Saturday, December 3, 2011

Leaving South Carolina

It's hard to believe how quickly 3 weeks have flown by since our arrival in SC.  Tomorrow is time for us to pack it up and head to FL for a few months.  While we're not really FL people (no mountains, no great hiking) we're looking forward to the warm weather, beaches, family and friends for a few months. 

We've been cramming in as much hiking as we can these past few days as we know it will be a long time until we see mountains and forests again. 

There are so many waterfalls around here and a few days ago we were able to hike to two of them.  This area is so remote and the hiking is incredible as we are in the wilderness away from all signs of civilization.  It's also interesting trying to find these waterfalls as most of them are tucked away many miles down a dirt road or in some cases a 4-wheel drive dirt road (thankfully we have the Jeep!).  It makes it all the more rewarding when we finally come across the beauty of the water.  

Brasstown Falls was a series of 4 waterfalls ranging in size from 20 to 40 feet.  As we descended each level we were more and more amazed at the beauty of each.


















Riley Moore Falls was much smaller in comparison to Brasstown Falls but still beautiful in its own way.  This was an area where the Jeep got a little workout on the dirt roads leading to the trail.  The trail to this falls was a great little winding trail in and out of the hollows on the way to the creek.  The falls are on the site of what used to be a gristmill.  




From the mountains to the city.  We took a reprieve from hiking to head to Atlanta, GA.  It was a quick trip in and out of the city (to avoid the crazy traffic in that area) so we spent a little time in the Centennial Olympic Park, lunch inside the CNN building and a walk past the Georgia Dome.  If we get more time on another trip we will definitely take a day or two to check out this city in more detail. 











Back to the mountains - Highest Peak in SC - Sassafras Mountain.  One of our goals is to eventually climb MOST of the highest peaks in the US (no way on McKinley!) so climbing to the top of Sassafras was another one we could check off the list.  As you can see below, we still have a long way to go!  :-)
 

RankStatePeak Elev-Ft Range (Level 3)Ascent Date
1.AlaskaMount McKinley20,320Alaska Range 
2.CaliforniaMount Whitney14,495Sierra Nevada 
3.ColoradoMount Elbert14,433Southern Rocky Mountains 
4.WashingtonMount Rainier14,411Cascade Range2006-08-25
5.WyomingGannett Peak13,804Greater Yellowstone Rockies 
6.HawaiiMauna Kea13,796Hawaii 
7.UtahKings Peak13,528Western Rocky Mountains 
8.New MexicoWheeler Peak13,161Southern Rocky Mountains 
9.NevadaBoundary Peak13,140Great Basin Ranges 
10.MontanaGranite Peak12,799Greater Yellowstone Rockies 
11.IdahoBorah Peak12,662Idaho-Bitterroot Rocky Mountains 
12.ArizonaHumphreys Peak12,633Colorado Plateau 
13.OregonMount Hood11,239Cascade Range 
14.TexasGuadalupe Peak8749Southwest Basins and Ranges 
15.South DakotaHarney Peak7242Great Plains 
16.North CarolinaMount Mitchell6684Blue Ridge Mountains2011-11-10
17.TennesseeClingmans Dome6643Blue Ridge Mountains 
18.New HampshireMount Washington6288Northern U.S. Appalachians 
19.VirginiaMount Rogers5729Blue Ridge Mountains 
20.NebraskaPanorama Point5426Great Plains 
21.New YorkMount Marcy5344Canadian Shield 
22.MaineKatahdin5268Northern U.S. Appalachians2011-08-31
23.OklahomaBlack Mesa4973Great Plains 
24.West VirginiaSpruce Knob4861Appalachian Plateaus 
25.GeorgiaBrasstown Bald4784Blue Ridge Mountains 
26.VermontMount Mansfield4393Northern U.S. Appalachians 
27.KentuckyBlack Mountain4139Appalachian Plateaus 
28.KansasMount Sunflower4039Great Plains 
29.South CarolinaSassafras Mountain3554Blue Ridge Mountains2011-12-02
30.North DakotaWhite Butte3506Great Plains 
31.MassachusettsMount Greylock3488Northern U.S. Appalachians 
32.MarylandBackbone Mountain3360Appalachian Plateaus 
33.PennsylvaniaMount Davis3213Appalachian Plateaus 
34.ArkansasMagazine Mountain2753Ozark Highlands 
35.AlabamaCheaha Mountain2405Appalachian Ridges 
36.ConnecticutMount Frissell-South Slope2372Northern U.S. Appalachians 
37.MinnesotaEagle Mountain2301Midwest-Great Lakes Area 
38.MichiganMount Arvon1978Midwest-Great Lakes Area 
39.WisconsinTimms Hill1951Midwest-Great Lakes Area 
40.New JerseyHigh Point1803Appalachian Ridges 
41.MissouriTaum Sauk Mountain1772Ozark Highlands 
42.IowaHawkeye Point1670Great Plains 
43.OhioCampbell Hill1549Midwest-Great Lakes Area 
44.IndianaHoosier Hill1257Midwest-Great Lakes Area 
45.IllinoisCharles Mound1235Midwest-Great Lakes Area 
46.Rhode IslandJerimoth Hill812Northern U.S. Appalachians 
47.MississippiWoodall Mountain806Appalachian Plateaus 
48.LouisianaDriskill Mountain535Ozark Highlands 
49.DelawareEbright Azimuth442Northern U.S. Appalachians 
50.FloridaBritton Hill345Piedmont-Southeast Coast 




Til next time...happy trails!