 |
| (L2R) Troy, Michael, Chris, Levi |
Day Two: 4 Miles
Trip Total: 9.1
With a couple of people having to back out at the last minute, this trip very quickly became a fantastic four event. The master plan was to take the Virgin Falls Trail, ford the Caney Fork River, and take the Caney Fork Trail to Polly Branch to complete the loop. Recent rainfall proved to be a true deterrent to that plan, but in exchange we were treated to the most majestic waterfall displays imaginable.
From the Virgin Falls trail head the first mile is a nice easy stroll on ground that is relatively flat and shaded. The next half mile presents Big Branch Falls, a cable crossing, and a spur trail to Martha's Pretty Point. The overlook offers a spectacular view into the Caney Fork gorge and the best cellular reception you'll get in the area. It looked like the trail used to continue southeast and rejoin the Virgin Falls trail, but in it's present state we backtracked to rejoin at the spot we had broken away.
At 2.8 Miles we were greeted with, one of our favorite spots on the trail, Big Laurel Falls. This sizable waterfall crashes hard against the rocks below and behind the falls is a massive rock house into which water drains and disappears into the earth. This was a hot spot for activity from day hikers, photographers, and families.
From this point the hike gets a touch more challenging with the continuous rocky decent into the natural area. At around 4 miles we came to an intersection and we chose to go right toward Sheep Cave. The steady flow of water from the cave stair steps like and old metal slinky until it disappears into a deep hole in the earth. We explored around the area for a bit before deciding to backtrack to the intersection and continue on to Virgin Falls.
Before even making it to Virgin Falls we could hear the massive roar of thousands of gallons of water being flung with reckless abandon down into ground only to vanish as if it had never existed. This 110 f cataract is the namesake for the area and with good reason. I had seen videos on the web of people visiting only to bear witness to the slightest trickle of water. That couldn't be further from the truth on this day, as the force was so strong that it fractured Chris' glasses when he tried to climb down to the base of the falls.
At just over 5 miles we come to the spot we had intended on fording the Caney. It became clear very fast that we would have to reconsider our itinerary as the water was cold and dangerous. We decided to setup camp not far from here at one of the best sites we've seen.
With the extra time around camp we were able work on improving our skills at tarp shelter building, rigging back country fishing poles, and fire building. It was a real display of quality bro time with the fantastic four. In the middle of the night we woke to see a behemoth sized raccoon coming into cap and I may or may not have reacted in a manner unsuitable for an adult male, but I did manage to scare him away.
As we packed up our stuff the next morning we were able to witness some impressive aero-displays by a turkey and an unrelated group of military helicopters.
The next day we backtracked our progress in a much more challenging trek back to the trailhead.
Cavemen on this trip:
Troy Walls
Michael Marshall
Chris Wood
Levi Donoho
Total Caveman Miles: 63.55
 |
| Big Laurel Falls |
 |
| Virgin Falls |
 |
| The water on the Caney was too high for safe crossing |
 |
| A fantastic camping spot |
No comments:
Post a Comment