Cavern Falls

Sunday morning, we woke up early and broke camp. After a quick breakfast, we drove to Wolf Mountain Road and parked at the access to Tanasee Creek Gorge in Nantahala National Forest.  A very overgrown old road followed the creek through the gorge.  At about 2 miles, we had to ford Tanasee Creek and then back over in another quarter mile or so.  It was fairly confusing around this point with multiple overgrown roads.  Eventually, we made it to the tributary with Cavern Falls and headed upstream.

The rhododendron were very thick right next to the creek, so we got a little away from the creek then headed back to Lower Cavern Falls.

There was a lot of downfall at the base, but otherwise a fairly nice waterfall.  It was just a little further upstream to Cavern Falls, which was really quite nice.

The bright sun made for poor photos but there was a nice little rainbow at the base.

We sat and had lunch here and enjoyed the view.

I went behind the falls and took a natural shower to cool off a bit.

Then we started making our way back to the car and headed home.

Tight Squeeze at Windy Falls

Saturday, we woke up and had breakfast then drove to Gorges State Park. We took Raymond Fisher Trail to Chestnut Mountain Road and went a short ways to an old road on the left that entered Toxaway Game Land and descended down towards Horsepasture River. There were some cool golden spindle mushrooms growing along the trail.

In about 1.5 miles, the road ended at the river just above Windy Falls. There was a nice cascade just above, but it was hard to see around the rocks.

We climbed a little further and found another really nice cascade flowing around a big rock.

Then we started heading down along Windy Falls. The path was fairly easy to follow though steep in places. I managed to step on a hornet’s nest and got stung, not the best place for it. 

Soon we got to a steep ridge that was wet and probably too difficult to go down unaided. So we tied off a drop for the steep descent and would need it heading back up. Down from here, we came to a big rock near the base of Windy Falls. To go any further, we needed to squeeze through the keyhole. Sandy got stuck in the keyhole and was a little panicked. It looked like it might rain soon, so we decided not to risk it and headed back. 

By the time we got back to Chestnut Mountain Road, it was raining pretty heavily, so glad we turned back

It was still pretty early, so we headed into Pisgah National Forest to the Avery Creek Trailhead off FR-477.  We followed Avery Creek Trail (#327) for about a half-mile as it passed the top of Avery Creek Falls.

A short scramble path led down to the base of the falls.  I thought it looked pretty nice even in lower water.

There were a whole bunch of spring azure butterflies down here.

We climbed back up to the trail and continued following the creek upstream.  There was a mushroom that looked like a bagel.

In a little over a mile, a steep path led down to the base of Upper Avery Creek Falls.

We got some pictures and then hiked back.

We stopped at Ecusta Brewery and got dinner from the food truck and had drinks at the brewery.  After dinner, we returned to camp and made a fire before bed.

Bonas Defeat

Friday, Sandy and I headed to the mountains without the dog for a long weekend of hikes that are just too difficult for Alex. We left early and headed to the Grays Ridge Access for Bonas Defeat off NC-281. Here, we met Badger, Kitty, Scott and Mike and began our adventure. The first mile was down a gated road to a picnic area along the Tuckaseegee River. After crossing a bridge, a path led below the bridge and upstream to the confluence with Wolf Creek. Most of the water was coming in from Wolf Creek and we began creekwalking up Tuckaseegee River.

There was a path through the woods on river right to avoid some of the flat water. Soon, it became very rocky as we got closer to the gorge.  When we got to the slot canyon, we would have to find a way around.

There was a steep path through the woods on river right that we could use to go around the slot canyon.  It dropped us off in the river just above it.

Soon we came to Grandmas Kitchen Falls.  The sun was shining right on it so couldn't get a picture, but it was a great place to cool off.  So many potholes.  We climbed up the side of the falls to the top.

From here, we continued scrambling up through the gorge.

At Conundrum Rock, a gigantic boulder in the river, we had to go up through a keyhole on river left side.  It was steep and slippery but we soon made it up.  Continuing up this side of the river, we got back in the river at Talus Cave Falls.

This one was my favorite in the gorge.  There were two streams dropping inside a small cave in the middle of the river.

Just downstream was Grandmas Pantry Falls, but the lighting was really poor.

We continued up through the gorge, passing by an incredible number of potholes.  The hike is only possible because Duke Energy diverts the flow of the river for hydroelectric generation, exposing the river bed.

Natural or not, the riverbed is beautiful and the gorge is an absolute paradise for those who love rock scrambling.  A little further up, we reached Bonas Defeat Falls.

Unfortunately, a tree had fallen over it and the sun was shining on it.  There was a view of the massive Bonas Defeat Wall.  Just a few rock climbers come here due to the difficulty in access.

We scrambled and waded around for a side view of the falls.

And I found a sport for a frontal view, but couldn't avoid the log altogether.

This was our turnaround point and from here we started heading back.  The lighting was a little better at Grandmas Kitchen Falls.

After crossing the bridge, the gated road was all uphill back to the car and much hotter since we weren't wading the river.

After saying good-bye to our friends, we got dinner and drinks at Forks of the River Taproom and Mama Bears Food Truck.  Then we set up camp at Lazy J's and went to bed after a very long day.

Hot Beach Day

Tuesday, I woke up before sunrise and headed down to the beach.  The moon was still visible in the twilight sky.

It was a very beautiful morning on the beach.

I walked north a ways and soon the sun popped up over the horizon.

I continued a little further past the fence as the sun continued rising.

I spotted some seabeach primrose flowering along the dunes.

I turned around shortly as I didn't have time for a long hike today.

But I wanted to enjoy one last early morning on the beach.

It was already hot by the time I got back to the beach house.  We went to breakfast with Sandy's dad and then went to the beach one more time to play in the water.  The ocean was refreshing but it was hot out of the water.  We then finished packing up and said good-bye then started driving home.  In Manteo, we stopped for lunch at Carolina Barbecue then drove the rest of the way.

Fireworks at the Beach

Monday, I slept in a bit and missed sunrise.  But I still got a relatively early start and hiked south along the beach.

It was another pretty hot morning and I went as far as the Currituck County Southern Beach Access and turned around.

When I got back to the beach house, we all went to the beach and played in the water for a while.  After I had enough sun and saltwater, Sandy and I went to the Beer Garden for some drinks.  Heading back to the house, we had burgers for dinner and then I went to Historic Corolla Park to watch the sunset over the sound.

There was a great blue heron wading in the shallow waters.

The park was very pretty in the twilight, but it was very crowded.

I headed back to the house to watch the fireworks from there.

After the fireworks, we walked down to the beach to look for some ghost crabs.

Then we headed to bed as I wanted to wake up for sunrise one last time in the morning.

Sunrise Hike on the Beach

Sunday morning, we woke up early for a sunrise hike on the beach.  We walked down to the beach while it was still dark and found a nice spot to watch the first light of the morning.

Soon, the sun poked up over the horizon.

It was a very beautiful sunrise.  Here's a video of it.

Sandy went back to bed, while I started hiking north on the beach.  It was a beautiful hike in the morning light with the waves crashing.

Heading north, I soon crossed the fence to where driving is allowed and entered Currituck National Wildlife Refuge.  I saw a couple wild horses up on the dunes but couldn't get a good picture.

I hiked down the beach for several hours.  I had initially planned to go as far as the state line, but it was quite a bit further than I thought.

I went as far as Carova Beach and turned around there.

It had gotten quite hot on the hike back and there's absolutely no shade on the beach.  I'm glad I didn't try to go further.

At the beach house, I went to beach with the in-laws and played in the water for a while.  Then Sandy and I went for another hike at Currituck Banks Reserve to get out of the sun.  We spotted some Indian blanket flowering.

We just went for a short hike and enjoyed the beautiful maritime forest for a while.

Heading back to the house, we had barbecue for dinner.  Corolla was having their fireworks on Monday, but we could see fireworks up and down the barrier island.  Some people were illegally lighting off fireworks on the beach as well.