Again with the crack of dawn. It wasn't too bad as the closest place to get breakfast was 12 miles away, I think. It apparently was the most hopping place in town for a Sunday morning. Seems as there were several locals there.We arrived at the park shortly after 8am. We loaded up our gear, put on our hats and gloves, and then headed up the trail. It started out easy, but they all do! *snort* We saw some deer as we entered the trail. A short distance in, then there was a fork; falls to the left, summit to the right. We headed right. Either way, as we found out, stairs were inevitable.
About 1.7 puts you at the top of the summit. Oh man is it gorgeous!! There are about 3 scenic overlooks; all of them gorgeous. I was amazed most by the erosion lines on the rock. They were amazing! Years! They took years to make!! S was in awe of the whole view.
We climbed down stairs, thinking those were the only ones. Man we were WRONG! The knees really didn't like going down all those stairs, but I trudged on anyway. We trekked through woods, up and down hills and stairs until we came to the Homestead, which was literally at the base of the mountain.
It's amazing to think of a family living there at the base of the mountain. There were several buildings for the little homestead. The cabin looked small, but we couldn't see it from the inside. There were two chimneys, so I'm sure it could have been nice and toasty on the inside. Definitely a simple, but difficult life.We are lunch and ran across the couples with dogs we chatted with at the summit. Very nice people. One gave us some tips on things to do while we are here. The breeze picked up so we finished eating and headed on up the trail.
My left foot started to ac t up soon after. I really do need to have that looked at. My right foot was fine all day, but not the left. So, now the frequent pauses begin. *sigh*The next stop was the decide whether to see the lower and middle falls. It was a mile one way. Meaning it would add 2 miles to our trek. Yeah, sure! Only 2 miles, you say? *snort* There were a couple of decent downhill slopes and I'm thinking, "We're gonna have to climb those on the way back."
There was another fork dividing the lower falls with the middle falls. On the map we had, they looked to be on the same path. Well, they're not. We headed for the lower falls. Not quite sure we got to them, but saw a nice small falls and decided to head back. The knees, hip and left foot were really bugging me by this time.
We stopped to photograph a few nice little white water sections of the stream. It is always amazing how water can find the smallest crevice to run through and erode into a stream. At times, you can only hear the water because it's running under a rock or a tree.
Stairs...there were several leading up to the falls. These were apparently appetizer to the all you can eat buffet of stairs later. S, "These aren't really falls. It's just water running down a rock." Me, "Well, the water IS falling down the rock." They were pretty. The striations in the rock were neat. it was also neat how the falls appeared to be divided into two. Not to mention the giant boulders at the bottom of the falls. Those were impressive, too.
Now...the stairs. Let's just say there are a shit-ton of the for me or anyone NOT in perfect shape to climb. S said it was like climbing to the top of the Empire State Building. There are roughly 300 stairs to the top of the falls. With that being said, you're screwed either way. Stairs down at the beginning either way and stairs to climb at the end either way.
About 2/3 the way up, there's a walk way taking you to an up-close view of the top of the falls. This was interesting. What you don't see from the bottom is the little side stream that joins the main stream. This is the reason they don't want you to hop over the railing. Again, the erosion of water just creating a path to run. It's just amazing.
*sigh* Now to climb the rest of the stairs. I have no choice. I.MUST.KEEP.GOING!! Oh, did I mention the rhododendrons? I don't think I did. They are MASSIVE! At one point, when we descended, it was just a forest of rhododendrons. They formed an archway over the trail. It was just gorgeous! They were HUGE, too! I don't think I've seen such large rhododendron leaves before...just gorgeous!
Back to the stairs. I just kept telling myself that I have no choice. I had to kept climbing and it was mind over matter. There was no bailing. No saying, "I just can't make it!" There wasn't anyone to carry me the rest of the way. I just HAD to do it! Bottom line! And I did!! The feeling of accomplishment and spaghetti legs was prominent at the top of hell. I DID IT!
I learned:
- That small nibbles really do give you boosts. I really could feel them on this hike.
- My LEFT FOOT SUCKS! I really do need to see professional help on that and probably my knees.
- Trekking poles ROCK!! I honestly don't think I could have done this without them. They also add a level of cardio than just pumping your arms.
- That I can climb a crapton of stairs. *snort*
- I have eagle eyes!! I spotted this on our hike. Know what it is? I bet you don't unless you've seen it before. Ice! It's ice that has formed from some water coming out the the ground at the base of a tree. I noticed and had to snap this photograph.
No comments:
Post a Comment