Dry Falls
Highlands, NC
Whiteside Mountain
Highlands, NC
Chattooga Loop/Iron Bridge Trail
Highlands, NC
This trail ended up being our most adventurous trail in more ways than one...the unmarked trail head was 3.1 miles down a dirt road. A sweet empty nester couple (who would be the last people we would see for the next 1.5 hours) and their dog happened to arrive just as we did.
They offered to take a family picture of us and unbeknownst to us at the time, the sweet lady was snapping many other shots while she had my phone. Such a funny, awkward surprise to be going through pictures later that evening and come across numerous extra pictures such as these...
While speaking with them, we learned that she used to picnic on these rocks when she was a child. We asked if they were going to do the loop trail and they said no--they weren't aware of a loop trail (hmmm...a local not knowing about the "loop" trail--red flag??); they were coming just to see the view at the bridge. They went on their way home and we began our hike.
We followed the course by the river and proceeded to take the unmarked "left and up the ridge" path (per our notes) at the one mile mark only to find that the further we hiked, the more overgrown the path became. Long story short, after a long time of trampling through overgrown brush, blazing our own path, John Caden getting stung on the knee, and Anna and I stripping down to our undershirts, we were relieved when the trail finally opened up to a little clearing in the woods. I can't imagine now startled the three men who had set up a little makeshift campsite there must have been to see our family come crawling out of the underbrush. Thankfully, they didn't reach for their shotguns, but rather were very helpful in giving us directions back to our car.
When we were "out of the woods" (now we truly get where that saying comes from) :) and back safely to our hotel, we all decided our adventure would definitely make for a fun memory one day!
Glen Falls
Highlands, NC
Tallulah Gorge State Park
Tallulah Falls, Georgia
