Andy's 2009 Foothills Trail Photos

January 1 - January 4, 2009
The Foothills Trail
Upper Whitewater Falls to Laurel Valley
34 miles in 3.5 days
Side Trips To
Max Patch Mountain & Great Saltpetre Cave

Andy, Yvonne and Gary entering Gorges State Park, NC on the Foothills Trail.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008. Gary, Yvonne and I left Dayton at 9am and headed south for a long weekend of backpacking in warmer and sunnier weather. Our destination was the Foothills Trail in SC and NC. On the drive we made the first of several sides trips. We decided to visit the summit of Max Patch Mountain in NC. Max Patch is a grassy, treeless mountain summit just east of the Smoky Mountains. On the summit of Max Patch you have a 360 degree panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. The Appalachian Trail crosses right over the summit. Using forest roads we drove to within a quarter mile of the summit. It was 25 degrees and very windy on the summit. Despite the cold and windy conditions we were rewarded with a spectacular view in all directions.
View From Max Patch Parking Area	The Bear
The Bear. On the drive down the mountain on the way back to I-40 we saw a black bear cross the road. This was quite a treat for us. The bear, instead of disappearing into the woods, climbed onto a nearby cliff and watched us. We got out of the car to observe and photograph the bear. The bear was very calm and did not seem to mind the attention or our excitement. We guessed that he was a couple of years old and weighed a couple of hundred pounds. View All Max Patch Photos We spent New Year's Eve in the Holiday Inn Express in Brevard, NC. This was about 20 miles from where we would meet our shuttle driver in the morning. We stayed up far too late for a "hiking night" enjoying adult beverages and ringing in the new year.
Andy & Yvonne at Whitewater Falls	Gary resting in the sun at Whitewater River
Thursday, January 1, 2009. Our shuttle driver, Nancy from Salem, SC, met us promptly at 9:30am in the Laurel Valley parking lot off NC-178. We left my car here as this is where we would end our hike. We started our Foothills Trail backpacking trip in the parking lot for the Upper Whitewater Falls. We would spend the next 3.5 days hiking 34 miles without crossing a paved road. After 48 hours on the trail we would finally meet another group of other hikers. They were the only hikers we saw. After viewing the 400' Upper Whitewater Falls from two viewing platforms we hiked down to the Whitewater River for a rest break in the sun.
Thompson River	Gary and Yvonne at Hillard Falls
On the hike that day we took additional breaks at the Thompson River and Hillard Falls. We set up camp on a very large and flat area next to the Bearcamp Creek. We gathered firewood, set up our tents and filled our water bottles before it got dark. The forecast called for rain that night so we set up Gary's tarp. Friday, January 2, 2009. We woke to the sound of a gentle rain just as predicted. We gathered under Gary's tarp to eat breakfast. Luckily the rain stopped around 10am and we hit the trail just after 11am.
Horsepasture River	Campsite in Lake Jocassee
On the hike today we crossed over the Horsepasture River. The Horsepasture River is very scenic but it is a steep climb down to the river and back up. Our intended destination for the evening was a campsite along Lake Jocassee just past the Toxaway River. However when we arrived at the Canebrake area on the banks of Lake Jocassee we decided to camp in the lake instead of along the lake. The lake level is controlled by a dam and the lake bed was dry in this area. A gravel/sand bar was exposed which made a perfect campsite. Plus there was plenty of driftwood just feet away from our campsite to use as firewood. Needles to say we had a roaring campfire that night.
Morning clouds drift over Lake Jocassee	Toxaway River
Saturday, January 3, 2009. We woke to frost and sunny skies. The warm sun felt great. We decided to hike an extra two miles today in the good weather in the event we had a rainy day tomorrow. We took a nice two hour break at Laurel Fork Falls then took another break at Hawkins Falls.
Laurel Fork Falls	Virginia Hawkins Falls
As we hiked up the Laurel Fork valley we crossed the Laurel Fork stream many times on foot bridges. To count the number of bridges Yvonne and I sang the 12 Days of Christmas song. Gary thought we had gone mad until we explained to him we were counting the bridges with the song. We had to expand the song to the 14 Days of Christmas to count all of the bridges. This was our toughest hiking day and all three of us were glad to reach camp that night. Once again the weather forecast predicted rain at night so we set up Gary's tarp again.
Hiking with the clouds below.	Finishing the hike at Laurel Valley
Sunday, January 4, 2009. Once again we woke to the sound of a gentle rain. This time it quit raining around 8am. We were on the trail shortly after 9am and were back at my car by 10:30am. The warm front that moved through after the rain created a temperature inversion. This is where warm air moves on top of the colder air in the valleys. When this happens clouds form in the valleys. Since we hiked along the ridges that day we could look down to the clouds below. After reaching the car I was excited about the temperature inversion and convinced Gary and Yvonne we need to be back on the mountain ridges. So we got in the car and drove to the summit of Sassafras Mountain. Unfortunately the summit was completely fogged in and there were no views. However, since Sassafras Mountain is the highest peak in South Carolina we did bask in the idea that there was no one in South Carolina higher than us at that particular time. View All Foothills Trail Photos The Biltmore Estate. Since Wednesday when we saw our first sign for the Biltmore Estate Yvonne had commented many times on how nice it would be to visit it and see the Christmas decorations. I would usually reply that I was pretty certain the Biltmore was closed for remodeling and we shouldn't even bother going there. She saw right through my charade and this became the running joke of the trip. So after our hike we decided to drive by the Biltmore Estate just see what was going on. I was frustrated by my car GPS system as it took us on a slower route to the Biltmore but this proved to be good luck for Yvonne. Upon reaching the ticket house on the estate a nice lady approached Yvonne and offered her, for free, an extra ticket she had to the Biltmore (retail value $59). Yvonne accepted. So instead of doing a rushed tour of the Biltmore Yvonne converted her ticket into an annual pass to the Biltmore for a mere $25. With this package she'll receive two free tickets and four discounted tickets. (Will Yvonne plan a group outing to Asheville in 2009?)
Gary & Yvonne in Great Saltpetre Cave	Fun with shadows on the cave wall.
The Great Saltpetre Cave. On the way back home in Kentucky we decided we weren't ready to end this fun adventure. We took a side trip to the Great Saltpetre Cave Preserve near Mount Vernon, KY. The Preserve is 305 acres and is home to an historic cave. After touring the grounds via car we entered the cave. I gave the shorten version of my normal guided tour to save time. We crawled in unlit passages, saw bats and played with the shadows created by the cave lights. Yvonne sang songs for us in Echo Auditorium (200' long by 75' wide by 60' high) and we hiked about a mile underground. View All Great Saltpetre Cave Photos

Day	Miles	Destination/Campsite
January 1	9.6	Bearcamp Creek
January 2	11.1	Canebrake - Lake Jocassee
January 3	10.5	Eastahoe Campsite
January 4	2.8	Laurel Valley Parking Lot