We drove along the Ocoee River in Tennessee on the way back to North Carolina. We rafted the World Class III and IV rapids here years ago with Jim and Martha McCoy.
Karen and I rolled into Franklin, North Carolina after an arduous drive from Chattanooga on a rainy Friday night (5-26-18) to find the locals gathered for “Pickin’ on the Square.” Some serious, nasal twang rang out from that gazebo. It raised our spirits and lightened the shadows of an overcast sky.
Franklin is known for its Scottish Heritage and has the only Scottish Tartan Museum in the world. Franklin’s website claims, “North Carolina has more people with Celtic heritage than any place in the world, including Scotland.”
We met Ernie at The Lazy Hiker Brewing Company on Main Street in Franklin. Ernie gave Karen his seat at the bar and told me, “Dancin’ and good beer is what keeps me young at 85.” Ernie knew everyone in the band and all the gals who loved to dance in the only place downtown that was open past 9:00pm.
Scenic Hwy 28/64 between Franklin and Highlands, NC is spectacular! Cullasaja Falls, aka “Bust Your Butt Falls,” is the first of three waterfalls viewable from the road. There is normally a calm pool below the main drop. When the waters are not raging, the locals slide down the rock with the rope to right.
A local told me, “We’ve had 59-inches of rain already this year.” Walking behind Dry Falls should not soak you like it does when the rivers are above flood stage.
The old highway ran behind Bridal Veil Falls. The water here is usually just a fine mist giving the appearance of a lacy veil.
Glen Falls is southeast of Highlands on Hwy 108. It was a 2-mile roundtrip to hike this one, but well worth the effort. This is the first scenic overlook at the top of the cascades.
The hike to the bottom of Glen Falls is through lush forest. The recent deluges have felled more than a few massive trees.
We did not get to go beyond this point to look back up Glen Falls from the bottom. Water was running far too high to venture out onto what is usually a giant, dry sandbar.
Back in Franklin the “Mobile Monk” from The Bearded Monk in Texas joins me by the Tennessee River for samples of Currahee Brewing Company’s finest beverages. This is a welcome respite from a day of chasing waterfall rainbows.
The Whitewater River runs in North and South Carolina. We stopped on our last leg home to witness Upper Whitewater Falls at its turbulent best. We’ll save the 3.5-mile hike to the Lower Whitewater Falls for our next visit to the Nantahala National Forest.