With a population of 2,500, Sewanee is quite quaint and surprisingly forward for a hamlet in middle Tennessee. Local custom dictates tapping the roof of your vehicle, while passing through impressive stone gates to enter town. The pointed arches , ribbed vaults and flying buttresses of the University of the South’s larger structures dominate the village’s esthetic. The native-stone walls of these Gothic creations are seen in all the outlying buildings that make up the beautiful campus.
All undergrads know if they step on the seal at the Imposing All Saints’ Chapel in the church’s entryway, they will not graduate.
Under a dazzling-blue sky, temperatures on the Cumberland Plateau were still cold enough in the shade to freeze water seeping from sandstone cliff faces. The crisp air caused rosy cheeks and red noses.
The beginning of the trail to Bridal Veil Falls was steep, rocky, muddy and slippery. 100-yards in, the next .7-miles was a stroll through the woods. We could see no creek at the top of these falls and the cascading water went back into the mountain at the base of a deep pit created by centuries of erosion. Now you see it, now you don’t.
We made this trek on Tuesday (1-25-22), which was a NFL Playoffs week. Nature planted a “Goalpost Tree” near the top of this rock outcrop.
We backtracked nearly to the start of our hike to a fork in the trail that led to Morgans Falls.
As the day warmed, large chunks of icicles broke off the sandstone ridges and melting water cascaded down the rock faces.
Picturesque Morgans Falls were not as grand as Bridal Veil Falls. The setting made for a good “Where’s Waldo” photo op.
The cloudless, blue sky remained constant and the sun persisted in raising the temperature to a high of 52-degrees, creating another glorious day to chase waterfalls in Tennessee.