Bushwhacking to waterfalls

[ripplerider]

Sent you an e-mail. You can call or text me at 706 994 2307. Thanks for reaching out.

 

[ripplerider]

A couple more...

 

[Woodshound]

Went out last weekend and have been debating whether this next account belongs here or in the hauntings/supernatural thread.

I went to a different part of the same-ish area, aiming to get up to a ridge, walk along it for a bit, then come down on the other side towards a steep drop where it looks like there may be another falls. The approach from below is not viable, so it had to be from up high.

The first thing I had to do was get on the ridge, which I planned out on paper/topos/google earth/etc. Fine. Parked my car, hiked a ways, and up the shoulder I went. The shoulder ended in a sort of bowl that was not obvious on the topo map, between a second shoulder, where the back of the bowl was a steep rise up the ridge.

I hiked on into the bowl and after a few minutes, noticed that all the noise had stopped. No more birds, no more distant jumping of squirrels in the leaves, no breeze, no nothing. The air was totally still and it all suddenly felt 'wrong'. Perhaps you've felt similar - after a bit of time Out There, your body resets and its like youre listening to the universe with every fiber of your entire being; you notice changes before you actually understand how you noticed them - changes in the wind, the sky, a storm, and so on.

It all felt not quite right. I kept walking, although slower now and listening carefully. After a few minutes, I came to the bottom of the bowl. A very old hole / trench had been dug here - about six feet long and maybe three feet wide - and it was surrounded by a very old stacked circle of rocks. The rocks had been disrupted in one place and had been partially buried beneath leaves and dirt draining downhill, and were partially or entirely bearded with moss. I looked around but there was no deadfallen trees whose roots yanked up would have created the depression, and there weren't very many rocks around, either - after a bit of puzzling, there was no obvious natural way any of this happened. The rocks had clearly been brought here and stacked. In the middle of the rock circle was a line of stacked rocks that led outside the circle and ended in a stack on top of a tree stump. The first thing I thought of when I saw the line was 'that looks like an electrical ground'.

(admittedly I helped my gf replace a dishwasher the prior week and we had had to swap out the power supply, so maybe it was fresh i my mind)

It reminded me of Fort Mountain. It felt really wrong here. I continued up the back of the bowl at a brisk pace. When I got towards the top, I spooked a mature buck who had one large right antler and one much smaller left. I also surprised a pair of owls at the very top of the ridge.

I looked back down the bowl to get my bearings and noticed that the woods around were full of trail trees, pointing in all directions. I've seen plenty of trail trees but never in such a density as littered the ridge around that bowl. The ridge itself had a long-used game trail (and perhaps manway) and anyone walking that ridge would have received whatever communication those trees intended to make about the area below; it was the west side of a north/south ridge, above a thicketed understory that would be impenetrable in the warmer months, and not near anything else useful (eg a creek). Anyone got anything?

I continued along the ridge. Going was slow and I made it to my dropoff point at 20m short of my turnaround time, so I couldn't explore the falls I wanted to; I decided I'd use the time exploring a different way out, hopefully faster and not swollen with unease and dread, that I could use to get back up in the future. I circumnavigated a high point, discovered an absolutely beautiful saddle - hog sign and deer scat everywhere - and then hiked down the saddle back towards the access.

Along the way, I found another trail tree with a stone being used to split/direct the tree trunk - I wonder how long it had been like that and who put it there?

Also found - but not pictured - a pull tab beer can. I carried it out but it could easily have been there for 40+ years.

My new exit was much faster and 100% unhaunted, so if I go back up, I'll take that way. I also found a falls that disappeared in a crease in the rock / thicket; I tried to get it from below or the side but couldn't even get in there. Pic I could take attached.

Lots of rain this week - I'm tempted to give it one more go next week.

 

[ripplerider]

Sounds like a wild trip. I have been places that filled me with a vague sense of unease before, but it generally faded away as I passed on through. I have no idea about the significance of the placing of the stones. There is a small mountain in Union county with a stone wall enclosing an area about 80'x 80' right at the top of it. It's only a couple of feet high now but at one time it would have sufficed to fight behind. If it's a defensive position it must have been a last-resort fallback point cause there's no water source within or anywhere close. I've also been told that there's a couple of similar structures in a straight east-west line with this one and that one of the Native American tribes maintained a system of bonfire beacons as a warning of attacks. Sounds a little Lord-of-the-Rings-ish but who knows? Looks like a serious drop below your image3 pic! looks like you could use a rope for further exploration of that one. I was an arborist in another life and carry about 40' of climbing rope usually, not to completely descend a big drop like that, but more to be able to safely get into a better position for pics. 150 or 200' of climbing rope is pretty heavy and there's usually another way to access a falls. Am checking out a new place today if the fog ever lifts. It's pretty much impenetrable at 2000' right now.

 

[Woodshound]

Yeah, debating a climbing rope or a hooked tool like one of the prior posters described. It was quite a drop! I still want to get back to where I think there might be a falls.

Dialing up an east/west line through union county peaks and knobs right now - defensive position feels way less haunted than what might have been a grave.

I need somewhere to go this weekend. Did you get out today?

 

[gma1320]

Y'all have got me wanting to get out and explore new ground.

 

[ripplerider]

A couple of pics from a drainage I've overlooked in the past. Guess it was too close to home! There are quite a few more beauties on this creek. I spent several hours hiking up it yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It has several steep tributaries too for future entertainment.

 

[Woodshound]

Those are fantastic shots! Well done. Headed out tomorrow.

 

[Mac]

'Ear Falls'.
On Cochrans Creek above Cochrans Falls along the nothern toute in.
Long before the Len Foote Inn or the trail to the Inn.

View attachment 1202052
I can't put my finger on the polaroids from the top of Cochrans Falls.

Back in the 70's while at NGC I use to fish and camp below Cochran Falls. That was a beautiful are and caught some chunky fish. We crossed private land to get there, and I doubt you could have access now.

 

[Pig Predator]

Sounds like a wild trip. I have been places that filled me with a vague sense of unease before, but it generally faded away as I passed on through. I have no idea about the significance of the placing of the stones. There is a small mountain in Union county with a stone wall enclosing an area about 80'x 80' right at the top of it. It's only a couple of feet high now but at one time it would have sufficed to fight behind. If it's a defensive position it must have been a last-resort fallback point cause there's no water source within or anywhere close. I've also been told that there's a couple of similar structures in a straight east-west line with this one and that one of the Native American tribes maintained a system of bonfire beacons as a warning of attacks. Sounds a little Lord-of-the-Rings-ish but who knows? Looks like a serious drop below your image3 pic! looks like you could use a rope for further exploration of that one. I was an arborist in another life and carry about 40' of climbing rope usually, not to completely descend a big drop like that, but more to be able to safely get into a better position for pics. 150 or 200' of climbing rope is pretty heavy and there's usually another way to access a falls. Am checking out a new place today if the fog ever lifts. It's pretty much impenetrable at 2000' right now.

That stone wall description sounds like the old remnants of a fort to guard/store gold. Any old gold mines around?

 

[ripplerider]

That stone wall description sounds like the old remnants of a fort to guard/store gold. Any old gold mines around?

Yes, there was an extensive gold-mining operation within a mile of this place on Coosa creek. I dont really see them lugging their gold up a steep mountainside just to guard it, but what do I know? It's an interesting idea. I'm a member of the local historical society. I'll see what I can find out about how they guarded and transported their gold.

 

[Pig Predator]

Yes, there was an extensive gold-mining operation within a mile of this place on Coosa creek. I dont really see them lugging their gold up a steep mountainside just to guard it, but what do I know? It's an interesting idea. I'm a member of the local historical society. I'll see what I can find out about how they guarded and transported their gold.

That's what I was told by an elder about a spot I found just as you described. Ironically enough, it is off of owl town. Right across from the gold mines.

 

[ripplerider]

Bingo!

 

[Woodshound]

Big photodump of the last few months' trips out - I struck out one one trip completely - the "falls" I had scoped out was a steep plunge of pools stair-stepping in just the right way down a steep pitch that there was no falls larger than a foot or two but found some spectacular views, some nice game trails/sign, and what is that pile of rocks? recent or long ago grave?

Kidding... but there were several rock piles like it of different lengths and sizes nearby, along a shoulder between creek gorges. A couple of them had been crudely dug up and someone or something had tossed the stones every which way.

Second trip got close enough to hear and feel the falls but couldn't get around a whole lot of fresh deadfall. I was pretty far off, no cell service, and running out of time with a huge hill to climb back out. Maybe some other time.

I got a few trail cams out, though, with a few more to go... its trout and turkey time, so going to move to those soon.

Another stretch of cloud forest-lite - dripping, mossy green with distinct species and features. These bits and pieces are more common than seems to be generally known, if you pick the right geography.

 

[Para Bellum]

Sent you an e-mail. You can call or text me at 706 994 2307. Thanks for reaching out.

You probably know Ron Brown.

 

[ripplerider]

You probably know Ron Brown.

He's a good friend. Solid guy.

 

[Para Bellum]

He's a good friend. Solid guy.

He’s a dang good dude. Bump into him all over the place. He always has Tootsie Pops too.

 

[Woodshound]

Got out again and knocked out a falls. Creeks were blown out for trout, turkey were non existent, so I cobbled together driving, trail hiking, and bushwhacking to some new spots.

Look carefully at the top of the falls - there's a stone ruin there. I didn't get closer but will check it out next time I'm up there.

Also saw a ruffed grouse just downhill of a big ridge; was pretty excited as I haven't seen one in forever.

Aiming to head back out this Saturday - found a turkey spot worth checking out and maybe headwaters will be recovered by late morning after Thurs/Fri rain. Mountains are gorgeous right now.

 

[1eyefishing]

No bushwhackin required...

 

[jbogg]

I camped again Friday night with the high schools buds. Never gets old.