I'm always looking for a good adventure. I've visited Elk Falls for swimming and relaxation in the past, but I'd never done any hiking there. However, I'd heard that there were plans to re-route the AT through the area. Recently I noticed some interesting features on the "Watauga Lake" map by Trails Illustrated. Farther downstream, the Elk River goes through a gorge and spills over "Twisting Falls". In addition, there are two other falls nearby. After a week of speculation, I decided to try a hike there. My goal was to get a feel for the area and maybe search for a waterfall or two. For some reason, Christy, Dave, and Saucony agreed to join me.
We arrived after 10AM on Sunday, but only found one car at the trailhead. We hiked down the short trail to the base of the falls. There were a couple of fishermen, and a group viewing the falls. Otherwise, the place was unusually quiet. From there, we followed an unofficial path up away from the river. After a few minutes we reached an old gravel road. We followed it downstream, but high above the river. I would've preferred hiking closer to the water, but it was easy walking and going in the right direction. We gradually worked our way back down, passing sunflowers along the way. Soon the road forded the river, but we left it and continued downstream on a fishermen's path. This led us to a crossing of Jones Branch. The map indicated a waterfall upstream, but the route was blocked by a jungle of rhododendron. Instead we climbed steeply above the river. Some minutes and a lot of sweating later, we reached the crest of a spur ridge. The fishermen's trail continued ahead, paralleling the river. However, a faint route marked with ribbons continued up the ridge. I suspected that this was the planned route of the new AT. After a brief discussion, we decided to follow it.
We followed the ribbons, and reached one section where the trail had been graded. We followed this through several switchbacks before reaching the crest of the ridge again. From there, we simply climbed the ridge, and reached the current AT about a mile from the river. When we reached the trail, it had climbed up to the ridgecrest from a valley to the north. We followed the trail up the ridge, but after 100 yards, it dropped off the ridge back into the valley to the north. Did this make sense? My map indicated that the trail should continue into the valley to the south. After some minutes studying the map and compass, Christy suggested that perhaps the old trail did continue south, but that it had been re-routed since then. There was a faint path in that direction. I remembered that the AT had already been re-routed several times in this area. We decided to continue on it, and see where it took us.
We dropped into the valley, but then curved up and out of it. We reached a small campsite for lunch. In the distance, we could here the sounds of ATV's and dogs barking. This left me feeling a little nervous. There are few (if any) areas of the AT with a more negative reputation than this one. Two shelters had been burned by vandals in the last 10 years. The hiking club that maintains the trail advises against parking at trailheads in the area, due to frequent vandalism. We weren't ready to turn back though, so we leashed the dog and hiked on.
We hiked into an old field and passed an old barn. Soon the trail brought us through someone's Christmas tree farm. The area might have a bad reputation, but somebody had been pretty generous in allowing the trail through their farm. The walking here was delightful, as we passed through all kinds of wildflowers. Most notable was a tiny star shaped flower colored an almost neon purple-pink. Soon we crossed a paved road, and entered a pleasant hemlock forest. There was a great campsite, but I'd be reluctant to camp that close to the road. My dated AT guide mentioned walking on the previous road for 1/2 mile, so it was apparent that the trail had indeed been re-routed. Christy's theory was correct.
We climbed a big hill and crossed another paved road. We then passed through another meadow filled with wildflowers. I wanted to linger, but Christy's allergies went crazy. We hurried on, and passed a cemetery in the woods. Another big climb brought us into a pasture. From the top of the hill, we had a great view up toward the high peaks of Roan Mountain. Big Hump, Little Hump, and Grassy Ridge were clearly visible. Beyond them, Roan High Knob reached into the clouds. We relaxed here for half an hour and watched the two horses that resided in the meadow. Eventually though the clouds began to gather, and a storm seemed certain. We hurried back down the trail, and stopped to don rain gear when the first drops hit. As soon as we finished the ritual, the rain ended and the sun came back out. As usual, the rain gear proved to be a total success.
The hike back was mostly uneventful. The biggest excitement was the gunfire we heard shortly after passing back through the Christmas tree farm. This brought back all of the concerns I initially had about the area. Were they hunters? Well, nothing was in season, except maybe hikers. Chances are, they were probably just some rednecks shooting at beer bottles. We didn't stick around long to find out though.
We hiked back the same way, but I did make one attempt to find Jones Falls. I didn't get far. The rhododendron tangle was even worse than it looked from a distance. I bailed out quickly, and we hurried back to the river. When we reached the parking lot above the falls, it looked like someone was throwing a party. There were dozens of cars, and lots of people. We decided against swimming, and headed for Boone for a well deserved dinner.
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