Ok, I made a very last minute request to have today off for the holiday and
got it! So I was determined not to waste it loafing around the house all
day. I set out to explore the High Shoals Scenic Area, which is off of Ga
75, north of Helen, GA. I did the 1.2 mile hike on the High Shoals trail as
far as the 2 waterfalls – Blue Hole Falls, and High Shoals falls.
This was a nice easy hike – going in – because it’s all down hill. In fact
this is a bit of a “roller coaster” trip. You drive UP to Unicoi Gap, then
DOWN to the bottom, then drive UP the Forest Service road, then hike DOWN to
the bottom!
The falls were beautiful and well worth the hike. As I was just coming out
of the second falls, a couple of AT section hikers were hiking in. They
were “resting their knees” (and with a grimace) “by going hiking(!)” I knew
they would pass me going back out and about 2/3 of the way back they did.
We stopped to chat and I told them I had seen a BEAR CUB run across the road
as I was driving in. They hadn’t seen anything of him, and JUST at that
moment…a BEAR CUB jumped up out of the brush and took off down the hill!
Knowing that Mom couldn’t be far away we all hiked on as fast as we could
manage, to put some distance between us. I’m almost sure it’s the same cub
I saw on the road…how likely is it I would see *2* different cubs on the
same day! On the drive in you cross a “wet foot” creek crossing on the
road, then you hike down the mountain to what I am sure was the same creek –
so since I saw the cub not too far from that creek coming in, I think it’s
quite likely he and his Mom just followed the creek back downstream in time
for us to jump him out of the brush.
This was a nice hike, the trail was in good shape with nicely done bridges.
The falls were beautiful and both have nice viewing platforms that give you
a good angle to see them. The whole hike only took me 2 hours and I’m a
VERY slow hiker.
Karen T.