BLIGHT
Last weekend, Bob and his
son, Andy, joined Saucony and I for a car camping adventure near
Highlands. Christy didn’t make this
trip, as she saw a forecast that suggested that temperatures might drop below
freezing Saturday night.
Our destination for the
weekend was the Ammons Branch Campground, which is located along Bullpen Road
below Highlands and near the Chattooga River.
Bob had never been there, but decided to head up that way Friday
afternoon. He called me that evening
from Cashiers. They hadn’t been able to
find the turn off for Bullpen Road in the dark. After driving up and down highway 107 several times, they decided
to give me a call to see if I had any other ideas.
I suggested they take
Whiteside Cove Road from Cashiers, which ends at an intersection with Horse
Cove Road and Bullpen Road. They
decided to try that, and they didn’t call back. I figured that meant that they found the campground, or they lost
their cell service.
I left early Saturday
morning for 3-hour drive from Charlotte.
When I reached the turn for Bullpen Road, I noticed that the road sign
is missing. That probably explains the
confusion Bob and Andy experienced.
After a long, tedious drive, I crossed the iron bridge over the
Chattooga River and continued on to the campground. I was relieved to find them there waiting for me.
I set up camp quickly, and
we planned out a hike. My suggestion
was a 6-mile one-way hike along the Chattooga River from the iron bridge to
Whiteside Cove. This hike is described
in one of my books, “The Highland Hiker”.
Unfortunately, the book doesn’t provide specific directions to the
ending trailhead. The book says that
the trail ends at Whiteside Cove Church, on Whiteside Cove Road. We decided to run a shuttle, as we didn’t
have enough time to do the whole hike as a round-trip.
Bob followed me down
Whiteside Cove Road. We passed a couple
of incredible views of Whitesides Mountain, before arriving at a church. Unfortunately, the parking lot was roped
off, and there was no sign. Was this
Whiteside Cove Church? I figured it
probably was, but there was no way to be sure.
I walked around the church, and found the beginning of an old, faint
trail behind the building. Judging from
my map, I thought we were in the right place.
Bob parked his truck on the shoulder, and we all piled into my car for
the drive back to the iron bridge. If
nothing else, the hike promised the excitement of wondering whether we’d come
out of the woods anywhere near Bob’s truck!
The drive down to the river only
took a few minutes, which was fortunate, because it was rather cramped with 3
people, 1 dog, and hiking gear in my Corolla.
We parked near the bridge, and spent a few minutes exploring The
Potholes, which is an area of scenic rapids directly below the bridge. It was a bright, sunny day, so I decided to
return to the area later when the conditions for photography would be better.
We headed upstream,
following a rugged path high above the river.
We passed numerous cascades in the river below, but the dense
Rhododendron prevented us from getting a clear view. Most of the hiking through here was easy, but there were a few
slippery places with tricky footing.
Before long, we passed a
signed junction with the loop trail, which returns back to Bullpen Road. We continued ahead, on the path
less-traveled. Except for the Highland
Hiker, I had never heard much about this trail. Despite this, it has received quite a few recent
improvements. There are several new
footbridges, including one over Cane Creek. Just past this bridge, we reached a pleasant camping area. We stopped there and had lunch in the sun.
After eating, we continued
upstream through an increasingly rugged gorge.
Sheer cliffs towered above us, while the river alternated between
roaring rapids and long, sandy pools.
The forest here is dominated by Hemlocks. Regrettably, this area, like most in the southeast, has been
infested by the blight. Almost all of
the Hemlocks in this lovely gorge are dead or are dying.
We reached an attractive campsite
adjacent to a long, deep, sandy pool.
Just upstream from here, Norton Mill Creek cascades into the river. Although the entire hike was wonderful, this
was probably the best part. Another new
bridge spans the creek, and there are impressive cascades above it and
below. In particular, the cascades just
upstream are worth a visit. The creek
roars through a tunnel of Rhododendron, and there are several fascinating potholes. We took another long break here, as it is
one of those places you can’t just race by.
From there, we continued
upstream, passing a small cave and a blockage in the river created by a number
of fallen trees. Just beyond was a
serious obstacle, as a large tree has fallen down the trail. Climbing around it may have been the biggest
challenge of the hike.
Eventually we left the
river, climbing switchbacks towards the ridge above. Once on the ridge, we were treated to winter views of the gorge
and the sheer face of Whitesides Mountain.
Before long, we reached a junction with a side path to the left. The path was blocked with a pile of sticks,
but all of my instincts told me that this was the way to the church. Despite this, I decided to continue on. I suspected that the trail had been
improved, and re-routed, since “The Highland Hiker” was written, and I was
curious to see where we would come out.
The farther we hiked, the more certain I was that it wouldn’t be at the
church. I felt confident that we would
end up on the road only a short distance from Bob’s truck though.
We descended along the
ridge, and swung to the west, towards the road. A few minutes later, we arrived at a large, new gravel parking
area on Whiteside Cove Road. We hadn’t
passed this lot on the drive to the church that morning, so we knew we must’ve
overshot the church. I leashed Saucony,
and we walked back up the road. 9
minutes later, we arrived at Bob’s truck.
This was a great hike, and
one I’d like to do again. Bob seemed to
enjoy it, and his son, Andy, really had a great time. The area is worthy of exploration, as I recently read that there
might be some waterfalls along Cane Creek.
Next time though, I’ll be sure to leave the shuttle vehicle at the
actual trailhead parking area!
Later that afternoon, we
drove up to Horse Cove in search of the giant Poplar tree. We passed some great views of Blackrock
Mountain, before reaching the turn onto Rich Gap Road. We parked here, and took the short walk up
to the tree. The Horse Cove Poplar is a
big tree, but it isn’t nearly as impressive as many of those found in Joyce
Kilmer or the Smokies. Bob, who is an
aficionado of large trees, was a little disappointed.
Our disappointments didn’t
end there. We were close to Secret
Falls, and I wanted to check it out before returning to the campground. We drove down Walkingstick Road, following
Big Creek and passing some exclusive residential areas. At one point, we spotted Walkingstick Falls
from the road. It’s a nice waterfall, but
unfortunately it’s on private property, and the view from the road is rather limited.
The closer we got to the
trailhead for Secret Falls, the more the road deteriorated. We negotiated some wash outs in my Corolla
before crossing a bridge over the creek.
Beyond, the road was even worse.
Actually, the road looked more like a gully than a place you can
actually drive. We might’ve made it to
the falls in Bob’s truck, but there was no way my Corolla would get there. I made a leisurely 17-point turn, and we
headed back to the campground.
That evening, we enjoyed a
campfire and a few beers. Bob and Any
feasted on burgers, while I dined on a huge pot of spaghetti. We stayed up late enough to enjoy a sky full
of stars, before the evening chill drove us to bed.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!