MOON SHINE

Darrin gets all of the credit and all of the blame for last weekend’s adventure. I planned a hike in Oconee County, SC, that meant meeting in Westminster early on Sunday morning. Early enough that I would have to get up at 5am. Darrin suggested camping Saturday evening. The forecast was rainy, but we decided to do it anyway. I suggested Brasstown Creek, since there are several campsites there a short distance from the parking area. That also meant that we’d be quite close to the trailhead when we woke up on Sunday morning.

Darrin took my idea and ran with it. He arrived around mid-afternoon on Saturday, and set up camp near Little Brasstown Falls. That site has a lot going for it. Most notably, it is highly scenic, as it is on a rocky sandbar right in front of a roaring waterfall. On the other hand, the location is a bit inconvenient, since getting to it requires wading Brasstown Creek. I arrived well after dark, and I wasn’t real keen on dragging all of my camping gear over there. I decided to pitch my tent at a different site on the near side of Brasstown Creek closer to the parking area. Then I headed over to join Darrin.

The drive was long, but the rain stopped and the fog cleared shortly before I reached the trailhead. Darrin’s truck and a van with a trailer were in the parking area when I arrived. The van suggested that we might have neighbors. I hiked down past my campsite, following an old road towards the top of Brasstown Falls. There’s a campsite here too, and that’s where I found our neighbors. They had a roaring fire and plenty of booze – in fact, the one guy had passed out earlier that afternoon. The other two were very friendly. They told me where Darrin was, and offered us some firewood. They had plenty – enough to last the rest of the winter I’d guess. They were also comfortable with my dogs, which was good since they were running around like fools after being cooped up in the house all week.

Crossing Brasstown Creek in the dark was a little tricky. Some areas are deep, and they were hard to identify despite the light from the rising moon. One spot looked promising, but was littered with submerged logs. And just scrambling down the bank with a pack, a chair, and a cooler of beer was awkward. I crossed just upstream from the submerged logs, where it is wide but shallow. Temperatures were in the 40’s, but the water really wasn’t terribly cold. The dogs splashed around in the creek before we picked up the trail leading to Little Brasstown Falls.

I met Darrin at his campsite. He had a small campfire going, which helped warm my feet. He made us campfire pizzas over the fire, which were warming and surprisingly filling. Afterwards, we enjoyed some beers and enjoyed the view of the falls. A full moon was gradually rising, and before long it was fully illuminating the waterfall. By midnight, it was hanging directly above the top of the falls. It was a compelling scene, but I’d left my camera and tripod in the car.

I turned to Darrin. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to go back to get my camera”. He agreed, but decided to do me one better. He went over to the neighbors and took them up on their firewood offer. We invited them over to hang out, since the waterfall was absolutely spectacular in the moonlight. We all waded back across the creek. We were all more or less drunk, but somehow we all made it without incident. We were able to get a better fire going with the extra wood. The wood was actually from old telephone poles. The tar on the poles gave off a strong smell, but it sure did burn.

Darrin and I both took some photos. Most failed miserably. Even with the moonlight it was too dark for the waterfall to register. However, some experimentation yielded a couple of neat ones. Darrin’s best featured the campfire in the foreground with the waterfall beyond. My best was courtesy of an assist from one of our neighbors, who had a powerful headlamp. That extra illumination and a very long exposure was enough to get a pretty cool photo. Another shot featured a moonburst high above the waterfall. I’d say those two photos were worth wading the creek two extra times.

We hung out with our neighbors, shared some moonshine, and lost track of time. It was actually after 1am when I staggered back to the tent with a pair of wet dogs. Fortunately I slept well, and our location meant that I was able to sleep in until 7:30 on Sunday morning.

THE AIDJOY HIKE

My friend Jonathan runs a charity called Aidjoy. Aidjoy is a non-profit organization that helps other charities to be more effective. Please learn more about Aidjoy here: https://www.aidjoy.org/

A couple of months ago Aidjoy held an auction as a fundraiser. One of the auction items was a guided hike with Team Waterfall. Team Waterfall is just a ragged group of hikers and explorers that enjoys looking for obscure and undocumented waterfalls. The auction winner, John, and his wife, Jennifer, joined us for their hike on Sunday morning. I had considered numerous options for the hike. I wanted to give them a true Team Waterfall experience. An easy stroll to a well-known waterfall didn’t seem adequate to me. On the other hand, I didn’t want to drag them along on a dangerous, hardcore bushwhack. I thought that the waterfalls on Fall Creek offered ideal middle ground. They are highly scenic, yet not well known. Although there is something of a beaten path the whole way, the hike does require some steep scrambling and mild bushwhacking at times.

Darrin joined me for breakfast Sunday morning. We packed up, made a brief stop at the store in Long Creek, and then met everyone else at the trailhead. Team Waterfall was also represented by Brenda and Jonathan. Unfortunately, “Jess and A Player to be Named Later” didn’t make it. John and Jennifer also brought along their dog, Poppy. Humans and dogs all got to know each other before we started the hike.

I thought I remembered a more gentle descent route to the base of the first waterfall, which is actually on the North Fork of Fall Creek. However, I couldn’t find it, so John and Jennifer’s guided hike was off to an auspicious start. Instead, we took the direct route down, which was steep and covered in wet leaves. I was a bit concerned about this, as it wouldn’t be very good publicity for Aidjoy or Team Waterfall if the auction winners went hurling over the falls. John particularly seemed to be having trouble with traction on the slippery route. We took it slow though, and carefully worked our way down to the base of the first waterfall. This one is nice, but it is really just a warmup for the more spectacular waterfall farther downstream. That one is known as Fall Creek Falls, but I’m not sure if the first one is named. Upper Fall Creek Falls maybe?

The route downstream was tedious, thanks to slippery rocks and numerous fallen trees. We crossed the creek twice. The second crossing was near the top of a run of cascades that are sometimes referred to as the second or middle falls. Beyond that point was a steep, muddy bank that we had to slide down. Once beyond that obstacle, the hiking was quite easy for a mile or more. At one point we passed an old stone fireplace, which is now overgrown with greenery. I’m not sure what the purpose of the fireplace was. There is no chimney, or any sign of any other structure.

A few minutes later we reached the top of Fall Creek Falls. Another steep, slippery descent brought us to the base. I think Fall Creek Falls is one of the prettiest in South Carolina, and I don’t think anyone was disappointed. After a short break, we continued downstream. A few minutes later we passed a final cascade and reached the Chattooga River. We had lunch there, and made the obligatory “Deliverance” jokes. Unfortunately, we were on the cool, shady, damp side of the river. The far side was warm and sunny, but we had no way to get over there.

Before we headed back we checked out the final cascade on Fall Creek right before it enters the Chattooga River. It is a neat spot, but isn’t terribly photogenic due to fallen trees.

We hiked back by the same route, and made great time. We returned to the cars at 1:30, which was pretty amazing, since that was exactly the time I’d predicted that we would end the hike. I guess there is a first for everything with Team Waterfall!

Originally Darrin, Jonathan, and I had planned to do a second, short hike in the Opossum Creek drainage. We intended to hike to Sid’s Falls and then explore downstream. However, Darrin and I were both feeling guilty about abandoning our wives for the weekend, and we were ready to head for home. We’ll save a thorough exploration of Opossum Creek for another day.

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