EDDIE SPAGHETTI
I spent last week working in
Clemson, SC (or as a friend of mine calls it, Clem Jr.). Highlights of the week included running at
Issaqueena Lake, where I collected quite a bit of classic South Carolina red
mud, and dinner at Eddie Spaghetti.
Actually, the dinner wasn’t really anything special, but I do like the
name. Not as much as Nacho Mammas in
Augusta, but almost.
The biggest highlight of the
week was finishing my job on Thursday.
That meant that I could play on Friday.
I stayed over Thursday night, and got up early the next morning, as I
had a lot planned.
I left the hotel at dawn,
when the temperature was a toasty 4 degrees in Asheville. I’m not certain what it was in upstate South
Carolina, but I can assure you it wasn’t much warmer. The drive to the trailhead for my first hike only took 45
minutes, and the day didn’t warm up a bit in that time. I’m guessing that the temperature was in the
teens when I started out on the ¼ mile trail to Twin Falls.
For the first time ever, I
wore my down parka on a hike. Of
course, you can hardly call an easy, 5-minute walk to a waterfall a hike. Actually, that was a bit of a problem. Walking up to the falls didn’t give me a
chance to warm up, and once I got there, I spent several minutes stationary,
taking photos.
Twin Falls is remote, but
the drive there is worth it. Just
upstream from the falls, Reedy Cove Creek splits into two streams. At the falls, the left side (if you’re
facing it) plunges over a sheer, 75’ drop.
The right side tumbles down over a series of cascades and slides. The waterfall is quite unique, and I was
glad I stopped there first, even if I was half frozen.
I took all of my photos from
the viewing platform. I thought about
scrambling up the rocks to get a closer look, but they were icy in places. I decided to save a closer look for another
day, and headed back to the car, where I could briefly warm up.
From there, I headed over to
highway 178 and turned up the mountain towards Rocky Bottom. I passed Bob’s Place & the Roadkill
Grill, a true southern institution. I
thought about stopping for a rubber-encrusted possum sandwich for breakfast,
but I wanted to get to my next destination before the sun got too high.
Next on my to-do list was
Eastatoe Falls, which is not on Eastatoe Creek. It’s located on private property, off highway 178 a few miles
south of Rosman, NC. I’d never been
there, but I was only a few miles down the road. The property owners allow public access, which is
refreshing. Of course, with private
property, you never know when the rules might change. With that in the back of my mind, I felt a certain urgency to
visit while I could.
The directions in Kevin
Adams’ guidebook were excellent, as usual.
It was pretty weird parking in a private driveway, next to a house, to
hike through a back yard to see a waterfall.
The walk was short – the falls are visible from the driveway – but
several inches of icy snow made things interesting. I was halfway there when the homeowner walked out to his
car. He waved and shouted a greeting,
and I waved back. His dog did follow me
part of the way, barking the whole time, but he seemed friendly enough.
I continued on to the falls,
which is an impressive cataract under normal circumstances. Today though, the falls were enhanced by
abundant ice and snow. I eventually
found a good vantage point for photos, although a wider-angle lens would’ve
helped. I had to get quite close to the
base of the falls to eliminate a pile of logs and boulders from the foreground
of my photos.
Taking photos there was a
bit challenging. If anything, it was
even colder than it had been at Twin Falls.
Taking pictures with gloves on is awkward, and my tripod kept freezing
up. Moving around the base of the falls
was hazardous, as everything was covered in a layer of ice. Still, I managed to get a few photos I was
happy with.
I left 30 minutes later, but
the homeowner had left. I regretted
that a bit, as I wanted to thank him for allowing the public to access the
falls. If only more private landowners
were that generous!
I drove back down 178
towards Rocky Bottom. Just before the
bridge over Eastatoe Creek, I turned right onto a dirt road. After a short distance, I reached a large,
empty parking lot. I parked there for
my main hike, to Sassafras Mountain on the Foothills Trail.
I’ve done most of the
Foothills Trail, but I had never hiked the stretch leading to South Carolina’s
highest peak. This seemed like a good
time to do it, as I wanted to get in a decent hike. From Laurel Valley, the hike to Sassafras Mountain would be 9
miles, with an elevation gain of almost 2000’.
I left the trailhead at
10:15 and hiked back down the road to highway 178. I crossed the bridge and the road, and picked up the Foothills
Trail on the far side. I climbed
through open woods, mainly on gentle grades, but this was the Foothills Trail,
so there were a few of the infamously steep staircases. After about a half-mile, I passed an
impressive rock outcrop high above the trail.
The rock could provide shelter in an emergency.
Shortly before reaching
Chimneytop Gap, I passed the only decent campsite on this section of
trail. It was actually well off the
trail, down a small stream from the trail bridge. I did see a few other spots that would do in a pinch, but most of
them didn’t appear to have water sources.
After another half-mile, I
passed through Chimneytop Gap, crossing the paved road that leads to the summit
of Sassafras Mountain. Another fair
climb led to a cluster of rock outcroppings on the left side of the trail. From here, I had a pretty nice winter view
to the west. It was a clear day, and I
could see the higher peaks in North Carolina and north Georgia. Farther to the south, I spied part of Lake
Jocassee. It was a nice view, but if
you hike through here in the summer, don’t expect to see anything. There are enough branches in the way that
the view will be hidden when the leaves are on the trees.
A few minutes later, I swung
over to the north side of the mountain and found myself crunching through icy
snow. The snow looked old, and it
appeared to have melted and refrozen several times. Several places were slippery, and on a few occasions, I considered
putting on my ice cleats. I resisted
the urge though, and made it through the hike without wiping out.
Shortly before the summit, I
passed through a pretty white pine forest.
Here I met two backpackers heading the other way. I was a little surprised to see other people
on the trail, on a cold Friday.
A few minutes later, I passed
a rock outcrop and reached the summit.
From the icy rock outcrop, I found a limited view to the west. The view is provided by a power line cut,
but even that is a bit overgrown. In
the summer, you probably can’t see anything from here. The only other vista I found from the summit
was a winter view to the north. I was a
little disappointed, as both the Foothills Trail and the DeHart guidebook
mention good views from the peak. Once
upon a time there were great views, from the fire tower that used to be
here. Now that the State of South
Carolina owns the summit, perhaps another one will be built.
I had an uninspiring lunch
on the summit, before heading back down the mountain. I returned to my car at 3:15, which was still rather early. The hike to Sassafras Mountain had been a
little disappointing, and I wanted more.
Fortunately, another trail I hadn’t hiked starts from the same parking
area. I’d heard good things about the
hike into the Eastatoe Gorge. Best of
all, at 4 miles, it fit nicely into the time I had left.
I continued past my car down
the dirt road. After a short distance,
I turned off onto a gated logging road.
I followed this track for the next mile, first up to a minor gap, before
dropping down to level off high above the gorge. Along here, I passed a couple with a dog hiking the other
way.
After more trudging, I
reached the new trail heading down into the gorge. This part of the path has been re-routed, and the descent was
quite easy on switchbacks (and a few steps).
It only took a few minutes to reach the bottom of the gorge. Here I found a beautiful mountain stream,
and an assortment of pleasant campsites.
I also spotted a cascade with an astonishing swimming hole. It’s hard to say for sure, but I’m guessing
the pool was 10’ deep. This would be an
excellent place for a family or a novice to backpack. The trail, although being rather boring, isn’t difficult, and it
leads to a great destination.
I hiked upstream through the
camping area, under a canopy of impressive trees. Soon the campsites ended, and I reached the end of the
narrows. I continued following the
path, but the trail became more and more primitive. Soon I began climbing, and I suspected that I was following the
original trail, before the re-route was constructed. I wasn’t ready to leave the gorge though, so I backtracked down
to the swimming hole. I hung out there
for a few minutes and enjoyed a snack.
While I was there, I found myself wondering what lies farther
upstream. The topo map doesn’t indicate
any likely waterfalls, but the creek certainly drops pretty fast through the
gorge. Perhaps I’ll return some time
and have a look.
I returned quickly as it was
getting late. On my return hike, I
noticed an intriguing peak near Sassafras Mountain. Although wooded, it has an impressive, sheer west face. After consulting the topo, it appears that
the peak is Roundtop Mountain. Does
anyone out there know anything about that one?
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