Lily Pad Travels: Summer of 19 - #9 - Triple Falls Waterfall and a pretty drive

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Summer of 19 - #9 - Triple Falls Waterfall and a pretty drive

Tuesday August 20th, 2019
Today, we are going in search of waterfalls, which are plentiful in this area and the Smokey Mountains where we will be going next. The trick is to find ones that are awesome, and also within a short walking range for us. We know our limitations, especially if elevation is involved. Maybe one day we will be able to hike more miles but for now we will settle for what we know is within our range. On a good day we could probably do a 2 to 3 mile hike but our norm is 1 to 1 and a half.
I know that's not far but we don't want to wear ourselves out one day when we want to go out on consecutive days and do different things.
Having said that we have been known to walk 10 miles in one day at Disney!!!!

On the way to the waterfalls we saw this Corn Shelling machine.

The scenery is beautiful. I can just imagine it when the leaves start to change color.

We arrived at the Triple Falls trail in Dupont State Forest. I had read about these falls and decided Triple Falls was a little further to walk but would be nicer than Hooker Falls.

So, off we went. We crossed a bridge.

Under another bridge we saw these butterflies. It's the second time we've seen a cluster of butterflies. like this. I've found out that it is called "mud-puddling" and is kind of gross. Here's an article about it. If we want to see this again, Bryan might have to pee in the mud!!! He suggested I did it, but as I pointed out to him, men are much better equipped for this task!! 😈

It was a lovely walk alongside the stream with small cascades of water flowing over the rocks. The sound of water is mesmerizing and soothing to me.

There were some splashes of color from the wild flowers.

The picture below is a close up of the rock in the picture above but taken from a different angle that cast a different light over it.

Moss covered tree trunk

There were a few openings off the main path that we explored and got some good views and pictures. We were very careful where we walked and very watchful as there are snakes in the forest, but we didn't see any animals or birds.

We found a small trail that went off beside the creek. It was uneven and had a lot of roots and rocks that we had to step around or over. We took our time and really enjoyed the views.

There he is, leading the way

We sat for a while, enjoying the rest and view. We wondered if we could walk up and around those rocks in front of us in the next picture. Well, let's give it a try.

We climbed up and over these flat rocks.

There's the lower falls up ahead. This really was an awesome way to see them.

We made it to the bottom of the falls.

Sue, standing at the base of the falls. This gives you some perspective of the height of the lower falls. There are two more above this, but you can't see them from down here.

The reflections of the waterfall and trees in the pool at the bottom of the falls were lovely.

We walked back the way we had come along the river bank. It was beautiful and there was no-one else here. We had seen one other couple down here but everyone else stayed on the main trail. There were signs by the base of the waterfall telling you not to go any further and we wouldn't have tried to climb the waterfall anyway.
The only waterfall we have actually climbed through the water, was Dunns River Falls in Jamaica on our honeymoon, and Bryan lost his brand new wedding ring in the falls!!!

Back on the main trail, we continued up toward the overlook. It was a steep hike. Fortunately there were a couple of strategically placed rocks that we could sit on and catch our breath.

We eventually got to an overlook and found the top two falls. In the picture below you can see all three falls. The closest one is the top of the one we were standing at the bottom off, in the previous pictures.

Top two falls

Top Falls

Middle Falls

Bottom Falls

The trail continued to another overlook but it was more uphill and we both felt we had done enough for today, so we started back down the trail.

The butterflies were still there

I wonder if someone had peed at that spot, although it wasn't in a hidden area, so I hope not!!!!

The bridge back to the car park

We went in search of another waterfall, that was supposed to be by the roadside, so not too much walking. It was a bit further away but a pretty drive. We crossed the State line into South Carolina and this was also one of the Eastern Continental Divide lines.

Lots of curves in the road

up and down hills.......

Is this how the Blue Ridge Mountains get their name??? A blue haze hanging over the valley.

Hmmm, this was opposite where the waterfall was supposed to be. No sign of the waterfall. I think I must have got the location wrong. Oh well, we had a pretty drive.