BOWLING
My
Alma Mater, Appalachian State University, began playing football in the “Bowl
Championship Subdivision” last year.
2014 was a transition year, and 2015 was our first year that we were
eligible for a bowl game. After going
10-2 and finishing second in the Sunbelt Conference, we were invited to the
Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.
Since it was our first-ever bowl game, and in our very first year of
eligibility, Christy and I decided that we had to go.
The
game was on Saturday the 19th. We decided to drive down on Friday
afternoon. It’s a fairly long drive from
Charlotte, so I wanted to make more of the trip. Christy and I were both off the following
week, so we had some flexibility. After
discussing several options, we decided to extend the trip with a few days of
hiking on the Cumberland Plateau. We’d
hit some waterfalls in northeast Alabama and the Chattanooga, TN area before
heading home.
The
drive to Montgomery was a nightmare.
There was holiday traffic, rush hour traffic, and heavy truck
traffic. We hit traffic jam after
traffic jam. After a few of these,
Christy opened up her Waze App and began scanning the highway ahead for
problems. 30 miles outside of Atlanta
I-85 was at a standstill for miles.
Apparently there were multiple accidents, with at least a couple of car
fires (also known as carbeques). We gave up on the highway and took back
roads. This was tedious, but at least we
were moving. We did hit one traffic jam
(due to a fresh accident) near Stone Mountain, but eventually made it around
Montgomery. Thanks to the creative
navigation, we reached Montgomery in time for a late dinner at Jubilee
Seafood. I’d eaten there once before,
while on a work trip. A return visit was
near the top of my priority list for our vacation.
We
had a fabulous meal. While we were
eating a local stopped by our table and asked how we’d found the best
restaurant in Montgomery. There were
around 7,000 Appalachian State fans in town for the game, but Jubilee Seafood
is out of the way and off most people’s radar.
I explained my previous visit, and he wished us luck at the game. We found everyone in Montgomery to be
extremely welcoming and friendly.
After
dinner we ran out of gas. We headed for
the hotel and crashed. Unfortunately,
due to poor planning, we had a different hotel Friday night and Saturday
night. I actually booked the Doubletree
in downtown Montgomery before the game was announced in anticipation, knowing
that it would sell out quickly if I waited.
For some reason I didn’t think to book it for the night before the game
though. So, after making breakfast
Saturday morning we packed up and headed downtown.
We
had originally planned to run that morning, but it was quite cold (in the 30’s)
and we’d slept in. Instead, we headed
over to the tailgate lot, where we had reservations. For $20 we were given 2 parking spaces (one
for the car and one to actually tailgate in).
The lot was next to the stadium, so this was a pretty good deal! The lot was almost entirely Appalachian State
fans. We only saw a few Ohio fans all weekend. We met some of our football friends early
on. Later, Tim, Carly, and their kids
Sam and Maggie joined us for lunch, beers, and cornhole. They live in Huntsville, so we don’t see them
often. It was a great afternoon in the
sunshine!
The
game was up and down. We scored early,
but missed two field goals. Shortly
before halftime an interception and a fumble gave Ohio two touchdowns. Another fumble in the 3rd quarter
left us trailing 24-7.
We
roared back in the 4th quarter, scoring 3 touchdowns in about 2
minutes. The game wasn’t over
though. Ohio got a safety and a field
goal, and with less than 2 minutes left we trailed 29-28. We drove the length of the field and kicked
the winning field goal on the final play of the game. APPS WIN!
Appalachian
State became the first school to ever win a bowl game in its first year of
eligibility. We also became the first
school to win 11 games in their first year, and won the most games of any
Sunbelt team in history.
After
the game we had a fantastic dinner at The Central. Then it was to the hotel, where we crashed
after a long, eventful day.
NOCCALULA, DE SOTO, AND BEYOND
Our
original plan was to car camp at De Soto State Park in northeastern
Alabama. However, after a sunny weekend,
the forecast called for several days of rain.
Instead of camping, we booked a couple of nights at the Holiday Inn in
downtown Chattanooga.
We
had breakfast at the hotel and headed north.
Well before Birmingham we hit another traffic jam that killed an
hour. That ended up preventing us from
hiking to one of the waterfalls that I wanted to visit in the Little River
Canyon.
Our
first stop was at Noccalula Falls in Gadsden,
Alabama. This waterfall is in a small
park on the edge of town. It is
definitely a touristy place, but it is still worth a visit. The waterfall is a 90’ freefall with an
immense cavern behind it. I had tried to
visit it once years ago, but that was during a drought and the stream had dried
up.
When
we arrived the park was closed, but it didn’t matter. You can easily visit the falls without
entering the park. We followed the
sidewalk along the edge of the park, which leads to a series of overlooks above
the falls. From there, we spotted people
down at the base of the falls, and in the cavern behind the falls. Obviously we had to find a way down there.
We
followed the path to a bridge over the creek just upstream from the brink. We continued along the far side of the gorge
towards the campground. Before long we
found a scramble route down through the cliffs.
This was a bit challenging for Christy since she still hasn’t fully
recovered from shoulder surgery back in August.
On the way out we found a much easier route farther down the canyon that
comes out near the back end of the campground.
That route is nice since it follows the base of the cliffs for a good
ways.
Once
below the cliffs we followed a narrow bench, still above creek level. Christy then headed down to a sandy beach at
the edge of the pool below the falls. I
continued over to enter the cavern behind the falls. This area is full of slippery boulders. I took a few photos before joining Christy at
the base. We hung out for a bit before
heading back.
Next
we took a quick tour of the Little River Canyon. This dramatic canyon in northeastern Alabama
is actually managed by the National Park Service, but it isn’t well known. Along the way we stopped at several
overlooks, including Grace’s High Falls. I wanted to hike to Greg’s Two Falls, but we
were running out of daylight. Christy
really wanted to see De Soto Falls, so we decided to skip it and Little River
Falls.
We
drove through the State Park and on towards the small park at the top of De
Soto Falls. However, I knew from a
previous visit that there isn’t much of a view from there. Instead, we parked not far beyond an electric
substation and picked up a faint path.
We followed it across a line of cliffs.
There are several caves along here, below the cliffs, but we didn’t have
time to explore them if we wanted to reach the falls before dark.
We
followed the trail until we reached a little-known overlook of 104’ De Soto Falls. We arrived just in time to get photos before
dark. It’s a great view that is enjoyed
by very few. It is possible to reach the
huge swimming hole at the base of the falls, but a direct descent from the
viewpoint is probably not feasible. The
hike to the base is longer, too, but we’ll come back another time, hopefully in
warmer weather when we can swim.
We
hiked out by the same route and returned to the car at dusk. From there it was an easy drive into
Chattanooga. We finished off the day
with dinner at Big River Brewing Company in downtown Chattanooga.
THE ART OF IMPROVISATION
Monday’s
weather forecast looked marginal, with showers in the morning, followed by a
lull, and heavier rain that afternoon and night. Despite this, we decided to go hiking
anyway. My first goal for the day was a
short visit to Foster Falls. I’d also
visited that waterfall once during a drought, when there was no water. I was looking forward to seeing it in its
full glory. Afterwards, we planned to
hike to the Walls of Jericho, a rock amphitheater in a canyon on the Tennessee
/ Alabama line.
We
picked up breakfast at a coffee shop and headed out of town at first
light. We drove through steady rain, but
it was beginning to wind down when we reached the parking area for Foster Falls.
We arrived before the gates opened (on account of having driven into the
Central Time Zone) so we parked in an overflow lot outside. We hung out in the car for a little while,
until the rain had eased to a light sprinkle.
We
made the short walk over to the upper overlook, which has a great view. From there we had a couple of choices. The Fiery Gizzard Trail continues from the
overlook to cross the creek upstream from the falls, and then follows the brink
of the cliff on the far side of the gorge.
Another trail descends to the base of the falls. We decided to go down. The descent was rough, as it was steep and
slippery due to the wet rocks. It was a
struggle, but we eventually made it down.
It was worth the effort, as the view from the base is very different
from the main overlook.
After
taking some photos, we decided to follow the trail down the gorge. It follows the base of the cliffs, passing
numerous rock climbing routes. I thought
the trail would eventually connect with the Fiery Gizzard Trail through a break
in the cliffs, allowing us to make a loop.
If it does, it must be a long loop!
We eventually gave up and headed back.
On the return we ran into several other groups of hikers, which was
surprising on a rainy Monday.
From
there I followed Google Maps to the trailhead for the Walls of Jericho. Well, that was the plan, anyway. As we neared our destination, I began to have
doubts. I knew the hike to the canyon
was mostly downhill on the way in. That
meant starting up high. But the road we
were on was down in a deep valley. Those
nagging doubts grew, and when we reached the spot I’d marked, I knew I’d
screwed up. Later I found out that I had
directed us to spot a few miles east of the trailhead, on a road that is
parallel to the correct one.
Unfortunately there was no easy way to get over there. To drive there it would take another 45
minutes. Between all of the driving and
the fooling around at Foster Falls, we wouldn’t have enough daylight to do the
hike. Plus, heavy rain was expected in a
few hours.
We’d
passed a sign for the Sewanee Natural Bridge on the way in. We decided to check it out. We parked and walked a short path down to the
bridge. This is a cool spot! The bridge is narrow but fairly tall. The adjacent bluff has a small, cozy cave in
it, too. We explored the area for a bit
before returning to the car. We had
lunch there while I tried to figure out where to go next.
We
were very close to the University of the South.
I knew they had several waterfalls that are open to the public, along
with numerous caves. We headed that way,
and parked near Morgan’s Steep Overlook.
The view from there was pretty limited due to the overcast conditions,
but those same conditions promised good lighting when we reached Bridal Veil
Falls. The hike there was easy, and we
passed below a number of impressive cliffs.
Bridal
Veil Falls starts as a series of springs before the creek tumbles down the
mountainside and into a sinkhole, where it disappears. I wanted to explore the sinkhole, as it
looked like it had a cave entrance. However,
the approach to the sinkhole was on slick, wet rock. It had major bust ass potential. I decided to skip it, and we started back to
the car. Before we finished, I made a
quick jaunt to check out Morgan’s Cascades.
The
rain started shortly before I returned to the car. What to do?
We only had a couple of hours of daylight left, and the weather was
pretty nasty. We actually considered
going to Ruby Falls. In fact, we were
heading that way when we passed a sign for Russell Cave National Monument. I’d never heard of it, but we took the
exit. Christy pulled up some info on her
phone, and it sounded intriguing. Best
of all, it wasn’t far out of the way.
We
drove to Bridgeport, Alabama and on to the National Monument. There was one other car in the parking
lot. Luckily the rain stopped right
before we arrived. After chatting with
the ranger, we did the short walk on a boardwalk to the cave. Russell Cave is impressive. Native Americans lived here many years
ago. The boardwalk makes a loop through
the front section of the cave. A stream
continues 7 ½ miles deeper into the cave, but that area is closed due to White
Nose Syndrome. I would love to explore
it someday.
We
returned to Chattanooga and had dinner at an Indian restaurant that
evening. Then we got organized for one
more day of hiking before we’d head home.
FALLING WATER
We
woke the next morning to light rain and heavy fog. Despite the conditions, we decided to head up
Signal Mountain to check out a couple of waterfalls. Signal Mountain was completely lost in the
fog, so we could only hope that we would be able to see them!
First
up was Falling Water Falls. We drove up
towards Soddy Daisy to check out the area surrounding the base of the
falls. There are a lot of houses around
here, so accessing it from below would be tricky. My map also shows a Levi Cave in the
area. The cave appears to be on public
property, so I thought I’d check out access.
The area between Levi Road and the cave is a jungle, but I did see a
faint, narrow path leading back through the foliage in the proper
direction. Unfortunately there wasn’t
anywhere to park, unless we wanted to leave the car in front of somebody’s
house. Ultimately we decided to skip it,
but we may return some day.
From
there we drove up the mountain in heavy fog to the trailhead for Falling Water
Falls. From the parking area a short trail
leads to the brink of the 110’ waterfall.
Unfortunately you can’t really see the falls from there. Trying to get a better view is seriously
treacherous, too. I wonder how many
people have fallen from there?
I
did find a marginally better view on the far side of the creek. Getting over there required wading since the
water was up from the recent rain. After
the crossing and a short scramble I reached a precarious perch with a partial
view of the falls. It’s a neat spot, but
the angle is weird for photos, and part of the waterfall was lost in the fog.
We
returned to the car and drove through heavy fog to Signal Mountain. We started our hike to Rainbow Falls on the
very beginning of the Cumberland Trail, which follows the Cumberland Plateau
north. The beginning of the trail was
tedious, as we descended a series of steep wooden steps and ramps that were
slick from the rain. Eventually we
leveled out and followed a bench along the side of the Tennessee River Gorge. This stretch featured impressive cliffs and
cool boulders. There are numerous views
of the gorge along here, but they were completely fogged in. There is also a view across the gorge of
Julia Falls, but that was also lost to us.
We could only hope that our destination, Rainbow Falls, would be
visible.
A
loud roar alerted us to the falls deep in the gorge below. We found the descent path, which is steep,
slippery, rocky, and tedious. We slowly
worked our way down to the base of the falls.
The approach was horrible, but the waterfall is spectacular! It spills down into a green pool almost
completely enclosed in an amphitheater of stone. We took a long break there before starting
the climb back out. The climb took far
less time than the descent, and the return hike was uneventful. Unfortunately all of the viewpoints remained
fogged in.
We
had lunch back at the car before heading east.
We drove through Chattanooga and Cleveland and out highway 64 to Ocoee
Lake. Near the lake we stopped for one
last hike. This was a 3.5 mile round
trip to Rock Creek Falls. The hike was
easy except for two creek crossings, which required wading. The trail (an old road) ended on the hillside
above the falls. The falls is a
beauty. The creek drops through a
vertical chute before cascading down a second drop.
There
is a good view of the waterfall from the trail (at least in winter), but I wanted
to reach the base for photos. Christy
decided to wait up on the trail while I scrambled down. The descent was tedious, as the hillside was
basically a pile of loose rocks. Once
down at the creek I struggled to find a good vantage point for a photo. A large flat rock in the middle of the creek
was the ideal perch, but I couldn’t climb the slick, wet rock. After trying a couple of other vantage
points, I returned to the rock and found a different way up. This killed a lot of time, but I finally got
the photo I wanted.
From
there I scrambled back up to the trail and then climbed up and around a cliff
to access the upper falls. The upper
waterfall is bigger, but even more elusive to photograph. Getting a decent vantage point required
climbing another slick, wet rock, but this one was bigger. I made several attempts to go around, without
success. At this point it was getting
dark and Christy didn’t really know where I was. I took a quick snapshot for documentation
purposes and headed back.
The
hike out was fast and uneventful, though we did pass two young women that were
hiking barefoot. We reached the car at
dusk and headed for Asheville. Dinner at
the Lucky Otter was a fine ending to our mini-vacation!
The
Cumberland Plateau is full of magic – there are waterfalls, caves, cliffs, and
disappearing streams seemingly around every bend. I’m already looking forward to my next
adventure there.
Back to Tennessee
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!