{"id":2403,"date":"2013-09-17T21:34:10","date_gmt":"2013-09-18T02:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=2403"},"modified":"2013-09-17T21:34:10","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T02:34:10","slug":"vacation-day-9-what-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=2403","title":{"rendered":"Vacation Day 9 What falls?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can it really be our last day in the Smokies?\u00a0 Like all good things, it can\u2019t go on forever.\u00a0 We sat around planning our hikes and activities for the last day.\u00a0 Rich decided he wanted to see one more corner of the park.\u00a0 We use the last of our goodies to fix breakfast and then pack up to go to Cosby.<\/p>\n

First, we have to have gas.\u00a0 I pull in the Shell station to find that everyone else in Gatlinburg needs gas.\u00a0 I pull around to an empty pump at the same time that a motorcycle comes into the station.\u00a0 I want that pump!\u00a0 I pull forward, which blocks him from getting to the pump easily.\u00a0 I stare him down and he moves on.\u00a0 I pull up and jump out.\u00a0 Darn, I forgot my credit card.\u00a0 Guess Rich will have to pay.\u00a0 We top off the tank, clean the windows, and head out for the day.<\/p>\n

We take the Rt 321 out of Gatlinburg and head north.\u00a0 As we approach our first stop, we see a full-sized bear run across the road behind another car.\u00a0 That\u2019s the third bear we saw this trip.<\/p>\n

The road takes us around the rim of the park on the northeast side.\u00a0 We turn into the entrance to Ramsey Cascades.\u00a0 The road winds around beside the Little Pigeon River and through a forest.\u00a0 We arrive at the area where the creek comes down from Ramsey Cascades.\u00a0 The water pours down over the rocks and gushes out into the river.\u00a0 It is a beautiful white water effect.\u00a0 We take a few pictures here.<\/p>\n

We drive up the road as far as it takes us.\u00a0 The parking lot there has a few cars in it.\u00a0 We park, suit up with our packs, and head down the service road that is the first part of the trail.\u00a0 We take the branch to the left and it quickly becomes a dirt path with roots.\u00a0 This is the Porter Trail that runs up to the backcountry campground.\u00a0 About 1.8 miles into the trail is the Fern Falls.\u00a0 We aren\u2019t going the full path up to the campground.\u00a0 Or that was the original plan<\/p>\n

The trail starts out pretty good.\u00a0 It has some up and downs with some rocks and roots.\u00a0 Then we come to the bridge.\u00a0 This is the longest log bridge in the entire park.\u00a0 Rich thinks it is about 30 feet long.\u00a0 It\u2019s also about 15 feet over the raging Little Pigeon River.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid of heights and it is enough to scare me.\u00a0 Rich goes over the bridge without looking back.\u00a0 Now he waits expecting me to waltz over the logs.\u00a0 I start over, but I go slowly, one step at a time and stop along the way.\u00a0 I make it over in about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

The trail leaves the river and starts climbing up the mountain.\u00a0 It is full of rocks and very narrow.\u00a0 I start whining about now.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure I can really make it up the hill.\u00a0 My legs are tired.\u00a0 But hey, I \u2018m not huffing and puffing yet.\u00a0 OK, I might make it.<\/p>\n

We continue to climb and climb.\u00a0 We cross a small creek.\u00a0 We march on.\u00a0 Around the corner of the mountain, we run into three young guys coming down from the campground. Each of them carries a large amount of equipment for a couple of days up there.\u00a0 Rich asks if they saw Fern Falls up ahead.\u00a0 They say they didn\u2019t run into anything.<\/p>\n

Rich and one of the guys look over the map to try and pinpoint where it might be.\u00a0 I ask one of the guys about their trip to the campground.\u00a0 He tells me about the storm from last night.\u00a0 I forgot about that.\u00a0 They apparently had a tarp over their tents and just hunker down for the night.\u00a0 They seem fairly dry now.\u00a0 He tells me they are moving locations and heading down to another backcountry campground.\u00a0 Brave is all I can think.<\/p>\n

We determine that the falls were actually back at the stream that we crossed back down the path.\u00a0 I knew I was going too far!\u00a0 We go back the .1 miles to the creek.\u00a0 As we approached the creek, we could hear the falls.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t hear them from the other side of the creek.<\/p>\n

Fern Falls are a beautiful bridal falls that comes down from the mountain and fills the creek.\u00a0 We take quite a few pictures.\u00a0 I rest on the quiet side of the creek.\u00a0 How can you not hear it from this side?\u00a0 It still amazes me that it\u2019s quiet.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s time to head back down the mountain.\u00a0 We run into a group of four people on their way to the falls.\u00a0 We stop them and explain to look left when you get to the creek or you\u2019ll miss it.\u00a0 They laugh.\u00a0 I explain that the falls are quiet from this side.<\/p>\n

We continue down the trail and meet people all along the way.\u00a0 It was so quiet with no one on the way up.\u00a0 Then we arrive at the log bridge again.\u00a0 Oh my gosh, I must go back across it.\u00a0 I give Rich my hiking stick and then I have both hands free to walk back.\u00a0 It\u2019s easier this time and I can look up and not concentrate on my feet.<\/p>\n

We meet a couple of ladies at the bridge.\u00a0 They ask us to warn the older lady that we will meet later about the bridge and that they advise her to wait at the bridge and not to cross it.\u00a0 We convey this information when we meet up with the lady and the gentleman helping up the trail.\u00a0 We talk for a few minutes and then get back underway.<\/p>\n

Along the way, I see a snake on the trail all stretched out in the sun.\u00a0 Rich walks right by it.\u00a0 It does look like a stick.\u00a0 The head appears strange and I\u2019m thinking someone put a hiking stick on its head.\u00a0 I poke it with my stick and the snake coils up, ready to strike.\u00a0 It\u2019s so small, so I don\u2019t think he can really do any harm.<\/p>\n

We go down the trail to the car.\u00a0 From here, we head to the picnic area and have our lunch.\u00a0 After lunch, we drive back down to the main road and drive out to Cosby.\u00a0 This entrance to the park is small.\u00a0 There is a picnic area, campground, and a nature trail.\u00a0 The trail is .7 miles that winds around three or four creeks that converge in the area.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a rain forest that had been a settlement of two or three cabins.\u00a0 We read the pamphlet about the area and continued to walk the trail.\u00a0 It is nice and cool in the forest.\u00a0 We cross a log bridge and I see a guy down the stream fly fishing.\u00a0 How cool.<\/p>\n

By this time, I\u2019m tired.\u00a0 Time to go to the car and drive back to the cabin.\u00a0 Rich lets me stop at a woodcarving shop to look at bear statues.\u00a0 I really want one, but not for the price.\u00a0 Oh well, I did get to look.<\/p>\n

We go back to the cabin and shower.\u00a0 Dinner tonight is at the Smoky Mountain Trout House again.\u00a0 It was really good and I know what I\u2019m getting.\u00a0 We arrive and find we are the second couple there.\u00a0 Remember, there are only 10 or 12 tables.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t arrive early, you have to wait.<\/p>\n

Mary, our waitress from the other night, looks surprised to see us back.\u00a0 I don\u2019t why.\u00a0 The food is good.\u00a0 Rich orders the Dilly Trout and I order the Eisenhower Trout.\u00a0 Both are great.\u00a0 We enjoyed our dinner.\u00a0 I highly recommend this place if you are in Gatlinburg<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to go back to the cabin and pack.\u00a0 We get everything together and have it all ready to move to the car in the morning.\u00a0 We happen to step out on the porch just as the sunset is shining over the mountain and lighting up the clouds with a rosy glow.\u00a0 It\u2019s beautiful, but only lasts a few minutes.\u00a0 We\u2019ve probably missed this over the week that we\u2019ve been here.\u00a0 Darn!<\/p>\n

We decide to look up the snake that we saw.\u00a0 It comes out pretty quickly that we saw a Dekay\u2019s Brown snake.\u00a0 The marking on the head is one of its trademarks.\u00a0 It\u2019s not poisonous either.\u00a0 Then, it\u2019s time for bed.<\/p>\n

So during our week in the park, we have the following animal count:<\/p>\n

3 bears<\/p>\n

1 coyote<\/p>\n

1 doe and her fawn<\/p>\n

4 wild turkeys<\/p>\n

1 yellow frog<\/p>\n

1 Dekay\u2019s Brown Snake<\/p>\n

Handful of squirrels<\/p>\n

More birds than we can count<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>
My last morning shot of Mt Leconte from the porch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"This<\/a>
This is the longest log bridge in the Smoky Mt Park. Scary!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nice<\/a>
Nice shot of the Little Pigeon River along the road.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The main branch from Ramsey Cascades coming down to Little Pigeon River.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The second branch from Ramsey Cascades spills down the creek into the Little Pigeon River.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich getting a picture of the water from Ramsey Cascades into the Little Pigeon River.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Long<\/a>
Long shot of Fern Falls on the mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Close<\/a>
Close up of Fern Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Snake<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A shot of Cosby Creek on the nature trail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Water,<\/a>
Water, water, water everywhere on Cosby Nature Trail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"More<\/a>
More of the waterway in Cosby.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Water<\/a>
Water rolling away on the Camelhump Creek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Interesting<\/a>
Interesting tree formation along Cosby Creek,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Clouds<\/a>
Clouds coming in over Mt Leconte in the evening.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sunset<\/a>
Sunset on the clouds over Mt. Leconte.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Can it really be our last day in the Smokies?\u00a0 Like all good things, it can\u2019t go on forever.\u00a0 We sat around planning our hikes and activities for the last day.\u00a0 Rich decided he wanted to see one more corner of the park.\u00a0 We use the last of our goodies to fix breakfast and then […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,12,15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2403"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2432,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403\/revisions\/2432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}