PANTS ON THE GROUND

Last weekend brought the first warm, sunny weather in recent memory. It also coincided with Christy being out of town for her sister’s bridal shower. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity for a winter backpacking trip. My only hesitation was that I was feeling pretty burned out on snow and ice. The mountains were still buried from the latest snowstorm. Where to go?

I decided to head to one of my favorite winter destinations – the Chattooga River. Although still in the mountains, the elevations there are low enough that serious snowstorms are rare. Plus, there was one 4-mile section of the Chattooga River Trail that I hadn’t hiked. I only needed to hike that stretch to complete the entire trail, from the Ellicott Rock Wilderness in North Carolina to the highway 76 bridge on the Georgia side of the river.

I decided to start my hike at the highway 28 bridge on the South Carolina side of the river. From there, I’d hike upstream, past Licklog Creek Falls, through the Rock Gorge section of the river. I planned to go as far as I could before dark. My tentative goal was to reach King Creek Falls. Those falls are 12 or 13 miles upstream though, so I wasn’t sure how realistic my goal was.

I left home a little later than I should’ve, and the drive through Clemson seemed to take forever. I reached the trailhead parking area just before the Russell Bridge about 10:30. There I was surprised to find the parking lot nearly full. This was a little surprising considering that it was February, but no doubt many other folks were eager to take advantage of the unusually nice weather. A quick survey of the vehicles in the parking lot suggested that most of the people there were fishing. This gave me some hope that I wouldn’t be passing people on the trail every few minutes. When I go on a solo backpacking trip, I like the experience to be just that – solo.

I managed to get Boone’s backpack on him without any trouble. When I first started having him wear it, I usually had to chase him around the parking lot to get it on him. Lately though, he has started to relate his pack to one of his favorite activities – hiking. Now that wearing it is part of his routine, he lets me put it on him without much of a fight. It was particularly heavy today though, as he was carrying 2 days of food, a sweater, and a fleece blanket. It was a warm, sunny morning, but the forecast still called for temperatures in the upper 20’s that night.

We followed a gated dirt road from the back of the parking lot. After only a short distance, we picked up the signed and black-blazed Chattooga River Trail, which climbed away from the road. The first couple of miles traversed a wooded hillside well away from the river. This part of the trail wasn’t terribly exciting, although lingering snow and ice in the shady areas kept me alert. The amount of snow increased as we hiked north, and the footing in some areas was tricky. The worst stretch of trail was around Big Bend Falls. Here, the curve of the river leaves the trail on a steep, north-facing slope. The lack of sunshine in this area resulted in a significant amount of ice, along with a number of fallen trees. I was glad I brought my Yaktrax ice cleats, even though I didn’t wear them on the first day.

After a couple of miles, the trail dropped down to join an old road on the bank of the river. We crossed a footbridge over Ira Branch and enjoyed an easy, pleasant walk along a gentle stretch of the river. There are some fantastic campsites along here, and some of them feature sandy beaches. We passed a number of hikers and fishermen in this area, but didn’t see anyone actually camping. I thought about stopping along here for an early lunch, but decided to press on to Licklog Falls.

Eventually the trail climbed up and away from the river. A few minutes later, we passed a steep path leading back down to a fantastic, isolated campsite. That spot was probably the best I saw all day, although getting down to it looked a little difficult.

Before long, a loud roar indicated that I was approaching Licklog Creek Falls. Licklog Creek Falls starts with a pretty double-drop just above the trail. The creek then goes on a gentle run near more fine campsites before plunging over an impressive double-drop. A steep run of cascades follows, followed by a final drop directly into the river. When I reached the falls, I was well-above the lower part of the falls. I found a scramble path leading down to the base of the final drop. It was easy to spot, as there was a large group of hikers climbing back up the hillside after visiting the falls. I shed my pack and waited for them to pass before heading down.

The descent wasn’t too bad. There were plenty of trees to hold onto, and the snow and ice had melted on this particular hillside. At the bottom I was treated to nice views of the river as well as an up-close look at the final drop of Licklog Creek Falls. Unfortunately, the sun was shining directly on the waterfall, and photography was hopeless. On my return hike on Sunday, I arrived around mid-afternoon, and the falls were in the shade. I had better luck with photos then.

I climbed back up to the trail, and hiked a short distance to the base of the upper falls. There is a great place to sit here, and I took advantage of it for lunch. Unfortunately, there were many other hikers in the area, and some had dogs of their own. Boone made a general nuisance of himself, as he tried to play with every single one of them.

After lunch, I tried to get a better look at the middle portion of Licklog Creek Falls. I followed another scramble path down the north side of the creek. This path also leads to the base of the final drop, but the view from that side isn’t as good as the trail I’d taken earlier. Rather than going all the way down, I abandoned the path and bushwhacked towards the middle of the falls. I actually did manage to reach the base of the middle drop, but this part of the falls is cloaked in Rhododendron. Getting a clear view proved to be impossible. During low water it might be possible to get out on the rocks for a better look, but on this day attempting that would’ve been suicidal.

I returned to the trail and made a long, gradual climb away from the river. We crossed a spur ridge, before starting back down into the gorge. The Chattooga River Trail generally follows the river, but frequently it climbs and descends the adjacent mountainside. As a result, the hiking, while fairly easy by Appalachian standards, isn’t as effortless as some might think. I didn’t really mind though, as I hoped to use this trip to start getting back into shape. A pulled calf muscle in early December had left me unable to run for almost two months. Now I have a lot of conditioning to do before this summer’s trip.

This part of the trail was pleasantly free of snow and ice. The biggest problem I had along here was that my pack was pushing my pants down. I had no belt, and I kept having to tug my pants up as I walked. This was tedious, and the resulting chaffing was not an enjoyable sensation. I began to develop a bad case of plumber’s ass, particularly on the downhill portions of the trail. This isn’t a particularly wise fashion statement while hiking along the Chattooga River. Just ask Ned Beatty.

I returned to the river at Sims Field. I found sunny rocks, roaring rapids, icy cliffs, sandy beaches, and fantastic campsites in this area. I was tempted to stop, but it was only early afternoon. I decided to continue on. Unfortunately the campsites farther upstream weren’t nearly as nice.

Once again, the trail left the river. The Big Bend Falls portion of the gorge is much more rugged than the areas farther downstream, and my pace slowed. At one point, I passed a couple hiking in the opposite direction. They had hiked the Big Bend Trail down into the gorge, and were looking for a loop trail that would take them back. I’d never heard of a loop trail in this area, so I wasn’t able to help them. They continued on, so I can only hope they found their way out of the gorge. Later, I met a solo hiker heading downstream. He asked me how much farther it was to Burrell’s Ford. I found this to be an exceptionally interesting question, since Burrell’s Ford was upstream from that point. I suggested that if he kept going the direction he was headed, it was going to be really, really far. I got him turned around once I managed to convince him that he was going the wrong way. You would think that hiking along a river would make it hard to get lost, but I guess some people manage.

Another impressive roar indicated that I was near Big Bend Falls. Unfortunately, the trail is well above the river here. I found 3 separate paths heading down towards the falls. The first descends a steep gully to the edge of a pool just downstream from the falls. This gully was completely frozen, and I only followed it briefly before giving up. From above, it looked like a bend in the river and thick vegetation would eliminate any view of the falls from the pool anyway. The second path was also steep and icy. I followed it for a bit, but it faded away in a tangle of Rhododendrons just above the falls. The third path was obscured by fallen trees, but it proved to be the best option. It brought me out near the top of the falls. The view was still pretty limited, but overhanging cliffs sporting an impressive display of icicles made the side trip worthwhile.

I returned to the main trail, hoping to find a decent campsite farther upstream. Eventually the trail returned to the river. At one point, the main trail hugs the rocks at the brink of the water. An alternate route climbs above this stretch. I chose to avoid this stretch since the water was up. On my return hike I braved the main route, and managed to get through – barely – without getting wet.

I passed one possible campsite on a beach just downstream from a long rock extending halfway across the river. It was an appealing spot, but it looked like it could flood if the water rose further. This seemed like a good possibility, so I passed it by. I found another spot a short distance beyond, but I didn’t really care for it. I continued on, once again climbing away from the river. By the time I returned to the water side, I knew it was past time to settle on a campsite. It was after 5pm, and I need to find a spot before I reached the semi-developed campground at Burrell’s Ford. Fortunately, a decent campsite presented itself a few minutes later. It wasn’t a great spot, but it wasn’t bad, either. It was squeezed into a small area between the trail and the river, but it did feature another nice, sandy beach. I was long past being picky, so I settled in and organized camp.

Briefly I considered trying to reach Kings Creek Falls before dark. I wasn’t sure how much farther it was though, and I was afraid I’d have to hike back on an icy trail in the dark. Instead, I decided to relax and enjoy the river. Boone had different plans. While I was getting dinner together, he sprinted up and down the beach. He raced back and forth, spraying sand in every direction. I couldn’t believe it. We had just hiked about 12 miles in 7 hours. Where was he getting his energy from?

The campsite featured a nice pile of firewood that someone had left, but I was too lazy to bother with a fire. Instead, I retired early, and slept surprisingly well despite having a 75 pound dog laying more or less on top of me. Without a doubt, the constant white noise from the river helped me sleep. When I woke, I checked my watch, expecting it to be only midnight or so. I was shocked to see that it was 6am. At that point, it was almost time to get up for the hike to King Creek Falls.

I waited for first light before starting my hike. I traveled light up to the falls, carrying only my camera, tripod, and Yaktrax. I was glad I brought the Yaktrax. This part of the trail had more snow and ice than most of the areas farther downstream. Despite that, I didn’t really need them until I reached the side trail to the falls. Seep springs along this path result in mud puddles during the warmer months. Thanks to the extended cold weather, those mud puddles were completely frozen. The ice was as smooth as glass, and getting past them would’ve been extremely hazardous without the Yaktrax.

Just beyond the ice, I reached the base of Kings Creek Falls. Kings Creek Falls is one of the nicest in South Carolina, and is probably the most impressive waterfall along the Chattooga River Trail. The water was up today, which added to the beauty of the falls. Unfortunately, it also created quite a bit of spray, which made photography a challenge. In fact, getting a decent photo eluded me on this day. First, finding a decent place to shoot from required jumping out onto a rock in the middle of the river. Setting up the tripod there was awkward. After dreaming the night before about dropping my camera in the river, I was particularly cautious. Then, the nearly constant spray and the numerous deadfalls at the base of the falls conspired to ruin my photos anyway. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

I returned to camp quickly for a warm breakfast. I broke camp around 10am and began the long hike back. The hike out was similar to Saturday’s walk. Sunny skies made for pleasant hiking but poor photography. I saw somewhat fewer people on Sunday, though I did encounter three college-aged guys backpacking the same stretch of trail. I enjoyed Sunday’s lunch along the river near Sims Field. The last couple of miles were long and tedious, but I made it back to the car around 4:30 or so.

Even though I’ve now hiked the entire Chattooga River Trail, I’m sure I’ll return to the area. I still have quite a bit of the Bartram Trail to hike, and it starts in the same area. One interesting idea would be to hike most of the Chattooga River in a single long trip. It would be possible to start the hike on Whiteside Cove Road, near Cashiers, NC. From there, a 6 mile hike would lead to Bullpen Road and the Iron Bridge. From there, a couple of miles on Bullpen Road would lead to the Bad Fork Trail. After a few miles on that trail, I’d join the Chattooga River Trail near Ellicott Rock. From there, it would be a simple matter to hike downstream on the Chattooga River Trail, first in South Carolina and later in Georgia, before finishing up at highway 76. I figure the hike would take 4 or 5 days, but the car shuttle would be a monster! If I wanted to make an even longer hike, I could extend my route on the Foothills Trail to Table Rock State Park, or on the Bartram Trail, which climbs to Rabun Bald before continuing to Highlands and beyond.

Back to South Carolina

Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports

Home

Please remember to Leave No Trace!