The Benefits of Bushwhackin'

[Prediction? Pain.]

There are several rules you should always follow when you go hiking. Always tell someone else where you're going. Always bring more water than you think you need. Always pack extra socks and a hand towel so that when you've fallen in the creek for the third time you can dry yourself off and change socks instead of just muttering obscenities under your breath as you take every other step out of a gorge on a wet sponge that used to be your shoe.

But perhaps most importantly of all, always follow the sound of running water. A tranquil amble through the forest can become one of the best days of your year if you obey that simple rule.

Case in point, I followed my ears to a really nice waterfall recently. Didn't have time to explore more, so I went back again. Found myself here, atop what turned out to be a series of waterfalls and cascades:



Here's the waterfall that was directly below me, first from the side then from the front for a miniature Last of the Mohicans scene in the middle of an expanse of rock:





Hard to tell the magnitude from this pic (and with the water being relatively low), but what opened up in front of me next was a large, rock cascade:



It's got to be another 50 or 60 to the bottom. Here's a pic from the upper third of the middle of the thing looking up:



The bottom is scattered with big boulders that form the edge of another creek at the bottom of the gorge. Here's the scene -- a little fish-eyed to catch a wider view -- on the other side of the rock pile:



That giant rock on the right is the real find of the trip. Here's the view from behind and then from on top, which was about as good a PB&J spot as there is:





To my left was the side of the gorge. Again, the size was hard to capture in a picture. This was my best attempt:



And then just a stone's throw downstream from here was another collection of massive rocks on the creek with a little waterfall action thrown in:



Now, at that point, I was basically high on forest-powered uppers and got a little too gung ho. Instead of climbing back out the way I came, I decided to keep on rock hopping my way down stream. I knew where the thing was going and figured I could just get back on the trail at the bottom of the next gorge.

Yeah, that wasn't my best move of the day. There were cool spots along the way, but my next hour turned into soggy-shoe -- yes, I broke one of my rules -- trek through undergrowth, creek beds, and steep-sloped mountainsides. But eventually, I ended up where I wanted . . .