river, all eagerly
anticipating the arrival of the flood. I
found a decent spot and quickly set up the tripod. I wanted to get photos and video (with my
phone) at the beginning of the flood. I
did get a few shots before the water arrived.
Even at low water, High Falls is pretty.
While
we were waiting, we watched several folks on the far side of the river
wandering around in the dry river channel.
Apparently they were oblivious to the danger. Some folks on our side yelled warnings to
them, and they all cleared out by 10am.
I was a little concerned about the dogs, too, but they were tired from
our hike and content to sit by me.
Ultimately
we had a long wait. I had feared being
late, but it was Duke Power that was behind schedule. It was 10:20 before the water actually
arrived. It was intense! There was no warning, and I missed the
beginning of the event while I was chatting with John and keeping an eye on the
dogs. The waterfall went from a pretty
little trickle to a raging torrent. I
ended up having only a few seconds for photos before a wave of spray hit
me. After that, it was hopeless.
I
hiked back to the cars with Brenda, Bernie, John, and occasionally Kevin,
Patricia, and Paul. It was an easy hike,
except for the hordes of people we met on their way in. Most of them had dogs, too. That was a challenge for me, but we managed. We made one stop on the way back. Rough Run Falls cascades about 100’ on the
far side of the river. It’s on private
property, but there is a good view of it from a short side trail.
The
waterfall is also called Thurston Hatcher Falls. I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard
that this waterfall was named for the developer who put in the gated community
upstream from the falls. This seems like
a pretty lame name for a waterfall to me. I think I'll just call it "Rough
Run Falls" unless I think of something better. C. Thurston Howell Falls has a nice ring to
it. Maybe I’ll go with that.
We
eventually wiggled out of the giant traffic jam of parked cars on Shoal Creek
Road. From there, Brenda and I followed
Bernie and John over to the trailhead for Bernie’s Falls. They had agreed to give us a guided tour of a
waterfall they had discovered a few years earlier. The hike was about 5 miles (round trip). The walking was pretty easy, but the hike
required a lot of navigation. It would
be easy to get lost in there! Some of
the route is along grassy forest roads, which were full of ticks (and probably
snakes).
The
only challenge was the descent to the base of the falls. It starts with a steep drop. From there, we had to hike behind the falls
to avoid a cliff. This is a bit sketchy,
as it is narrow and slippery. A fall
from here would be ugly! Fortunately it
was worth the effort. Bernie’s Falls is spectacular.
It’s easily one of the prettiest waterfalls in North Carolina. Surprisingly, very few people know about
it. Thanks to Bernie and John for
sharing their discovery with us!
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