Waterfall Hike

Got home yesterday from a really nice hike, fishing was not great but the scenery was fantastic! This was just an overnight trip to an area I have never been and have been wanting to explore. This is a well known area, mostly for it's waterfalls and gorges and they did not disappoint.

I got to the trail head around 11 o'clock, there were only 3 cars in the parking lot which was a very good thing. In the summer this place gets a lot of traffic, at least back to the falls, the further away you get from the waterfall the less traffic.  It is only about 1.5 miles from the parking lot to the waterfall then about another mile to where I wanted to camp so I was not very worried about the hike in. Perhaps I should have been. The trail started off very steep and rocky and climbed steady for a good while. I don't want to make it sound worse than it was but it for sure was worse than I expected!

My pack for this trip was much heavier than it should have been for an overnight. Since this was a short hike I carried some luxury items that in hindsight I should have left at home. I will be glad when the weather warms up and I can wet wade, waders sure add weight to your pack!

I made it to the falls and have to say it was worth it, honestly one of the best waterfalls I have seen in Western North Carolina. It was absolutely stunning, if I did not know better I would swear I was out west in Wyoming or Montana, believe me the pictures and video do not do it justice!

At this elevation spring is just getting started and the wildflowers were everywhere!

About another 1.5 miles and I found a great place to camp. I was using my tried and true Dutchware 11 foot net less hammock, Warbonnet super fly, homemade top quilt and Jacks R Better  under quilt. One thing that really pleased me about this area is that the camp sites were clean and well kept, people were not leaving trash everywhere.

Now it's time to see if the fish are biting. It is still really early but there were quite a few bugs hatching. I didn't see any fish rising but went with a dry fly anyway. I picked up a few fish but the wind was right in my face with a clear blue sky and I was completely worn out from the hike in so honestly did not fish for very long. It was a gorgeous stream that is a designated wild stream that has mostly brown trout.

My back and legs were screaming, I was getting hungry and the day was getting close to evening. So I climbed back up the ridge to the trail and headed back down to camp. I was looking forward to supper and putting my feet up.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this area. The trail was challenging but fun, gorgeous scenery and a great creek to fish. I know that I will be coming back here in the future to do more exploring! Thanks for reading, Chris