HOLDEN OVERSOUL
The
headwaters of Georgia’s Tallulah River have long been one of my favorite
off-the-radar destinations. The area
features big mountains with spectacular views, beautiful mountain streams with
breathtaking waterfalls, and in late April, and incredible variety of
wildflowers. My introduction to the area
came in the mid-90’s. That was a
backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail that culminated on the summit of
Standing Indian. I was on the peak with
a friend, taking in the view, and I was fascinated by the dramatic green ridges
and valleys directly below us. I turned
to my friend and said, “I want to explore down there”. His reply was “Why?”. It was a genuine response. He couldn’t fathom why I would want to go
down there. He was an Appalachian Trail
hiker, and everything off the A.T. was irrelevant. My mentality is a little different. I see the A.T. as a convenient connection to
endless adventure in more obscure realms.
I
visited the area with some (different) friends a few months later. We approached it from the Standing Indian
Campground. We hiked to Deep Gap, dashed
across the A.T., and headed down into the valley. After a long, steep descent we found
ourselves along the infant Tallulah River.
Before reaching Tallulah River Road we headed back up, passing Chimney
Rock on the way to Case Knife Gap. Then
we headed down to High Falls on Beech Creek.
From there I’d planned to hike up a steep trail to Beech Gap. We couldn’t find that trail though. We decided to backtrack, discouraged that
we’d have to return by the same route.
Back at Case Knife Gap, I noticed a faint trail heading steeply
uphill. I said, “Hey, I wonder where
this goes?”. We decided to follow
it. After a steep climb we found
ourselves on the Appalachian Trail just east of the summit of Standing
Indian. We were back on route! I don’t think that trail is on any map, but
I’ve heard it called the “Girl Scout Trail”.
Apparently there used to be a Girl Scout Camp near Case Knife Gap and
they built this trail as a connection to the A.T.
I
explored the area further on a couple of subsequent trips. Most recently, I returned to the area in late
April for the annual wildflower show.
Christy originally planned to come, but she had to drop out at the last
minute due to a bad case of Plantar Fasciitis.
I decided to make it a solo backpacking trip. Also, my friend Scott thought that he might
be able to join me for part of the day on Sunday.
I
had a big agenda for a weekend trip.
Recently two additional waterfalls had been discovered on Denton Creek
upstream from its well-known waterfall.
I wanted to check those out. I
also wanted to explore the coves northwest of the end of Tallulah River
Road. The valleys holding New Falls,
Thomas Falls, and Collary Cove all have major
wildflower potential. I was also eager
to make another visit to High Falls on Beech Creek, and I wanted to hike to the
summit of Big Scaly again. I also hoped
to include Standing Indian and the cliffs of Raven Rock Ridge into the weekend,
if I could squeeze them in. Finally,
years ago someone had told me that Holden Cove had “a bunch” of
waterfalls. I was skeptical, but
recently I heard the same thing from another source. An exploration of Holden Cove was at the top
of my priority list for the weekend.
There were some other creeks I wanted to check out, too, but I knew I’d
have a tough time squeezing everything into 2 days, particularly when you
factor in the 4-hour one-way drive.
I
came up with a plan for a backpacking trip.
It would be a supersized version of the standard loop from the end of
Tallulah River Road up Beech Creek, through Case Knife Gap, and down past
Chimney Rock. After ascending Beech
Creek to Case Knife Gap I would hike up the Girl Scout Trail to the A.T. and on
to Standing Indian. From there I’d
continue on to Deep Gap. At that point I
could easily bail out by descending from Deep Gap. My preference though would be to continue
over to the Muskrat Creek shelter to take the side trip out to Raven Rock. After a bit of backtracking I would descend
through Holden Cove to the river and the trailhead. I’d heard that there was a legitimate trail
all the way up Holden Cove to the A.T., but that wasn’t a certainty. It’s not on the map. The map shows an old road descending most of
the way from the A.T. before abruptly ending.
Would it connect with the alleged trail up Holden Cove? If not, it might be an ugly bushwhack the
rest of the way down to the river. At
that point it would be late in the afternoon and backtracking wouldn’t be an
attractive option.
The
sensible approach would’ve been to flip the loop around and go up Holden Cove. Of course I didn’t do that.
Originally
I hoped to make the drive on Friday afternoon so I could get started early on
Saturday. Heavy storms discouraged that
plan though. Instead I got up early
Saturday morning and headed out. I
wasn’t sure how the trip would go. A
trail run Thursday evening had left me with a very sore groin muscle. An emergency trip to my personal magician on
Friday had helped some, but I was still pretty gimpy Saturday morning. I was really looking forward to this one
though. I decided to go, but vowed to
scale the trip back if my leg was bothering me.
I
made the long drive to Tate City, Georgia.
It was pretty smooth despite heavy traffic on I-85. I made decent time until I got on Tallulah
River Road. There I got stuck behind a giant
pickup truck going about 10mph. I’d been
averaging about 25mph up to that point.
Why is it that when it comes to forest roads, the larger a vehicle is,
the slower it moves?
I
found the narrow road heading up along Denton Creek. The entrance to it had a massive puddle,
which indicated just how much rain the area had received the previous day. I was thrilled, as that would make the
waterfalls more attractive.
I
hiked up the road in sandals since I knew I’d have to cross the creek in a
short distance. This stretch is often
awash in wildflowers, but I was a little late for the peak bloom at this
elevation. When I reached the creek
crossing I found that the water wasn’t up as much as I’d expected. I could’ve easily rock hopped it. Oh well.
From there I continued up the road to a fork. I headed right there, continuing upstream to
the base of the lowest waterfall. The
light was terrible for photos so I didn’t linger long.
I
backtracked to the junction and followed the old road as it contoured up and
away from the creek. It eventually swung
back onto the ridge high above the stream.
I could hear falling water down there, but I wasn’t sure if I was
hearing the same falls I’d just left or the next one farther upstream. I continued on the old road, and the roar of
the water increased. Eventually I
couldn’t resist any longer and headed down.
I actually waited too long to start my descent, which made it harder
than necessary. The slope was very steep
and loose from the recent rain. My
sandals are lousy for this sort of thing, too.
I worked my way down the valley a bit to more reasonable terrain and
then resumed the descent. This put me in
the correct place, as I came out a short distance from the base of the middle
waterfall on Denton Creek. This 40’
waterfall is really nice! I even caught
a few clouds while I was here, which made for better conditions for
photography.
I
eventually left there and climbed back up to the road. I followed it to another crossing. However, instead of crossing I continued upstream
on an older road on River Right. After a
short distance I reached the base of the upper falls. This one is ok, but not particularly
photogenic.
I
returned to the car, had lunch, and drove to the end of Tallulah River
Road. There were several other cars
parked here, which was a mild surprise.
On my previous visits to this area I’d seen very few people.
I
decided to hike to Thomas Falls next.
I’d attempted it once previously but missed it due to some
confusion. Not long after wading the river
I reached a 20’ waterfall in a crevice.
At the time I thought that was Thomas Falls, but I was actually a couple
hundred vertical feet downstream from it.
The hike from there was rough. I
climbed a very steep, slippery, muddy slope alongside the lower falls. Once at the top I found remnants of an old
road, but it was so thick with rhododendron that it was little better than
bushwhacking. I fought my way through
the jungle, and Thomas Falls came into view.
It’s a fairly high freefalling waterfall, but it is hard to get a good
view of it. The best vantage would be
from farther back, but there is too much vegetation to see it well from
there. I ended up right at the base looking
up at it. It’s a pretty nice waterfall,
but it wasn’t a good angle for photography.
There were some nice wildflowers in the area, particularly trillium, but
the best flowers of the trip were yet to come.
I
took a different route back, following the ridge immediately to the north. That was much better until the very end. The final descent ended in a horrible
rhododendron tangle near the river. I
eventually fought my way through it to wade the river and reach the trail (old
road) to Deep Gap. From there, a short
walk past numerous campsites brought me back to the car.
I
regrouped, loaded my big backpack, and started walking back down Tallulah River
Road at 3:15. After a few minutes I
found myself across from Holden Cove. I
was relieved to see an old road there heading upstream on River Right. That was encouraging, though I still couldn’t
be sure if that would eventually reach the A.T.
I would find out on Sunday.
A
quick walk down the road and past a few houses brought me to the Beech Creek
Trailhead. Inconveniently, the trail
doesn’t start along the creek. Instead, it
climbs steeply over a ridge to avoid private property. When it reaches the creek it crosses to the
far side. I crossed it on a fallen tree,
which made a nice bridge. From there, an
easy walk brought me to a rock hop crossing of Bull Branch. There is a waterfall a short distance
upstream, but it isn’t one of my favorites.
It was getting late, so I decided to skip it. This was fortunate for the family I ran into
a few minutes later. There were 3
generations – grandpa, grandma, mom, dad, and a young girl. They didn’t look like serious hikers. I asked them where they were headed, and
grandpa said “the falls”. I was a bit
startled. The hike to High Falls on
Beech Creek isn’t easy for anyone, and they looked like they would could get in
over their heads.
After
a bit more conversation I realized that they were trying to get to the
waterfall on Bull Branch. They were
carrying a page from a guidebook that apparently just instructed them to follow
the blue-blazed trail. That’s useful,
since all of the trails in that area are blazed blue. I eventually convinced them that they had
just passed the turn for it and got them turned around. Before they headed back they asked me how
hard the hike was to High Falls. I told
them it was pretty tough. They asked if
it was harder than that first ridge the trail climbs over on the way to Beech
Creek, because that stretch had taken them an hour and a half. It was difficult to keep from laughing. I told them that it was A LOT harder than
that and bid them farewell.
I
hiked up into the Beech Creek Gorge.
Before long I rock hopped the creek and began climbing above it on an
old mining road. This stretch of trail
is a bit of a tease, as there are a number of small falls / big cascades far
below. There are also a couple of high
waterfalls on small tributaries above the trail. At one point I passed some old mining
ruins. Then I reached the beginning of
the switchbacks. An old trail continues
ahead here. This is the trail to Beech
Gap that we couldn’t find all of those years earlier.
I
climbed a couple of switchbacks and reached a junction and a sign for High
Falls. From here I followed a rough side
trail over to the base of the falls.
High Falls on Beech Creek is my favorite in this area. It’s a fairly tall waterfall, and the
relatively high water levels added to its beauty.
After
a break there I returned to the main trail and resumed the climb. After several switchbacks the trail contoured
around a hillside above the creek. The
stream cascades and slides steeply directly below the trail. Downstream I could see the brink of a
waterfall. Is that the top of High
Falls, or is there another waterfall in there?
It was impossible to tell from this vantage point. Getting down there would take a lot of effort
and courage, and it was getting late. I
had to keep moving.
In
hindsight, I wish I’d skipped Thomas Falls and spent more time exploring the
Beech Creek Gorge.
The
grade eased, and I followed the creek upstream towards its source at Beech
Spring, which is just below Case Knife Gap.
The wildflowers were fantastic along here, with profuse trillium and
trout lilies. A bit below the gap I
passed a couple of guys in a campsite.
They were very friendly, but they warned me that Case Knife Gap was
crowded. I was surprised, as I’d never
seen anyone else camped there. I even
camped there once on a holiday weekend.
I asked them if they knew if anyone was camped up on Big Scaly. They said they were just up there, and that
there hadn’t been anyone else there at the time. I thanked them and continued on. After a few minutes I stopped and got a
little over 2 quarts of water. I thought
that would be enough for dinner and breakfast, but I forgot that the dogs would
need some, too. I ended up giving them
my breakfast water, which delayed breakfast until later on Sunday morning.
I
passed through the startling crowd around Case Knife Gap and followed the side
trail up the ridge towards the summit of Big Scaly. This trail is an easy stroll most of the
way. Just before the top I reached a
decent campsite in the woods. It isn’t
quite flat, but its proximity to the best views in the area more than made up
for that. I dropped my pack there and
scrambled to the top of the rock outcrops to take in the view. The vista is fantastic to the west and south. It is very similar to the view from Standing
Indian, but typically much less crowded.
I
set up camp and returned to the overlook for sunset. I had dinner up there, along with a warm
cider and whiskey drink. Although the
sky was cloudless, I was treated to some nice colors as the sun dropped. It got chilly and windy afterwards, and
another cider and whiskey wasn’t enough to keep warm. I headed to bed fairly early since I had a
big day planned on Sunday. My leg had
held up pretty well during the hike. It
had only bothered me while I was bushwhacking to Thomas Falls. It did well as long as I was on a decent
trail. I was hopeful that it would do ok
tomorrow. If it was hurting in the
morning I could always bail out by hiking down Chimney Branch 3 miles to the
car.
I
got up for sunrise on Sunday, despite the fact that the sun was rising on the wooded
side of the mountain. I couldn’t
actually see it, but the full moon was setting in the west, and the sky was
colorful. My leg was stiff and sore, but
didn’t seem too bad. I was confident I
could hike on it.
Since
I had no water I packed up and hiked back down to the spring to fill up. From there I walked back up to Case Knife Gap
and picked up the Girl Scout Trail. It
was right where I remembered it, and still in decent condition. The climb was as steep as I remembered, but
at least it brought me to the A.T. quickly.
10 minutes on the A.T. brought me to the junction with the side trail to
the summit. There was a group camped
here, and some thru hikers on the summit.
Apparently it had been quite crowded up there the night before, but most
of the other hikers had cleared out before I arrived.
There
is a view from the summit, but there is a better vantage point from a larger
cliff a bit farther out the ridge. I
hiked out there and made coffee and granola cereal for breakfast. It was chilly and breezy, but the view was
great. After eating I returned to the
A.T. and headed down to Deep Gap. I
stopped near the shelter to water the dogs and then continued on to the
gap. I found Scott waiting for me
there. Not only was he there and ready
to join me on the trail, but he’d brought beer!
I enjoyed a post-breakfast beer and we hit the trail. The A.T. beyond Deep Gap was a wildflower
garden. We hiked through Wateroak Gap and White Oak Stamp and on to the Muskrat
Creek Shelter. I made use of the privy
there before we headed out the side trail to Raven Rock Cliffs. Along the way we passed the remains of a
plane crash. There are pieces of
airplane scattered all over the mountainside here.
The
Raven Rock Cliffs were a spectacular spot for a late lunch. Although the view is less expansive
than from Standing Indian, I like it just as much. There was one close call with disaster out
there. I was attempting to put my camera
away when the lens cap popped off.
Somehow it landed on a ledge about 10’ down. I thought it was lost forever, but Scott
managed to retrieve it. My hero!
After
lunch we backtracked a bit on the A.T. towards Whiteoak
Stamp. Earlier we had hiked down to a
spring there to get water, and Scott had scouted out the route down into Holden
Cove. The map shows an old road heading
that way, and Scott reported that the road was a bit overgrown, but definitely
still in existence. We were most of the
way back to Whiteoak Stamp when we reached a point
where the old road was directly below us.
I decided to take a bit of a short cut and head down. Scott elected to head straight back to Deep
Gap from there. I tried to talk him into
joining me, but he wasn’t too crazy about having to wade the river and then
hike all the way back up to Deep Gap with wet boots. I couldn’t really blame him.
We
parted ways, and I hiked down through open forest. Before long I dropped down onto an old
roadbed. Like Scott said, it was a bit
overgrown, but passable. There were
enough briers though that I was glad I wasn’t trying this in the summer! I followed it down into Holden Cove on long,
lazy contours and switchbacks. At one
point I took a short cut down through open forest to avoid a particularly long
switchback, but for the most part I stayed on the old road. The wildflowers were fantastic along here,
particularly the white trillium, which were abundant.
Down
around 3,700’ I had a decision to make.
There was a junction here. The
road shown on the map crosses the creek and then begins heading downstream high
above the creek. Another road headed
south. That wasn’t the correct
direction, but it was flagged with pink ribbons. I knew from years of experience that those
ribbons could be meaningful or worse than useless. Chasing ribbons can be the beginning of a
navigational disaster. I decided to
cross the creek and stick with the road shown on the map.
Unfortunately,
the map shows that road staying high above the creek before descending steeply
along a spur ridge before abruptly ending near 3,400’. It seemed unlikely that it would really end like
that, but I knew there were no guarantees.
Plus, I wanted to check Holden Cove for waterfalls, and that would be
hard to do 100’+ above the creek. After
a short distance I grew impatient. I
found myself at the top of a moderately steep ramp heading down towards the
creek through open forest. It was too
tempting to pass up. I headed down. I was maybe 40 vertical feet above the creek when
the forest changed from open to jungle.
I was hoping to avoid horrible bushwhacking, so I decided to sidehill downstream to intersect the road I’d
abandoned. This was my only
mistake. As it turns out, descending to
the creek would’ve been faster and easier than the roundabout route I took. After some rough bushwhacking and steep sidehilling I saw a ribbon (!) on the ridge directly above
me. I scrambled up to it, and discovered
that the ribbon was actually the remains of a balloon. The good news was that I was back on the
road. The bad news was that I was at the
end of it – exactly where the map shows it ending. The slope down to the creek here was
exceptionally steep. That wasn’t an
option, but I didn’t really want to backtrack.
There
was a tributary stream below the far side of the ridge. That slope didn’t look too bad. I knew if I could reach it I could follow it
down to the main creek. Getting down to
it wasn’t too bad, but the tributary runs down through a steep, narrow
ravine. Descending it was slow and
messy. It was relief when I reached the
main creek and found a trail! The trail
is primitive, but it was recently flagged with pink ribbons.
This
stretch of creek features a long run of cascades. First I headed upstream to see if I’d missed
anything significant. I passed a couple
of nice cascades, but no true waterfalls.
After a short distance the cascades eased, and the trail split, with
ribbons running up both sides of the creek.
The trail was faint to this point, but almost non-existent beyond. That seemed like a good place to turn
around. I doubled-back to the tributary
and continued downstream. After a short distance I passed above the
biggest cascade. I would say this a
legitimate waterfall, as it cascades steeply for 40’ or so. I stopped for photos there, as the waterfall
was fully in the shade. As far as I
know, it doesn't have a name. Widespread Panic is one of my favorite bands, and
one of their oldest songs is "Holden Oversoul".
Since this one is in Holden Cove, I'm calling it "Oversoul
Falls".
I
followed the trail downstream from there.
There were a few more cascades, but nothing major. The wildflowers remained abundant though, and
the trail eventually became an old, rocky, wet roadbed. I continued following this and reached the
Tallulah River a bit south of the stream draining Holden Cove. I waded the creek and reached a campsite
adjacent to Tallulah River Road. A
couple of minutes of walking on the road returned me to car. It had been a great hike, with waterfalls,
wildflowers, views, and a good bit of adventure. This is one of my favorite areas, so I’ll
definitely be back!
The
GPS track from my backpacking trip can be see here. Note, this track does not include the short
hikes to Denton Creek and Thomas Falls that I did before the backpacking trip:
https://www.gaiagps.com/public/vLXRo0QvB4WHYM1ebzN736cA/?map=fullmap&openPrint=false
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