This blog is an homage to my good friend and college roommate,
Peter Dargatz, who introduced us to the concept of Tyke Hikes on the Ice Age
Trail in Wisconsin. Carrying his spirit
with us, my wife, Shawna, daughter, Ruby, and I decided to embark on a hike in
the Blue Ridge Mountains during our move from Wisconsin to South Carolina. The hike we decided on was a half mile
portion of the North Carolina Mountains to Sea Trail, which led to a group of small
waterfalls known as Skinny Dip Falls.
The Mountains to Sea Trail (www.ncmst.org) is a partially completed
long-distance trail, with the long term goal of creating a continuous route
from Clingman's Dome in Smoky Mountain National Park to Jockey's Ridge State
Park in Nags Head, NC. Of note, Jockey's
Ridge has the highest elevation sand dunes on the East Coast. The Mountains To Sea Trail is marked by three
inch circle white blazes. The portion we
hiked was located off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Pisgah National Forest.
The most exciting part of this hike may have been the drive
there. After winding along the Big East
Fork of the Pigeon River, we headed up the face of the Pisgah Ridge to the Blue
Ridge Parkway. About halfway to the
parkway, we encountered heavy fog. We
soon realized this was not fog, but clouds descending on the Blue Ridge
Mountains. Visibility seemed to be only
about 10 yards as we wound our way up the ridge. Meanwhile, my two backseat passengers were
beginning to look a bit pale. After
briefly missing the turn for the parkway in the clouds, we finally made it to
the top and drove on the parkway along the crest of the Pisgah Ridge. We soon encountered the Glass Rock overlook,
which was supposed to provide us with a great view of Glass Rock Mountain. Luckily, there was a picture there to show us
what the clouds would not let us see. We
found the trailhead for Skinny Dip Falls and headed out.
The name of the hike held our interest as much as the route
itself. As we were finishing the hike,
we learned from a quirky local how the hike got its name. The story goes that, during the Great
Depression, development of recreational land adjacent to the building of the
Blue Ridge Parkway was handled by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC built a trail to this lovely set of
waterfalls. However, upon reaching the
falls, the locals asked what they were doing to their favorite skinny dipping
spot. The name stuck. Skinny dipping is now discouraged in the
falls, so we brought our swimsuits along.
The hike quickly took us onto the Mountains to Sea trail and its
white blazes. Ruby had some fun bopping
blazes, as taught to her by Peter's daughter, Embry. We soon came to one of the most amazing trees
I have ever seen. The trunk made an
upside down U before shooting back up vertically with two straight
branches. Ruby and I had fun holding it
up. The hike was advertised as
"moderate" difficulty on www.hikewnc.info, but it seemed a bit more than
moderate in the wet conditions with a three year old on my back and a baby in
Shawna's belly. The trail eased down
over stretches of wet boulders and roots, so it was a challenge. As we went, the sound of rushing water grew
to match the volume of chirping birds.
After a sharp bend in the trail, we came to the falls. Despite the moniker, we did not go swimming,
as the fog and wet conditions made the mountain water appear a bit too
chilly. (This was a first for the Byrne
family, as we, especially Ruby, will usually take a plunge in any
conditions). Instead, we enjoyed the
sights and sounds of nature while munching on some trail mix. On the way back, we encountered the group of
retiree hikers who told us the story of how Skinny Dip Falls got its name. The trails always have a story to tell.
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