POSSUM

“I was riding down the road one day and someone hit a possum
I was riding down the road one day and someone hit a possum
The road was his end
His end was the road
Or so they say

Whoa possum...
possum, possum...
POSSUM”

From “Possum” by Phish

Last week a one-day assignment in Seneca, South Carolina gave me an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. My job was scheduled for a Monday, and my next assignment was due to start on Wednesday. Seneca is just a short drive from some of South Carolina’s best hiking opportunities. Even better, my job on Monday was estimated to take only three hours. I decided to do some hiking on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, with some informal car camping in between.

Since my work assignment was expected to be brief I decided to bring Boone with me. We recently added a new puppy to our happy little family, and Boone needed a break from her. The puppy, Kona, is a 9-week old lab mix. Needless to say, Boone is pretty jealous of all of the attention she’s been getting. I figured some quality time with daddy was what he needed, even if it meant sleeping in my car while I was working.

Of course things didn’t go exactly according to plan. My job ended up taking over seven hours. By the time I finished it was almost dark and a light drizzle was falling. Despite those drawbacks I decided to salvage my original plan. The Monday afternoon hike was out of the question, but there wasn’t anything stopping me from camping and hiking on Tuesday.

I drove out through Westminster and on to the trailhead for Brasstown Falls. There is a great campsite along the creek just a short distance from the parking area. I carried the tent and the other gear down there and set up quickly. The drizzle had subsided, but it was still damp and chilly out. While I did my chores, Boone blew off some steam by running through the woods. Afterwards I returned to the parking area and used the large boulders there to set up a makeshift kitchen. I rehydrated some pasta for dinner while Boone continued his explorations.

Unfortunately I had a report to write from my previous week’s job. I worked on that on my laptop in the car for a couple of hours before heading to bed. It wasn’t much of a car camping experience, but at least I got to go to sleep early.

Around midnight Boone got restless, so I let him out of the tent. I had just dozed off again when I woke to what sounded like a stampede. Boone went galloping past the tent at full speed, the thuds of his feet fading into the distance. A couple of minutes later he came back, again at full speed. This went on for a bit, and I didn’t sleep again until he returned to the tent, worn out. I guess that’s what I get for leaving him in the car all day.

I got up at first light the next morning. First on my agenda was the short hike down to Brasstown Falls. I was determined to get better photos, as my last visit had been marred by heavy spray. Water levels were lower now, so I had high hopes. I worked my way down the trail carefully, using the many exposed roots as handholds. I passed the base of the upper drop, and then the side view of the middle falls. Eventually I made a careful descent on slippery rocks to a fantastic vantage point in front of Middle Brasstown Falls. All three parts of Brasstown Falls are beautiful, but the middle section is particularly attractive and photogenic.

From there I headed down to the base of the lower falls. The lower falls are somewhat difficult to view because the creek turns as it falls over the last drop. The view from the bottom is still cool though, as the middle falls are visible. Also, the cliff towering over the pool at the base of the lower falls is quite dramatic.

I returned to camp and packed up. Then, after a quick breakfast of cold granola cereal I headed on to the day’s main event. Opossum Creek Falls has been on my to-do list for a long time, I was finally going to get there. I made the quick drive through Long Creek and on to the trailhead. The drive was pretty uneventful. I didn’t see any Opossums, though I did have an exciting experience with a squirrel that darted out in front of my car. Somehow he ran in front of my right front tire, but behind my left front tire. I still have no idea how he avoided becoming roadkill.

Once there I gathered my gear and put on a blaze orange vest, since it is hunting season. Boone wore his red pack, even though it was empty. Of course we didn’t see any hunters, or anyone else, but it’s always best to be on the safe side during hunting season.

I walked back down the road a short distance to the official trailhead. I passed a sign board and began a well-graded descent on a good trail. The trail was in the woods the whole way, and followed a tributary of Opossum Creek most of the way. It got a little steep towards the end, just before reaching the Chattooga River. I found a prime campsite, lots of sandbars, and an immense swimming hole there. I didn’t linger though, as the sun was rising above the ridge to the south, and I was still hoping to get to the falls while the light was favorable for photos.

The trail upstream along Possum Creek was in good shape and almost as easy as the path I’d followed earlier. It took me right to the base of the falls, which is quite a sight. Opossum Creek Falls is a good bit taller than I’d expected, and there was enough volume to make it look good. I was lucky with the light, too. The sun was shining at the very top of the falls, but I was able to crop that out without much difficulty.

After a few photos I headed back. I took a long break at the beach and Boone took a swim. We played fetch with a stick until he was worn out and then we began the hike back. The hike out took just under an hour. Once back at the car I had a decision to make. Originally I’d planned three short hikes for Monday afternoon, including Yellow Branch Falls, Blue Hole Falls, and the Chauga River Narrows. I thought about driving up there since it was only noon. However, work called. I still had a report to finish, and my next assignment was starting the following morning. I decided to save those hikes for another day and headed back towards Seneca and eventually the Ocho Cinco (I-85).

I thought Boone was tired, but he was clearly disappointed that we were done hiking. That afternoon after we returned home I took him to our neighborhood pond for a 30 minute run. Later Christy took Boone and the puppy outside to play ball. I think he was finally worn out that evening!

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