FROZEN RAINBOW

Rainbow Falls, in South Carolina’s Jones Gap State Park, is a spectacular sight after a long stretch of cold weather. The spray from the falls freezes in mid-air, and the resulting snow accumulates at the base of the falls. On a previous winter visit, I jokingly referred to the accumulation of snow and ice as the Rainbow Glacier. Last weekend, Van joined Christy, the dogs, and me to check it out.

We met Van at the park entrance shortly before 9am. The gate was closed, and there was a sign saying that the park was closed due to unsafe conditions. The park normally opens at 9, so we decided to wait. A ranger arrived a few minutes later. He was debating whether to open the park. The road into the park and the main parking lot were icy, as was the Jones Gap Trail along the Middle Saluda River.

We managed to talk him into opening the gate, but he wasn’t kidding. The parking lot was treacherous, as were parts of the trail along the river. Although temperatures were expected to reach the 50’s that afternoon, it was only 28 when we started out. There were quite a few places in the first mile where we had to move cautiously on the icy trail.

Not long after leaving the Visitor’s Center, we crossed an unnamed stream that was mostly frozen. Through the woods upstream, we could see an impressive icy cliff. Normally it is a non-descript waterfall that isn’t even noticeable when the leaves are on the trees. The ice looked impressive from our vantage though, so Van and I decided to hike up to the base for a closer look.

We followed a rough trail up the creek to the base of the falls. It is a broad, tall cliff that extends out of sight above. Almost the entire surface was covered in ice. There were some pretty icicles, but most impressive were the huge chunks of ice scattered around the base. Some of them were as big as basketballs. I wouldn’t recommend standing there on a warm afternoon!

We rejoined Christy and continued up the trail. Before long we turned onto the Rainbow Falls Trail and crossed a bridge over the river. A 6” wide snow-covered bridge with a single railing spanning Cox Creek followed a minute later. That was an exciting crossing due to the sketchy footing. From there we began climbing the south-facing slope just east of Cox Creek. As soon as we left the river the snow and ice disappeared.

The climb offered numerous views of the icy cliffs on the far side of the gorge. At one point we passed close to Cox Creek, just above a series of waterfalls. Van and I bushwhacked down to the base for a better look and photos. Cox Creek features a long run of cascades and smaller waterfalls downstream from Rainbow Falls. We actually found two here, each with free-falling sections.

We resumed the climb on switchbacks and steps. Christy handled the uphill well, but was concerned about going back down. She had knee surgery back in November, and walking downhill and down steps puts a lot of pressure on her knees. Originally she had considered continuing up the trail from Rainbow Falls to Camp Greenville. That would’ve made the entire hike uphill. However, it would have been a long wait for her while I hiked back and then drove up to get her. Plus, the trail up to the camp is primitive and exposed and requires some scrambling. What if it was icy? Given the uncertainty, she had decided to hike back down with us.

We reached Rainbow Falls by late morning. It was every bit as spectacular as I expected. Christy had never seen it before, and Van had never seen it in the winter. Everybody was impressed. The snow pile at the base of the falls was at least 4’ thick. Cox Creek runs under the snow, and the trail crosses the creek on an impressive snow bridge. Even more snow and ice adorned the sides of the waterfall.

There was a large family there when we arrived. The adults were exploring around the falls while the kids worked on removing the icicles from the cliff walls. Sigh. I guess we arrived a little too late to get photos of them. Several other groups arrived later, and we saw many more hikers on our way back down. Apparently everybody was out enjoying the unusually warm afternoon. I guess it’s a good thing the ranger had opened the park up for business! The parking lot was nearly full when we returned to our car around 4 that afternoon.

Before we left, Van and I scrambled down to the base of another waterfall. This one is just downstream from Rainbow Falls. The scramble was steep and slippery, and the spray at the base of the falls made photography challenging. Climbing back up was even worse. It had warmed up enough that the hillside had thawed. It seemed like nearly every time I stepped up I slid right back down to where I’d started. I eventually scrambled and crawled out of there, and vowed to stay on the trail the rest of the day.

Van went back ahead of us, while Christy and I descended slowly so she could take it easy on her knees. Fortunately it went smoothly, and she didn’t have any swelling that night or the next day.

Once back on the Jones Gap Trail, Boone and I took a short side trip up to Jones Gap Falls. Christy headed directly back so she could get a head start. Oddly, I had never seen Jones Gap Falls. It’s just off the main trail, but for some reason I’d overlooked it previously. It’s a pretty nice waterfall, though unremarkable when compared to Rainbow Falls and some others in the area.

I hiked back quickly from there. By late afternoon, most of the ice had melted. I found Christy and Kona waiting in the car. It was a great hike, particularly since Christy was able to join me. Hopefully we’ll be able to do more hikes together in the upcoming months.

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