With the winter being so mild this year, my husband and I have been trying to take hikes once a week. A few weeks back we went to Catawba River Falls in Old Fort, just a 20 minute drive from our house along scenic back roads. The trail starts next to someone's house with roadside parking.
The trail follows the river up to the falls and there are three low water crossings. Apparently the water was very low earlier that day but as the rain from the night before seeped into the river, the water rose by the time we got there. I am not very coordinated and have poor distance judgement - making for a nervous crossing. Don took my camera and I took the walking stick for balance. The worst that could happen was to step in icy cold water and have wet feet for the rest of the hike!
I crossed the creek safely and the hike was lovely. As we ascended, the river was below us, accompanying us with its burbling, splashing voice. A very soothing sound to me.
 |
| Don at the second crossing. |
Further up there is a large dam that is no longer used. The water flows through the holes and down into the gorge. People are warned not to climb the wall! A final crossing sits just below the falls with a tumble of boulders to pick our way through. The trail is clearly marked but here the markers are painted on the rocks.
It was well worth the 1.5 miles in to see this. The falls is a 340 foot cascade to a pool below. With naked trees we had a perfect view to the top. The trail does go on up to the 70 foot drop of upper falls but a very muddy trail was closed off with a sign Hazardous Hiking! Some people did go up but ended up sliding back down the slippery trail on their bottoms!
 |
| Another couple making the final crossing below the falls. |
 |
| Me, on the final crossing at the end of the 3 mile trail. |
15 comments:
Oh it's a beautiful hike!!! Glad you got your walking stick and crossed all rivers safely! It was so worth the effort! Lovely views!
Thanks for taking us along with you! Yay! Take care
x
Great place to hike!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
What a beautiful hike and a gorgeous shots of the waterfalls. Thanks for taking me along, have a great day!
Such a beautiful place and a fantastic place to hike! I do love waterfalls and your last shots are stunning! Glad you had your walking sticks! Superb captures! Hope you have a wonderful week!
Sylvia
Thanks for the hike!
I love waterfalls and red barns just look 'right.'
I love that kind of scenery so much and would dearly love to hike it myself. The pictures are awesome and I am so glad you are able to do more hiking this winter.
Wow great, these are the types of hikes i love to do even if in this part of the world it is not as clean as that. Our vegetation is so profusely growing that without a normal trail, you have to make your own clearing to pass through. And your cascades is so lovely. Also it is good to hike in your temperate climes as you don't get tired fast. Oh I am envious!
Wonderful shots from your hike.
Now I would like to go hiking, too!
Beautiful tour, thanks for taking me along!
I see that you have your walking stick. Your post could have been representing here, as well. This is what we like to do also, on the weekend, mainly!!
well i would have gone splash for sure!!!!
Lubię też wędrować po lesie wzdłuż strumyków. Zdjęcia z Twojej wyprawy są wspaniałe. Pozdrawiam. *** I like to wander through the woods along the creeks. Photos of your trip is wonderful. Yours.
How wonderful to be so close to a scenic trail like this!
A lovely hike, thank goodness the camera did not get dropped.
How cool is that? Having a trail start right beside your house? Good to know you had an interesting hike back there.
Post a Comment