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We chose the tri-state area of North Carolina, South
Carolina, & Georgia for our wilderness adventure. We spent our first night
at Cascade Lake outside Brevard and then headed into South Carolina to begin
the backpacking portion of our adventure on the
Foothills Trail. The
Foothills Trail is a 77 mile woodland path through the Blue Ridge
escarpment connecting three state parks in upstate South Carolina, skirting
Lake Jocassee,
and briefly entering North Carolina. We hiked 30 miles under pack and
spent four days and three nights on the trail and then set up camp on the
Chattooga River straddling the SC-GA border for one night. We then relocated
to Devils Fork State Park on the shore of
Lake Jocassee
for the final three nights.
The following is our travelogue from my journal
entries........followed by 187 photos......& 35 videos.
- The Photos & Videos
Follow this Journal -
Tuesday June 21
After many months of preparation, the day had finally arrived. I woke up at
6 am to get everything ready. I told the students to meet at school at 8:15
with an 8:30 departure time. We transferred everyone's gear to the bus and got everybody loaded up. We
pulled out of Cary Academy at 9:02. Traffic was agreeably light for most of
the journey and we arrived in Brevard at 2. After 265 miles in a shade under
5 hrs, we walked into Rocky's Grill & Soda Shop for a feast of sandwiches, hamburgers, hot
dogs, shakes, & sundaes. We stopped at Ingles Grocery to buy food for
tonight's grill out and for day 5 at Burrell's Ford campground. We found
chicken tenderloins at a good price and bought red potatoes, Vidalia onion,
& red pepper. We bought hot dogs for night 5 and packed them on ice. Coming
out of the grocery store, storms were threatening. We headed to Cascade Lake
as rain began to fall. It was still somewhat gloomy but no rain when we
arrived at Cascade Lake. Checked in. Our "large" campsite was
rather small and
unimpressive. The bus & truck took up a large chunk of the space and there
just weren't enough suitable spots for our tents. I went back to the office
and arranged a trade. We took a beautiful spot next to the swimming lake.
The sun was back out. Tents went up quickly & soon everyone was swimming in
the lake. I put the chicken in a bag of marinade and joined them in the
lake. It turned out to be a beautiful evening. We stayed out until 6:30 then
went for an exploration of the campground. We only saw one site we liked
better than ours. Returned to camp, started a fire, and began cutting
veggies & stringing kabobs. Grilling began. Marinated chicken tenders
grilled on an open fire. Grilled veggies. Smores. Off to bed with stars
shining brightly and bullfrogs singing. Its 11:15.
Wednesday June 22
There has been intermittent light rain in the early hours. I'm fearful of
what the kids didn't cover up. I don't want to start the backpacking phase
with the extra weight of wet gear. Will it rain all day? Up at 7 am. Grilled
pop tarts for breakfast and packed up camp. Left Cascade Lake at 9:10.
Heading west for Rosman where we turn south and cross the state line into
SC. We reach the Laurel Valley Access Area and unload all the gear and food
into the parking lot. Chris and I have to shuttle the bus to the endpoint at the Bad Creek Access Area.
When we return in the truck
everyone has loaded their packs. They have distributed the food. I have a
scale so we actually weigh the packs and make sure no one is carrying too
much......or too little. We hit the
Foothills Trail at 1:15. At the beginning of these trips I always wonder how
the kids will respond to the challenges ahead. As we disappear into the
forest, I'm confident that this group will do well.....and learn a lot about
themselves. We get to Laurel Fork Creek at 3:10. The trail will follow the
creek for miles until it cascades over an amazing waterfall into Lake Jocassee. Our goal is to camp near the top of that
waterfall. At 3:35, we reach the Virginia Hawkins waterfall. We stop here to
eat snacks, replenish water, and hang out on the rocks as the clean, cold water rushes by. We
reach the Laurel Fork Falls campsite at 5:15. Someone has already claimed
the campsite closest to the falls so we set up farther up the creek at a
large campsite. I choose a small spot very close to the creek so I can
listen to the falling water tonight. We set up our tents quickly. We changed
into our water shoes and headed for the lake. It is a 0.6 mile walk. After
hiking all day in the heat, the cool waters of
Lake Jocassee
feel great. The sun was no longer out and I was concerned about an evening
storm so I got the group to pick a swimming buddy and we began swimming
across the lake. Our goal is to reach the end of a cove where the Laurel
Fork Falls spills into the lake. There is an awesome rock ledge where you
can leap off and plunge into the lake. We made it to the rock ledge. It felt
good to use different muscles and use tired muscles in different ways. We
climbed up to the falls. Its been dry. The water flow over the falls is the
lowest I've seen.....but still impressive. Now we begin jumping off the rock
ledge. I was treading water and filming the kid's joyful leaps with a
waterproof camera.....first plunge, second plunge, third plunge.....I
appreciated their enthusiasm but I didn't know how much longer my legs would
let me tread out there. Soon ominous clouds were moving our way so we rounded
them up and headed back for the opposite shore. The wind picked up and rain
began to fall. One of the typical short afternoon storms that roll in from
the mountains. We heard distant thunder and swam faster. We got the kids to
swim close to shore and follow the shoreline in case lightning forced us to
hop out on shore. We reached the other side and walked back to camp in the rain but
we didn't care since we were already wet. We arrived back to camp at 7:30.
We waited for the rain to pass because we didn't want to get our tents wet.
We huddled under Chris' rain fly. After 30 min., I decided to change under
my vestibule. It felt good to put on dry clothes. It was warm & dry inside
the tent but the rain kept falling. Our planned dinner of pizza looked like
a washout. I was hungry so I began eating from my pack. I had a bag of
turkey jerky, peanut butter pretzels, chocolate teddy grahams.....but I had
run out of water. The rain had slowed so we decided to cook pizza in the
rain. We delivered hot pizzas to the tents. We cooked from 9 to 10. I
filtered some water then we had to gather food and hang the bear bags. I
crawled into my cocoon. The rain had swollen the creek and it was going to
be nice sleeping to the sound of the rushing water. The kids did great today
on their first day of backpacking. We hiked 7.5 miles under pack and an
additional 1.2 miles roundtrip to the lake without pack. My pack weighed in
at 47.9 lbs. on day 1.
Lake Jocassee is 7,500 acres, over 300 feet deep
in parts, 1,100 foot elevation, and
surrounded to the north by mountain peaks. The Toxaway, Horsepasture,
Thompson, and Whitewater rivers flow into the lake from the Blue Ridge
Mountains to the north and the Keowee River flows from the south at the Duke
Power dam and hydroelectric plant. The Horsepasture and Toxaway Rivers are
designated National Wild & Scenic Rivers. We will cross all four of the
rivers on the north side.
Thursday June 23
I slept well but was awakened at 5:30 by the sound of rain......it got
heavy and sounded ominously like one of those all day steady rains. Its now
8:45 and it hasn't let up at all. I have a sense of dread. We should be
cooking pancakes next to the creek while the rising sun filters through the
trees. Still raining at 9:45. I have eaten peanut butter pretzels and a
bagel while waiting out the rain. Finally at 10:30, the rain is light enough
that I venture outside. We decide to do pancakes in the rain. Part of my
motivation is to delay so we don't have to pack up in the rain and risk
getting everything wet......and I want the sun to come out so the kids can
get another chance to swim in the lake.......the falls will be tremendous
after all this rain. So we mix up the batter and try to cover it from the
rain. The wet stove actually lights. The first cake gets going and raindrops
plunk right into it......this is going to be interesting.....but this is
also one of the educational lessons of a trip like this......kids get pushed
out of their comfort zone and learn how to be adaptable......and see the
glass half full. No room service today.....they have to come out if they
want food......and of course.....they do......funny how backpacking 7.5
miles can foster a teenage appetite. As usual, our M&M pancakes make our
customers happy. The hot chocolate sure tasted good. Finally at noon, the
storm has passed and we just have the fall from the leaves. We have to pull
out and get moving to make tonight's destination. I give the kids some
instructions......we should prepare for additional rain. I have already
taken a pair of dry socks out of my protected clothes stash and put it in a
Ziploc in the outer pocket so I can easily change to dry socks later. I
tell them to put important stuff (clothes) in trash bags. I tell them to use
their ponchos to protect their pack as the rain will probably feel good as
they're hiking and the ponchos would make them super hot. I advise them to
wring out their wet clothes.....and save pounds of extra weight. I tell them
to use team work to violently shake water off their rain fly, tent, &
footprints. Everybody gets busy. We don't depart until 1:50!! 0.3 miles
later, it was difficult to pass the turn down to the lake but it is
overcast. I feel bad for the kids but they will get plenty of this lake
later on in the trip. We begin the ascent out from the lake valley......the
air is stagnant & humid.....the sweat valves open wide. We reach the
ridgeline and take a water break. Someone breaks out the Swedish fish.
Spirits are good. The trail winds along the flat ridge with a pine needle
floor and a bit of breeze......nice. We keep moving. Luckily, our goal for
today is modest.......6.4 miles total to Toxaway Creek.....however, there
are two serious ascents......one down......& Heartbreak Ridge to go. We
debated about whether to tell the kids but I think it works better to tell
them and they build it in their mind as this monster then say...."It wasn't
as bad as I expected". We do a final snack stop well in advance of
Heartbreak so they don't have full tummies. We stop at the small creek with
tree trunk walls. We discover that the bridge is great for stretching calf
muscles. We enjoy jerky, bagels with cream cheese, trail mix. Refill all the
water bottles. Onward. We make the steep descent back down to the lake. We
cross the creek.....turn.....and here IT begins.......Heartbreak Ridge. It
is deceiving......there are several points where you're fooled to
believe you have peaked the ridge and you get glimpses of the lake
below......but then you round the bend and see a new set of steep stairs
before you. Climb some more! I actually prefer the ascent over the descent.
The descent is treacherously steep and you need to think about each step. We
set up "safety patrols" as we went down. High fives at the bottom and just a
short hike along the lake to our campsite for tonight. The sun is struggling
to find its way out of the cloud cover but can't make it. No one at the
campsites on Toxaway Creek so we can choose what we want. We pick the site
right next to this large, beautiful mountain stream. Its 5:10.....we did
well. We set up tents and the kids have learned to prepare by putting stuff
inside the tent or vestibule in case of rain. We set up two drying lines for
our abundance of wet clothes. Now its time to play. We cross the bridge over Toxaway Creek.....its a nice suspension bridge with lots of "wiggle &
bounce" that they enjoy. The creek is swollen and roaring with the
rainwater. The kids actually think this is the river but I have a surprise
for them. The real bridge is a short walk through the woods. We get to the
big bridge and their eyes widen as they venture out on a 225 foot suspension
bridge over the Toxaway River. Surprisingly, a lot of the rocks are still
exposed and we make our way down. We navigate out into the river on the
rocks and their feet feel the river water......they're shocked by its
temperature.....but this water is coming down out of the mountains.....chilly even in June. There is no sunlight to warm us so I know I'm going to
have to take lead on getting in.....so I do! We find a strong current and
are rewarded with a ride down the slick rock. If you keep active then the
cold water is refreshing.....& cleansing.....we sweat buckets getting over
HR.....but no sun to thermoregulate like reptiles. Aaron has the good idea to
gather firewood here where the sun dries stuff out along the river bank. We
all get busy gathering. We take a nice load back to camp and get the fire
roaring. Chris rigs a setup to boil water over the fire for hot cocoa. We
get busy filtering & boiling water for the evening meal.......mac & cheese.
The kids gobble it up and ask for seconds. We dry out around the campfire
and then we head back out to the big bridge to view the stars with no
unnatural light to dilute their shine. We sit on the bridge and turn off our
headlamps & wait for our eyes to adjust. You see a couple dozen bright ones
at first and then gradually thousands appear. Its sure nice to see them as
it predicts a sunny day for us tomorrow. Back to camp and its time for the
bear bag. We search for the right rock and then that special limb that can
support 40 lbs of food and also keep it safely high and safely distant from
the trunk. We find a nice nook but its high. Aaron gets the 2nd throw
through but the rock is not heavy enough to let gravity win the fight
against the friction of the rope through the nook. We try to whip the rope
and give the rock a chance. Ten minutes later we give up & try to pull the
rope back through but it gets stuck. We don't have a knife to cut it loose
so we find another rock......tie it to the other end......and throw it over
a lower & somewhat skinny limb on a neighboring tree. We begin pulling up
the bags and the limb sags.....but holds. Now, how do we secure the other
end? We wrap the center slack around a central tree and find a small broken
branch "peg" to secure it. We labor to get the bags high enough and secure
to the peg.....it works! Can't remember a bear bag adventure quite like
this. We head back to camp and its 11:15. Time for sleep.
Friday June 24
I slept well.....even had dreams that I was flying around like Superman.
I rarely remember dreams......its the water. The sound of the creek is like
the waves at the ocean.....so soothing & peaceful. Awoke at 7:30 and the sun
is filtering through the forest canopy. I'm first up and I walk to the river and
take photos of the sun rising. When I return, Chris is getting up so we go
and retrieve the bear bags......it held. We find a fallen tree to poke the
rock out of the nook and spare the full length of my rope. We return to camp
and heat up water. Syd is up when we get back. Hot cocoa & coffee. The kids
mistake a bag of pancake mix for dry milk so their hot cocoa has a more
sludge like consistency but actually tastes good. Chris decides to make his
own concoction of hot cocoa, coffee, dry milk, & pancake mix. We do a second
round and then start cranking up the pancake operation at 10 am. The
stragglers awaken to this beautiful morning as breakfast smells permeate the
air. After the pancakes, we go for a swim in the Toxaway River. The sun is
shining and the water is cold as usual. It feels great. There are spots
where you can wedge into the rock amidst the rapids and get a cold massage
of your tired muscles. We head back and pack up camp. The kids have gotten
pretty fast at this part. We leave at 12:35 and cross the bridge for the
final time. The trail winds along the shoreline.....its pretty and a breeze
is blowing but then the trail abruptly turns away from the lake and heads
uphill. This is a long, tough ascent up the next ridge. Sweat is pouring.
There is a slight descent to a small creek and we've earned our first break
at one hour in. Head off again. Kyle begins to experience knee pain so we
take on a bunch of his weight. I started the day at 47.0 lbs. We're winding
around below a ridgeline.......flat, pretty, with a breeze. We get to a
powerline cut and find blackberries thriving in the abundant sunlight here.
At the 3 hour mark (3:45), we get to a campsite that we had picked for
lunch. What's left? Lots of bread and peanut butter. We make fluffinators!
What's a fluffinator, you ask? Using a stick for a spreading knife, we
slather on the marshmallow fluff followed by peanut butter and nutella.......we're
talking energy rich! I ate three sandwiches. The sky has been rumbling for
an hour. We pack up and some have covered their packs with
ponchos.....prepared or pessimistic? Left at 4:23. We arrive at the
Horsepasture River at 5:23. Still thundering. I go for a swim. A light rain
falls. We pack up and head out at 6:10. About 1/2 mile from camp, I notice a
fallen tree that looks surprisingly dry. Knowing how damp the valley ahead
tends to be, I grab it and a few more.....determined to have a campfire
tonight. I arrive last to camp but carrying firewood. We made it to Bearcamp
Creek at 7:10. Tents go up. We go searching for more firewood. We found a
hatchet that someone had forgotten at the lunch spot. Matt carried it out so
we got chopping. We got some great wood but we didn't have anything good for
starter kindling. Aaron cut some bark from a stump. Nope. Ally volunteered
pages from her journal. Nope. Aaron has an idea. From his backpack, he
produces AXE......so with flammable aerosol deodorant a flame thrower is
made.....and a campfire is produced in these wet conditions. Soon the fire
is roaring.....and its a good thing.....because we had to bath in frigid
Bearcamp Creek. So nice to clean up, cool off.....and then dry next to an
extremely hot campfire. Now it was time to filter a lot of water.....its
Ramen noodle night!! The kids had packed 2 bags per person.....this was going to be
a lot of cooking......16 bags of Ramen. We figured out a nice system whereby
we cooked in batches of 4......soon the kids were devouring the salty
goodness and eager for more. Their bodies craved the salt and we filled
their tummies with salty noodles & had to filter even more water. I drank a
liter with each bowl of Ramen. Bear bag went up and then a few of us hung
out by the fire until 11:45. We can see the stars twinkling through the
canopy.....so nice after the clouds and rain this afternoon. Today was
a big day......I'm proud of them.......we hiked 10.5 miles.
Saturday June 25
Up at 7:25. As usual, Bearcamp Creek delivered the chilliest night.
Chris decides to go for a morning fire but everything has a coating of
morning dew. Back to the AXE & another fire is blazing. Water on the stove
and soon coffee & hot cocoa is ready to warm us and kick start our day. We
make oatmeal bolstered with dry milk. The food supply is being steadily used
up so my pack weight is down to 45.0 lbs. We pack up and depart at 10:30.
The trail actually runs right through this campsite and I was surprised to
see two runners blaze through. The section after the campsite runs along
Bearcamp Creek and is very lush & beautiful with lots of small waterfalls. I
took lots of photos and fell behind the group. After passing Hilliard Falls
there is a steep ascent.....they were waiting at the top for me. Onward we
went as we headed for the stunning Thompson River. Ran into a large group of
about 12 men and chatted for awhile. They asked questions about getting to
Toxaway. We reached the Thompson River at noon. Poor Kyle has been suffering
with his knee......hurts to bend.....he's in back with me and is dragging
along with one leg nearly stiff. The water of the river will make that feel
better. The others have reached the river first and have dropped packs east
and south of the bridge at part of a campsite where we had originally
planned to stay on Friday night. We usually "park" northwest of the bridge
after crossing it. This is a nice site looking down on the river. We eat lunch.
We planned and packed well as there is plenty of food but we are clearly
running out. We won't have that frustrating feeling of carrying 20 extra lbs
of food from start to finish. I'm not that hungry as I'm thinking more about
the refreshing cold water of the river and the warm rocks under the noonday
sun. I've never swam south of the bridge but I can clearly see some nice
rapids & swimming holes. Off with the hiking shoes.....and on with the water
shoes......the routine is second nature. The water feels fantastic on my
hot, blistered feet. I leave my socks & hiking shoes on the rock to dry in
the sun.....I have a feeling we're going to be here awhile. Gradually the
kids work their way down to the rocks but they're hesitant to swim in the
brisk, shocking water. Aaron gets in and begins testing a rock slide.
Gradually he & I venture south lured by the next rapid......the next
slide.....the next island. We get to a bend in the river where the river is
split by a tall island with flood washed trees hung up to serve as bridges
for us. This is a large bouldered river which makes for excellent rock
hopping. Our curiosity gets the best of us and we decide we have to see
what's around that bend. We navigate the island and see a nice rock
slide.....onward we go. We get lured further & further south away from the
group. Suddenly, I make a turn and see an enormous rock face which falls as
far as the eye can see and the water falls with it and disappears. I
excitedly beckon Aaron. Most of the rock face is dry and we can easily
navigate down its face. The pitch of the rock is such that the rushing water
slides down its face rather than falling through the air.......and it ends
in an awesome swimming pool rimmed by huge boulders. I have to go back and
get the video cam and tell the others. Aaron and I start back and we
immediately find Kyle. Aaron stays and I go back. I get the rest of the crew
and we trek back south. I shoot videos all the way back. Soon everyone is
plunging in the deep pool with delight. The rock is slick with algae
wherever the water flows over it and Aaron takes quick advantage. He slides
down on his bottom and plunges into the pool.......but soon discovers that
if he crouches & slides down on his feet......its faster. T-bo joins him and
then Ally & Syd try it. Others have taken to jumping off the boulders into
the pool. The only drawback are the horseflies. Fortunately, they are (1)
greedy and (2) don't immediately bite. The key is to avoid your impulse to
shoo them away. Let them land, get comfortable for a few seconds.....& then
drop the hammer. We have become horsefly mercenaries and have developed a
ranking & point system. I don't have a single mark on my body from a
horsefly.....and the fish love us. We alternate between playing in the
water.....& lounging/drying/warming on the huge rock face. The afternoon is
passing by......I know we should be on the trail advancing toward the
bus.......but this is too good to leave. This is one of those magical times
in life where you just soak it in and take advantage of the present. After
the amount of rain & cloudy weather we have had, this clear blue
sky......oops, there goes one tiny cloud......and moderate temperature is a
just reward. Finally the kids seem to be done playing & drying so we rock
hop back up river. We rinse our shirts and put them cold onto our backs and
then hoist our packs back on for a final 3 mile trek. This is another
beautiful section. I quickly fall behind taking photos. I expect to catch
Kyle quickly but I never see him. This is good. He played hard on the river
and the water must have helped his knee. He has stayed with the group and
they are flying. The "slow down......look around" motto is going through my
head. I'm taking a slower pace and enjoying this last section under pack in
the wilderness. I am hiking alone and its peaceful to the point of serene.
My legs feel stronger than at any point in the journey. This pleases me that
my middle-aged body can still answer the challenge. I've gone heavy on my
pack all the way and held up. The worst blister from the trip I took 2 weeks
ago is reforming....I don't think it ever fully healed.....but I used
moleskin this morning and I should get through fine. While at the
river......a guy approached us about a water filter......that he was out
running & had gone dry. I recognized him as one of the runners who came
through our camp this morning. I asked him how far he was running. 22 miles
on this hilly trail. I asked him if he was training for a marathon. He said
"ultras". I asked him 50 or 100 miles? Both!......he had both a 50 & 100
mile race coming up. Wow! Later, another guy came down to chat with us on
the rock. He had through hiked the entire 77 mile Foothills Trail three
times. I make a turn in the trail and I hear the unmistakable sound of a
mountain river rushing along......I have reached the Whitewater River. I
keep anticipating making a turn and finding the group waiting for their
fearless, but slow leader.....but they've moved along. I reach our second
major river crossing of the day. The river seems relatively tame down on
this flat section before it reaches its lower falls & spills into Lake
Jocassee. A couple miles higher on the mountain it falls in spectacular
fashion......411 ft actually. Instead of turning right and following the
Foothills Trail up to the falls, we follow a spur to the left that leads to
the Bad Creek Access Area where our bus is waiting. Our familiar white
blazes have become blue. After crossing the river, I pass a couple fishermen
and head through the forest on the west side. I hear voices above me and
climb expecting to find the group but I pass two separate families out for a
Saturday day hike on a beautiful day. I crest the final hill and I know
what's ahead. You see the glow of direct sunlight as you approach the edge of
the forest and then emerge into a savannah on the Duke Power property. You
wind through a meadow and then you run into the parking area.....with a
Charger bus parked in the middle. We take our victory photo and then enjoy
our first "conditioned" air in several days. This was a 6.5 mile
day.......completing our backpacking stage with a total of 30.3 miles under
pack. We check the coolers.......our
hot dogs made it!.....there is still ice. I coax the bus up the long winding
hill out of Bad Creek. We turn right on SC Rt. 107 & then cross the state
line back into NC on what is now Rt. 281. We drive 9 miles to the
intersection with HWY 64 to a convenience store in Sapphire, NC. We have
decided to wait and retrieve the truck tomorrow. This decision
has some serious implications as the rest of our food supply is with the
truck. Fortunately, we are able to find plenty of food to supplement our
meager supply. We find ketchup for our dogs, pancake mix & syrup, potato
chips, Fig Newtons......ok, this will work. We tend to our immediate
needs......snacks & sodas!! This store has rocking chairs out front and we
thoroughly enjoyed our re-entrance into civilization. We watch people & dogs
come & go. The kids use their cell phones to reconnect with families. Its
getting late....5:30....so its time to head south for the next phase of the
trip. I take them to Whitewater Falls park and we walk to the upper falls
and take photos of this huge drop which is reputed to be the tallest falls
east of the Mississippi. We hit the road and cross back into SC and turn
right on what the locals call "cutover" road. The road climbs steeply until
you reach an overlook. I stop to let the kids look out over the watery jewel
that is Lake Jocassee......our playground for the last 3 days of the trip.
It is a clear day and you can see the mountains on the north side of the
lake from hence we came. Our truck is over 30 miles back in the distance.
You can see Sassafras Mountain distantly to the east. The kids are impressed
that the previous school group made it all the way from that start point. You
can see far into the SC piedmont south of the lake. There is a commotion
amongst the students......there is smoke coming from the hood of the bus. We
pop the hood and it doesn't appear to be a catastrophic problem. I have been
changing gears a lot to prevent overusing the brakes on the steep mountain
roads. There is only a short climb left to peak this ridge and then downhill
to Burrells Ford & the Chattooga River. We move on as its now 6:30. We reach
SC Rt. 130 and turn left. We pass Fish Hatchery Rd. We turn right and travel
west on Burrells Ford Rd. Initially paved, it gives way to gravel and we
travel far down into the gorge to reach the BF parking area. We take our
packs off the bus, grab our hot dogs out of the coolers, our new food
supplies from the store, our day packs, and some firewood that was left over
from Cascade Lake. The parking lot is nearly full so I'm worried about
getting a good site on the river. We head down to BF campground. I notice a
strange looking structure.....is it?....it can't be.....yes it is. The state
of SC has built elaborate pole, beam, & rope systems for bear bags.....at
each site! They should have used their money to hire more teachers. These
enormous structures look unnatural & out of place in this wilderness.
They're also right on the campsite. Why would you dangle your food 15 yds
from your tent? They have also turned the dirt logging paths into gravel.
I'm not liking their campground improvements. We reach the river and head
south. The large sites are occupied but then we find the last two to be
empty. They are ours! We know the routine. We set up home quickly. Up go the
drying lines. We begin washing clothes and filling water bottles in the 3rd
major river of the day......25 yds across the river is Georgia. Of course I
am already in my water shoes and heading into the river on my way to GA, my
home state! Kyle follows, then Chris, then T-bo, Aaron, Matt. The water is
not as cold as the Thompson but certainly chilly & refreshing. We move to
the task of starting our campfire. Its now 8 when we exit the river. The sun
is no longer high enough to enter this gorge so we are wet & chilled. The
fire feels great! We begin assembling our logs & rocks for gathering at the
campfire. Chris is more ambitious and builds a chair (complete with
footrest) out of river rocks. Our next task is finding the perfect roasting
stick.....I do well....I find one that I can manipulate into a 3 pronged
cooking machine. I use a knife to sharpen each prong. I harpoon my two hot
dog limit. Soon there are many harpooned hot dogs roasting in the fire.
Buns, ketchup, & chips pass around the circle. This is fun.....& a rewarding
feast. I haven't had a hot dog or fried potato chips in years. The chips
still taste like salted grease to me......don't sense there are potatoes in
here. The fire charred, fat laden, poor quality cuts of
beef.....ground & mashed into tubes & covered with sweetened and salted
tomato paste were delicious. We gather the remaining food and make our bear
bag. It took a lot of discipline for the kids to save the bag of BBQ chips
for tomorrow. We use the ridiculous structure......but that of the next site
down the river. Off to bed at 10:45. We crossed state lines 5 times today.
Started the day in NC at Bearcamp Creek. Crossed into SC under pack shortly
after the Thompson River. Crossed back into NC by bus on SC 130/NC 281.
After visit to Whitewater Falls, crossed back into SC. Crossed into GA by
water from Sumter National Forest across the Chattooga River into
Chattahoochee National Forest.....and then back into SC to sleep.
Sunday June 26
Up at 6:45. Peaceful & quiet as I head down to the river to refill my
water bottles & fill a pot for coffee. I set up in Chris' rock chair and its
awesome. I write this journal & enjoy a cup of coffee. I keep
writing......its now 9:05 and still no one else has greeted this day. Its
shaping up to be another beauty. Not a cloud and the sun is rising to the
east & beginning to filter through the trees onto our campsite. I hear the
girl's voices in their tent. 9:35...I'm on my second cup of coffee and its
still a quiet camp......just me. Syd is first out at 9:50. These teens
should be well rested & hungry. They had an eventful & physically/mentally
challenging Saturday. Most of them don't get up until 10:30. I've been up
for almost 5 hours and I'm anxious to get started. I start heating water and
we make hot cocoa with marshmallows. More water gets filtered from the
river and in goes the 2 boxes of pancake mix from the convenience store. I
add the remaining dry milk for a protein and calorie boost. The mix is
runny.....it will take forever making thin cakes. We decide to add the rest
of granola/M&M mix. We have a huge pot of pancake mix. Chris
gets started cooking cakes. I get another delivery of filtered water. I lean
forward and the camera in my lap plops directly into the pot of water at my
feet. Noooooooooo!!!!! My reflexes do the best they can......but the camera
took a swim and now it won't turn on. I open the battery compartment and see
water. Water behind the lens. I set it in the sun to dry out and hope for
the best. I'm needed in the pancake assembly line so its back to cooking.
Pancake after pancake.....each gets 3 & we're still going. Another
problem.....my fuel is running out and we have no more. Chris thinks his is
running out. Now I'm out and mine is not fully cooked but I have a customer
nonetheless. Chris coaxes enough heat from his canister to finally cook the
last one & then he's out of fuel. We didn't finish this feast until noon.
We're running out of time to do anything today. Our agenda for the day is
squeezed by (1) having to get to Devils Fork State Park by 4:30 to meet the
kayak rental company and (2) needing to retrieve the truck with kayaks &
extra food and (3) needing to shop for more food supplies. I really wanted
to show them more here on the Chattooga but we don't have time to venture
north and visit Ellicott Rock (the tri-state boundary marker). Breakfast
took a looooooong time. We will only be able to head south 1.2 mile to a
nice picnic rock and swimming area. We get the day packs ready. Water bottles.
Water filter. Water shoes. The rest of the food for a picnic. We leave camp
at 12:27. Their bodies are well rested and well fueled. Without the burden
of the full packs, they take off down the trail. We cover the 1.2 miles
quickly......arriving at 12:50. Its beautiful walking down the trail on the
river. This river is protected by national forest on both sides. We get to the rock that juts 3/4 across the river. Are we in GA now?
I quickly change to water shoes & jump in. After a clear morning, clouds
have moved in during the hike. After some swimming, we lounge on the rock
and get intermittent sun. Hard to believe but they're hungry again. What's
left? We planned and packed well. We only have a small amount of food left
from phase 1 supplemented by the purchases at the convenience store. The bag
of BBQ chips gets devoured. Its not reassuring that the salty, fatty foods
is what they want first. The Fig Newtons go second.....ok, that's better.
Craisins get finished. Chocolate Teddy Grahams dunked in peanut butter. We
have some trail mix but no takers. We actually have most of the Nutella &
fluff left.....they weren't that popular. Peanut butter pretzels get
finished. Unfortunately, we gotta run......well, not literally. After the
swim & picnic we get back on the trail at 2:09 and arrive in camp at
2:36......their legs are stronger! We are now downright speedy in camp.
We're all packed up by 3:10. The only trace of our presence here is the nice
rock chair that Chris built......future campers will appreciate relaxing by
the river in comfort. We hike up to the parking lot & hit the road. Up out
of the gorge and then we turn south and head for Devils Fork State Park on
Lake Jocassee. We get to DF Campground at 4:35. Duane arrives with our 6
rented kayaks. They are nice boats so I'm pleased with that decision. We get
busy unloading boats & the bus. All of this gear has to be carried down the
hill to the lakeside campsites. We have sites #7, 9, 11, 12, 13.....so we
own the peninsula.....the prime territory in this campground. We can leave
the kayaks right at the water's edge. The kids are delighted to fill their
water bottles directly from the well spigot at the top of the hill......no
more filtering by pump. I have to visit the ranger station to check in. When
I get back, Amy & Aaron have returned from grocery shopping. The kids wanted
another hot dog night. The kids are setting up their homes again and this
time they can leave them set up until Wed. morning when we leave. We have
comfortable camp/beach chairs.....picnic tables.....fire rings. We set up
tarps to cover packs and firewood. We leave to retrieve the truck from
Laurel Fork Valley. I'm craving a fountain soda and salty pretzels so we stop for
those. We get back to camp and unload the remaining food supplies & 3 more
kayaks. I can finally set up my own tent. Drying lines go up. Its
8:00......been a long day......& I'm ready to swim! I lead others on a back
trail to be initiated on the jump boulder. The lake level is low so we have
to jump out to reach the deep water. Amy and her dog Bella come along and
Bella eagerly swims out after us. Chris & I head for the rope swing......as
we swim across the inlet.....something doesn't look right......what's
wrong?......the tree with the rope has fallen and is mostly submerged in the
lake. I'm crushed. There is another (even better) rope swing but we have to
kayak a good distance on the lake to reach it. We swim back across and take
one more jump as the last rays of sunlight are making their way over the
mountain peaks. Back to camp to warm by the fire. We finish setting up and
changing into dry clothes. Now its time for another campfire roast fest.
Roasting sticks in hand.....we have a ration of 4 hot dogs per person and
the kids handle this easily. We roast marshmallows too. Its getting late. We
get all the extra wood under tarp. Food goes into the coolers which are
placed under the benches of the picnic table to prevent raccoons from prying
them open with their nimble fingers. We have to hang extra food & trash. We
turn in.
Monday June 27
I awaken at 6 as the sunrise enters the door of my tent. Chris has
already moved a chair to the sunrise spot. I'm frustrated because my good
camera died in the pot. I snap a couple photos with my phone and take some
video. I heat up some water so Chris and I can enjoy some coffee. He builds
a fire. I start catching up with some old newspapers. Slowly the kids
emerge. We decide to keep it simple and do oatmeal......the weather is
beautiful and we want to get these kayaks on the water. We pack water
bottles, towels, snacks, & video cam. Our ultimate goal is to reach the
awesome rope swing about 1.5 miles down the western side of the lake. A lot
of fun to see our group of 9 colorful kayaks moving across this jewel of a
lake. The lake is quiet on a Monday morning. We spot a Bald Eagle out
patrolling for fish. We round the tip of yet another cove.....and there it
is. We park & secure the boats. Let the fun begin. There are two ropes this
year and one has a stick attached to make it like a trapeze. The kids begin
launching. Matthew moves to the high rock which is at the limits of the rope
and sends you on a fast & high launch over the lake. Chris performs a
back flip after letting go. The kids go about 10x each & are loving it. It
gets to be about 1:30 and they're getting hungry so we head back to a small
island and have a picnic. The breeze is blowing now and we are surrounded by
beautiful views. After the picnic we head back to camp and are surprised by
the sound of thunder. Storms sneak up on you here because they come over the
mountain ridge from the north so you can't see them in the distance. We get
back with no problems and its about 3:00. We can see rain over the mountains
and the winds are making whitecaps on the lake. All the powerboats are
scurrying to get off the water. We begin preparing. We put up a 4th tarp.
Cover the firewood. We secure clothes, tents, and anything that might blow
away......then we huddle in tents or under the tarps. It rains intensely for
about 10 min. but the storm passes quickly. It cooled down and the storm
breezes felt great. It was time to go grocery shopping and get food to grill
tonight and for our last night. We get hamburgers for tonight. Red, orange,
& yellow peppers. Sweet Vidalia onion. Mushrooms. Watermelon. Baked beans.
Actually a 7 lb 5 oz monster can of baked beans. I can't wait to see the
kid's faces when they first gaze at this barrel. Also, they are going to
have to figure out a way to open it. We got 6.25 lbs of chicken breast
tenderloins that we will marinate for 24 hrs for our final campfire flame
broiled feast. We also got ingredients for smores, soda, bananas,
blueberries, cream. A special surprise........eggs & bacon for tomorrow's
breakfast. We get back and the kids are reading while relaxing in the camp
chairs. We get to work. Aaron builds a fire. Matthew cuts up the watermelon
for immediate snacking. Amy cuts veggies and strings kabobs. T-bo chunks the
chicken and puts it in the marinade bag. Chris opens the barrel of baked
beans.....with a hatchet! He gets splashed in the face & hair but soon a pot
of beans is cooking on the stove. A bowl of sliced watermelon is being
passed around as appetizer. Two kabobs of veggies is grilling on one end of
the campfire and 4 burgers reside on the other end. Five rounds
later......and we have cooked & consumed 20 burgers amongst us. There was a
little academic trivia contest to see who would consume a prized third
burger. I took a quick swim after sweating over the fire for a long time.
The kids were too full for smores......we actually ate all the beans! They
were tuckered out and gradually made it back to their tents between 10 and
10:50. We accidentally left out the trash bag last night and had some raccoon
visitors. Tonight we were more careful with securing food & trash
temptations. Hope to get a good night's rest and wake early again for the
sunrise over the lake.
Tuesday June 28
Up at 6:30.....darn, I missed the best part of the sunrise. I take a
panoramic video of the sun rising over the mountains to the northeast. I
still marvel that students & I backpacked through these very same mountains
on our journey around the north side of the lake.......2 times in the last
few weeks. I wish my camera was working. No raccoons last night but the
crows have arrived and perched in our neighborhood making their usual
ruckus. I go retrieve 2 pots of water from the spigot at the top of the
hill. I heat up a pot on the stove and fix up my first coffee concoction of
the morning. Aaron is up.......the crows are an effective bugle call. I make
a bowl of fresh blueberries, sliced banana, & cream. Delicious, sweet
blueberries. Second cup of coffee. We make hot cocoa for the kids. Chris
starts a fire. We plan to flame broil our bacon. Aaron cracks 24 eggs. I add
a bit of cream and they go on the stove. We have also begun pumping up the
floats. I take them in for a test run. Chris makes a cup of Tasters Choice
instant coffee with a pack of cocoa mix. He didn't know that I had set out a
packet of Starbucks Italian Roast for him. He adds it. Looks like motor
oil......sure to work like jet fuel. The kids eat bananas while they wait.
The first bacon is coming off the fire with nice charred edges. The kids &
the dog gather in closer as the smell permeates the campsite. We feast on
eggs & bacon. Its now 10:45. We take the floats out on the water. We want to
go down to the jump boulder but there is a large group there. We snorkle
along the shoreline and find a large log. We have log rolling battles and
then rest on a rock. We head back to camp and hang out.....reading and
snacking. A storm rolls in and we gather under the tarps....talking &
reading as we ride out the storm. The storms here tend to arrive
quickly.....intensely.....then disappear as quickly as they arrived. We have
been talking about kayaking to the dam on the other side of the lake which
Duke Power uses for a hydroelectric plant. Five of us paddle across the
lake, park, then look out from the dam. The view is impressive.....you can
see the outflow at the bottom of the dam which is the Keowee River that
flows into Lake Keowee and extends far into the distance as its flat
piedmont south from the lake. Bald eagles circle overhead. From here we
kayak over to enormous rock face that forms a sheer cliff down to the water.
We explore and then head back across to the campground. Left at 5:00 and
arrive back at 7:00. I immediately begin dinner preparations. Yellow pepper,
sweet onion, & mushrooms are cut and skewered. The marinated chicken is
split between a pot on the fire where they are sautéed and the roasting
tray. With so much chicken, it takes two rounds of grilling. It was an
awesome feast. T-bo inquires about the leftover marinade. He cooks 3 bags of
ramen by boiling in marinade over the fire......its delicious. We boost the
fire and begin a smores feast.....regular graham crackers, chocolate graham
crackers, regular marshmallow, jumbo marshmallow, cocoa marshmallows. Chris
tries out his 5 prong roasting stick. I challenge him to roast 5 jumbos
simultaneously and use a full graham cracker with a full chocolate bar. The
resulting monstrosity is impressive. He actually eats the whole thing. We
take a poll. How many have actually used the shower facilities here at the
state campground? Four have showered here and 5 had not. That is 8 days
without a shower......appalling to many Americans but not so for Europe and
many other places. We have actually bathed frequently....bathing natural by
way of streams, rivers, & the lake......just no soap or shampoo. We have
actually swam/bathed in Laurel Fork Creek, Toxaway Creek, Toxaway River,
Horsepasture River, Bearcamp Creek, Thompson River, and Lake Jocassee (many
times). To me it feels liberating as does the absence of phones, email, &
TV. Well, all 6.25 lbs of chicken were inhaled. We have plenty of firewood on
this last night so we stack it on and get the fire roaring. The last of us
retire at 11:15.
Wednesday June 29
Last day. I awaken at 6:12. Luckily, I catch the best of the sunrise.
Chris is already basking in it at the lake's edge. We enjoy some peace but
soon its time to get working. The kayaks are being picked up in the parking
lot at the top of the hill at 10. We've had the morning coffee and hot
cocoa. We wake the remaining students as we begin preparing our last pancake
feast while they move the kayaks up. The M&M bag wasn't sealed and got water
in it.......a brown pond in the bag.......no M&M pancakes this morning but
we do have blueberry pancakes and they're delicious. Kids are packing up
their tents. I want to go for a final swim so a group of us head to the jump
boulder on this sunny morning. We have a great time playing with the camera
and trying to film the leap followed by the underwater plunge. We try
self-filming by holding the camera as you leap off. Time to go pack up the
rest and get on the road. I start turning over our 3 kayaks. When I turn
over the 2nd boat, I find a young Copperhead who sought shelter and was
curled up under the boat. I show him to the kids but now I have a
quandary.....I'm not going to kills this beautiful creature but I can't
leave him at the bottom of this campground with so many young kids around.
Copperheads are not aggressive but young kids and dogs won't know better. I
grab an empty plastic barrel that held pretzels and coax him into it. Now we
can observe the poisonous snake with our fingers & faces separated by just
millimeters of hard plastic. Kids photograph him and get a nice educational
lesson. We get all the packs, boats, tents, & trash to the parking lot and
begin strapping the boats to the truck. We finally leave at 12:50. We stop
at the dump station to drop our trash. We carry the snake into the woods and
release him. Off we go. I'm not ready to go home. We take HWY 11 to Gaffney and then shoot up I-85 trying to avoid rush hour in
Charlotte. We get through & then stop at Cracker Barrel in Concord for the
customary return to civilization feast. I ask the kids about their favorite
part what they are most looking forward to at home. We got back on the road
and reach school at 7:30. 6 hrs 40 min with one gas stop and the dinner
stop. We pull out all the gear in the parking lot. The kids have to empty
their rental packs and I have to get them back to REI. We can hardly fit
everything into my truck. We make it to REI by 8:05 and get home at
8:30.......a long day for sure. The truck odometer says it traveled 730
miles.
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