WALKING ON WATER
I needed to hike on
Saturday. Christy and Saucony both had
surgery last week, and I needed a break from our house, which is beginning to
look like an infirmary. Bob was of a similar
frame of mind, and Joel, Myron, Dorcas, and Izzak all decided to join us. Since the weather forecast was marginal, I
decided that a valley hike was in order.
Since we’d have multiple vehicles, I decided on a shuttle route along
North Harper Creek, in the Wilson Creek area near Linville.
We saw lots of hunters and
campers along the road to the North Harper Creek Trailhead. We dropped my car off there, and piled into
Dorcas’ new Honda Element for the ride to the Persimmon Ridge Trailhead. We started down the trail at 10:30, under
surprisingly sunny skies.
A short walk down an old
road brought us to a major junction.
This area used to be very confusing, but new trail signs may have solved
that problem. We continued down the Persimmon
Ridge Trail, which was challenging due to the leaves covering the trail. The footing was tricky, especially near the
end of the trail where the descent became steep. It was a relief to reach the edge of North Harper Creek. There would be no more downhills through the
rest of the day.
A short walk upstream
brought us to the first creek crossing.
There are no bridges in this area, and the crossings can be difficult
when the water is up. Unfortunately,
everyone in the group managed to miss my emailed suggestion that they bring
sandals in case we weren’t able to rock hop.
Luckily, the first crossing was aided by well-placed rocks just
downstream. However, we still had 14
crossings to go.
We continued upstream on an
old railroad grade, passing a nice campsite along the way. A short distance later, we spotted Bards
Falls in the distance. A short and
fairly easy descent on a side trail brought us to the base of this obscure
waterfall. Bards Falls is quite
attractive, and large boulders and a fine swimming hole add to the beauty of
the area. Unfortunately the sunny
weather provided poor lighting for photography. I still attempted a few photos, but knew that the results would
be marginal at best.
We resumed the hike
upstream, arriving at the most challenging stream crossing a few minutes
later. It’s possible to rock hop most
of the way, but an absence of rocks near the far side make for an extremely
difficult crossing. Myron made an
attempt, and even spun on a floating log briefly. Somehow he and Bob both made it across with only damp boots. This was impressive, since Jesus would have
trouble crossing here without getting his sandals wet.
After watching Myron and Bob
come close to swimming, I decided to use my tevas to wade. Dorcas and Joel followed barefoot. Beyond the crossing, we continued a couple
hundred yards to a pleasant campsite for lunch. While we ate, we saw all kinds of people pass by, including kids,
dayhikers, and backpackers. It was a
little startling to see so many people.
After lunch we continued
upstream, negotiating a handful of crossings.
However, the worst carnage came later.
At one point, Myron tried a long leap but slipped.
Dorcas stumbled later, and
Bob and Joel both slipped off the same rock near the end of the hike. I got a little water in my boots on a couple
of occasions, but managed to avoid any major disasters.
A long climb led up along a
series of cascades. We eventually
topped out at the brink of Chestnut Branch Falls, which is not on Chestnut
Branch (it’s actually on North Harper Creek immediately upstream from the Chestnut
Branch confluence). This waterfall is a
long slide, and the open rock face at the top provides an excellent place for a
break. We took advantage of it, but
nearly lost Myron to a lengthy nap in the process.
We eventually resumed the
hike, crossing the creek one more time before reaching the base of North Harper
Creek Falls. This waterfall is one of
the nicest in the area, and we paused to take it in. In fact, the entire area is well worth a visit. Bob noted several large trees nearby,
including Tuliptrees and Hemlocks. I’m
guessing that the early 20th century loggers missed this area due to
the rugged topography.
Another climb led to the top
of the falls, where we crossed the creek yet again. The upper portion of North Harper Creek Falls is another long slide
across open rock faces, much like Chestnut Branch Falls downstream. It was tempting to take another break here,
but the sky was finally clouding up, and it was getting late. Clearly it was time to go.
One more climb, some
slippery footing, and three more creek crossings brought us to the North Harper
Creek Trailhead. The first sprinkles
began to fall just as we reached the car.
Fortunately the rain held off long enough for everyone to enjoy one of
the beers Joel brought. It was a
pleasant way to end a much-needed hike in one of my favorite areas.
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