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The
next leg of our journey took us to the highpoint of South Carolina.
Chris had researched the area and found that nearby was the highest
vertical waterfall in the eastern United States, Whitewater Falls. This
seemed like the perfect opportunity to see some other incredible sights
while visiting highpoints. We decided that we should go to Whitewater
Falls first and then do Sassafras Mountain. If time ran out on Thursday,
we knew we could visit Sassafras Mountain first thing Friday morning.
We
stopped at the first parking area we saw near the falls. Since there
was nothing denoting where the falls were, we decided to take one of
the foot trails. This turned out to be quite a pleasant walk albeit
a difficult one. The trail took us through a forest valley that descended
several hundred feet, and then rose up again to the actual parking lot
for the falls. As we walked down the paved path we began to hear the
roar of the waterfall. It was then that we knew it was going to be an
impressive sight. The sheer power of the falls can be heard as clearly
as it can be seen. There were perhaps a dozen people in the area at
the time. Again, this seems to be a much-overlooked attraction to the
people in the area. When we finally gazed upon the mighty falls we were
awestruck. It truly was amazing; even from the distance which we observed
it. We started talking to a young couple and were informed of a trail
to the bottom of the falls where one can then hike to the base of the
crashing waters. Without hesitation we quickly took this advice. But
somehow, we strayed from the beaten path and ended up scaling a steeply
graded cliff. We were carrying binoculars and a camera, and were ill-equipped
to handle such a descent but we were not to be denied. Often scooting
down the decline on our backside, and clutching trees and roots for
support, we slowly made our way down to the river. A grueling trip down
was well worth it. At the bottom there is a bridge taking you across
the river. We took some pictures and then noticed that the couple was
right behind us. It was then that we realized that there must have been
an easier way down the cliff. We decided to see how far we could go
on the rocks. Like mountain goats we sprang from rock to rock. As we
got closer to the base of the falls the rocks began to get slippery.
We took great care going through the maze of rocks since we had Chris'
digital camera in hand. In certain cases we would pass it from person
to person so that one could scale the rocks while the other held the
camera. The mist from the falls began to dampen us. At this time, Scott
was carrying Chris' camera. Just as we reached the point where we could
go no further without getting soaked by the raging falls, Scott, without
warning slipped on one of the rocks. It was a vicious fall and Chris
quickly asked if he was okay. Scott looked at his arm and noticed a
large scrape across his forearm and a finger that was throbbing in pain.
Then he realized he was carrying the camera. The camera was in the hand
that he used to break his fall. The camera was broken. We were speechless.
We looked at it and noticed that the shutter button was broken into
several pieces. Thoroughly dejected with what had transpired, Chris
tossed the broken pieces into the river and cradled his favorite toy.
The falls, no more than 100 yards ahead seemed to be laughing at us.
What began as one of the greatest journeys that either of had partaken
in quickly turned to defeat. The falls beat us. But it could have been
far worse. The sign at the top of the trail warns that the falls had
claimed the lives of 15 adventurous souls in the past. Scott didn't
seem to be seriously injured and the camera was still dry and relatively
intact. It was clear however that it would be out of commission for
the remainder of the trip. Thank goodness Scott brought his camera but
that was going to make the rest of the trip more difficult. Nothing
much was said between us as we made our way back to the car. It was
almost as if we felt the camera's pain in each step back up the cliff.
We thought that the trip down to the falls was trying but the trip back
to the top was twice as difficult. Exhausted and frustrated, we decided
to head back to Mike's house.
Once
at Mike's we were greeted by both Mike and his wife Paula. We decided
to go out and grab a bite to eat and have a beer or two. We went to
a local bar in Greenville called Barley's. We happened to meet a lady
who was originally from Bowling Green, OH. We went back to Mike's and
prepared for our journey the next day.
Waking
again in the wee hours of the morning, we woke at 6:00 A.M., got an
early start and witnessed another beautiful southern sunrise. Our first
destination for Friday morning was Sassafras Mountain in Sunset, South
Carolina. On
our map it looked as if the highpoint was right off of 178. Well, we
kept driving and driving and before long, we came upon the North Carolina
State welcome sign. So, we retraced our steps and came across a road
to our left. This was 199. Rocky Bottom Store and a sign for Rocky Bottom
Camp for the Blind are two landmarks at this intersection. We have put
pictures of these on the South Carolina page for reference. Still not
knowing exactly where to go, we decided to venture up this road. The
road ended a couple miles away at the parking lot for Sassafras Mountain.
After
some searching, we finally found what we were looking for. It was clearly
the least impressive of the highpoints we saw on our trip, but it was
still a panoramic view of the surrounding area.
We quickly exited the car in search of our fourth highpoint. The trail
led to an open area where a few signs were scattered around, none of
which mentioned Sassafras Mountain. Upon further examination we stumbled
upon an U.S. Geological marker.
Being that it is right on the border of North Carolina, the highpoint
of South Carolina is not the highest point in sight. In fact, it would
be difficult to tell you were on a highpoint at all without the marker
denoting it as such on the ground at the summit. It is an area surrounded
by trees and other foliage, and at this time of year, it is swarming
with insects. As soon as we stepped out of the car, the bugs smelled
tourists. They weren't biting or stinging us, but they were... well,
bugging us, as bugs often do. They were flying into and around our ears
and faces. We were forced to keep moving or fall victim to the wrath
of gnats and may flies. We snapped some pictures of the surrounding
areas, explored a bit, and decided that there were much more impressive
things to be seen in North Carolina, which was our next destination.
This
high point was rather uneventful and was a bit disappointing, but a
highpoint by any other name is still a highpoint.
Four down, forty-six to go!
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