TOUGH HILL

 

 

Tough Hill Branch is a tributary of Racket Creek in Caldwell County.  Even a casual glance at a topo map suggests the potential for waterfalls.  Friends of mine, Badger and Kitty, had found one waterfall on Tough Hill Branch during a drought a couple of years earlier.   However, they had a different destination in mind that day, and weren’t able to fully explore the rest of the creek.  Beth and I had been researching that creek for months before we finally got the chance to check it out last weekend.  Unfortunately, nobody else was able to join us. 

 

We drove in on Racket Branch Road (SR 1517).  If we’d had high clearance 4WD we could’ve driven farther, to the gate near the end of the road.  Instead, we parked in a wide spot on the shoulder.  This area is in the Pisgah National Forest.  The road passes through a section of private property with several houses between where we parked and the gate.  However, it is a public road, so it is legal to drive or walk it as long as you remain on the road.  We passed all of those houses coming and going and didn’t see anyone.  They may be vacation / summer homes, or perhaps everyone was at church.

 

We started our hike on a chilly February day under cloudy skies.  The forecast called for sleet and light rain in the afternoon, so we were eager to get going.  We started around 9:30 with a quick walk down the road and past the houses.  We continued down the road beyond them, which was in much rougher shape.  It has some rocky sections, and several places were muddy, rutted, and washed out.  Driving it definitely would have required high clearance 4WD.

 

The road deteriorated further beyond the gate.  It led us to an old, overgrown farm.  The farm used to be private property, but is now part of Pisgah National Forest.  We saw an old building and a foundation near Tough Hill Branch.  There are also quite a few overgrown Christmas trees in a field.  Hiking through that field sucked though, as it is overgrown with brambles.

 

It has been a wet winter, and there were small streams and standing water everywhere.  We rock hopped Tough Hill Branch but left the road shortly beyond the stream.  That road continues up Pilot Ridge (Tough Hill) to highway 221.  That is an alternate access to this area, but a harder one, as the climb to 221 is over 1,600’.

 

We endured the brambles for a bit before climbing up onto the hillside above the field to avoid them.  There we picked up another old road that connects with the one heading up Pilot Ridge from the farm.  We followed it along the hillside above Tough Hill Branch.  Before long we passed some cascades in a rocky chute and the beginning of the first waterfall.  Badger and Kitty named this one St. Patty’s Day Falls.  Beth and I had planned to go to the confluence of Tough Hill Branch and Racket Creek and follow Tough Hill Branch back upstream.  However, the lure of this waterfall was irresistible.  A fairly easy bushwhack brought us to the base. 

 

St. Patty’s is a big, impressive waterfall.  The creek splits into multiple streams and spills over a huge rock face.  Each of the waterfall’s channels does something different.  The stream on farthest River Right actually runs under some huge boulders before emerging in the small pool at the base. 

 

It was tempting to continue downstream from there, but we were determined to stick with the original plan.  We found an easier route back up to the road.  We passed above a second, large waterfall, but managed to resist the temptation this time.  We quickly followed the road all the way down to Racket Creek.  Shortly before reaching Tough Hill Branch we spotted some cascades and boulders in the creek below.  Beth mentioned that she had noticed this spot on aerial imagery and thought there might be a waterfall.  We decided to check it out.

 

A short bushwhack led us a big, flat boulder with a great view of a fascinating waterfall on Racket Creek.  It isn’t big, but it sure is cool!  It’s deep in an intense canyon full of huge boulders and whitewater.  The whole thing is surrounded by cliffs.  The waterfall is a triple drop.  First there is a 3’ plunge into a pool, followed by a 6’ plunge into another pool.  The creek disappears under some boulders and slides another 6’ into a final pool.  That pool extends back into a dark cave.  Also, it looks like if you swim through the pool below the middle drop, you should be able to pass into a cave behind the waterfall.  We must come back in the summer to explore it fully.  I suggest calling this one Boulder Cave Falls.  It looks like a little slice of Bonas Defeat.

 

We had lunch there before returning to the road and starting up Tough Hill Branch.  We started out on River Left, which was probably a mistake.  It’s only a short distance to the first waterfall, but it is tough going thanks to numerous irregular boulders.  This first part may be easier on River Right, but crossing the creek would’ve required getting our feet wet.  It was only noon – way too early and way too cold for wet boots.

 

We finally reached the base of the last waterfall on Tough Hill Branch – a lovely, nearly vertical, 15’ cascade.  Adjacent to the waterfall on River Left is a small cave.  The adjacent rock wall displays some fascinating geology.  The rock is in horizontal layers separated by chunks of quartz.  The image is one of a toothy troll badly in need of a visit to the dentist. 

 

We scrambled and bushwhacked upstream a short distance to the base of the next waterfall.  This one is a lovely stairstep drop, finishing with the stream undercutting a giant boulder.  It started sleeting when we arrived here, right on schedule. It only sleeted for a few minutes, but we had to endure light, cold rain off and on through the rest of the day.

 

From there, we continued upstream on River Left, bushwhacking up and around the falls.  After some sidehilling and crawling through the bushes we were able to drop back down to the creek a short distance above the brink of the falls.  Here we found the bottom end of a long section of slot canyons and waterfalls.  Directly following the creek wasn’t an option due to the cliffs.  We worked our way up and around them and reached the top of a gully.  That led us down to the most fascinating waterfall of the day.  Here, the creek tumbles over a cliff under a massive overhanging rock face.  The waterfall is effectively subterranean.  There is a chute below, which empties into a pool at the head of the slot canyon.  I thought about trying to reach the pool at the base using a rope, but decided against it.  Beth had already headed upstream, and the dogs would’ve been very upset.  Also, there is a big tree in the chute, which would probably ruin any photos taken from the base. 

 

I followed Beth upstream, still on River Left.  After a short climb we reached the base of a four-level waterfall in a vertical slot canyon.  Here the creek drops perhaps 60’ between jagged, mossy canyon walls.  From the base, the three lower drops are visible.  The uppermost drop is just out of sight around a corner.  This stretch reminded me of Holcomb Creek in Georgia, just before it joins the West Fork of the Chattooga River. 

 

We were able to skirt around the lower drop on River Left.  That gave us a better view of the middle two drops.  Once again, directly following the creek was impossible.  Again we climb up and around the waterfalls and slot canyon on River Left.  We worked our way back down to the creek at the next opportunity.  We reached the base of a jagged 15’ drop at the beginning of the slot canyon – the uppermost section of the fourth waterfall.  This spot was quite treacherous due to the slippery rocks.  I managed one photo before getting out of there.

 

Yet again we climbed up and around on River Left. We dropped back down to the creek near the top of the previous waterfall.  We found a lovely 10’ cascade that was quite photogenic.  After another foray onto the hillside, we dropped to the creek again.  This put us at the base of another waterfall.  It looked quite impressive, but we could only manage a peak at it due to imposing cliffs on River Left.  That wasn’t good enough for me.  Unfortunately, there was no way to cross the creek without wading.  I was already wet and cold anyway, so what difference did it make?

 

I sloshed to the other side, and my first impression was that it wasn’t worth it.  I even told Beth it might not be worth it.  Apparently my brain was frozen, because I was wrong.  This waterfall is spectacular!  It’s a 35’ drop starting with a vertical section.  Then the creek undercuts the massive cliff as it continues to cascade.  It looks like there might be a cave at the base of the vertical section, but there was no way to climb up there and investigate.  It may be possible to get in there when the rocks are dry.

 

I attempted to continue upstream from there on River Right.  After some bushwhacking I reached the base of a small cliff.  I might have been able to climb it, but it was all slippery, mossy rock.  There wasn’t anything to grab, and getting the dogs up would’ve been a major challenge.  Going around proved impossible, too.  The waterfall blocked me one side, and a nasty gully with a low flow waterfall stopped me on the other side.  I could’ve crossed the gully farther down and climbed up and around, but that would have been very roundabout.  Instead I waded back to the original side and followed Beth up and around the big cliff adjacent to the creek.

 

A bit more bushwhacking along the hillside brought us to the last waterfall of the day, which is a short distance downstream from St. Patty’s Falls.  This is the one we saw but skipped on the way in.  This one is a big multi-level cascade guarded by giant boulders.  Reaching the base was surprisingly difficult due the steep slope and the wet rocks.  I ended up too far downstream and had to rock hop and scramble up to get a good vantage point for photos.  At one point I had to climb up between two boulders.  The dogs tried to go a different way but failed.  This was very stressful for them, since I was obviously leaving them forever.  I rock hopped out to the middle of the creek to get a photo.  They were barking and whining the entire time.  I was packing up my tripod when I spotted Kona just below me on the edge of the creek.  She had circled all the way around and climbed up the other side.  She jumped up to me, wagging her tail enthusiastically.  I was proud of her, but also annoyed.  Now I’d have to get her back down.

 

I slid back down where I climbed up.  Then I tried to get her to come to me.  She ran around in two big, panicky circles before running at me, full speed.  Yikes!  I caught her at the top of the chute and gently lowered her onto the slippery boulder where I was standing.  Boone ran over to join us, and we crossed back to River Left to try to catch up with Beth.

 

From there, we climbed back up to the road we had hiked in on.  We followed it a short distance, before leaving it to hike through a flat, wooded area to reach a small cascade.  That area would make a good campsite.  We returned to the road and climbed until I spotted an interesting canyon just downstream from St. Patty’s Falls.  I could see big cliffs and whitewater.  We had to investigate it.

 

Back down we went, steeply, crossing remnants of another old road along the way.  We continued down until we reached an awkward perch above the creek.  There is a small cascade here below an immense rock tower.  I could just make out another drop upstream, through the trees.  It was probably only 10-15’, but could be another legitimate waterfall.  The creek below us was full of huge, slippery boulders, so we declined to investigate further.  Perhaps another time.  It may be easier to reach this area from the base of St. Patty’s Falls, which is just upstream.

 

We returned to the road and followed it upstream to the old farm site.  It was getting late, and we were cold and wet, but there was still one more spot we wanted to check.  A ¼ mile upstream from the farm is another section of creek that could have a waterfall.  We were so close, we didn’t want to leave without checking it out.  The woods were open, so we followed the creek initially.  After a few minutes the jungle closed in, so we climbed the slope to reach the old road on the ridge above.  That road is in poor shape, cluttered with fallen trees.  We considered turning back several times, but pressed on.  Eventually we reached the point where we needed to leave the road.  We bushwhacked a short distance towards the creek.   Unfortunately, the jungle was thick, and we still had a good distance to go.  It was getting late, and the wet and cold were wearing on us.  We still had to hike a couple of miles to return to the car, so we decided to head back.

 

The return hike was wet, cold, and muddy, but otherwise uneventful.  Thanks to Beth for joining me on this adventure!

 

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I returned to Tough Hill Branch with Christy a few days later.  Although we drove the Subaru, we decided to park in the same place and walk in.  Christy is dealing with back and knee injuries, and we thought and good warm up would be beneficial.  Although there had been some rain on Monday and Tuesday, the road was drier and in better shape than it had been on Sunday afternoon.  We wouldn’t have had any trouble driving in there. 

 

We walked past the houses and once again didn’t see any sign of anyone.  We continued down to the gate and on towards the old farm.  Shortly before the farm we turned off on an old road heading up the ridge to the north.  It was going straight towards the spot on Tough Hill Branch that Beth and I hadn’t reached on Sunday.  After a short, steep climb we left the road to cross over the ridge and drop down to the creek.  There was no trail, but the woods were mostly open.  We came out right at the base of the biggest waterfall on Tough Hill Branch!  It’s a multi-level cascade over 100’ high.  The base is littered with large boulders, with some of them surrounding a small but deep and lovely pool.  The lower part of the falls is thick with rhododendron, which hides the upper part of the falls from view. 

 

I climbed up the slope on River Left until I got above the rhodos.  There I was able to carefully get out onto the steep, slippery rock adjacent to the falls.  From that point I could see all the way to the top, though the upper part of the falls was still way above me!  The view downstream is great here, too.  It’s a chute of whitewater racing down towards the pool where Christy was waiting.

 

I tried to climb higher, but the surrounding slopes were all bare wet rock covered with dry leaves.  That area is deceptively dangerous.  After a couple of slips and falls I decided to quit while I was ahead.  Christy and I returned by a slightly lower route, which required a little less climbing but more bushwhacking. 

 

On the drive out we were delayed at the intersection of Racket Branch Road and Anthony Creek Road.  A large truck had caught fire right in front of the house at the base of the big falls on Anthony Creek.  There was a fire truck, and EMT, and a giant tow truck on the scene.  The responders were friendly, and after shuffling vehicles around we were on our way.

 

We made a few more stops on the way home.  First was a quick visit to Walker Hollow Falls.  Then we stopped at a small waterfall on Anthony Creek with a great swimming hole.  It’s at the confluence of Woodruff Branch, and there is a nice waterfall on Woodruff visible from the road.  After checking that out, I hiked the Woodruff Ridge Trail solo.  I found two more waterfalls on Woodruff Branch.  The middle falls is well below the trail, and reaching the base is extremely difficult.  I bushwhacked down to the creek but came out too low.  It may be possible to reach the base of the falls (and its swimming hole) from there by wading the creek and climbing the boulders and logs.  I wasn’t feeling that, so I bushwhacked back up the slope to try a higher approach.  I got cliffed out going that way.  I could’ve gotten down using a rope, but I wasn’t really feeling that, either.

 

The upper falls on Woodruff is very scenic and also has a great swimming hole.  The trail passes right by it.  Upstream a short distance is the confluence of Woodruff Branch and a major unnamed tributary.  The trail follows the tributary and crosses it a short distance upstream.  I used a log to cross.  Farther upstream is a chimney at an old homesite.  I continued on to where the trail crosses a small stream just downstream from a minor waterfall.  Kevin Adams calls it Barn Ridge Falls.  A short but messy bushwhack provided a view of the waterfall, which isn’t terribly exciting, even with decent water flow.

 

I returned by the same route and we headed for home.  We’ll definitely be back this summer to take advantage of all of the great swimming holes in the area!




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