Sun starting to peek over the mountain
Five minutes later we were on foot for our first hike of the day. We found plenty of hikes in the northeast Georgia area, most of which go to waterfalls. It goes well with all of our other hikes this year. I've never really been attracted to waterfalls, but this year has found us hiking to many. I've developed an appreciation for not only the natural beauty of waterfalls and the differences between each one, but also of the hike in and the experience that comes with finding something new. Unfortunately, it's mostly hiking-only trails that end up at these magnificent waterfalls.
The Raven Cliff Falls trail was 2.5 miles in length each way, ending at Raven Cliff Falls. It was still fairly dark when we started our hike. By being there so early we had the trail to ourselves. About halfway to the falls, Shannon had her first experience with a Copperhead snake. It was a large snake laying across the trail. Shannon was leading and luckily she saw the snake before stepping on it. The snake tried to slither away at first, but then realized it would not have enough time to get out of the trail. As Shannon stopped and took a step back, it turned on her and got very aggressive. I realized almost instantly what kind of snake it was and jerked her back by her Camelbak pack. My snake knowledge finally paid off. As much time as I have spent in the woods in my life, this is only the second Copperhead I have ever come across on a trail. It wanted to fight for a few minutes, but then finally decided to continue on its way. The snake's skin blended in perfectly with the leaves on the forest floor beyond the cleared trail. I doubt I would have been able to see it if I didn't know it was there.
Waterfall in the distance from the Raven Cliff Falls Trail
Raven Cliff Falls was different than any waterfall I have ever seen. It falls through a vertical crack in a huge rock cliff. It's kind of hard to see how much water was falling through the crack from the pictures, but it was quite impressive in person. It drops 60 feet into the crack, then there is a small pool before another 20-foot drop. We had the place to ourselves for at least 45 minutes and waded out into the cold pool beneath the falls. I climbed up into the crack to the bottom of the first drop to get a better look. A ray of sunlight was coming into the crack, forming a rainbow in the mist. It was pretty cool. I had my GoPro as I climbed up and ended up dropping it into the water. It was in the plastic case, but I had forgot to put the solid, waterproof backdoor on it. The camera was on at the time and quickly shorted out from the water. Doh! My favorite camera might be toast now.
Raven Cliff Falls
Very large hornet nest on the cliff
Raven Cliff
Small fall on Dodd Creek just below Raven Cliff Falls
Green, mossy rocks in Dodd Creek
On the hike back along Dodd Creek, we found a smaller set of falls called Dodd Creek Falls. We stopped here for a swim. It was super cold, but very refreshing! The rocks were quite slick and I ended up slipping down just before we left, falling hard on my left shoulder and jamming my feet into some sharp rocks. Luckily, I came out with just some soreness and bruises.
Dodd Creek Falls, our morning swimming hole
Raven Cliff Falls Trail
Biggest snail I have ever seen
Our second hike came just a few minutes after we finished the first. A bit further down the Richard B. Russell Scenic Hwy is the Dukes Creek Falls Trail. It is shorter at 1.2 miles each way, which makes it more popular with the tourists. The trail descends from the parking lot to the falls, so you have a tough climb to get back out. It is well worth the effort when you see the pair of waterfalls at the bottom. The one on the left is very tall at 150 feet as it falls down a rock face through the trees before it gets to the most visible portion near the bottom. We timed it right to be by ourselves at the bottom and got to enjoy the falls in peace.
View of Yonah Mountain from the Dukes Creek Falls Trailhead
Dukes Creek
Bottom of the trail
Dukes Creek Falls
The water actually starts falling from the tops of the trees in this picture
Falling water through the trees
The Dukes Creek Falls trail is a bit sketchy when it comes to markings. I found it funny that the Forest Service made a sign to say that they were avoiding using signage and trail markings in an effort to keep the trail "as natural as possible." There is nothing natural about this trail. It is wide enough to drive a car through and graveled most of the way down. When you get to the falls, there is a huge wooden viewing platform. I don't see how a few blazes on the trees every now and then would ruin nature, especially when there are multiple forks in the trail. We got lucky and chose the right way the first time, but we saw other people who got very confused. If you ever go on this trail, go left at the first intersection and right at the second. That'll take you to the viewing platform at the base of the falls. I have no idea where the other trails lead.
Video of the falls
Our original plan for the day was to do these two hikes, then head to Dahlonega to explore the town, mountain bike at Jake Mountain and visit Amicalola Falls State Park. We spent way too much time at the falls and swimming to even think about making it to Dahlonega. It was already after lunch time and our bikes were back at the apartment. We decided instead to head into Helen and explore it, grabbing lunch at one of the Bavarian restaurants before visiting some of the little shops. It was my first time having a full German-Austrian type meal. My only German prior to this was the occasional dish brought into work by a patient, usually schnitzel. We got a wurst platter with bratwurst, knockwurst, weisswurst and Hungarian bratwurst, the last of which was my favorite as I liked the spices mixed into the meat. It also came with pork chops and sides. They were the best pork chops I have ever had. The sides were German potato salad, spatzle, red cabbage and sauerkraut. I've never been a cabbage fan, but the way they made it was pretty good. I also don't like potato salad, but the German way is with a mustard base. People that know me know I love mustard. We were given an entire selection of different kinds of mustard for dipping the wurst, including their special house recipe which was really good! I was in food heaven...
Helen was interesting, but I had enough in about an hour. It was too touristy for me. It's full of the same shops you see in every tourist place, with the corny air-brushed t-shirts and little knick-knacks that will just collect dust when you get them home. The Chattahoochee River flows through town. You can tube the river all day with shuttling included for $5. We wanted to do it, but there were way too many people out there. The river was pretty low as this area has not had much rain so far this summer. There were places where it was not deep enough to tube so you had to walk. Other areas were narrow and they were literally getting jammed up as people tried to squeeze around the rocks. It made for good watching during lunch, but we had no desire to get down in that mess.
Alana Falls in the Unicoi Hill Park in the middle of Helen
Shannon as a mean bear
Me as a creeper bear
Helen windmill
I enjoyed just observing people. We are very different from the average person on vacation. All I heard was how people wanted to rest, relax and shop. I go on vacation because home is boring and I want to get out and do something. I can rest when I get home. Relaxing to me is sitting next to a waterfall or swimming in a creek after your third three-mile hike of the day. Or enjoying a view atop a mountain you just climbed on a bike. I do everything I can to get away from civilization, away from the tourist trap.
Our next stop of the day was at Anna Ruby Falls, which is located on the north side of town behind Unicoi State Park in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It is a great waterfall, but a huge tourist trap. It's $3 per person to go into the parking lot, which is a bit steep in my opinion. I feel like it's only that high because it is so close to town and one of the shortest hikes. The hike is a half-mile to the falls, uphill the entire way. It's steep and by no means an easy walk, but it is paved so the trail is easier to negotiate than any of the other hikes we have made. Even with already having hiked about nine miles today, we easily made it to the top in under 15 minutes. It was sad to see how many people couldn't walk even 1/4 of the way up without having to sit on one of the benches to catch their breath. It really is awful the physical condition of the average person these days.
Smith Creek on the hike up to Anna Ruby Falls
The walk up was crowded, but thanks to everyone fighting over the benches at the top, we had the observation deck to ourselves for a few minutes. Anna Ruby Falls is made up of a pair of falls. The left fork comes from Curtis Creek and the right from York Creek. Together they form Smith Creek just beyond the falls. The name of these falls comes from J.H. Nichols, a Civil War Captain, who named them after his only living daughter after the war, Anna Ruby Nichols. The Curtis Creek side is bigger at 153 feet in height, while the York side is 50 feet tall. One interesting note about the falls is that the water flowing through here connects all the way to the Gulf of Mexico through many different streams and rivers, traveling a distance of about 550 miles before reaching the ocean.
Curtis Creek side of Anna Ruby Falls
York Creek side
Both falls together
Anna Ruby Falls
Video clip from Anna Ruby Falls
We had planned to leave Blairsville on Tuesday, but decided to stick around a few more days to see everything there is to see. There was much more to do in the Helen area than we ever dreamed. Luckily, Steve and Penny didn't have the apartment booked the rest of the week so we were able to book out a few more nights.
Unicoi Lake in Unicoi State Park
No comments:
Post a Comment