DOWN UNDER

For at least a year now I’ve been intrigued (some might say obsessed) with the terrain downstream from Douglas Falls. Douglas Falls is well-known, and a short, easy trail leads right to it. But what is beyond? The topo map shows an extremely steep drop of 400’ all the way down to where the stream joins Waterfall Creek. It certainly looked like a promising area for additional waterfalls. However, there are no other documented waterfalls in the area. I’d never even heard of anyone exploring down there. Last weekend, Jack, Jonathan, and Jess agreed to join me to have a look.

We all met near Hendersonville and drove to the Big Ivy area of the Pisgah National Forest northeast of Asheville. This required a long drive on a dirt road beyond Barndardsville, but that was the easiest way to access the area. We eventually reached the end of the road and a small parking area. A quick hike on a good trail took us past some large (but dead) hemlocks on the way to Douglas Falls. We stopped there to take photos and plan our route.

We started downstream on a pretty good path, but it didn’t last long. Once it faded away, the hike was simply a matter of finding the easiest way down. Early on the going was fairly easy, as the woods were somewhat open and the terrain wasn’t too steep. That didn’t last though. Before long the terrain began to drop away dramatically ahead of us. The forest closed in, and we found ourselves crawling through the rhododendrons. At one point we found ourselves on TOP of the rhododendrons – stepping from branch to branch well above the forest floor. We fought our way towards more open woods, but the rhododendrons were simply replaced with briars.

At one I point I had to stop for a break at the top of a steep drop. I was really dragging, thanks to getting only a couple of hours of sleep the previous night. I’d actually gone to bed fairly early, but I’d tossed and turned all night. After taking a couple of minutes to catch my breath I resumed the descent.

A couple of minutes later we found ourselves at the base of an impressive cliff. Jonathan did a great job route finding. If we had descended a short distance farther to the left, we would’ve been in the creek. It’s a long run of cascades and slides below Douglas Falls, so that may have been dangerous. If we had descended a short distance farther to the right we would’ve come out at the top of the cliff. That may have ended our adventure rather abruptly.

We followed the base of the cliff before resuming the descent in a gully. More steep bushwhacking followed, but the worst was behind us. We finally reached Waterfall Creek just a short distance downstream from its confluence with the stream that Douglas Falls is on. We headed upstream, and reached a deep green swimming hole at the base of the multi-level cascade. There were several nice drops immediately above us, and another, larger waterfall a short distance farther upstream. We continued up to the confluence of the streams. There is a significant cascade on the tributary stream, too.

Jack, Jonathan, and Jess continued up Waterfall Creek from there to check out the higher waterfall. I thought about joining them, but I was completely out of gas. I decided to wait there. They climbed up the cascade on the tributary stream, which looked a bit treacherous. They then crossed the creek at the top of that waterfall, but at the base of the next cascade. I’m not sure what is immediately above that point. Due to the thick vegetation, we couldn’t see any further upstream. My guess is that there are more slides and cascades, though there could be another substantial waterfall up there.

Jack, Jonathan, and Jess reached the upper waterfall and returned. We had lunch by the swimming hole before beginning the hike out. On the return hike we tried a different route. At the base of the big cliff Jack and Jonathan scouted to the left in hopes of finding a better route up. The cliffs continued unbroken though, so we returned to the original route. Once past the cliffs though, we stayed a bit farther left to avoid the thickest rhododendron groves. This led to a small cliff that we had to climb up. It looked doable, but I nearly had a mishap. I was working my way up when Boone jumped up next to me and dislodged the rock I was standing on. I took a bit of a tumble, but fortunately I didn’t fall far. At that point I had to find a different route, which was unpleasant. I ended up crawling up a wet, muddy section of cliff before rejoining my friends at the top.

The rest of the hike out was easier. There was some collateral damage though. My all-time favorite hiking shirt was ripped in two places, and my tan hiking pants were now black. I’d also shattered the bottom of my trekking pole at some point. Fortunately the damage was limited to things. There were no injuries, aside from the usual assortment of scrapes and bruises. Still, given the hardcore nature of the bushwhack, I’ve decided to call the falls we found “Red Cross Falls”. As in, “give blood – visit Red Cross Falls.”

We returned to Douglas Falls bloody and muddy just as a family with young children was leaving. They looked at us bug-eyed as they hurried down the trail.

Jonathan managed to talk Jess into taking a shower under Douglas Falls. Jack followed them. I didn’t want to be left out, so I took a quick ice bath myself. That water was frigid! It was a refreshing way to celebrate a successful hike with Team Waterfall.

We returned to the cars by mid-afternoon. Jonathan and Jess decided to call it a day. On their way out, they drove around to the bottom end of Carter Creek, which is fed by Waterfall Creek. They were checking to see if Waterfall Creek would be accessible from downstream, but found the road leading in there gated. That area is private property, and there are houses around. Jonathan is considering going back sometime and checking at the nearest house to ask for permission.

Jack and I drove back as far as Walker Falls. The forest road passes directly below the waterfall. I thought there might be a previously undocumented waterfall upstream from Walker Falls, and we decided to have a look. We hiked an obvious trail leading up the hill adjacent to Walker Falls. We stopped at one point for photos before continuing on. Before long the path disappeared. Despite this, we found the going fairly easy on the hillside above the creek. This bushwhacking was much easier than what we had experienced earlier! The hillside was carpeted with wildflowers, too. We spotted trillium, bellwort, and jack in the pulpit.

After a calm stretch of Walker Creek we spotted a cascading waterfall ahead. It’s another multi-level cascade. It’s similar to another waterfall downstream from Walker Falls. Neither is spectacular or worth making a special trip for, but both are off the beaten path and undocumented.

It was a nice way to end a fun and successful day. We ended up hiking only 4 miles or so, but I felt like I’d covered 15 by the time I got home.

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