The winter icy waterfall hike series continued this past Saturday. It was a cold start, though not as cold as forecast thanks to a cloud cover. The past few hikes have been cold and cloudy... I miss blue sky. Fellow hiker Steve and I set out on Rose River fire road in the central district, the target falls being Rose River, Lewis Spring, and Dark Hollow. There was about three inches of snow on the ground, enough to use the Kahtoola MICROspikes. Perhaps not needed on the fire road, they were a necessity later when we were walking on ice.
We saw no one all day. Other than boot tracks in the snow on the first half mile of Rose River fire road, no other human tracks were seen. There were tracks though, many tracks: bear, coyote, bobcat, deer, wild turkey, fox (perhaps), and assorted bird. Bears don't care much for switchbacks. They seem to take the shortest route between two points. Most of the bear tracks were on lower and middle Rose River fire road. Tracks across the trail in the switchbacks were likely from the same bear, but we figure we saw tracks of a half dozen bear. I would say coyote are doing well in the Park; their tracks were numerous.
We found the shortcut down to the Rose River, along an abandoned trail. The route is mentioned in the AT guide book for SNP and shows on USGS maps. I had the route trace on my GPS, but didn't need it- there's an unmarked concrete post on Rose River fire road at the old trail junction, and looking downhill, cut trees were visible along a distinct old road bed. This was our shortcut, just over a quarter mile and 170 feet downhill. We had to work around numerous deadfall, but eventually emerged onto Rose River Loop Trail at the bridge over Hogcamp Branch. I had looked for this shortcut once before from the Rose River Loop Trail but had failed to find it. Finding the shortcut was critical on this hike, saving nearly two miles.
There was plenty of ice in Hogcamp Branch and Rose River. Rose River Falls was not frozen, but curtains of ice surrounded the falls. It was very pretty with the snow covering the ice. We continued upstream and eventually turned away from Rose River, headed for Fishers Gap. I came upon a trampled patch on Rose River Loop Trail. What had happened here? The patches of deer hair and blood in the snow told the story. Coyote tracks led in and out of the kill zone. Did coyote take down this deer, or had it already fallen? Coyote, turkey vultures, and perhaps other scavengers had left nothing, not even bones, just hair and blood-stained snow. This had occurred within the past 36 hours. Later at Big Meadows, we could hear two packs of coyote howling in the distance towards the southeast. They're out there!
Nearing Fishers Gap, we took the horse trail south to the Drive crossing, then ventured into Fishers Gap Overlook. This small trail segment had been bypassed last time here, and felt I needed to complete it. Skyline Drive had been plowed but had had icy patches and was obviously closed. There were several deer at the overlook. Just us, the snow, and the deer. The sun was dimly visible through the overcast. It was cold and quiet, no wind. Hold the breath and just listen to the silence. Awesome!
Onto the AT, southbound to Big Meadows, following deer and coyote track and making my own, trying not to ruin the animal tracks (so later hikers might enjoy). There's something special about being the first to hike on a snow-covered trail. We rounded Big Meadows campground, stopping at site 53 for a food break, then branching off and descending Lewis Spring Falls Trail. It was on this trail that the MICROspikes proved crucial. Much of the trail was on snow-covered solid ice sheets. There was no way to do this trail without traction aid. Even the wildlife was having trouble here, as could be seen in their track slippage.
Lewis Spring Falls was nearly frozen, with only a narrow channel flowing. We viewed the frozen falls from the observation platform. These are pretty falls, I should visit here more often, but so near the campground, finding them people-free is unlikely. Thick blue ice curtains and countless ice formations surrounded the falls. There was a nice view west from the ledge above the falls. This was one of those places you hate leaving, but time and cold fingers eventually forced us to move on. It's a rather steep climb to Skyline Drive, and I was ahead of Steve here, so gave Tanners Ridge Overlook a visit, again fine views west.
Expansive Big Meadows was ahead, with Fork Mountain visible off the the east. There were many deer near Big Meadows Wayside. Perhaps here in the open to better feel the surroundings, or perhaps here out of habit for the food found here much of the year, or perhaps they are safe here, as coyote likely avoid this human-infested zone. We stopped for a snack break at the wayside before the long downhill along Hogcamp Branch and Rose River. Just us, the snow, and the deer. The frost-free hydrant was dry, as it had been last time here. The sky had that wintry look that I'm growing used to but tired of on recent hikes. The overcast was thin enough to make the sun's disk visible, and a few breaks allowed low angle sunlight through making for a reddish sky.
Ice lined Dark Hollow Falls Trail, but we were immune with the MICROspikes. We passed a rock wall that was covered with thick sheets of ice. We'd seen several during the hike, and of course had to get some pictures. Part of Hogcamp Branch was flowing under the snow-covered ice, with occasional holes showing the swift current beneath. Dark Hollow Falls was an impressive mix of water, ice, and snow. We reached Rose River fire road near sunset, with low angle sun casting a warm hue. This wouldn't last long and quickly twilight turned into night. We had over five miles of rocky fire road to finish the hike. We made it a good distance under the pale milky full moon, but increasing clouds dimmed that light and out came the LEDs. Rose River fire road is one rocky road. It would be a favorite walk if it weren't for those rocks! The rocks were torture, and the road seemed to go on forever. This 18 mile hike took nearly 11 hours. Not sure where all the time was spent; hiking on snow and ice certainly takes extra time, as does taking nearly 200 photographs.
With Skyline Drive closed this seemed to be the best access route to reach the falls. Over half the hike was on Rose River fire road. With Drive access, this could be a great short loop hike. Looking at the map, I see there was an easier access- Tanners Ridge Road on the west side. A longer drive to get there, but would have cut out the excessive rocks. But those bear and coyote tracks made the extra miles worth it.
Snow makes picture taking a challenge. Exposure compensation, white balance, I tried numerous combinations. With a little tweaking of color temperature, fill lighting, and contrast, here are the pictures from this hike.
We saw no one all day. Other than boot tracks in the snow on the first half mile of Rose River fire road, no other human tracks were seen. There were tracks though, many tracks: bear, coyote, bobcat, deer, wild turkey, fox (perhaps), and assorted bird. Bears don't care much for switchbacks. They seem to take the shortest route between two points. Most of the bear tracks were on lower and middle Rose River fire road. Tracks across the trail in the switchbacks were likely from the same bear, but we figure we saw tracks of a half dozen bear. I would say coyote are doing well in the Park; their tracks were numerous.
We found the shortcut down to the Rose River, along an abandoned trail. The route is mentioned in the AT guide book for SNP and shows on USGS maps. I had the route trace on my GPS, but didn't need it- there's an unmarked concrete post on Rose River fire road at the old trail junction, and looking downhill, cut trees were visible along a distinct old road bed. This was our shortcut, just over a quarter mile and 170 feet downhill. We had to work around numerous deadfall, but eventually emerged onto Rose River Loop Trail at the bridge over Hogcamp Branch. I had looked for this shortcut once before from the Rose River Loop Trail but had failed to find it. Finding the shortcut was critical on this hike, saving nearly two miles.
There was plenty of ice in Hogcamp Branch and Rose River. Rose River Falls was not frozen, but curtains of ice surrounded the falls. It was very pretty with the snow covering the ice. We continued upstream and eventually turned away from Rose River, headed for Fishers Gap. I came upon a trampled patch on Rose River Loop Trail. What had happened here? The patches of deer hair and blood in the snow told the story. Coyote tracks led in and out of the kill zone. Did coyote take down this deer, or had it already fallen? Coyote, turkey vultures, and perhaps other scavengers had left nothing, not even bones, just hair and blood-stained snow. This had occurred within the past 36 hours. Later at Big Meadows, we could hear two packs of coyote howling in the distance towards the southeast. They're out there!
Nearing Fishers Gap, we took the horse trail south to the Drive crossing, then ventured into Fishers Gap Overlook. This small trail segment had been bypassed last time here, and felt I needed to complete it. Skyline Drive had been plowed but had had icy patches and was obviously closed. There were several deer at the overlook. Just us, the snow, and the deer. The sun was dimly visible through the overcast. It was cold and quiet, no wind. Hold the breath and just listen to the silence. Awesome!
Onto the AT, southbound to Big Meadows, following deer and coyote track and making my own, trying not to ruin the animal tracks (so later hikers might enjoy). There's something special about being the first to hike on a snow-covered trail. We rounded Big Meadows campground, stopping at site 53 for a food break, then branching off and descending Lewis Spring Falls Trail. It was on this trail that the MICROspikes proved crucial. Much of the trail was on snow-covered solid ice sheets. There was no way to do this trail without traction aid. Even the wildlife was having trouble here, as could be seen in their track slippage.
Lewis Spring Falls was nearly frozen, with only a narrow channel flowing. We viewed the frozen falls from the observation platform. These are pretty falls, I should visit here more often, but so near the campground, finding them people-free is unlikely. Thick blue ice curtains and countless ice formations surrounded the falls. There was a nice view west from the ledge above the falls. This was one of those places you hate leaving, but time and cold fingers eventually forced us to move on. It's a rather steep climb to Skyline Drive, and I was ahead of Steve here, so gave Tanners Ridge Overlook a visit, again fine views west.
Expansive Big Meadows was ahead, with Fork Mountain visible off the the east. There were many deer near Big Meadows Wayside. Perhaps here in the open to better feel the surroundings, or perhaps here out of habit for the food found here much of the year, or perhaps they are safe here, as coyote likely avoid this human-infested zone. We stopped for a snack break at the wayside before the long downhill along Hogcamp Branch and Rose River. Just us, the snow, and the deer. The frost-free hydrant was dry, as it had been last time here. The sky had that wintry look that I'm growing used to but tired of on recent hikes. The overcast was thin enough to make the sun's disk visible, and a few breaks allowed low angle sunlight through making for a reddish sky.
Ice lined Dark Hollow Falls Trail, but we were immune with the MICROspikes. We passed a rock wall that was covered with thick sheets of ice. We'd seen several during the hike, and of course had to get some pictures. Part of Hogcamp Branch was flowing under the snow-covered ice, with occasional holes showing the swift current beneath. Dark Hollow Falls was an impressive mix of water, ice, and snow. We reached Rose River fire road near sunset, with low angle sun casting a warm hue. This wouldn't last long and quickly twilight turned into night. We had over five miles of rocky fire road to finish the hike. We made it a good distance under the pale milky full moon, but increasing clouds dimmed that light and out came the LEDs. Rose River fire road is one rocky road. It would be a favorite walk if it weren't for those rocks! The rocks were torture, and the road seemed to go on forever. This 18 mile hike took nearly 11 hours. Not sure where all the time was spent; hiking on snow and ice certainly takes extra time, as does taking nearly 200 photographs.
With Skyline Drive closed this seemed to be the best access route to reach the falls. Over half the hike was on Rose River fire road. With Drive access, this could be a great short loop hike. Looking at the map, I see there was an easier access- Tanners Ridge Road on the west side. A longer drive to get there, but would have cut out the excessive rocks. But those bear and coyote tracks made the extra miles worth it.
Snow makes picture taking a challenge. Exposure compensation, white balance, I tried numerous combinations. With a little tweaking of color temperature, fill lighting, and contrast, here are the pictures from this hike.
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