SNOW CONES AND OTHER SWEET THINGS

Nearly a year ago Brenda and I “discovered” a neat waterfall on a minor tributary of Rocky Bottom Creek. The stream starts high on Sassafras Mountain, before spilling over a 400’ cliff. From the base of the falls, most of the drop is hidden from view. But the final plunge is scenic, as the small stream fans out over a 100’ wide cliff before freefalling onto a narrow bench. From there, the creek funnels back into a single channel to drop through a final run of steep cascades. Referring to this waterfall as “the unnamed waterfall on the unnamed tributary of Rocky Bottom Creek on Sassafras Mountain” is rather cumbersome, so I decided to name it Sassafras Falls. I don’t know if there is any actual Sassafras near the waterfall, but since it is located on the side of Sassafras Mountain, it is an appropriate name.

Because it is a small stream, the waterfall is probably only worth visiting after a big storm, or a long period of wet weather. Or, as it turns out, after a long cold spell.

Last week was unusually cold, with 5 or 6 days of temperatures consistently below freezing, and a couple of nights near zero degrees. By the end of the week, I was contemplating the best places to see frozen waterfalls. I briefly flirted with making a trip to Dry Falls west of Highlands. I also considered Bridal Veil Falls in DuPont State Forest and Moore Cove Falls and Slick Rock Falls near Brevard. Then, Brenda suggested a return to Sassafras Falls. What a great idea! I pictured that broad cliff as a 100’ wide wall of ice. And, since hardly anybody knows about this waterfall, we would have it all to ourselves.

Unfortunately, Brenda wasn’t able to make the hike. All of my other hiking friends were busy on Saturday, or already planning to hike elsewhere on Sunday. Since I wasn’t able to join them, I decided to hike solo. The hike to Sassafras Falls is off-trail with one steep climb and a bit of gnarly bushwhacking, but it isn’t particularly treacherous.

Saturday’s forecast called for snow and sleet in the morning, changing to rain in the afternoon. I definitely wanted to get to the falls before the warmer temperatures and rain melted the ice. I arrived at the parking area on the road leading to the summit of Sassafras Mountain a bit before 9:30. The dogs and I started our hike under overcast skies, with the temperature right at 32 degrees. Most of the hike was on packed ice, but I didn’t have any major problems with traction until I reached the waterfall.

The approach to the waterfall follows a series of old logging roads. The beginning of the route may cross private property, but that is uncertain, as it is hard to tell exactly where the property boundary is from the map. The land isn’t posted or developed. It is owned by a school for the blind, so I wasn’t too worried about anyone seeing me.

After 30 minutes I reached an area of old stone walls arranged in terraces along the creek. My friend Bernie thinks they may have been built as part of an old logging camp. From there, the old road fades away. The route follows the creek, and crosses an unmapped tributary shortly before the terrain gets steep. The final climb is rough, particularly if you stay on the ridge just to the right of the creek. I found the going much easier by ascending the next ridge farther to the right, just beyond a minor gully. This ridge is still steep, but there are fewer boulders and fallen trees along the way.

Unfortunately, you have to work your way back to the left to reach the base of the falls. Just before it, I had to crawl up an ice-covered rock through a briar patch under a huge fallen tree. Good times! Once past that obstacle, there was nothing to stop me. I reached the bench at the base of the freefall and was stunned by the sight that greeted me. Massive columns of ice and delicate icicles dangled from the towering cliff above me. Below, every surface was covered in thick ice. I needed my Yaktrax there, though their benefit was somewhat limited. I didn’t trust my footing even with the Yaktrax on. As a result, I wasn’t able to get behind the waterfall. Actually, I probably could’ve crawled up the ice-covered rocks, through the icy spray, to access the area behind the falls. But I couldn’t envision a way back down without hurtling down the icy slope.

I took some photos of the ice, the falls, and the impressive snow cone below the main flow. The snow cone looked like an icy volcano. It was somewhat reminiscent of the snow cone that forms below Moore Cove Falls, but far more impressive. There, the flow is confined to a single narrow channel. At Sassafras Falls, there is a main channel, but lots of smaller flows that spread the ice out over a vast area.

I bushwhacked to the base of the sliding drop immediately below the freefall, before climbing up the left side for a different vantage point. This angle offered the best photos. Then I returned to where I’d left my pack and found a dry spot to eat warm soup for lunch. By the time I’d finished, I’d been there 2 hours. It had only taken me a little over an hour to hike there though, so it was still short of 1pm when I headed back down. There had been a few bursts of snow and sleet during my time there, but for the most part the weather was cooperating. At least there was no rain, and the temperature actually felt colder than when I’d started. My perception of the temperature was probably a bit off though, since I was directly below that vast wall of ice.

The descent was a bit awkward, as I needed to find a way around the icy boulder I’d climbed up. I went up and around the fallen tree, and crawled through a rhododendron thicket. Once past that obstacle, the return hike was straight forward. There was a little excitement though. Five minutes after leaving, I was startled by a deafening roar. I looked back in time to see a huge chunk of ice collapse. The sight and sound was similar to a glacier calving. I realized then just how lucky I was. If I’d lingered a few minutes longer, that ice may have come down right on me. Yikes!

I returned to the area of rock walls. It was still early, so I decided to explore. I was interested in seeing if I could find a route over to the upper end of Rocky Bottom Creek. The stretch of creek upstream from highway 178 is surrounded by houses, so simply hiking up through there probably isn’t an option. My plan was to try to stay on the same elevation contour as the rock walls. That would put me on Rocky Bottom Creek upstream from the houses. Unfortunately this proved to be impossible. The terrain in between was all steep ridges and deep gullies. The terrain kept pushing me downhill, towards the houses. Eventually I realized that I needed to go much higher, to get around the gullies. By that point, I still had quite a ways to go and time was running short. If I kept going, I wouldn’t have much time for exploration, and I would have a long hike back. I think this approach is feasible, but it will require a long off-trail hike with lots of steep ups and downs and side-hilling. I decided to save it for another day.

I returned to the rock walls and followed the old roads back to the road. At that point it was still only 2:45. I decided to add one more adventure.

Bernie had told me about an old mill and some pretty cascades on lower Rocky Bottom Creek, below highway 178. I drove through the community of Rocky Bottom, south on 178. Shortly after leaving the valley, I reached a wide pulloff on the right. There is a sign here stating that it is a wildlife management area, with hunting allowed by permit through cooperation with the landowner. I decided that meant that hiking was ok, too.

The dogs and I descended steeply from the road to a small stream. The stream was choked with rhododendron, but I thought I spotted an old road on the far side. I was mistaken about that. I ended up bushwhacking down the stream until I reached Rocky Bottom Creek. At this point I was just downstream from the remains of the old mill, and directly below a large house. The far side of the creek (with the house) is posted private property, but I believe the near side of the creek is open to the public. I explore the old mill site briefly, before hiking downstream. After a short distance I reached a short vertical descent that was covered in ice and partially blocked by a rhododendron limb. I think I could’ve made it down, but couldn’t imagine climbing back up. I was tempted though, because the opening to a cave was visible just downstream. Once again though, I decided to save it for another day. It would be much easier to hike through there in warm weather, when you can wade in the creek.

I returned by the same route, but bypassed the rhododendron hell surrounded the tributary stream. I reached the car before 4pm pleased that I would get home reasonably early. I would have, too, if I hadn’t had an inspiration on the drive back. I was on highway 11, approaching Wildcat Falls, when it occurred to me that Sweet Thing on Slickum Creek might be exceptionally scenic with ice. It’s one of the prettiest waterfalls in Greenville County under any circumstances. I was eager to see it frozen, or with some icicles.

The temperature was up to 40 when I pulled off and leashed the dogs for one more hike. The rain had held off though, and the trail actually had more snow and ice than where I’d hiked earlier. Getting to the base of the falls was tricky, and I needed my Yaktrax to maneuver around there. It was totally worth it though. The waterfall wasn’t frozen, but there were quite a few icicles, and lots of icy rocks in the plunge pool. Photo conditions were perfect, too, with overcast skies and no wind. I took photos from the plunge pool and from farther downstream, below a small foreground cascade. That’s my favorite composition at Sweet Thing, but it only works if there is no wind because of the profuse rhododendron surrounding the falls.

I returned to the car, and paused for a few quick photos of Last Thing, the final cascade on Slickum Creek. While I was there, I saw a couple of people checking out the cascade from the shoulder of the road. They were the first people I’d seen all day.

I’ll definitely return to Sassafras Falls, as I still want to try to climb up higher to view its upper portion. I doubt I’ll ever see it frozen again though!

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