THE JOY OF FAILURE

For several years now, Rocky and I have talked about trying to find a secret place in Linville Gorge. The spot is a hidden campsite among the cliffs below Babel Tower. Rocky hadn’t been there in nearly 30 years, but he thought he remembered how to get to it. So, last Saturday we decided to search for it. Jack was spending the weekend with his wife’s family in Rutherfordton, so he agreed to join us.

We all met in Marion Saturday morning, and rode with Rocky from there. It didn’t take long to reach the Babel Tower Trailhead, as the Kistler Highway was clear of snow. At the parking area, we noticed a large van from the University of Florida. We found it amusing that a large group of students from Florida would be up in the North Carolina Mountains in February, a few days after a major snowstorm.

We found the first snow a short distance down the Babel Tower Trail. Although most of the surrounding forest was clear, snow and ice had filled in the mildly eroded trailbed. As a result, we had to watch our step as we descended. Fortunately, the Babel Tower Trail is in good shape, and it isn’t particularly steep. We worked our way down into the gorge, enjoying a couple of nice views along the way. At one point I spotted the Sitting Bear – a rock outcrop on the east rim of the gorge. A bit later we spotted some snow covered mountains to the north of the gorge. After a bit of debate, we decided that we were looking at Beech Mountain. Before long, we reached the junction with the Linville Gorge Trail. We continued ahead from there, working our way out towards Babel Tower itself.

Babel Tower is a series of massive rock outcrops towering over the river. In this part of the gorge, the river winds its way through several sharp “S” curves. One of those curves wraps around the tower. As a result, Babel Tower is surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs dropping several hundred feet to the river below.

We were eager to begin our search, but first, we wanted to check out the view from the top of the tower. After a bit of confusion, we found the correct route through the cliffs and boulders. We avoided the first couple of ascent routes, knowing from past experience that they are more technical, challenging climbs. We finally found the “easy” way up, which is still quite steep at the top. The last part of the climb requires scrambling up a couple of small ledges. This is where Boone had his first problem of the day. He was reluctant to climb it on his own, and he wouldn’t let me lift him up or give him a boost. Finally I decided to go ahead, hoping he would follow. As soon as I was up, he started scrambling upward, only to slip. He tumbled down a couple of ledges before landing in a cloud of dust. He bounced to his feet though, uninjured. I breathed a sigh of relief, as I knew my wife would kill me if I brought her puppy home with a broken leg.

I went down to him, and he reluctantly let me help him up. We reached the top without any further drama, and joined Rocky and Jack, who were already admiring the view. We gazed out over the Linville River, running through its deep, narrow gorge. Hawksbill and Table Rock towered above us, with jagged cliffs tumbling down their flanks to the river far below. Babel Tower provided an incredible auditory experience, as well. With the river on three sides, the roar of rushing water echoed all around us. Babel Tower is one of my favorite places in Linville Gorge, and it was hard to leave. However, adventure waited.

Getting down from the top was a challenge, too. Boone didn’t want to have anything to do with it. No doubt his earlier fall had shaken his confidence. Once again, he wouldn’t let me help him. Finally I went on without him. I didn’t go far before he came bounding down behind me. This time he made it without any trouble.

Our next goal was to get down to the river. Our original plan was to return to the junction with the Linville Gorge Trail and bushwhack down from there. However, after only a short distance, we spotted a faint path heading down. This looked more appealing than the wicked bushwhack we had anticipated. We decided to follow it, hopeful that it would take us where we needed to be. The descent wasn’t bad at all, although there were some fallen trees to negotiate. We dropped down a broad gully between two bands of cliffs, and before long, found ourselves on a rock face just above the river.

The view from here was intense. We were surrounded by soaring cliffs, the river squeezed between sheer walls. Much of the gorge was choked with massive boulders, while the river was nearly buried under ice. Just downstream, the entire river was frozen, from one side of the canyon to the other. The ice was thin though, and the river raced underneath it. Crossing the river on the ice was definitely not an option.

Jack, Rocky, and I spent the next hour exploring this narrow section of the gorge. However, our progress was limited by the sheer cliff walls and the ice. We searched for Rocky’s hidden campsite, but didn’t find it there. We weren’t too concerned though, because we were in a fabulous spot. Eventually we contented ourselves with a relaxing lunch on the rocks, basking in bright sunshine. It was probably over 60 degrees there, which was quite a contrast from the partially frozen river only a few feet away.

We loitered for quite awhile before heading back up. On the way out, we took a slightly different route. This approach was steeper, but it took us to another amazing spot. We were halfway up the tower when Rocky found a tiny campsite on a ledge, tucked under a small overhang. From there, we had a great view of the river below. This was a cool place, but it wasn’t the one Rocky remembered. He was certain that the spot he had been to was closer to the water. It would still make a great solo campsite – at least if you can sleep through the night knowing you’re a few feet from the edge of a cliff! I would love to camp there, but I know I’d wake up in a panic every 10 minutes!

The rest of the climb out was uneventful. We reached the Linville Gorge Trail and discussed our options. I suggested descending to the river from there, to have another look for Rocky’s campsite. That would bring us out upstream from where we had been earlier. Rocky and Jack were content with what we had already accomplished though. I couldn’t really argue the point. We hadn’t reached our goal, but we’d found an amazing place that was more than adequate compensation. I guess we’ll just have to go back another time to continue our quest. What a shame.

It was only early afternoon though, so we decided to extend the hike. We headed north on the LGT. This section of trail has received some recent maintenance, and it was in better shape than I’ve ever seen it. It’s still a rugged hike though, through steep terrain with difficult footing. Before long, we encountered a large group of backpackers. They were the college kids from Florida, and it sounded like they’d had a memorable trip. They had started at Pine Gap, and had camped near the trailhead Friday night. They seemed relieved that they were almost at the Babel Tower Trail, as that was their exit route. They mentioned that they’d had trouble with some icy sections of trail. I guess that isn’t something they experience much down in Florida!

We hadn’t seen anyone all morning, but those backpackers seemed to open the flood gates. Through the rest of the afternoon, we rarely went more than a few minutes without passing someone. It seemed like everyone was out enjoying an unusually sunny, warm afternoon.

We reached the Cabin Trail a bit later. Rocky was ready to call it a day. After a brief discussion, Jack and I decided to continue ahead to the Pine Gap Trail. Rocky would go up Cabin, and then walk the road back to the car. Then, he’d drive down to the Pine Gap Trailhead and pick us up. We parted ways, and Jack and I plunged deeper into the gorge.

The rugged hiking continued, and each time we passed through a narrow draw, the temperature dropped about 30 degrees. We were now in the shade most of the time, and we both contemplated putting more clothes on. A bit later, we reached a seep spring that had completely frozen across the trail. The ice was maybe 15’ feet across, and it covered every surface. It was as smooth as glass, and walking across was not an option. I probably could’ve done it with my ice cleats, but Jack had forgotten his. There was also a junction here, with another path dropping down below the ice. We were pretty sure that wasn’t the right route, but we thought we might be able to use it to get around the ice. We decided to follow it, and soon found us descending to the river. Before long we reached the river once again. This was a nice spot, but it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as where we’d been earlier. After only a brief pause, we headed back up.

Back at the frozen seep, Jack and I made a tricky, difficult climb to get around the ice. We regained the trail, but realized that Boone was on the wrong side. I thought he might be able to run across it safely, but I wasn’t certain. If he slipped there, he probably would hurt himself. At this point, we were both feeling a bit unmotivated. Even if we got across, there was no telling how many other places like it we’d encounter. Plus, we were both starting to remember just how long this stretch of the LGT takes. After a brief debate, we decided to head back to the Cabin Trail and hike out that way. If we were lucky, we’d catch up to Rocky.

We made it back around the ice and hurried back to the Cabin Trail. We tried to set an aggressive pace up the Cabin Trail, knowing that if we missed Rocky, we’d have to walk the road all the way down to the Pine Gap Trailhead. Moving fast up this trail is virtually impossible though, as it’s one of the steepest trails in Linville Gorge. We still tried to push it, but I wasn’t able to keep up with Jack. He would’ve gotten out well ahead of me, if we hadn’t run into one final obstacle.

The trail meets a 5’ rock face about halfway up. The rock is pretty sheer, but it can be climbed using hand and foot holds. Unfortunately, Boone has yet to master rock climbing. We knew he’d never make it up without our help.

Fortunately he was tired at this point, and I was able to corral him. I got his front paws up on the rock and started pushing him up the rock. He scrabbled with his paws, and Jack grabbed his collar from above once he came into reach. I gave his haunches one last shove, and my 55lb puppy was finally on top of the rock! I scrambled up after him, and the rest of the hike out was a relative breeze. It was lucky that I hadn’t chosen this route for a solo hike with Boone though. I never would’ve gotten him up the rock without Jack’s help.

We reached the road, but there was no sign of Rocky. We took a break and had a snack, and several cars passed by. We didn’t see Rocky though, and we were afraid we had missed him. After 10 minutes, we decided to start down the road towards the Pine Gap Trail. We only went a couple hundred yards when Rocky caught up to us. We all piled in, and headed back to Marion.

It was still fairly early, and on the way Jack mentioned that he had never been to Tom’s Creek Falls. Rocky hadn’t seen it either. I had just been there in December, and remembered how to get to it. It’s an easy drive, just off of highway 221 in Woodlawn, and only a short hike. We found the small parking area there full, but Rocky improvised a space. From there, it only took about 10 minutes to get to the base of the falls.

Tom’s Creek Falls is quite impressive. This is a bit of a surprise, being so close to Marion. The water flow was fairly strong, and much of the waterfall was surrounded by ice. There was a small crowd there enjoying the falls when we arrived, but we had plenty of room to check it out. Jack and I took a few photos, and we considered crossing the creek to explore an old Limestone mine. Rock hopping on icy rocks would’ve been tricky though, so we decided to save it for another day. While we were there, we talked with a gentleman, who mentioned that the old bridge foundations that are still standing were from a tram that served the mine. I had wondered about that on my previous visit, and it was nice to satisfy my curiosity.

We headed back from there, ending another great day in Linville Gorge. Rocky and I will definitely be back, to make another attempt at finding his hidden campsite. I’m not sure if I care if we ever find it though, as long as our failures always turn out as nice as this one did!

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