Last April I went to Moccasin Creek Trail with the intention to continue past the very popular Hemlock Falls to a lesser known but more striking waterfall almost a mile further up the creek. Despite having correct instructions I ended up following the wrong fork of the trail and ended up clogged up in rhododendron. On my way back I found the right spot to turn and ford the creek, but the water was high and the weather still a bit on the cold side. My courage failed me and I decided to just paint Hemlock Falls instead.
This weekend with almost drought conditions, 90 degree weather, and new experience getting soaked for the sake of following a trail I decided it was the right time to try again. I took my daughter, her friend, and our dog along. Despite the morning being overcast the parking lot at the trailhead was almost completely full when we arrived. There were a couple of places where the trail felt crowded for a minute, but luckily overall people were spread out enough. I was surprised to find the trail to be almost as muddy in many places as it had been in April. I had thought then it was because of all the rain, but it seems there are lots of springs all along the way. There were still some places where the plants seem very thirsty, but less so than on other trails I have been on recently.
Hemlock Falls itself is not one of my favorites but the hike leading to it as some really beautiful views. We only paused at the first falls for a minute and then continued on. The trail thins immediately, but is still clear. When it forked my daughter wanted to follow the way I had gone last Spring, but I knew I wanted to go the other way and cross the creek. Since she does not really understand how much more water I dealt with crossing earlier in the week (a post on my adventures down in the gorge is coming soon) she was concerned I would not safely make it across. She went with me as far as it was possible to go without getting her feet wet and then protectively watched me splash the rest of the way over. We had made plans on when and where to meet back up, so they went back and I headed on up the trail. It was immediately obvious that not many people make the crossing. The trail was there, but very thin and a bit rough in places. There were a couple of spots where recently fallen trees required a bit of bushwhacking to get around and there were a few more muddy parts to pass through. The trail climbed up away from the creek for a while and I wondered if I had made a mistake again, but I carried on. The trail seemed to get more and more overgrown, but never disappeared completely. After passing some huge rock outcroppings that would be interesting to return to sometime I started hearing the sound of water falling. The trail led straight down the steep bank to the incredibly picturesque falls. I really am surprised that more people do not make the extra trek to see them.
There are big boulders and a lot of fallen branches between the trail and the best view of the falls. I almost settled for an easy to get to, but not completely ideal place to sit. Again my recent experience in the gorge gave me the confidence to climb across and set up where my view of the scene was perfect. Not long after I got comfortably settled in my wonderful little chair the clouds started moving out of the way. The sun brought more sparkle to the water and gave the moss a wonderful glow. Even though it had been hot and humid on the trail the falling water cooled the air where was I was sitting. A few times a breeze came through strong enough to sprinkle leaves through the air which added to the magic.
I spent my normal 2 hours painting. I brought a new brand of white paint with me and was pleased that it seemed brighter and more opaque than my last tube. I am writing about this hike before the one I did on Thursday because I think the painting from that day may need a bit of this new white paint it help it feel completely done. I was a little late meeting the kids and the dog back at the lower falls, but they had enjoyed themselves and did not seem concerned. The clouds came back and thunder started to rumble on our way back, but we made it to the car right before a little shower started. I am thankful for another lovely day walking to and painting the waterfalls of North Georgia.
