SUNSHINE AND SNOWCONES

 

 

Peace and quiet.  The only sound was the occasional gentle sigh of the snowpack settling around me.  Sitting on a frosty log next to a rushing stream, enjoying the bright sunshine was a little slice of heaven.  I swallowed a spoonful of hot soup and looked over at Boone.  He grinned back at me, icicles hanging from his chin.  It was a good day.

 

The late December snowstorm of 2010 will be remembered for bringing a white Christmas to most of North Carolina.  However, we only got an inch or two at my house in Charlotte.  By the time the weather settled, I was itching to hike in it.

 

I considered a number of options for my snow hike.  Ultimately I decided to head over to the Brevard area.  There are many great hiking opportunities there, and some of them are relatively easy to access.  I didn’t want to take any major risks driving long distances on forest roads.

 

My main goal for the day was to hike from the Pisgah stables up Avery Creek and on to Twin Falls.  The drive was smooth as far as Pisgah Forest, but the road got sketchy once I started up 276 towards the Davidson River Campground.  It had been plowed, but there was enough leftover snow and ice to make things interesting.  I drove cautiously to the Ranger Station and on to Avery Creek Road.  Avery Creek is a dirt forest road, but it had seen a fair bit of traffic since the storm.  Well-packed tracks in the snow were easy to follow, and the absence of ice made traveling this road seem safer than highway 276.  I still took it slow though.  I reached the Pisgah Stables about 9:45 and parked there.  The road is currently gated at this point due to construction farther up.

 

I released the dog and followed Boone up the road.  The walking was fairly easy despite the snow.  I followed footprints and cross country ski tracks high above Avery Creek.  The biggest challenge may have been the bright glare from the sun reflecting off the snowpack.  Sunglasses would’ve been a great thing to bring for this hike.

 

I reached the construction area, and finding a way around the equipment in the snow was rather awkward.  Just beyond I reached the blue-blazed Avery Creek Trail.  I followed this trail on a steady grade down to Avery Creek.  At the creek, the footprints I’d followed stopped.  From there on, I hiked through virgin snow.

 

I hiked upstream a short distance before reaching the first footbridge over Avery Creek.  All of the bridges along this trail consist of 2 or 3 logs with a single handrail.  Each one was buried under a foot of snow.  Crossing them was rather tricky.  I cleared the snow as I went, and kept a death grip on the railing to keep from slipping off and falling into the creek.  Boone wasn’t interested in crossing the bridges at all.  He simply ran through the creek and waited for me on the far side.

 

We hiked through a lovely Hemlock forest blanketed in snow.  Early on we passed a small but pretty waterfall on Avery Creek.  I wanted to hike down to the base for photos, but the steep, snow-covered slope looked hazardous.  It didn’t seem worth the risk, so I skipped it.  We crossed several more bridges, before arriving at one that was missing its railing.  I started to cross anyway, but quickly realized that I was risking a bad fall into the creek below.  I chickened out and decided to try rock hopping instead. 

 

Just getting down to the creek was tricky.  I had one foot firmly planted when the other started to slide.  A horrible tearing sound ensued.  The good news is that it wasn’t a groin muscle.  However, the seam in the crotch of my pants had blown out.  It seems like this happens every year during eggnog and cookie season.  I wonder why that is?  My pants were well-ventilated the rest of the day.  Fortunately it wasn’t terribly cold despite the snow.

 

Boone was ahead of me when we reached the next bridge.  This time, for some reason, he decided to cross it rather than running through the creek.  It was a bad move.  He was halfway across when his left leg slipped off the left side of the middle log.  His right leg went off to the right, and he crashed hard.  In bowling, I believe this is referred to as a 7 – 10 split.  Fortunately for Boone, we had him “fixed” when he was only a few months old.  If we hadn’t, this would’ve been extremely painful.

 

Editor’s Note – Bob Barker reminds you to please spay or neuter your pet.  We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

 

I caught up to him too late.  He tried to extricate himself, and managed to roll off the bridge in the process.  He landed in the creek with an impressive splash.  You know how cats always land on their feet?  That doesn’t apply to dogs.  He landed on his side, but his doggie backpack did manage to cushion his fall.  I waited to make sure he wasn’t hurt before laughing at him.  He stood and shook himself off, giving me the old stink eye like the whole thing was my fault.

 

We crossed several more bridges before finally reaching the side trail to Twin Falls.  In fact, we encountered 14 of them (including the little ones) on the way to Twin Falls.  This made for a slow, tedious hike.

 

We reached the campsite downstream from Twin Falls a few minutes later.  Unfortunately, the water volume on the two streams was rather low despite the recent wet weather.  As a result, the scene wasn’t particularly photogenic despite the snow.  Still, it was a great place to relax and have an early lunch.  I had the whole place to myself, and saw no sign of another person on my hike.

 

We made better time on the return hike since I’d cleared most of the snow off of the bridges.  There were no further mishaps, and it was only 2pm when we returned to the car.  With several hours of daylight still at my disposal, I decided to do another hike.

 

I returned to highway 276 and headed towards the Parkway.  The road was in better shape, thanks to the abundant sunshine.  There were still a number of icy and slushy areas, but the driving wasn’t as hazardous as it had been a few hours earlier.  I passed Looking Glass Falls, but continued another mile to the trailhead for Moore Cove Falls.  There was one car here, so I knew that the total solitude I’d enjoyed earlier wouldn’t be repeated.

 

Unlike the trail to Twin Falls, the path to Moore Cove Falls had been well-traveled.  In fact, someone had actually hiked it in snowshoes.  This wasn’t necessary, as the trail was well-packed and the footing was good.  Boone and I passed a massive boulder early on, and met the other hikers a few minutes later as they were heading back.

 

Moore Cove Falls was deserted when we arrived.  It had been years since my last visit to this waterfall, and the sight of it was more impressive than I remembered.  Although the water volume was low, the waterfall was enhanced by an impressive array of icicles hanging from the cliff.  One of them, immediately adjacent to the falls, was easily the biggest icicle I’ve ever seen.  I’ll bet it was 30’ long or more.  I can’t fathom how it was actually hanging there.  I’m surprised that the weight of it hadn’t caused it to break free.  Aside from the icicles, a giant snow cone had formed at the base of the falls.  It looked like a little ice volcano there in the spray of the falls.

 

I spent the next 30 minutes photographing Moore Cove Falls from every conceivable angle.  I enjoyed shooting from directly below, as the blue sky above the brink of the falls added to the beauty.  I wandered behind the falls, too, and took some shots from the right side.  That’s where I was when a huge Hispanic group arrived.  There must’ve been 20 people or more, including several young children.  This was quite disorienting after such a quiet day.

 

I gave up on Moore Cove Falls but headed up a tributary stream to check out another waterfall.  This one, which is commonly referred to as Little Moore Cove Falls, is a miniature version of the main falls.  I enjoyed having it to myself for a few minutes before heading back.

 

I headed home, but made one last stop at Looking Glass Falls.  I left the dog in the car for this one, as it is just a short hike down to the base.  I started down the steps, but had to stop and put on my Yaktrax, as the staircase was extremely icy.  The ice and snow limited my shooting options, but I found a good spot just downstream from the official lower overlook.  I took a few shots before heading back up.  Back at the car, I found Boone curled up in the driver’s seat asleep.  He was worn out from our hike, and truthfully, so was I.  It was a great hike, but it definitely reminded me of the extra difficulty in hiking in the snow.




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