Sun, Jul 11 2004 - Hike Chattooga River trail (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Bruce Participants: Jim K, Mark Gialanella, Maria Laura Locatelli, Sanjay Bhatnagar, Katie McCafferty, Kari Salomon, Melissa Bundy, Dana Taylor Lones, David Fields, Marisol Cintron, Caitlin Stark, Tim Lewis, Michelle Halley, Gene Whitehead, Kiran Puttaswamy, Bruce

Write Up:
After deciding no one else was showing up at about 9:20am, we’d lost several people for different reasons and happily gained two to make a group of lucky thirteen on my fourteenth event. It was to be another great day with a happy and adventurous group, like so often. With a slight chance of rain listed on weather.com, we arrived at the trailhead, and after walking perhaps a mile we got lightly rained on, and mixed dark overcast and patches of rain, once moderately for several minutes, with sun the rest of the day. After hearing several thunderbooms, we all marched resolutely on to a good day’s adventure. At the bushy, weedy, reedy Reed Creek Bottoms, I started marking the route with many orange ribbons, a job I soon and happily gave over to Kari Saloman; and she proved better and more efficient with ribbon distribution than the wasteful fearless leader. We arrived at Reed Creek water ford and all took off their shoes and got a good cold foot and ankle dipping in Reed Creek, before putting on their shoes again. Foz got a great picture of a very lovely unexpected guest, very close to the trail we were on (almost stepped on by Gene and others according to Foz). None of us saw this largest of copperheads (and most beautiful)I have ever seen on a trail. Nice surprise, that picture-thanks Foz!

We moved on through heavy overgrowth, now moving beside the Chattooga River, briefly became dis-oriented towards the end of Reed Creek Bottoms, before Dean Merat saved me and found the trail closer to the river. Their were no more mishaps after this on the branch slapping, poison ivy whacking (by myself) walk to our beach and swimming hole.

We all had a good time hanging at the beach, and all thirteen water babies swam across the Chattooga to Lower Lick Log Falls on the South Carolina side of the river, and fairly blanketed the waterfall. (Thanks, again to Foz for that great shot and all others). It was fantastic to the fearless leader to see all enjoy themselves in the river so immensely. It was a refreshing dip and swim in the river and languishing around and in and under the waterfall, and enjoyed for a long time.

The saddest part of this mostly good weather day was returning to our cars, and drove to the Peking Gourmet (except for one carload). All remaining enjoyed many laughs, including the traditional reading of the fortune with ‘in bed’ at the end.

Thanks as always to a great group whom always help make an event fun for the leader.


Written By: Bruce Aldridge
Photos From: Phil (Foz) Parkerson

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