Tanasee Creek Gorge

After checking out of the hotel, we started heading back east towards Charleys Creek Road where we had started our adventure.  We met up with Badger, Andy, and Spencer at the trailhead for Tanasee Creek Falls and carpooled to the lower trailhead along Tanasee Gap Road.  From here, we started hiking along an old logging road following Tanasee Creek upstream.  All along the trail, the mountain laurel were in full bloom and quite beautiful.

We had really lucked out this weekend in seeing these beautiful flowers.

There were also a few flame azaleas blooming as well.

In about a mile or so, we came to a small tributary.  We crossed the tributary and then started bushwhacking upstream along the tributary.  It was steep, but not too overgrown so wasn't real difficult.  Near the top, we had to navigate around some cliffs and then came to Horseshoe Falls.

The water flows over a horseshoe-shaped rock and free falls about 80 feet down, crashing onto the rocks below.

Even in high water, the flow wasn't real high, but this was a really nice waterfall.  I found a great spot on this one rock where the water was falling all around me but didn't get wet.

It appeared that the water was coming right out of the overhanging rock.

We played around here for a while and then headed back down to the old logging road.  In another mile or so, we had to wade across Tanasee Creek and then another crossing in another half-mile.  At this point, Sandy and I decided to head back as it was starting to get late and we had a very long drive home.  After saying good-bye to our friends, we started making the trek back.  I found an old cooler near tributary with Horseshoe Falls and carried it back to dispose of it properly.  After carrying it about a mile, my arms were getting quite sore, but at least one less piece of garbage in the woods.  Driving home, we stopped at Las Salsas for dinner and made it home around 9.