Hubs and I have been enjoying the great outdoors this weekend and yesterday I was in shorts. In FEBRUARY! It's been crazy humid and the pollen is already making an appearance but y'all! I wore shorts! In FEBRUARY!
Toto I don't think we're in Kansas
There are a number of waterfalls an easy drive from us, and we're determined to get out and see as many as we can up close and personal. One is just a few minutes from the house and we pass the park entrance sign on an almost weekly basis. Every time we drive by we say, "hmmm...wonder what's up there?" On Friday we finally made the turn in to see what's what.
Even though these falls are situated within a state park vehicle parking can be wonky at the trail head. We knew this before driving in, because I always like to hop online and read travel tips before we go. Other visitors to the area said to park on the road, but it looked like we might get blocked in by hikers who had not read the parking instructions online. We decided to park at the ranger station then walked along the road to the trail head. Easy peasy. Also the ranger was very nice and gave us a couple of options for hiking.
Before heading to the trail we walked up the hill near the station to check out two historic buildings on site, The Stone Block House and The Trader's Brick House.
Following some raids by Creek Indians the State of SC had these block houses put up along the frontier and then protected by a small group of militiamen. The Brick House was a trading post established in 1795 that exchanged everything from ammunition to livestock.
Both buildings are boarded up now so you can't go inside...
...although someone thought there might be a way- ahem. Still so interesting to see and read about and imagine what the world was like a couple of hundred years ago. When we hike we're always on the lookout for an arrowhead or some other remnant of days gone by.
The hike into the falls was about a mile on a well-marked trail. The poplars are leafing out and we saw lots of lovely little trillium peeking out of the ground too.
The falls are about fifty feet in height and they're beautiful.
Since Saturday promised to be even warmer than Friday we ventured the next day to another nearby area known as Riley Moore Falls. It pays to do a little bit of research before you hike because this is not one you'd happen upon without a little bit of direction. You travel about three miles on a mostly gravel road and then we parked and walked another mile or so down a muddy road to the trail head. Note to self-that downhill road is gonna be uphill all the way back.
The trail itself is well marked and continues downward through thick woods before opening up to a wide expanse of beach and a really pretty waterfall.
Riley Moore Falls are only about twelve feet high, but they're a hundred feet wide and the beachy area makes you want to linger.
Here's my mountain goat-
He coaxed me up there and we had a picnic lunch on that highest rock.
You can tell from my smile I much prefer terra firma.
Or maybe that smile is all because the sun is shining, there's beauty in this wild world, and oh yeah...
In February!
