Who doesn't love a waterfall? (Or, June is for hiking.)

At the end of a winding road in the Jefferson National Forest in Giles County, Virginia, is Cascades Day Use Area.  It sits beside a lovely creek named Litte Stony, and there are picnic tables, restroom facilities, and a hiking trail. During my childhood and teenage years, I made dozens of visits there.  I've gone to the Cascades with church groups, Girl Scouts, my family, and with friends.  It's a great place to bring a picnic, and hang out by the creek, but the best part is the 2-mile trail along Little Stony Creek that leads to the spectacular Cascades waterfall.

(Little Stony Creek)

(First you hear it, then you see it.  I took this photo in June of 2020.  Can you spot Matt and Andrea?)

When my brother Bill and his family came for a visit at the beginning of June, I took Jenn and their two boys to the Cascades while Bill took their van for new tires.  (Who do you think had more fun?)  They had been on a few hikes with the Cub Scouts, but this 4-mile round trip hike would be their longest.  And this would be Jenn's first Cascades hike too.

(If I remember correctly, this old steam engine is a remnant of an abandoned sawmill.  The boys got a kick out of it because it resembles a train engine.)

To our delight, when we arrived I found my friends from the Blacksburg Newcomers Club hiking group, including two dogs, who had also come to visit the Cascades.  It turned into a wonderful group hike, and the boys were over the moon to hike with the friendly pups.

Bringing the kids on this familiar trail to visit a familiar waterfall made me see it with new eyes.  I was here so many times as a kid myself I almost had taken it for granted.  It really is a beautiful place.  It's no wonder it gets so crowded on weekends during the summer, with families, teenagers, and all kinds of people young and old enjoying the creek and the trail and the swimming hole under the falls.

A couple of days later it was time to begin my adventure in North Georgia, which started with a visit to the highest waterfall in the state, Amicalola Falls.  After the six-plus hour drive to Amicalola State Park, I took the short but steep hike to visit the falls.  Much of the trail consists of hundreds of steps leading to the top of the falls, with spectacular views along the way.  

(Heading up.  Little did I know that later there would be another set of 400+ stairs.)

(A lovely view from the top!)

"PLATINUM-BLAZING: The practice of enjoying the finer or "premium" off-trail oppoprtunities for meals, accomodations, and related activities as part of a day, section, or thru-hike." 

(source: platinum-blazing.com)

(In other words, hiking for two or more days without camping.  I'm not quite ready to commit to that, hence the shuttles and cabins.  I enjoy a hot shower and a dry bed. Anyhow, back to the story...)

(The view from the back porch of the Amicalola Falls Lodge, where I had a lovely dinner for two nights in a row.)

The trail to Amicalola Falls is part of the AT approach trail, an 8.5-mile trail leading to southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail on Springer Mountain.  After an OK night's sleep in the little cabin I had rented, I took a shuttle to Springer Mountain and made my way south along the approach trail back to my home for the weekend.  The approach trail isn't officially part of the AT but many thru hikers will start at the stone arch behind the visitor's center (which had been completely torn down to make way for a newer more modern facility).  I ended up hiking it "backwards," because it was easiest to leave my car where it was, hitch a ride to the trailhead on Springer Mountain (which is on a long, rough dirt road), and hike back to my cabin where I could immediately shower and eat.  And I got to see the falls again at the end of my hike, which was a bonus!

The next day was Sunday, and I got up early and drove to the town of Blairsville.  Along the way I did a little geocaching (of course), and made it to St. Francis of Assisi Church in time for the 11:00 Mass.  Then to Ingles for my groceries for the week (I'm sure I ate lunch at some point but I can't remember what or where), and on to my cabin I had rented near the Mountain Crossings outfitter at Neels Gap.

Monday morning I drove to Woody Gap (on another winding dirt road) and hiked 11 miles southbound on the AT toward Springer Mountain, where I had arranged to meet a shuttle that afternoon that would take me back to my car.  I started early, so I had plenty of time to take in the sights and sounds of the trail, and even do a little geocaching.  

About five miles from Springer, there is a short blue blazed side trail that leads to a lovely little waterfall called Long Creek Falls.  It was the perfect spot to enjoy my lunch and relax a little bit. There were a handful of people there enjoying the falls, including a section hiking couple who were just starting out on a month-long hike, not sure and not worried about how far they would get. (There was also a family with a couple of small kids who were climbing around the rocks near the falls, and the mom in me tried not to look at them, and prayed nobody would get hurt.)  On the trail, one young adolescent girl among a group of kids with their adult chaperones asked me, "Do you like hiking?  How many hikes have you done?"  I said I really didn't know how many.  She excitedly replied,  "This is my very first one!"

Hopefully it was the first of many to come.

OH and check out these little blue butterflies I came across near a stream towards the end of the day's hike!  I saw quite a few more over the course of the week. (video)

There was rain in the forecast for the next couple of days.  Would that put a damper on my adventure?  Stay tuned!