Hike The Cascades by Wily Skyscrapers and spires of limestone dominate the New River from Eggleston to Pembroke. The tiny boats are drawn by gravity through the cathedral ambience of the massive monuments. The scenic trip ends too soon and none too soon as thunder rumbles beyond Big Walker Mountain. Some have bumped down Walker Creek and others challenged the West Virginia New River whitewater. All return—awed, frustrated, or elated—hungry for the best BBQ dinner to be found in Giles County this evening. The Wiley clan sets camp in a far corner of the rendezvous field flanked by Wright and Penny and the late arriving Sverdlov family. Granddaughter Amber meets Alisa with the usual reserve of nine year olds, taking all of five minutes to become best friends. Kerry’s son-in-law John unloads his usual gift of dry firewood to warm the evening gathering. Randy Carter folks drift to the fire as the warmth is seasoned with music. Wright plays guitar and his offer “If you can sing it I can play it” creates some short versed ditties. Grandson Branden, straight from the Narrows football field with his Floyd High School band Sax, rolls some notes across the valley. Not to be outdone, Alisa and Julia bring out their toy looking but amazingly fine sounding keyboard and each play a few tunes. By Sunday meeting, the river is swollen with last night’s rain and rolling high, not a good place for novices and children. Daughter Deborah gladdens the disappointed adventurers with an offer to hike the Cascades. The girls dart ahead with energy to spare, ever moving toward the goal with little deference for the trip that begins in the broad valley of Little Stony Creek. The adults move easily into the rhythm of hiking and wondering while Branden and girlfriend Carrie escort from afar. The trail enters a gorge and mounts stair after stair of stacked rock as the rolling creek now cascades between huge angular moss-covered boulders. A canopy of rhododendron and laurel covers vertical walls in a dark green mystery and water springs forth from horizontal geology in weeping curtains. John has held up at the exact place the Cascades waterfall appears in view, hoping to catch the emotion of Boris and Liuda as they first view the majestic scene. Instead, he is left speechless as Liuda walks out over the jagged boulders and roaring creek on a fallen log, turning to view the scenery and returning with the ease of a gymnast. Hikers to the Cascades can never see beyond its high rim, affecting the sense that the water is created out of thin mountain air and born falling, falling free to cascade on the halfway rock outcropping, some splashing and running, some glancing in a delicate arch to the deep pool below. Boris and Wiley ease into the raining spray, then into the falls until the pounding is more discomfort than delight. Boris comments on the sweet limestone spring taste “Good drinking water”. Soon the two men are buoyant in the deep green pool, appearing to the aghast onlookers as content as polar bears in an arctic sea. The strong current simultaneously pulls down and pushes forward creating a sense of weightlessness in a great theater of terrific sound and delicate beauty. Little ballerinas appear at pool’s brink, dancing in and out of the water’s edge with desire and trepidation, delight and freight. Finally they brave the depths, wide eyed and shrieking and gasping and thrashing for daddy or granddaddy or anyone or anything to save them from certain death. Rescued, they emerge with blue lips and quivering chins to warm towels and lunch. The hikers move out for the trip home by the high road, and John is waiting at the last Cascades viewing platform, again to catch a moment. Shrieks pierce the air as the girls see a clutch of snakes warming in newfound sun. One slithers into the rocks as the others test the air for danger until the commotion of excited humans is too much to stay. As it passes through swags of deep forest and under rock outcroppings, the jeep-trail return affords views down the gorge and out to the valley where the vehicles wait. Boris turns from his pace to gesture to the rest with two thumbs up and an appreciative smile. Evening rain hastens the adults to their tents, while Branden and Carrie abide the fire, enjoying the forbidden fruits of wine and youth, and Amber shares her tent with Alisa for a frolicsome sleepover as quiet giggles and whispers linger into the last holiday night on this field of dreams. |