December 2019 Hikes

I've been on a number of waterfall hikes since Thanksgiving, mostly with Meetup groups. Since I don't take many photos when hiking with the Meetup groups, these hikes weren't really worth a post on their own. I did post a few photos to my Instagram account, but if you don't happen to Instagram then these hikes will be news to you. I'll summarize the visits below.

Wildcat Wayside

On December 11th, I led a small group to Wildcat Wayside, a roadside wayside park located by US 276/SC 11 near Cleveland, South Carolina. First we hiked a trail to visit Lower, Middle, and Upper Wildcat Falls on Wildcat Creek.
Then we went down to a trail by Slickum Creek to visit Last Falls on Slickum and Sweet Thing on Slickum.
As a bonus, I then led them past a parking area where US 276/SC 11 split to a bushwack up to Spider Tunnel Falls, the top of which is visible from US 276 during the winter.
My photos from this trip are in the album Wildcat Wayside and More - Dec 2019.

Meadow Falls

On Saturday, December 14th, starting from a parking area off Old Six Mile Road I led a much larger group down to Meadow Falls (and the ruins of a grist mill) in the Clemson Experimental Forest. It had rained the day before, so the waterfall was in fine shape.
Afterwards, a few of us had lunch at a local restaurant. My photos from this trip are in the album Meadow Falls in the Clemson Experimental Forest - Dec 2019.

Bridal Veil Falls (Dupont State Forest)

On Sunday, December 15th, starting from the Fawn Lake Access Area in Dupont State Forest, NC, I went with a group to Bridal Veil Falls. On the way we passed through the airstrip with a partial view of Pisgah Mountain.
I didn't get to check out Bridal Veil Falls as thoroughly as I would have liked, ...
...but I had a great time listening to stories from some lively folks.

My photos from this trip are in the album Bridal Veil Falls (Dupont State Forest) - Dec 2019.

Andrew Ramey and Pristine Falls

On December 26th I traveled by my lonesome to a spot on F.S. 722 (Fall Creek Road) in Oconee County, South Carolina to visit a cluster of waterfalls on Fall Creek and North Fork Fall Creek. An unofficial trail, overgrown in some places, ends near the Chattooga River. I wanted to hike trail to check if it would be suitable for a group hike. I determined the answer is a firm 'no', at least for one part. The first part near the road was wet and slippery from previous day's rain. A problem to be sure, but doable in drier weather. Upper and Lower Andrew Ramey Falls are in this part...
The part where the trail fords North Fork Fall Creek was steep, but also workable since I planned to come back on a different trail. Farther down this trail are the ruins of a homestead.
Just beyond that the trail passes by the top of Fall Creek Falls. One part of the trail in this spot is very tricky. It's so tricky if you slip here then you're sliding down the cliff hoping the rhododendrons catch you or you're either very injured or dead. I turned back and followed a trail that forded Fall Creek near the confluence with North Fork Fall Creek. The trail joined an old logging road that heads back to F.S. 722. On the way up, I could hear the sound of Pristine Falls. The best view is had from the creek, but I didn't have time to follow the faint trail leading down there. Instead I took my photos from an overlook just off the logging road.
I hiked back up to F.S. 722, and then north back to my car.

My photos from this trip are in the album Fall Creek Falls Trail - Dec 2019.

Opossum Creek Falls

On my way to F.S. 722, I spotted a brightly colored sign pointing toward Opossum Creek Falls in the Battle Creek area of Oconee County. Since I ended my other hike early, I decided I had time to visit Opossum Creek Falls too. The parking area is about 2.25 miles down Turkey Ridge Road. The trailhead for Opossum Creek Falls Trail is a short distance back down the road. The trail was downhill most of the way, allowing me to hike the 2 miles (or so) distance to the waterfall in good time. I took a few photos from a few slightly different perspectives.
The hike back up was much slower since I no longer had gravity on my side. At some point, perhaps about half way back up, I completely ran out of light. Fortunately, I had my flashlight with me, and the trail was wide and easy to follow so I made it back with no trouble.

My photos from this trip are in the album Opossum Creek Falls Trail - Dec 2019.

Wrapup

That covers the ten waterfalls I visited in December. I don't know yet how many I'll be visiting this month, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

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