Upper Creek Falls–Beautiful but POORLY Marked

Friday August 19, 2022                                         
Bear Den Family Campground                              Most Recent Posts:
MP 324 Blue Ridge Parkway                                  Finally Blowing Rock
Spruce Pine, North Carolina      Mast General Store and Crab Orchard Falls

 

Took a drive today to Upper Creek Falls in the Pisgah National Forest about 16 miles and 30 minutes from  Bear Den.

There were interesting fungi on the trail.

The warning signs told me I was going down onto some rocks and I could hear the water.

Turns out, the sign warned me to be careful,  I was at the top of the falls and could see Upper Creek behind them.

I had to cross the creek up here and thought about going back but I decided it was worth it to just go on and get my feet wet.

Here is a short video of Upper Creek behind the falls.

This is the top of the falls and the great view of the Blue Ridge.

The picture below is taken from just a little further down the falls.  Here is a 9 second video of it roaring down the rock face.

From there, the trail provided numerous views of the cascades and other sections of the falls.

I took this very short video from the exact spot below.

And then the trail started getting very sketchy.

There were fewer and fewer metal triangle markers.

This trail had so many different looks at the falls as they went down.  Here is a short video of this section.  Not sure if this was the most powerful section but it might be.

Trail got narrower and narrower …

It widened out at one point on nice rock slabs.

But then, the trail looked like this.  I thought perhaps the tree had fallen over the trail so I crawled under, over, around and trough to find no end of obstacles.  So I climbed back out and back tracked to where I could find the last metal triangular trail marker.

There were no more trail markers  between that one and the obstacle.  The only side path went right to the water.   So I walked down to take a look.

And sure enough, there on  the other side of the fast flowing “creek” was the yellow triangle.  I didn’t take any pictures up next to the creek but I did take numerous videos as I tried to figure out how to get across.  Of all the ones I took, there are only two here.  I really didn’t want to try to cross but I’d have to walk 2.5 miles back and there was less than a mile to go.  I paced back and forth over and over thinking about my alternatives.

This first video shows what I saw when I got down to the water.  Notice the fallen tree, that’s where I crossed over the water.  The rock sides near the water were wet and slick.

The second one is a video from the other side once I got across.  As you can hear me say, the problem was my short legs.  I did actually have to step in the rushing water.  My hiking pole was invaluable.  I actually held my breath and hoped I didn’t slip and go sailing on down and out of sight.

From then on I felt like I was home free.

There were no more views of the Falls but there were some interesting fungi.  I “think” these are staghorn.  Correct me if you know differently.

Aren’t they cool?

I managed not to get lost during this last 1/2 to 3/4 mile.  The yellow triangles weren’t more numerous but the side trails were fewer.

And near the end, a sweet set of steps.

It was a difficult hike in that it was poorly marked and I lost the trail 4 or 5 times and had to backtrack to the last metal yellow triangle marker and see if there was some other path that was the real trail and not a social trail.  They need WAY more markers then they have.  Too many side trails, too few markings. 

I had to cross the river twice.  No easy crossings and the last one was down right scary but to turn around would have been 2.5 miles. I was less than a mile from the end.  Plus I would have had to cross the first river spot again so I figured I might as well take a chance and go on.

The hike took much longer than its mileage would indicate and it was frustrating at points but now that I’ve done it, in the end, I’d do it again.   The waterfall views were fabulous and no one else was anywhere around.

Finally, Blowing Rock

Thursday August 18, 2022                                   Most Recent Posts:
Bear Den Family Campground       Mast General Store & Crab Orchard Falls
MP 324 Blue Ridge Parkway                   Crabtree Falls and Little Switzerland
Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Blowing Rock North Carolina is one of the little towns I wanted to visit but as you may have read, I tried once before, got rained out and ended up at the movies in nearby Boone.   But today, I made it and had dinner there.

But first a hike on the  Glen Burney Trail.  56 minutes and 34 miles to get there.  There are two falls off this trail, Glen Burney and Glen Marie.  At this point of distance, I’m not sure which was which and googling it didn’t help me clarify as all the pictures said Glen Burney Trail and both the falls that I saw were also labeled Glen Burney.  So I’ll just show them in the order I saw them and if you take the trail you can figure it out for yourself.

The trail began wide as a road and gentle.

Shortly it began to descend and passed a cement structure which after I hiked further down I learned was a former wastewater treatment plant.

There was a sign calling it “The Ruins” with a date of 1929.  Based on the size of this treatment plant there obviously wasn’t a lot of waste water to treat then.

I’d already crossed this creek twice when the 3rd crossing provided a footbridge.

The trail became the familiar very rocky path.

I passed what I thought was the falls but a sign, that I was wise enough to take a picture of, told me it  was called the “cascade”.   It was easier to get both pictures and this video of “the cascades” than of the first of the actual falls.

My photographs at the first falls were disappointing.   I could not get the angle the waterfall book author had.

And as I am now in Florida and do not have the North Carolina Waterfall book with me, can’t check his picture to see if this is Glen Marie or Glen Burney.
A BIG problem of not taking pictures of all signs and of writing months after you’ve actually done the hike.   The hike was August 18 and today is November 7th.

I found that I liked the second falls better just because I could get better looks at it.  It was so sweet but doesn’t look anywhere near as high as the first falls though the  waterfall book claimed they were the same height.   I got better pictures and this 15 second s video which you can see here. 

Rocky trail out.

The hike took 2 hours.  Because of the rainforest rain around here it was of course muddy and rocky.  Don’t go without a pole.   But do go.

I went on into Blowing Rock, such a darling town with flowers everywhere.

First I put my name on the list for a table at The Speckled Trout.  I felt like I really should have trout here in the mountains of North Caroling.

They took my name and said they would text me when my table was ready.  So I walked around town and stopped in at the library.  A very common thing for me to do.

I was still in the library when I got the text and went back to the restaurant where I wished I had asked for a table outside instead of “first available”

I ended up at a table right behind the host desk in the bar area.  But the cracker crusted trout was good.  I had it with collar greens and beets with goat cheese, yogurt and pumpkin seeds. I would definitely return and sit outside– assuming I had time.

Since there was a Kilwin’s ice cream in Blowing Rock, I meandered my way though town on my way there for dessert which I really didn’t need.

I have always had tremendous envy for painters.

How I would love for my hands to be able to recreate what my eyes can see.  Notice the harpist.  She was there playing today.

I’m finding it more and more lonely to be traveling and hiking alone all the time and especially when I try to take a decent selfie.  I don’t look like I”m enjoying this coconut crunch and Traverse City Cherry ice cream cone but I really am.

After that little bit of gluttony I continued my walk around town.  I listened to the busking harpist the artist had been painting.   The artist is there on the left.

 

There really were flowers everywhere, in the yards of every home, church, and business.

And for several blocks of the main street edging the park.  The hanging baskets you can see here were also all along both sides of Main Street on nearly every lamp post.   I wonder who takes care of all this beauty?   Landscape businesses must be booming.