Icy Cascades

Monday, Sandy and I took Alex up to Virginia to find some icy waterfalls.  It was very cold over the Christmas weekend, and although it didn't snow, the temperatures were low enough that water would be freezing.  We left early and headed up to Cascades Day Use Area in Jefferson National Forest and met up with Casey at 930.  We got on Cascades Trail and at the first bridge, we crossed to take the lower trail up the to the falls and stay close to the creek.  There was a lot of ice on Little Stony Creek.

Hiking up along the creek, there was lots of ice along the little cascades.

Even without the snow, it made for a really beautiful scene.

We stopped numerous times along the trail to view the scenic icy spots.

There were some enormous icicles along the creek in a few spots.

The last portion of the lower trail before the waterfall was pretty treacherous with ice on the trail.  Even Alex was slipping and having trouble.

Soon, we could see Cascade Falls.

Although not completely frozen, it was really beautiful surrounded by ice.

There were some wicked icicles all around.

After enjoying the view, we hiked up to Upper Cascade Falls.

It too was very icy and beautiful.

After some pictures, we started heading back and took the upper trail back to the parking to make a loop.

We said bye to Casey and then drove to Pearisburg for dinner at La Barranca before driving home.