LyttleBryan December 26th, 2009
It’s been over a week since this post, but I’ve been busy with work and traveling for Christmas, so I put it off. This was the fourth and final trip of what I have begun to call “4 Seasons at Virgin Falls.” It got this name in the Fall when I realized I’d been to Virgin Falls 3 times this year, and each one corresponded to a different season. I’m going to put together a different post to talk about that, because the differences in the seasons is actually an interesting topic unto itself. So for this post I’ll keep the information limited to the backpack last weekend.
Unlike the three previous trips to Virgin Falls I decided to post this backpack for the Great Smokies Hiking and Adventure Group. When people first started RSVPing for it, they indicated they were really only interested in a hike and not an overnight. I decided that since so many people wanted to hike, that I’d have it be both a hike AND a backpack! I was planning to hike out with the group after I dropped my backpack off, but fortunately the group named a new Assistant Organizer, Denita, and she volunteered to lead the day hike portion of the trip. Unfortunately a slight typo on my part resulted in much confusion for those that didn’t actually read my emails. Fortunately I can blame them entirely since they didn’t read the emails! Plausible deniability, Aint it grand? I’ll spare the details but in one place I listed the leave time for carpooling as 9am. Everywhere else I’d listed it as 7:30am and so some people weren’t there at 7:30. Fortunately everyone got to the trail head. We just had to hike in at different times.
So aside from everyone showing up at different times, everyone got their without a problem. The trails were muddy and cold from long weeks of rains, freezes, thaws, and everything else Mother Nature tends to throw you during the winter. That’s okay though, because it’s all part of the fun. What wasn’t part of the fun though was the insanity that was the Laurel Creek crossing! In the other time’s I’d been to Virgin Falls I’ve never seen that crossing so complicated. The flow and power made it so difficult to cross that most people opted for simply taking off their shows to cross. I knew at that point that the falls were going to be something remarkable that day.
We continued on the trail stopping occasionally to take in the marvels that were Laurel Creek and allowing people to catch their breath. Originally we had planned to stay at the Overlook for the night, but due to imminent freezing we decided climbing frozen ladders was a safety hazard I wasn’t willing to put the group through. I’m always more willing to do things when I’m not responsible for multiple people. Well that and the thought of having to carry someone out is not my idea of a good time! So instead of staying at the overlook we decided to setup basecamp at Big Laurel Falls, an area we have never stayed at before. And after staying there for the night, I can say I don’t want to do it again outside of the hottest of Summers! More on that later though.
One we got to Big Laurel Falls we stopped to have a break. Everyone from the day hiking group ate lunch while the backpackers staked out their claim for sleeping spots. Since I was hanging, I staked out trees. Fortunately there are quite a few REALLY nice trees in that area. Once we got everyone setup we continued on to the hikes namesake, Virgin Falls. I can honestly say that in all of my years hiking I have never seen anything like Virgin Falls on that day. The raw strength, power, and volume of the falls were amazing. I actually couldn’t even get a clean shot from the “usual lookout” because the spray from the falls was that powerful. Man just thinking about it right now gives me chills.
We played around the falls and explored the area for quite a bit before I decided it was time to head out. I was a little concerned about the day hikers having enough daylight to get back to their cars. Fortunately enough people had lights that I wasn’t too concerned about them. Once back to Big Laurel we bid farewell to the hikers and began preparations for an evening of fun. Actually there wasn’t much preparation to make because everyone had carried in firelogs and I’d already setup my hammock! it was nice. So instead of doing any work I got out a flask of Crown Royal I’d packed in and ate some dinner. Over all it was an uneventful and enjoyable evening. The only downside was the falls we were staying next to. Just like Virgin Falls, Big Laurel was in rare form. The spray from the falls was hitting us a hundred yards away. Additionally the only place to get water was next to the falls themselves! This was quite unpleasant because it was a rocky climb down and the spray was ice cold. Definitely not something I want to deal with again in the Winter time. Fortunately I’d switched to chemical treatment so i just had to fill up a Platypus instead of standing there pumping. Definitely points for the chemical treatment department.
After dinner, drinks, and general campfire fun, we all retired to our sleep areas. And sleep we did! I slept for almost 14 hours. it was glorious, especially considering that it was in the 20s out! I don’t sleep that well in my bed in my apartment! I fully give credit to the new Warbonnet Blackbird and Warbonnet Winter Yeti. I have a review written up and will be posting it soon. Brand, at Warbonnet, is definitely a homegrown shop, and he’s doing amazing things!
Below are some pictures from the trip, enjoy!
Virgin Falls December 2009
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