Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

TLC's 1995 classic may be sound advice for love, but it's not great advice for outdoor exploration, or life in general for that matter. Last week in Idaho, I saw a few small waterfalls that reminded me that chasing waterfalls was one of the best things I did at camp.

Waterfalls Trip 1

Most campers spend two weeks at camp, but a handful of brave and experienced campers sign up for what is called Main Camp (4 weeks, or essentially the entire month of July). As only this small group of main campers are around between sessions 2 & 3 on the second Saturday of July, we take them on some pretty epic trips. While I normally would have had that Saturday off, being one of the few staff members above age 21, I got tabbed to be a driver for the waterfalls trip. 

Me and my co-pilot, Gordon, and 13 adventurous campers set out after breakfast Saturday morning with the goal of seeing 6-7 waterfalls and swimming in as many of them as possible. 

Gordon (tall one in the back) and the Waterfall Boys. Originally from Louisiana, Gordon (aka Gordo, Gordito the Burrito, and, on special occasions, The Great Gordini) is in school in Massachusetts to become a riverboat pilot. He comes from a long line of Mississippi riverboat pilots, and his family actually built some of the big bridges that span the mighty Mississippi delta. Outside of sailing, Gordon is an avid saltwater fly-fisherman, aspiring musician (check out his new single on Spotify, or don't - he says he doesn't want to get famous), and world traveler (his new single is about a girl in Paris he dated a number of years ago). You'll get more of Gordon's story when I visit him on my travels through the Northeast. 

The drive to the first waterfall was long and arduous. Service was spotty, the GPS tried to take us down a road that didn't exist, and Gordon and I undertook the thankless job of furthering the campers' musical education (check out our playlist here). The first waterfall, known as Living Waters, was definitely worth the wait though. 

Living Waters aka French Broad Falls. The guys had a blast here, but this is one of the most popular waterfalls in SW North Carolina so we didn't stay too long. 

The drive to Toms Spring Falls (waterfall #2) was much shorter, but this waterfall didn't offer nearly as much opportunity for swimming. What it lacked in swimming holes though, it made up for in wildlife. The guys tried (unsuccessfully) to catch some of the myriad lightning quick baby salamanders that proliferated in the shallow pools under the falls. They found more success catching crayfish - turns out crayfish sushi ain't half bad.

Toms Spring Falls

After Toms Spring, we had about a 2 mile hike to get to our next falls. The boys were ready to throw in the towel at a few points, but our efforts were not in vain, as waterfall #3 was potentially the best of the day. 

Waterfall 3 did not have an officially have a name - there are so many hidden waterfalls in Western NC that only the most popular ones get names. We called it Daniels Ridge Falls after the trail it was off of. Daniels Ridge Falls had a couple great swimming holes at each level of the falls and had a deep enough pool at the bottom for the kids to jump off the high rocks that lined it. While a few others had stumbled on this hidden gem, the remoteness of it/the long hike it required kept it from getting too busy. We ended up spending so much time here that we didn't have time for waterfall #6.

Waterfall 4 (Moore's Cove) was a bit of a drive and another longish hike. While it didn't have a swimming hole at the bottom, it was the most overhung of the falls we visited, which made for a unique experience. 

While you couldn't swim in Moore's Cove Falls, you could stand under them.

We ran out of time to do all 6-7 falls we had planned, but our final falls (#5) did not disappoint. Just a 5 minute drive from Moore's Cove, Looking Glass Falls was the biggest and most powerful of the falls we visited. The falls were so strong that it was almost impossible to swim up under them. While we weren't able to stay long at Looking Glass, some of the coolest moments of the day happened there. Big O (name changed for privacy purposes), who later became one of mine and Gordon's favorite camper's and who hadn't swam in a single waterfall all day, finally took the leap and jumped in at Looking Glass. He ended up having so much fun that it was hard to get him out of the water when it was time to go, and he told us that the first thing he planned to do after camp ended would be to return to Looking Glass. Next, As Looking Glass was our last stop of the day and Moore's Cove hadn't been great for swimming, Gordon and a few of the campers had already dried off and didn't plan to swim in Looking Glass. But seeing how much fun me, Big O, and the other campers were having prompted Gordon to change his mind and hop in. He later told me that jumping in at Looking Glass was one of his favorite memories from the summer. 

Big O Loving Life in Looking Glass Falls

The Great Gordini did not regret jumping in at Looking Glass

One more of Gordon & the Boys

Waterfalls Trip 2

Waterfalls trip 2 was the last week of camp and was in fact not meant to be a waterfalls trip at all. Gordo and I again teamed up for this trip, but this time we planned to take a group of 4 campers fly fishing. As with all road trips Gordon and I piloted, we worked to further the camper's musical education by playing the same, previously mentioned, 13 song playlist on loop for the entire drive (take the hint and listen to it already). 

We didn't have much luck on the river in the morning, so Chip, our flyfishing guide, suggested we try hiking up the river from Sunburst Falls. Hiking quickly turned to bushwhacking, and if you've never tried bushwhacking up a 50 degree slope with 2 flyfishing rods, don't. After all that bushwhacking though, I was more ready for a swim than flyfishing, so I stripped down to a pair of shorts and hopped into the first waterfall/hole we came across. Soon enough, Gordon and 2 of the 4 campers joined me, and me those campers spent the rest of the afternoon swimming every hole on the river after those ahead of us finished fishing it. 

The Flyfishing Crew led by Chip (he's darn near invisible with that camo on). Chip first came to camp about 30 years ago and has been involved in some way shape or form ever since. He's an avid outdoorsman (flyfishing, rock climbing, paddling), a South Carolina native, and a huge Clemson Tigers fan. 

The falls that first inspired me to jump in ft. Chip & Jboat

Jboat insisted on swimming every rapid and hole on the river

RP enjoys some waterfall therapy and makes a splash in deep pole

Gordon in his natural habitat

River topography made some swimming mandatory for everyone

While we caught very little on the river, that afternoon was one of my favorite days of the whole summer at camp. Bushwhacking and swimming on a day when I had planned to only fish reminded me that the best moments in life are often spontaneous, require letting go of our plans, and are easily missed if we're not willing to get a bit uncomfortable. 

Here's a bonus one of me enjoying one of the best falls of the summer on my day off - this one was extra hidden, only a few people know about it

Peace, Love, and Brotherhood, 

Kev