DELIVERANCE
Christy, Saucony, and I were still half frozen when we arrived at the trailhead Saturday morning. We had spent Friday night at Oconee State Park, where the temperature dropped to 15 degrees. We met Myron, Dorcas, and Izaak at the trailhead. After a lengthy adventure searching for the ending point, we dropped off a car and returned to the trailhead to start the hike.
A couple of fast, easy miles brought us to the Chattooga Trail near Licklog Creek. We took a few minutes to visit Upper and Lower Licklog Falls. The lower falls was an impressive cascade, as it fell directly into the river. However, it required a tricky rock hop on slippery rocks to get a view of it.
We hiked the Chattooga River Trail north, climbing over a ridge before dropping back down to the water side. Myron and Dorcas found us some nice rocks to sit on for a late lunch. Afterwards, we hiked on, looking for the evening's campsite. We considered stopping at Simm's Field, which had some nice sites with beaches. However, we decided to cover some more miles, since we didn't want to add them to Sunday's hike.
Once again we climbed away from the river, leaving the whitewater and sandy beaches behind. We crossed another ridge before dropping down to a junction with the side trail to Big Bend Falls. I followed it, and it provided an easy route to the biggest drop on the Chattooga River. It starts with a long cascading rapid, and ends with a 12' vertical drop. The roar of the rapid was so loud conversation was impossible. Unfortunately, the trail ended just above the falls, which didn't provide much opportunity for a photo.
We hiked on, finding a nice riverside campsite. Unfortunately, a previous occupant had left a giant sheet of plastic. We decided to continue on, reaching another trashed campsite. The day was late, and we had little choice but to stop. It was the third site we had seen that was trashed, but we didn't have much daylight left to hike further. Was this indicative of the type of people that camped here? Trash? We decided to make the best of it and clean it up as much as possible.
We made the most of a poor site, and Christy and I enjoyed a meal of sausage and Jambalaya. We also enjoyed a pleasant campfire before heading to bed early. I had just drifted off to sleep when I heard voices. "I told ya, city folk are 'round here somwheres, I can smell 'em." "Yup, we'll learn them to come to our neck of the woods". No, wait a minute, that's from that movie. I was having a flashback. I'll try to stay focused from now on.
We awoke Sunday to heavy clouds and drizzle. This was a surprise, as Friday's forecast had made no mention of rain. After a late start, we continued up the river. Soon though, we left the river and headed inland. We took some time to hike the short side trail to Kings Creek Falls. It was an impressive cascade, and was well worth the time we spent getting there.
We returned to the Chattooga Trail, and soon we crossed Burrell's Ford Road. Afterwards, we left the Foothills trail, continuing solely on the Chattooga Trail. After an easy downhill hike, we reached a beautiful campsite area in a Hemlock Grove by the riverside. We stopped there for lunch, and Christy and I did another short side trip to Spoon Auger Falls. The falls weren't as impressive as Kings Creek, but the walk to them was the prettiest part of the hike.
Afterwards, we hiked upstream, passing several nice campsites. Eventually we caught up with Myron and Dorcas, who had stopped at Bad Creek. It was still fairly early, but we decided to set up camp there (no trash!). Christy and I enjoyed a spaghetti dinner, and Myron and Dorcas shared their fresh baked chocolate chip brownies. Once again, we enjoyed pleasant evening around the campfire.
We set out on Monday to find Ellicott Rock. We had heard that it was hard to find. However, after 30 minutes of hiking, we came to a steep path marked with ribbons. At the bottom was Commissioner's Rock, which marks the boundary of NC/SC/GA. Out in the river was Ellicot Rock itself. I would love to say that we waded out to look at it, but I can't lie.
After the boundary, we hiked up to a nice campsite in NC. We then hiked the Fork Mountain Trail out to Sloan Bridge Picnic Area. It started with a steady climb, but got easier afterwards. It was warm enough that we discussed putting on shorts, though we never went that far. The last few miles featured a pretty Hemlock forest and an impressive rhododendron grove.
We reached the car by mid afternoon. It was a relief to come out of the woods where we had planned.
The top 5 catch phrases of the Deliverance backpack:
5) Dueling Banjos, harmonized.
4) "That stream there, where it flows into the river, sure has a purty
mouth."
3) "Aintry? Aintry? This here trail don't go to Aintry. You must've taken a
wrong turn."
2-tie) "Talk about your genetic deficiencies."
2-tie) "Look at me, I'm pissing in three states!"
AND.............
1) "Squeeeeeeeeeallllllll!" (or, substitute your favorite barnyard
animal noise here.)
Seriously though, it was a nice trip in a pleasant area. I'm sure I'll plan more trips in the area in the future.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!