PURPLE SWAMP RABBIT

 

 

Last week started with a 3-day business trip to one of my favorite towns, Greenville, SC.  I stayed downtown so I could take full advantage of the recreational opportunities there.  On Monday evening I took a run on the Swamp Rabbit Trail past Reedy River Falls.  The next evening I returned to the trail for a bike ride.  Recently the trail was expanded to connect downtown Greenville to Furman University and Travelers Rest.  It now covers over 13 miles, and will eventually stretch about 36 miles to the North Carolina state line.

 

I rode most of the existing trail, from just west of downtown to Travelers Rest.  Overall it was a nice, easy ride, and it was great to see hundreds of other people out exercising.  The only drawback to the trail is that it is littered with many road crossings and stop signs.  It’s hard to get a good bike workout when you frequently have to stop.  I ran most of those stop signs, but a few of the streets the trail crosses have heavy traffic.

 

The other down side is the trail passes through Furman University.  It’s a lovely campus, but since I’m a graduate of Appalachian State University, I always get a little nauseous when I get near the place.

 

I narrowly avoided disaster when I hit a huge bump near the end of my ride.  I heard the clang of metal and slammed on the brakes.  I found the source of the sound, which was my car key.  The zipper on my seat pouch had broken, and the key had tumbled out.  Fortunately I found the key in the dim light.  That bump also caused my chain to pop off, but I was able to get it back in order without getting too much grease on my hands.

 

The next afternoon I slipped out of work a little early and headed north towards Brevard.  My plan was to head up towards the Graveyard Fields area to check on the fall foliage.  It was only September 28th, but all indications pointed towards an early season for fall color.  Plus, the color change tends to occur early at those high elevations.

 

I’d never driven there from Greenville, and it was amazing how many great places I passed in a couple of hours.  I drove by Jones Gap State Park, Wildcat Falls, Caesar’s Head State Park, the Mountain Bridge Wilderness, DuPont State Forest, Conesstee Falls, Davidson River, Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock, and the Pink Beds before reaching the Parkway.  From there I continued on towards Graveyard Fields.  Just before it I stopped at the viewpoint for Second Falls.  The color was looking pretty good there, but it was probably still a week away from peaking.  While I was in the area, I also spotted Yellowstone Falls through the trees.  The viewpoint is a short distance north on the Parkway from the official overlook of the Big East Fork of the Pigeon River.  It’s hard to see, but probably a bit easier when the leaves are off the trees.

 

From there I drove to highway 215 and headed north to Bubbling Springs Cascades.  The view from the roadside is now getting overgrown.  I hiked the steep path down to the base of the falls, and then climbed up alongside the cascades.  There was a good bit of fall foliage looking back from the top of the falls.

 

From there I hurried up to Devil’s Courthouse for sunset.  I was a bit late, but did arrive in time to catch some alpenglow on the cliffs.  Sunset was nice, and I noticed a good bit of color north towards Little Sam and Big Sam.

 

The temperature dropped with the sun, and it was past time to find a place to camp.  Initially I drove up towards the Black Balsam Trailhead.  I parked where the Art Loeb Trail crosses the road, and followed the trail into the woods.  I knew there was nice campsite in the spruce fir forest, but alas it was already occupied.  Disappointed, I headed back to the car.  I went with my backup plan, which required driving back down to highway 215.  I parked where the Mountains to Sea Trail crosses the road.  I followed the MST into the Middle Prong Wilderness Area, and made camp near Bubbling Spring Branch. 

 

It was a clear, chilly night, and I slept great.  In fact, I slept too well.  I’d set my alarm for 6am so I could catch the sunrise.  Somehow I slept right through it, and it took the first passing car of the morning to wake me nearly an hour later.  I broke camp quickly, and drove south on 215 to an overlook that provided a great view of the rising sun.  I arrived a little late, but still caught a dramatic sunrise.

 

Afterwards, I drove back to my campsite.  I had a significant hike planned for the day, but decided to squeeze in a short hike to a pair of waterfalls first.  I hiked upstream along Bubbling Spring Branch, rock hopping the creek frequently.  Eventually I got to a point where rock hopping was no longer an option.  I was already wearing my river shoes, which made wading the creek easier.  The water was cold, but the effort was worth it.  After a short distance I arrived at the base of the lower falls.  This waterfall is small, but pretty.  From there I climbed up along the left side of the falls and continued upstream.  After a short distance I reached the upper falls, which is even prettier.  This waterfall was enhanced by some nice fall at the base.

 

I returned to the car and headed for the Black Balsam trailhead.  After a brief diversion to check out some morning fog around Looking Glass Rock, it was on to the main event of the day.  The Black Balsam trailhead parking lot was almost half full, even though it was a Thursday morning.  I made use of the trailhead facilities and then hit the trail.  My plan was to hike a loop connecting Black Balsam, Silvermine Bald, Chestnut Knob, the Little Sam Trail, Flat Laurel Creek, and Big Sam.  The hike started with a hearty climb up the steep trail connecting the parking area with the Art Loeb Trail on Black Balsam. By the time I reached the crest of the ridge I was thoroughly warmed up.  I decided against taking the side trip to Black Balsam’s summit, as I could see a large group of people up there.

 

I headed the other way, passing lingering Goldenrod and Mountain Ash berries.  I then descended to cross the road.  I passed through my favorite grove of spruce and fir, and noticed that the group that had camped there the previous night had cleared out.  A quiet hike led me to a junction, where I left the Art Loeb in favor of the westbound Mountains to Sea Trail.  Just beyond the junction is a nice view south that includes Pilot Mountain and a good chunk of the Davidson River drainage.  The best views were still to come though.

 

I continued on to a cliff on the flank of Chestnut Knob.  I took a short break there, and enjoyed a sweeping view stretching from the southeast to the southwest.  This spot offers one of the best vistas of Looking Glass Rock, along with Cedar Rock, John Rock, and more.  It also featured a scattering of early color far below.

 

I hiked around Chestnut Knob and joined the Little Sam Trail.  I headed north on Little Sam, and before long I reached a series of fine views of Mount Hardy and Devil’s Courthouse.  The fall foliage was beautiful here, as the many Beeches and Birches in this area turn early.  I braved some briars to scramble up onto a boulder, which offered an even better vista.  I had lunch there and took photos until my camera battery died.  I wasn’t worried about that though, since I had a spare.  Or did I?  I searched my pack twice, but it was not to be found.  Later it would turn up in my wife’s car.

 

I was bummed about the camera situation, but I managed to squeeze a few more photos from the trip simply by removing the batteries, holding them in my hand, and then reinserting them.  This was fortunate, as there was still some fine color ahead.

 

I hiked down to Flat Laurel Creek and continued downstream.  I followed the Flat Laurel Creek Trail back towards highway 215 until I reached a couple of overlooks with some nice fall foliage.  Then I doubled-back to a side trail heading steeply down towards Flat Laurel Creek.  I had some extra time, so I decided to explore a little.

 

I followed the trail steeply downhill, but quickly realized that it was destined to stay high on the hillside above the creek.  The map shows that this trail runs all the way to highway 215 just north of the bridge over Flat Laurel Creek.  I didn’t have time to go that far, but it looked and sounded like there were some significant cascades below me. 

 

I headed down a steep scramble path towards the sound of crashing water.  I had to thrash around a bit to avoid cliffs, but eventually found a relatively safe route to the creek.  I came out at the base of an impressive waterfall.  It’s somewhere along the long run of cascades that start far upstream.  I managed to squeeze one final photo out of my camera, right before I dropped my lens cap in the creek.  It fell from the boulder I was perched on, and dropped right between two huge rocks along the side of the stream.

 

I climbed back out, and then headed back towards the parking area.  First though, I had one more side trip planned.  I made the short climb up Big Sam, and took in the views from both the north and south summits.  It had been years since my last visit to Big Sam, but I was quickly reminded of just how scenic that mountain is.  It provided a great ending to one of my favorite hikes.




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