CUMBERLAND
BLUES
Initially
I wasn’t that excited about a business trip to Nashville. For one thing, I don’t like country
music. For another, I’ve always heard
that Nashville is plagued by the same types of problems as Charlotte – you
know, bad traffic, uncontrolled development, dirty air – those kind of
things. On the other hand, I had the
option of driving instead of flying. If
I drove, I could stop on the way back and hike in a new area. I had first heard of Virgin Falls years ago,
but it wasn’t until I read SC Jack’s trip report and saw his photos that I made
that area a priority.
The
Virgin River is unique, in that it runs for all of about 200’ above
ground. It rushes out of the side of a
mountain, flows for 100’, and then tumbles over a 100’ waterfall before
disappearing. The Virgin may not be the
oldest or most powerful river in the world, but it very well may be the
shortest. I had to check it out.
First
I spent a few days in Nashville. The
city turned out to be nicer than I expected.
The highlight was Radnor Lake State Natural Area. I was looking for a place to run, and
visited Radnor Lake on a tip from a local.
Finding the park was a challenge, as the city keeps it well hidden. Finally I found the eastern entrance on
Otter Creek Road off of Franklin Road near Brentwood. I drove in past some beautiful homes on wooded lots, and parked
at the east trailhead where the road is gated.
I paid the $3 fee, and consulted the map.
Several
trails ramble through the park, but there was only one problem. Right at the top of the list of rules, was
“No jogging on trails”. No
jogging? I’d never seen that one
before. Luckily, I wasn’t planning on
jogging. I’ve always been a
runner. Joggers wear sweatpants and
headphones, and move with all of the grace of an old man in a hospital gown
racing for the bathroom.
So
I wasn’t planning on jogging, but I had a sneaky suspicion that the local
authorities wouldn’t understand the distinction. So, I decided to follow standard procedure when confronted with a
senseless rule I don’t want to follow.
I’d look for a loophole.
I
started running on the closed road, which is not prohibited. I passed the beginning of the lake trail,
which circles the lake to rejoin the road, forming an ideal loop. I was tempted, but right at the beginning of
the trail was another sign prohibiting jogging.
I
continued down the road, and even explored a side road to its end. From there, I followed the road to the far
end of the lake. After all of that, I’d
been running 10 minutes. I was going to
have to get creative, or I’d end up running back and forth along the same
stretch of road.
I
arrived at the western junction for the Lake Trail and found my loophole. There was no sign prohibiting jogging,
running, or any other sort of rapid pedestrian activity. Clearly, since there was a sign at the other
end, but not at this one, running is only allowed from this direction. More to the point, if anyone challenged my
right to run there, I could legitimately claim ignorance.
Running
along the Lakeshore was wonderful, as the trail is packed wood chips. Surely there is no better surface for
running. The lake is beautiful, and the
woods were even more startling. The
bright green of the ferns on the forest floor were only outshined by the deeper
green of the hardwood canopy overhead.
All sorts of blooming wildflowers added color. Most notable were tall purple flowers that looked like Lupine. I thought Lupine was a western flower. Does Lupine grow in Tennessee?
I
passed several other people that, while clearly not jogging due to a lack of
sweatpants and headphones, were certainly walking exceptionally fast and
breathing hard. I made it back to the
road without being arrested, and returned to the car. I was really feeling good as I pulled out of the parking
lot. It had been a lovely evening in a
beautiful park. I popped a random tape
into the cassette deck, only to hear The Grateful Dead performing “Cumberland
Blues” and “Tennessee Jed”. How
fitting.
I
was up early the next morning, and finished my job by 9AM. From there, it was back east to the
Cumberland Plateau. The plateau is well
known for its waterfalls and caves.
Most famous is probably Falls Creek Falls State Park. I considered a visit there, but only had
time for one hike. I decided to spend
that time in the backcountry, in the Virgin Falls pocket wilderness.
I
drove from Nashville to Cookeville to Sparta, where I picked up a sandwich at a
gas station. Have you ever noticed how
there’s always a Subway nearby, no matter where you are? Well, that doesn’t apply to Sparta,
Tennessee. From there, it was only a
short drive through Bowater property to the Virgin Falls trailhead.
It
was a beautiful, sunny day, but I was still surprised to see two other cars
there on a Wednesday. I registered, and
picked up the well-marked trail, following it through a narrow strip of forest
surrounded by clearcuts. The area is
owned by logging companies, so I guess we should just be thankful that they
were willing to preserve the Virgin Falls area as a wilderness.
The
first mile of trail offered an easy walk along a small stream. Then the path began a rocky descent. It was on this stretch that I passed Big
Branch Falls. This waterfall certainly
isn’t big, and wasn’t terribly exciting, but it was a sign of better things to
come.
I
reached the bottom of the hill and found a much larger stream. Lots of boulders made for an easy rock hop
across Laurel Creek. From there, the
path continued its descent along the stream.
This area is a boulder garden, and the trail became more difficult due
to the rocky tread. At one point, I
passed along the base of an impressive cliff.
Shortly after that, I descended to a point where the creek disappeared.
At one moment, the creek was tumbling down the valley, over cascades and
through lovely swimming holes. Then,
unexpectedly, it disappeared down a drain.
It was hard to see the sink because of a big pile of boulders, but cold
air gave away its location. Downstream
from there was only a dry riverbed, until the stream magically reappeared.
The
trail stayed high above the creek, and then the dry riverbed, and finally the
creek once again. A steep descent
finally led down to the riverbed, which was once again dry. Now where did the stream go? I turned back “upstream”, and found myself
looking at Laurel Falls. This waterfall
may only be a feature to see on the way to Virgin Falls, but it is a highlight
in its own right. The newly reborn
stream rushes over a high ledge, freefalling 60’ before flowing backwards,
underneath itself, into a huge cave.
This
is not a waterfall simply to look at, but one to explore. I walked around the falls, and into the
cave. The cavern is truly immense. It’s no exaggeration to say that you could
bring friends and toss around a Frisbee in there. The creek rushes to the back of the cave, where it disappears
again down another drain. You can walk
right up to this sink, where the roar of the water indicates that the majority
of the waterfall is actually underground.
From the back of the cave, the view out through the curtain of water to
the green forest is simply amazing. Not
for the last time I agonized over not having my camera, which I had just sent
back to Fuji to be repaired.
I
had a quick lunch and hiked on. Another
mile of rocky hiking through the woods led to a junction. From here, the trail forms a loop. I arbitrarily chose to go counter-clockwise,
heading towards Sheep Cave.
Sheep
Cave features yet another stream rushing out of the mountainside, over a
waterfall, and into another cave. The
stream is fairly small and the waterfall isn’t much to look at, but the area is
still fascinating. My first attempt at
exploration was at the vertical cavern the waterfall disappears into. I moved carefully down a steep, muddy path,
trying to get a better look. Finally I
reached the point where I’d need rappelling gear to see more. I scrambled back up, and headed for the
upper cave.
Sheep
Cave is more of a tunnel than a huge cavern, but it is still tall enough to
walk into comfortably. It was so
inviting, I couldn’t resist. I put on
my headlamp, and walked up the stream, moving slowly to keep from dunking my
boots. After only a short distance, the
tunnel curved, and the cave quickly grew dark.
I was attempting to move from rock to rock in the dim light. Do you think rock hopping is tricky in broad
daylight? Try it in a cave.
I
worked my way slowly up the tunnel until the ceiling became too low to walk
comfortably. At that point, I found a
boulder to stop and reflect. I turned
off my headlamp, and only the faintest hint of light from the entrance
prevented total darkness. I sat in the
dark for several minutes, enjoying the sound of rushing water echoing off the
walls of the cave. Then, something
brushed against my hand. What was
that?? Towards the entrance, I caught
the sense of something moving. I turned
on the light, and a bat flew right past my face. I looked up to the wall above me, and saw a giant, gnarly looking
spider. Clearly it was time to go.
On
the way out, I noticed several bats hanging from the ceiling. A few minutes later, bright sunshine greeted
me as I emerged from the cave. I was
feeling exhilarated, and I hadn’t even made it to my destination yet.
10
minutes of hiking brought me to Virgin Falls.
If Virgin Falls was just a 100’ drop on an ordinary river, it would
spectacular. It starts by spilling over
a 5’ lip, before cascading over a rock face featuring dozens of ledges. Then it splits in two pieces, with the front
portion freefalling and the back section cascading down the cliff. At the base, the river disappears down a
hole, never to be seen again.
I
tried to reach the base, but slippery rocks and cold spray discouraged me. I retreated, and hiked to the top of the
falls. Here I found a broad stream
issuing forth from a tunnel. Unlike
Sheep Cave, this one would be impossible to walk up without getting
drenched. Still, the cave was
fascinating enough that I wished for tevas.
I explored around the mouth of the cave, and stumbled across a narrow
passage that provided a dry entrance. A
few feet in, the passage split into 3 tunnels.
Two quickly became impassable, but I was able to squeeze through a tight
slot into the third. It led back down
to a perch above the underground river.
I couldn’t explore any further from there, but that was ok. I was content to sit and listen to the river
roar by.
I
couldn’t stay long, as I still had a long drive home. I was hiking back down to the main trail and looking at the
waterfall when I turned an ankle and fell.
Now, I’ll admit that I have no real skill when it comes to mountain
biking, canoeing, rock climbing, or most anything else. But walking? I’ve been doing it for over 30 years now, and I practice almost
every weekend. You’d think I’d be
better at it by now. Still, there I
was, lying on the ground, getting a good view of the wildflowers, including the
first trillium of the season.
Fortunately, I’ve sprained my ankles so many times, they are now like
rubber. It was only a little tender, so
I took a horse-sized advil and resumed the hike.
I
followed the trail down towards the Caney Fork River. At two points I reached signs marking side trails to the
river. I explored both, and it was a
good choice. The first led to some nice
campsites and a large swimming hole featuring a rope swing. The second went to a rocky ford decorated
with sunflowers and guarded by geese. The Caney Fork River is beautiful, as its
deep blue waters slide past sand bars beneath rocky bluffs. It looks like it would be an excellent
canoeing run, assuming it doesn’t suddenly disappear down a hole in the earth.
From
there, I followed the loop trail back to the original junction with the main
trail. I hiked back out non-stop, as I
didn’t want to be on the road all night.
On the way out I passed two couples, bringing the total number of people
seen for the day to 5. My ankle really
started throbbing on the last mile, but that was only a minor distraction from
a beautiful hike. Even with all of my
explorations, I finished the hike in 5 ½ hours. I thought I might make it back to Charlotte before my wife went
to bed. That was before I remembered to
adjust my clock back from central time!
It’s probably lucky I didn’t have my camera, or it may have been deep in
the night before I returned home.
Virgin Falls was my most spectacular hike since returning from Hawaii in
July. I will have to return with
Christy, my camera, and tevas. Those
caves are just waiting to be explored!
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