TOADSHADE CAVE
I
was determined to get a hike in last weekend, as the next two are booked. Unfortunately, the weather forecast called
for a chilly rain throughout the weekend.
Despite the bleak outlook, Jack and I discussed the possibility of
squeezing a hike on Sunday afternoon. It
looked like the worst of the weather was expected to pass through Saturday
night and Sunday morning.
Since
we planned for a late start, we needed a destination that was a little closer
to home. I’ve wanted to visit the
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve, north of Greenville, SC, ever since Jack and
Johnny discovered a couple of undocumented waterfalls there last spring. This seemed like a good time, as we expected
to find a lot of early spring wildflowers blooming there. Our only hesitation was that getting to the
waterfalls would require crossing the South Pacolet River. Under normal conditions that isn’t a problem,
but we were concerned that the water might be up from the recent rains. A couple of weeks earlier Jack and Johnny had
attempted the hike after a heavy storm and had been forced to turn back at the
river crossing.
We
decided to attempt the hike anyway. We
decided that if the river was unsafe to cross, we’d just turn around and spend
the rest of the day enjoying the wildflowers.
We
invited Johnny along, and he decided to join us. I met Jack in Spartanburg Sunday morning, and
we picked Johnny up a few minutes later.
From there it only took about 20 minutes to get to the trailhead. Along the way we encountered lots of heavy
clouds, but only a few sprinkles. It was
strange starting the hike at 11:30. I
was ready for lunch, and we hadn’t even left the parking area.
From
the trailhead we hiked a relatively new trail (built a few years ago) through a
young forest of White Pines. We
descended to a tributary of Green Creek, which was running clear. Jack mentioned that this small stream had
been a raging torrent on their last visit.
This was encouraging. I began to
think that we might make it across the river after all.
From
there we began a graded ascent on Squirrel Mountain. Before long we began passing expansive beds
of Toadshade Trillium. The Trillium must have been near peak bloom,
as they blanketed the hillsides bordering the trail. I’d say it’s the most Toadshade
Trillium I’ve ever seen on a single hike, surpassing even Station Cove Falls in
Oconee County.
Of
course I couldn’t resist the urge to take some photos. After all, the Toadshade
Trilliums were the first wildflowers I’d seen all year, aside from the
Daffodils at Daffodil Flats in Linville Gorge.
Still I had to exercise some discipline, otherwise I would’ve ended up
with several hundred wildflower photos to go through! Eventually I put the camera away and hurried
to catch up with Jack and Johnny. I
found them waiting at a gap on Squirrel Mountain. There is a 5-way junction here, with old
roads leading down to the river and back to the trailhead. We continued ahead though, avoiding the old
roads and following the trail down the north side of Squirrel Mountain.
It
was along here that we ran into another hiker with a dog. Once Boone and the other dog got acquainted we
resumed the hike. They followed us as
far as the river, but turned back there.
He ended up being the only other person we saw all day.
Early
on our descent we passed more Toadshade Trillium, and
we also spotted a few Dogwoods in bloom.
Unfortunately, the Bloodroot had already come and gone. For the most part though, the north side of
Squirrel Mountain was still in the clutches of winter. In contrast, the south side of Chestnut
Ridge, across the valley, was already cloaked in spring green. Gazing in that direction, we could just make
out both of the waterfalls we were hiking to.
Switchbacks
and steps led us down to the South Pacolet River. The river was running clear and placid, which
was a huge relief. In fact, we found
that rocks had been placed across the river, allowing us to rock up. Crossing in this fashion was a little tricky,
but it was nice to cross without getting wet!
On
the far side we followed the trail up to a muddy road. We followed the road upstream a short
distance to a small creek. From there we
could see a high waterfall a short distance up the tributary. The creek is small (it isn’t even shown on
the topo map), and we were hoping that the recent
rain would’ve added significant volume to the falls. However, it appears that most of the weekend
rain had missed this area. Despite this,
there was still enough water to make visiting this waterfall worthwhile.
We
walked up the tributary on a faint path, passing a wild pig trap. Apparently the state is having a lot of
problems with destructive wild pigs in this area. Beyond the trap we climbed up to the base of
the falls. Toadshade
Trillium was blooming all over the place, and I suggested that the falls be
named Toadshade Falls. However, it appears that the waterfall is already
called Moonshiner’s Falls, in tribute to the remains
of an old still nearby.
We
spent some time there taking photographs and eating lunch. I found some interesting vantage points of
the waterfall from high up on the hillside to the left of the falls. However, I regretted going up there after the
fact. The slope was steep and wet, and I
had to take great care to avoid stepping on the many flowers.
After
lunch we returned to the road and continued upstream along the river. After only a few minutes we reached another
tributary. This one is also unnamed and
unmapped. I’m surprised this one isn’t
on the topo map, as it is a larger creek than the one
that spills over Moonshiner’s Falls. I imagine it has water even in dry
conditions.
We
bushwhacked upstream, sidehilling high above the
creek. Along the way we passed two empty
turtle shells, which was a little odd.
Before long we reached an outcrop and our first view of the falls. At this point we were above the lowest drop,
but there was another major falls just above.
In fact, we’re pretty sure there are even more falls upstream.
From
there we descended and circled below the point we had just been at. Here we passed through a small cave and
emerged at the top of the lowest drop and the base of the second drop. This was a nice vantage of a pretty
impressive waterfall! Jack and Johnny
named this one Cave Falls in tribute to the cave that you pass through to get
to the base. The only detraction from
this waterfall is deadfall, which litters the stream above and below this
point.
We
spent some time here taking photos as well.
We considered exploring farther upstream, but our late start didn’t
leave us much time for improvisation. We
decided to save it for next time.
Instead we worked our way down to the base of the lower drop. This is a neat area, too, as just downstream
the creek squeezes through a narrow chute at the base of an overhanging
cliff. I attempted some photos here, but
found the extremely dark conditions under the cliff challenging even with a
tripod.
It
took us about an hour and a half to hike back.
We kept moving on the return, and I resisted the urge to take more
photos of the Trilliums we’d already passed earlier that day. We ended up hiking about 5 ˝ hours, and
covered around 7 miles. Most of our time
was spent exploring the waterfalls and photographing the flowers along the way.
Jack,
Johnny, and I all want to return and explore farther up both creeks. It appears that there could be more
waterfalls on both streams. I’m already
looking forward to returning. Thanks to
Jack and Johnny for the guided tour of a promising area.
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