BEAR
DRIVE
Last
weekend was packed with adventure. Team
Waterfall had two ambitious hikes planned in the Black Mountains. On Saturday, the plan was to thru-hike all of
Thee Creek on the east side of the Black Mountains. Sunday, we would explore Middle Creek,
farther to the north. Both of these
hikes would be all-day off-trail adventures.
I
decided to skip Saturday’s hike. Camping
Friday night wasn’t an option, and getting to the trailhead at the 7:30 meeting
time would’ve meant leaving the house at 4:30.
Instead, I spent Friday evening and Saturday morning with Christy. After making her breakfast, I drove up to Old
Fort to meet Jennifer for a hike. We
threw this plan together at the last minute.
By the last minute, I mean we decided what we would do when we met at
the Curtis Creek Campground.
A
few years ago Brenda and I discovered a previously undocumented waterfall on Licklog Branch, a tributary of Curtis Creek. A couple of years earlier, I found another
one on an unnamed stream farther south.
This time, I suggested checking out Bear Drive Branch. It is another tributary of Curtis Creek,
flowing just north of Licklog Branch. Although the stream is small, the topography
suggests the potential for a significant waterfall. This one had been on my to-do list for
several years, and it was finally time to check it out.
Jennifer
had some time constraints due to our late start (12:30), but we thought it
looked like we could pull it off in a few hours. We parked on the shoulder of Curtis Creek
Road just before the bridge over Bear Drive Branch. A short distance up the road from the bridge
we found an unofficial campsite at the beginning of an old logging road. There was a lot of deadfall, but the road was
still an improvement over full-contact bushwhacking. This first part of the hike was highlighted
by numerous wildflowers. The dwarf Iris
were profuse, and we stopped at one small cascade that featured numerous clumps
of golden flowers.
A
bit farther upstream the road disappeared, so we followed the creek. A bit later I spotted the old roadbed on the opposite
side of the creek. We crossed to River
Right and continued following the road.
It climbed steadily, rising well above creek level. We reached the first spot where I thought a
waterfall was likely. There were some
nice cascades down there, but no significant waterfalls.
We
were making good time, so we decided to continue upstream to the main area I’d
targeted. There, the creek tumbles over
a substantial cliff. It was a likely spot
for a waterfall, assuming there was adequate water. The stream begins a short distance above that
cliff. However, the creek was flowing
strong from recent rains, so we were hopeful that it would be worth checking
out.
We
stayed on the road, which climbed steeply above the creek. Before long it turned away from it,
presumably to avoid the cliffs ahead.
There were already impressive cliffs above the north side of the creek. We left the road and began sidehilling and bushwhacking up the canyon. This was tough going, and the terrain
eventually forced us down to creek level.
Shortly before we reached the stream Jennifer let out her victory
yell. She had spotted the waterfall just
ahead, tumbling down the cliffs high above us.
We
scrambled up the creek until we reached a spot where we had a good view of
it. The waterfall starts with a 50’ drop
that is nearly vertical and finishes with another 100’ of steep slides and
cascades. I liked the view from the very
bottom, but Jennifer thought that we should climb up to the base of the main
drop. This was a tough scramble up the
creek, but she was right. She found a
fantastic perch on top of a giant boulder with a perfect view of the main part
of the falls. We took photos and enjoyed
the view for a bit before heading back to the bottom to retrieve our packs.
Since
Jennifer had time constraints she headed straight back from there. I ate a late lunch and took my time on the
return. I followed the creek for quite a
ways, stopping at several pretty cascades that we had bypassed on the hike
in. I eventually rejoined the old
logging road and followed back down to Curtis Creek Road.
This
is a really scenic waterfall that is more impressive than I expected. The stream is small though, so it is best
visited after wet weather.
NO PANTS
I
finished the hike around 5 and debated my plans for the evening. I was hoping to meet up with Spencer for a
sunset hike to The Pinnacle. After that,
we would need to find a place to camp. I
had a couple of hours to kill though. I
considered exploring another creek for more waterfalls, but didn’t think I had
enough time. Instead, I decided to do
the first part of the Woods Mountain Trail.
I’d hiked it back in October during the peak of fall colors. Early in that hike I’d gotten overheated, so
I’d stopped to take off my pant legs. I
remembered sitting on a big flat rock to do it.
When I got home that evening I discovered that I had one pant leg in my
pack. Apparently I’d left the other one
sitting by the trail. I knew it was
probably long gone, but the pants (effectively now shorts) were brand new. I decided to give it a look.
I
thought I’d recognize the rock, but I was wrong. I actually walked right past it. I went on another 15 minutes before turning
back. On the return I found the rock,
but there was no sign of the pant leg.
Probably someone picked it up, or an animal ran off with it. Or it could be buried under last autumn’s
fallen leaves.
Storms
were rumbling, and the sky was overcast.
Conditions didn’t look promising for sunset, so I decided to squeeze in
another waterfall. It had been a good 20
years since I’d visited Roaring Fork Falls, which was nearby. The drive was short and the hike was very
easy, and I had it all to myself. The
waterfall is a lot more impressive than I remembered. I highly recommend this one for families, or
if you are just looking for something quick, easy, and rewarding in the area.
By
that point it was too late to meet Spencer for sunset, which wasn’t happening
anyway. I returned to Curtis Creek Road
to look for a campsite. My original plan
was to hit a spot on the northern extension of Curtis Creek Road, on the north
side of the Parkway. However, that road
is currently gated. I went back down
towards Curtis Creek a couple of miles and found a good spot at the beginning
of the Leadmine Gap Trail. I didn’t see any reason to drive farther, so
I set up there. I’d already messaged
Spencer with my plans, which was good, since there was no cell signal at the
campsite. I set up camp, made dinner,
enjoyed a couple of beers, and relaxed by the campfire. I had nearly given up on Spencer when he
pulled up. His company was most welcome,
as I’d already been contemplating going to bed early. We spent the next couple of hours enjoying
the fire and some adult beverages. We
crashed around midnight, with plans to get up at first light to get an early
start on Sunday’s adventure.
THE MIDDLE OF THE MIDDLE
The
plan was to meet everyone at the Buncombe Horse Trailhead at 8am. Spencer and I actually managed to break camp
at 7:30, putting us on schedule. A short
distance up the road I got a cell signal, and received a text from Thomas. He’d sent it the previous evening. Saturday’s crew (Thomas, Kitty, Jack B, Jill,
David H, and Brett) had bivouacked that night on Thee Creek. Navigational challenges, a later start than
planned, and the extreme length and difficulty of their hike had forced them to
stop midway through the hike. He said
that everyone was fine, but that they would be spending Sunday morning
finishing up their hike. Spencer and I
decided to tackle Middle Creek on our own.
Kevin Adams had sent Thomas detailed information about Middle Creek, but
I didn’t get it from Thomas. I hadn’t
worried about it, since I expected Thomas to join us on the hike. I knew the plan was to hike the Horse Trail
to Middle Creek and head upstream. The
intention was to go as far as possible and return the same way. How hard can that be?
Getting
the Prius up the steep, eroded dirt road to the trailhead was a little dicey,
but I managed. We started our hike at
8:30 and enjoyed an easy warm up along the Horse Trail. Just before reaching Middle Creek we spotted
a side trail heading upstream. This was
unexpected, but we weren’t passing it up!
The trail was in good condition, and we followed it as it loosely
paralleled the creek. Before long we
heard some cascades below. They sounded
intriguing, and we considering checking them out. However, we were well above the creek, and
the terrain was extremely steep. In
fact, a descent route wasn’t apparent.
From above it didn’t appear that there were any significant waterfalls,
so we continued. Before long we passed a
high waterfall on a tributary, and then a possible campsite in open forest. A bit later the trail turned away from the
creek to climb steeply up the mountain.
We contemplated following it, but we weren’t sure where it would
lead. Farther up the valley, or up the
mountain? We didn’t want to risk missing
out on any waterfalls, so we left the trail and headed for the creek.
Later
we found out from Kevin Adams that the trail parallels the valley but stays
high above the creek. It ends at the
confluence of the south and north forks of Middle Creek. It bypasses a scenic but difficult stretch of
Middle Creek, allowing for faster, easier access to the major waterfalls. It also provides an easier exit route from
the area. That would’ve been useful to
know prior to our hike.
We
entered the creek around 3,300’ elevation and headed upstream. We began encountering small waterfalls and
cascades almost immediately. One
reminded me of a smaller version of the Narrows of the Toxaway
River. Several others were quite scenic
too, though none of them were big and steep enough to be named waterfalls. Still, each one was its own obstacle. We climbed up some of them and bushwhacked
around others. This was slow going,
though we managed to maintain a reasonable pace.
We
found the first significant waterfall around 3,700’. Lower Middle Creek Falls is a lovely 40’ drop
surrounded by deep forest. From the
base, we climbed up the bank on River Right.
While bushwhacking up the slope, I had a branch slip past my glasses and
poke me in the eye. I spent the rest of
the afternoon nursing a watery eye, but fortunately it didn’t do any serious
damage.
Once
above the creek, we were surprised to find a rough but maintained path. This made the climb around Lower Middle Creek
Falls easier. Once beyond the brink, we
dropped back down to the creek. A short
distance upstream is Squawroot Falls, a 20’ drop into a rock bowl. Getting around this one was more challenging,
but we found a passable route on River Right.
The top of Squawroot is just downstream from the confluence of the north
and south forks. Before we reached the
confluence, Spencer spotted the next waterfall.
Middle Creek Falls, on the south fork, is a monster! It’s at least 60’ high, and visible from the
confluence. We hurried to the base to
get a better look and take photos.
Getting
to the top of Middle Creek Falls looked challenging, so we decided to explore
the north fork. I expected to find a
waterfall a short distance upstream.
Actually, we had to do a fair bit of creek walking and boulder
scrambling to reach the base of Anaconda Falls.
Anaconda Falls has two levels, and the creek makes a sharp turn in
between them. We scrambled up either
side to get a better view of the upper section.
We
didn’t know it at the time, but there are 5 more waterfalls upstream on the north
fork! There may be more upstream from
Middle Creek Falls on the south fork, too.
We will have to go back for further exploration.
The
trail we’d been on earlier apparently ends at the confluence, but we didn’t see
it. We didn’t want to hike all the way
back down the canyon, so we got creative.
We backtracked until we were on the hillside directly above Lower Middle
Creek Falls. Then we started
bushwhacking up the mountainside to the south.
Initially this seemed to be a horrible idea. It’s a jungle in there! Fortunately, once we climbed a bit farther
above creek level, the vegetation eased.
Once above the jungle, we were able to climb gradually to the southeast
through boulder gardens and wildflower-filled open forest. We aimed for Maple Camp Ridge, and hit it
around 4,220’. The map shows the Horse
Trail on the ridge here. We found a
trail right where the map showed it, but it was a surprisingly narrow
path. Still, judging by the amount of
trash along it, we figured it had to be the horse trail. We took a little break there and discussed
our options.
Spencer
wanted to extend the hike with the climb up to Maple Camp Bald. That would add another 1,400’ and a couple of
miles, one way, to the hike.
Unfortunately, it was already late afternoon. I needed to head out since I had a flight
early the next morning. We parted ways
there, with Spencer determined to bag the peak.
I followed the trail downhill. It
quickly turned faint as it descended steeply.
I stuck with it, as it was going in the right direction. Before long I popped out on the actual horse
trail. Hmmm. That begs the question – what trail were we
on to begin with?
From
there, the hike out was fast. I passed
another waterfall on a tributary stream before the final crossing of Middle
Creek. The last mile of the hike was
backtracking along the Horse Trail to the car.
It
was a great weekend, starting with a true waterfall discovery and ending with a
grand adventure in a deep wilderness canyon among the highest peaks in the
eastern U.S. We will definitely return
to explore this area further!
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