HENSON FANTASY

 

 

If you got here by Googling “Muppet Porn”, you are in the wrong place.

 

In October, 2012 Brenda and I attempted a rugged, off-trail loop hike in Linville Gorge combining Henson Creek Canyon, the Westface Route, and Fantasy Creek.  We descended the spectacular Henson Creek Canyon, but it took longer than we expected.  After reaching Ledge Point and the two waterfalls on Henson Creek it was mid-afternoon.  We still hadn’t reached the river, so we decided to retreat rather than to attempt to finish the loop.

 

For some reason it took me more than 3 years to make another attempt.  This time, two friends from Team Waterfall, Thomas and Kitty, decided to join me.  I drove up to Linville Gorge on Friday afternoon, as I was eager to camp up on Sitting Bear Mountain.  Thomas and Kitty had originally planned to join me, but due to some miscommunication they ended up camping near the Hawksbill Trailhead with Bob Underwood.  I enjoyed a quiet evening with a nice fire and some cold beers in a great campsite.

 

The next morning I hiked back down to the Halfway Trailhead and drove over to the Hawksbill Trailhead.  There is an extensive camping area behind the parking lot, and I found Thomas, Kitty, and Bob there working on their morning coffee.  It was great to finally meet Bob, a true Linville Gorge legend! 

 

Thomas and Kitty had attempted to sleep in their car, but that hadn’t gone well due to frequent traffic on Table Rock Road and general discomfort.  We finally got going after 10am.  We all met back up at the Mountain Park Circle / Brushy Ridge Trailhead to start the hike.  Bob accompanied us a short distance before heading back.  Later he would meet up with Lonnie Crotts for the hike across Gingercake and Sitting Bear mountains.

 

We took the short cut past Allen Hyde’s house down to Henson Creek.  There we joined the Red Trail briefly, before locating the junction with the route down into Henson Creek Canyon.  After a short approach we spotted the first large, overhanging cliff ahead.  There is a campsite here, and what appears to be rock art (?) on one of the walls.

 

Beyond that cliff, we crossed the creek to reach the brink of the first waterfall.  At the falls the creek enters the canyon proper.  We crossed back to the River Left side to descend.  Some scrambling brought us to the base of the upper drop and then the bottom of the full waterfall.  The waterfall has two tiers, each totaling about 15’.  There is a brief shelf between them that provides a nice view of the upper drop.

 

From there we continued down the canyon, scrambling over rocks of all shapes and sizes.  Fortunately it was dry, and the rocks weren’t particularly slippery.  We passed under a thrilling, overhanging cliff and crossed the creek a couple of times.  A bit farther on we found ourselves on a narrow ledge, once again on the south side of the stream.  We missed a turn along here, but that worked out ok.  A few minutes of extra hiking along the base of the cliffs brought us out to Ledge Point, which features great views down Linville Gorge and of Avatar’s Rib on Babel Tower directly across the river.

 

After a break there we doubled-back until we found a route down to the creek.  This turn is easy to miss and is probably the crux of the whole route.  Some bushwhacking and scrambling brought us back to creek level.  From there, some hardcore scrambling was necessary to continue down underneath another immense, overhanging wall.  This brought us to the lower waterfall in Henson Creek Canyon.  This cascade is smaller than the upper falls, but in an exceptionally beautiful setting.  It tumbles into a grotto formed by a massive cliff.

 

From there, we continued scrambling and rock hopping downstream.  A short distance above the river I scouted another ledge that is parallel but below Ledge Point.  It may be possible to get down to the river from there, but I don’t think that is the best way.  Instead we followed the creek a bit farther.  A few minutes later we reached the overhung campsite that is situated just above the confluence of Henson Creek and the Linville River.  From there we followed a beaten path down to the river.  We had a late lunch there in the shadow of Babel Tower before resuming the hike.

 

From the river we climbed back up to the overhung campsite and then climbed along the base of the Westface cliffs.  We followed faint trail along here, generally staying close to the wall.  We explored several small fissure caves along here, too.  Eventually the climb eased, and several minor ups and downs brought us to a junction.  Westface Rock, which marks the end of Midcliff Ridge and the Futuristic Wall, towered above us.  We considered heading down here into the Rockgarden to look for the caves.  Instead, we decided to climb up for a better look at Westface Rock.

 

We reached the very base of the rock and the beginning of the gully that leads to the top of it.  We couldn’t resist the temptation to climb it, so we began scrambling uphill.  The climb was steep, and the dry pine needles added to the challenge. We eventually reached a little saddle at the head of the gully.  From here, it is easy to reach the top of the rock fin on either side of the gully.  We headed for the south fin first.  This narrow spine of rock has incredible exposure.  It is only a few feet wide, and there are sheer, 100’+ drops off both sides. 

 

I was determined to reach the very end of Westface Rock.  At one point this required a short but sketchy descent.  I was extremely careful here, as one slip could result in a long fall.  Once down, a rock outcrop blocked the way.  I crawled under it and carefully walked out to the very end of the rock.  From there I had a great view down the gorge.  Directly across were the cliffs of Babel Tower.  Above were the higher cliffs of Midcliff Ridge and Windy Point.

 

Thomas and Kitty caught up a few minutes later.  Shortly after, a group of hikers on Babel Tower spotted us and shouted greetings.  They were the only people we saw all day, and I’m not sure that should count since they were on top of a cliff on the far side of the river!

 

Leaving Westface Rock was more sketchy than accessing it.  The spot we had climbed down proved to be a significant obstacle due to a lack of handholds.  There was one rock on the far left edge of the ridge that may have worked, but the exposure was extreme.  Instead, we used a small pine tree growing at the base of the climb to get up.  That was actually pretty easy, and much safer than trying to scramble it without any protection.

 

Before heading back down the gully we explored the fin to the north.  This was easier and safer, and I actually like the view more (particularly up the gorge).  The descent back down the gully was mostly a butt-sliding affair.

 

Once back at the base of Westface Rock we had a decision to make.  To explore the Rockgarden and caves, we would have to descend most of the way to Fantasy Creek and then return.  It was getting late, and we still had a long climb back out of the gorge ahead of us.  We decided to skip the caves but return another time to explore them.

 

We turned the corner at the base of Westface Rock and followed the base of the Futuristic Wall.  This wall is an immense, vertical cliff.  The hiking along here was actually fairly easy and exceptionally scenic.  Before long we reached Fantasy Creek.  Fantasy Creek is a small but fascinating stream.  It’s water frequently disappears underground.  We followed it briefly, before picking up a trail on the far side.  This faint path actually has a couple of switchbacks!  We lost the trail at one point, but regained it after thrashing around in the bushes.  After a bit more climbing we reached a more defined trail.  We headed south on it to visit Windy Point.  From there we enjoyed one final view.  It offers a great vantage of Westface Rock, where we’d been an hour or so before.

 

From there it was a fairly easy hike up to the Lower Cross Trail.  I made one navigation error though, as I led us up the MidCliff Trail to connect with the Red Trail.  That section of the MidCliff Trail is horribly overgrown, and going that way added an unnecessary climb and descent.  The map I was using doesn’t show the northern connection of the Lower Cross and Red Trails.  They do rejoin though, not far south of Henson Creek.  I realized my error when we reached that junction.

 

The final climb out of the gorge was slow and grueling.  We met back up with Bob at the trailhead.  He was eager to hear all about our trip.  At had been a total success, with the exception of missing out on the Fantasy Creek caves.  We’ll save them for next time.

 

For my next big Linville Gorge adventure I want to combine the Devil’s Hole Trail, the LGT, the Spence Ridge Trail, the Ledge Trail and Hawksbill in a single loop.  That one might be good for this summer or early fall, since it will require two river crossings.




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