WILD HOG AND FUNGI’S CAVE

Last weekend’s adventure was an exploration of Wild Hog Creek, a tributary of Eastatoe Creek on the Blue Wall near Rocky Bottom, SC. I met Brenda at a game lands access off of highway 178 a few miles north of Rocky Bottom. The access looks like a driveway – in fact, it probably is a driveway, as there are a couple of mailboxes there. However, the road is posted with signs stating that the land is open to hunting through cooperation with the landowner. We followed the driveway a short distance from 178 until we reached a rough woods road leading left, towards Eastatoe Creek. We pulled off here, taking care not to block either road.

We followed the spur road to a gate and on to Eastatoe Creek. Normally this crossing is probably an easy rock hop, but the water was way up from the recent rain. We waded the creek, and resumed the hike along the old road.

From Eastatoe Creek we followed the road as it contoured in and out of several minor drainages. When I planned the hike, I figured we would head straight for Wild Hog Creek and follow it upstream. We were actually a good bit north of Wild Hog Creek. However, the old road was going in more or less the right direction, and the walking was easy, so it was hard to leave it.

This stretch of road featured some nice wildflowers. There were lots of dogwoods blooming, and there was a good bit of dwarf iris. We found lots of Vasey’s Trillium later, along the creek.

We crossed several small streams before contouring around a ridge. We reached a larger stream, but it still looked too small to be Wild Hog Creek. After a short distance we crossed a larger creek. This one looked promising, but I was uncertain. Every little gully had water in it due to the recent rains. That was throwing off my judgement in terms of what to expect from the main stream. Still, I was pretty certain that it wasn’t any farther along the old road.

We bushwhacked upstream through some thick vegetation. Before long we reached a confluence of two streams. They were roughly equal in size. Just upstream on the right hand fork was a fairly large waterfall. I’d guess it is 40’ tall. We fought our way upstream through a horrible tangle of doghobble, but we couldn’t find a better view due to the thick vegetation. Eventually we retreated to the confluence, where I spent some time puzzling over our location. I thought we were at the confluence of Wild Hog Creek and a tributary at about 2,100’; however, Brenda’s GPS showed a lower elevation. That was puzzling, because the map didn’t show a confluence of two streams at the elevation the GPS showed. She thought that her GPS might need to be calibrated, which could cause the elevation to be off.

We hiked up the stream to the left briefly, but it didn’t look promising. We doubled-back to the confluence, and decided to check out the next stream to the north. We climbed up onto the ridge between the two creeks, before contouring around into the next drainage. A steep descent brought us to the base of another waterfall! This one is on a smaller creek, and the vegetation was thick. Still, the waterfall was fairly impressive, with four distinct drops. I climbed up the right side to reach the base of the second drop. There was a substantial overhang above me, and the view from the side was pretty nice. On the way up I noticed that there were millipedes everywhere. Millipede Falls would be a good name for this waterfall.

We had lunch there and debated our options. At this point I was pretty sure of our location, and I was fairly confident that the first waterfall we’d seen had been on Wild Hog Creek. We climbed back up to the ridge between the two streams and headed up. We found remnants of an old road along here, which made the hiking a little easier. Before long we found ourselves directly above the waterfall we’d seen earlier. There was an impressive overhang visible from here, so we headed down to it. We came out at the base of the initial drop, with another drop immediately below. We were under an impressive overhanging cliff, which made for some neat photos. It was amazing how much more photogenic the waterfall was from this vantage point, as opposed to the base.

We headed back up to the ridge, passing a blooming flame azalea on the way. We followed the ridge, staying well above the creek. I heard and saw another drop below, but decided to skip it. It looked fairly small, and figured we could check it out on the way back if we had time. It turns out that we didn’t, so we’ll have to go back to check it out.

Brenda was struggling a little, so I forged ahead. My goal was to reach the 2,600’ level, as it looked promising for more waterfalls. I found another one well before that point. Once again the drop was well below me, and the descent was steep. However, this one looked too compelling to pass up. I worked my way down cautiously, finishing with a long, steep butt slide in the mud. I was clinging to the rhododendrons here to keep from falling. Most people would probably want a rope for this descent.

This waterfall is a beauty! It’s a 25’ freefall, projecting out over a fairly deep cave. The cave has a low ceiling (5’ or so), but it goes in quite a ways, and the floor is carpeted with lush moss. Spencer and Stephanie told me that everybody gets to name one cave after themselves, and I think I’m going to claim this one. It’s remote and virtually unknown, and it has a beautiful waterfall in front of it. Plus, since the ceiling is so low, I’m one of the few people that can walk around it in without banging my head on the roof.

Brenda caught up to me. She hesitated above the steep descent, but I insisted that she join me. This waterfall was too spectacular to skip. She made it down ok, though she wasn’t entirely sure if she would ever be able to climb back up! We then spent the next hour or so exploring the waterfall and the cave and taking photos from every conceivable angle. The waterfall and cave remind me a bit of Moonshine Falls, though the cave is smaller.

The climb back up was a struggle, as we had to crawl through the mud and pull ourselves up using the rhododendron. By the time we accomplished that, Brenda was finished exploring. We were only at 2,400’ though, and I still wanted to go upstream. We decided that she would start heading back, while I hiked up to 2,600’ to see what I could find. I climbed to the top of the ridge, and picked up an old road. I followed it for a while, but it eventually drifted away from Wild Hog Creek. I doubled-back briefly before bushwhacking towards the creek. Along here I spotted another drop on the creek. However, the worst bushwhacking of the day was between me and the final waterfall. The briars were horrible, and at one point I had to butt scoot across a rotting log. I finally reached the creek, but hit it downstream from the waterfall I’d seen. I climbed a bit, but the vegetation was nearly impenetrable. It was getting late, so I decided to save it for another day. On my way out, I noticed an impressive cliff high above. That and the upper drop I wasn’t able to reach will require further exploration.

I followed the old road back along the ridge. Eventually I dropped down a steep slope to another old road. This one took me down to the hillside above the waterfalls we’d visited earlier. One final steep drop brought me back to the logging road we’d followed from the parking area. I found Brenda waiting for me here. From here, the old road appears to contour to the south. The next major stream (unnamed) in that direction is pretty small, but it looks like it could have a waterfall around the 2,200’ elevation. That will be another thing to check out on a future visit.

We made good time on the way back. Back at the car, I noticed that I had a bleeding gash on my forehead. How had that happened? At one point a falling rhododendron limb had hit me in the back of the head, but that didn’t really account for the wound. Searching for unknown waterfalls isn’t all glory – sometimes you bleed from the face.

Brenda and I parted ways, and I drove to Greenville. I headed to Van’s house. He was moving to Columbia, and I’d told him that I would swing by to help him load the truck. It turns out that he had help from a lot of friends, and they were nearly finished when I arrived. That was pretty good timing on my part. All of the actual work was done, except for drinking the remaining beer that was still in Van’s fridge. I was glad to help with that. Afterwards, Van, Darrin, and I headed to downtown Greenville for dinner. We hit Blue Ridge Brewery, which was a great way to end a rewarding day.

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Best of luck to Van in Columbia!