Recently we took a hike in Panthertown Valley.  This was a unique area to see all kinds of wild flowers and especially water falls.  The morning we were there it was so humid that we could see our breath. 

I guess the only draw back hiking in this area is the lack of blazes.  It is very easy to get lost even with some signage which we managed to accomplish on the wasy back to the car.

PW resting after finishing our hike.

Last week during our hike in the Ashmore Heritage Perserve,  I couldn’t resist taking more pictures of  mountain laurel.  Walking along and seeing all these blooms along the trail is quite an experience this time of the year.  We enjoyed moderate to easy hike of about 10 miles.

This trail is part of the Palmetto Trail.  The trailhead is at Orchard Lake Campground in Greenville County and extends along the watershed for over 6 miles to the top of Rocky Spur Mountain.  Along the way we were fortunate to see many spring wild flowers.  The  mountain Laurel  is especially beautiful this time of the year.  It was a very enjoyable hike.

Last week’s hike was about 20 miles. It was the most I ever hiked in one day and probably the most I will ever hike in one day.  We started on the Foothills  Trail at Bad Creek in Oconee County at 8:00am and finished up at 5:45pm.  We traveled on good but very strenuous trails past Thompson River, Hillard Falls, and ending up at the bridge at  Horsepasture River at noon.  Returning on a difficult trail is always hard but there is a certain amount of satisfaction when you finish.

Winter hiking is a good experience because you can see further.  In the mornings it”s chilly but by 10:00am you start shedding clothes and really enjoying the experience.  We hiked a total of 8 miles out and back on the Foothills Trail in Laurel Valley  in our quest of completing the 76 miles in day hikes before spring.

This week we hiked from Oconee State Park to Hwy 107 and back on the Foothills Trail.  During the hike we left the trail to observe an old fire tower and on the return hike we decided to hike a short distance to Hidden Falls which added another 2 miles to our overal 11 mile hike for the day.

This week we continued on the Foothills Trail starting at Burrell’s Ford Road and hiked approximately 6 miles toward Nicholson Ford Road. The highlight of the hike was the Chattooga River. There many great camping sites along the river that makes it ideal for bedding down for the night as well as swimming in warm weather.

The return trip back to Burrell’s Ford was some what difficult because we missed the trail several times. Not sure why, but the trail markings seem more difficult to follow the opposite direction. By the time we finished we had logged a total of 12 miles for the day.

I understand why they call it Whitewater Falls.  The falls appears white from the top to the bottom.  It was a fairly easy hike to the falls from the parking lot at Bad Creek Hydro Station, just off  Hwy 130 at the SC and NC line.  After viewing the falls, we headed down a Duke Power road along Lake Jocassee until we reached Thompson River.  By then we had hiked just over 5 miles and it was noon so it was time for lunch.  After lunch we decided  to head for the Foothills Trail.  To get there we took a unmarked trail straight up the mountain.  I believe no one had been on that trail since last time my friends had taken it two years ago and as far as I am concerned, it was no trail.  I was really tired once we reached a real trail to head back to the car.  Total hike for the day was 9 miles.  It was a perfect day to be in the woods.

Last week we went to Laural Valley for a 10 mile round trip hike to Lake Jocassee.  Later we rode up a gravel road to Jumping Off Rock to get a better view of the lake.

I am a big waterfall fan.  I can probably say this has been my favorite one so far.  Twin Falls is just off Hwy 178 and is just a short walk from the parking lot.  It is well worth effort.  The day we were there a photography class was taking pictures. 

Since we like to hike and not take a short walk, we took the new Twin Falls Trail which you to enter well up the road.  This was an in and out of about 3.5 miles.  The highlight of this hike is not only arriving at the very top of the falls which give you a great view, but also observing rails from a rail road that was used in the past for transporting logs off the mountain.  You could actually the rails in the ground and could almost visualize the direction of the tracks off the mountain.

I love hiking this time of the year.  The weather is perfect because it is not too hot or cold.  This was the type of day we had hiking Graveyard Fields Ridge and the Art Loebe Trail off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The morning only threated rain with an occasional mist but the afternoon rewarded us with warm weather.  We hit the trail about 9:00am and finished up about 4:30pm logging just over 12 miles.  During the hike we were foruntate enough to view some beautiful scenery including a waterfall, and nibble on black and blue berries.  It was a great hike.

Last Thursday we took a hike from Turkey Pen Gap along the South Mills River to Cantrell Creek Lodge or what’s left of it.  It was built around 1890 and was used by the forest rangers stationed in this area of Pisgha Forest.  The only thing left now is the massive chimneys and a sign describing the significance of the two storey building. 

The hike was interesting because the trail required crossing the river four times.  Fortunately there was 3 swinging bridges and 1 log bridge.  The trail is very easy which made the 9 miles a snap on a beautiful day.