BRADLEY FALLS
Last weekend, I took the
opportunity to get out of the house and chase after the fleeting fall
colors. Kevin and I had hiked to Big
Bradley Falls a couple of weeks earlier, but hadn’t had time to fully explore
the area. I decided to return there and
see what we had missed.
An easy 90-minute drive from
Charlotte got me to the trailhead at Cove Creek, just outside of Saluda,
NC. I decided to start my day with an
easy hike to Little Bradley Falls.
Saucony and I crossed the road and picked up the path on the far side of
Cove Creek. I hiked upstream 100 yards
or so before being forced to cross the stream.
The water was ankle-deep and chilly, but not yet frigid despite the late
October date.
The next stretch of trail
took me through a weedy, overgrown area not far below the road. It had rained the night before, and the wet
vegetation quickly left me soaked. The
hike improved after the next creek crossing.
On the far side, I followed an old roadbed. Eventually I was forced back across the creek at a third
ford. This crossing led to a lovely
forest and the site of an old homestead.
The trail here was finally away from the road, which made for a more
pleasant end to the hike.
I wandered through one final
tangle of rhododendron and reached a pool at the base of three-tiered Little
Bradley Falls. The falls aren’t
terribly high, but they are lovely. I
spent about 30 minutes taking photos and enjoying the spot. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten my miniature
tripod, which limited my photographic options.
I stayed at the falls until another group arrived. At that point, I returned to the car and
began the hike to Big Bradley Falls.
Saucony and I hiked through
a pretty field that was sporting the beginnings of fall color. By next weekend, the foliage in the area
should reach its peak. Beyond the
field, we hiked through the woods until we reached the ford of the creek. One more crossing and a few more minutes in
the woods led to an obvious path heading down.
We had already passed several descending paths, but I remembered from my
explorations with Kevin that this one led to the cliff overlook.
We arrived in time for a
late lunch, and I was surprised to have the overlook all to myself. From the cliff, I looked across the gorge to
Cove Creek freefalling between trees turned red and gold. It was a perfect spot for lunch, featuring
the falls, the gorge, and the foliage all in one view. As I ate, I watched falling leaves catch
thermal air currents and bounce and soar high above the stream far below. It was almost as if the leaves were fighting
the inevitable; reluctant to go to their final resting spot deep in the gorge.
After lunch, I decided to
try to reach the base of the falls. On
our previous trip, Kevin and I made it to the creek, but ran out of time and
had to turn back before we reached the falls.
Today I had plenty of time, and was determined to make it.
I returned to the main trail
and passed a gully that looked promising after about 100 yards. Instead I continued to the end of the main
trail and followed a faint path down into the gorge. The path was steep and slippery, but there were plenty of trees
to hold onto. I made it to the creek
without falling, and joined a more substantial trail as it headed
upstream. It wasn’t long before I
reached the point where we had turned around previously. Following the correct route required some
trial and error, as I occasionally hit a dead-end. Generally I had better luck staying above the creek and working
my way through breaks in the cliffs.
I descended below the last
cliff, which towered 100 vertical feet above me. Here I found an illegal campsite, complete with a hammock and
tarp, as well as an impressive amount of trash stored in an orange highway barrel. At least it wasn’t scattered all over the
woods. Now that I think about it,
there’s something very poetic about a highway barrel full of refuse.
Just beyond the cliffs is a
jumble of huge boulders at the base of Big Bradley Falls. It took several minutes of climbing around
on the boulders to find a good vantage point of the waterfall. Big Bradley Falls is almost two falls in
one, with an elegant stream of water freefalling on the left, and a powerful
wave of whitewater cascading over the cliff on the right. Being by myself made the gorge feel like one
of the most remote spots on earth. It’s
hard to believe there’s a major road less than a mile away.
Eventually I had to head
home. Instead of retracing my steps, I
followed an obvious route steeply uphill just downstream from the tallest
cliffs. I was half way up when I
encountered the first of several tricky spots that required some mild
rock-climbing skills. At this point, it
occurred to me that what I was doing was probably not very smart, considering
that I was by myself. I didn’t want to
backtrack though, so I climbed on. I
didn’t have any major difficulties, and reached the gully I’d seen from the
trail on the hike in. Here I
encountered a large group of people heading down. Most were wearing tennis shoes, and I can only hope they made it
down safely. The gully route is much
quicker than the path I had descended, but it’s also more hazardous.
From the gully, it didn’t
take long the rejoin the main trail.
From there, it was a quick hike back to the car. On the way out, I passed several other
groups hiking towards the falls.
Surprisingly, I’d seen only one group at Little Bradley Falls, and no
one at Big Bradley until I was on the way out.
It had been a nice hike, with adventure, solitude, and even some fall
colors. I think I’ll do another hike in
that same general area next weekend.
It’ll probably be the last chance for fall foliage this year.
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