Backpack and dayhike to several waterfalls - Sat, Oct 16 2004

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Backpack and dayhike to several waterfalls


The Basics:
Event Type:Backpacking
Event Location: Panthertown Valley
Date(s) & Time:Sat, Oct 16 2004  9:00 am >> N/A
Registration Opens: Mon, Jan 1 2007 12:00 am
Registration Cut Off: Tue, Oct 12 2004 11:59 pm
Event Duration:per itinerary
Difficulty Rating:D5: Difficult
Trip Leader(s):
Bruce
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Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:16
Minimum Group Size:4
Number Registered So Far: 17 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:
moderate to strenuous, estimated two miles backpacking down to the camping flat in the valley; with additional six to seven mile adventure with day gear.

Join me in my favorite place, the enchanting, and beautiful Panthertown valley, you will fall in love with it too. Bring your sense of adventure, and be prepared to be awed by the beauty of this rugged wilderness and lost world of the eastern U.S.

There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting the Thursday before the trip, and I will communicate with all about level of experience, particularly backpacking, to make sure all are properly equipped.

When we arrive at the Panthertown Valley we will hike down into the valley on the large graveled path (used to be a road), of which there are several in this enchanted place, called by many the ‘Yosemite of the east’. It is a lost valley ringed by mountains, with many sub-tropical plants not found anywhere else east of the Mississippi. From the overlook, a short way down the road with can see Little and Big Green Mountains, Blackrock Mountain-NC version, and many others. This view is worth the trip by itself, without any of the other wonders to be found in this wild and beautiful place; and there are many. After taking the right fork at the bottom of the valley we will hike to our camping spot, set up tents; hang any scented items including food, toothpaste deodorant, etc. from the local wildlife.

From that camp we will hike to Little Green Mountain and its overlook, down to ‘Schoolhouse’ falls on Greenland Creek -- (used to have a schoolhouse when this was a proposed resort settlement). From there, if we are ambitious and weather is permitting, we will do the hike to the upper falls on Greenland Creek, a taller and prettier waterfall. Then we will walk back to camp, and make dinner and have usual socializing and fun, probably no fire, unless wood is abundant (which it was not on the Chattooga River adventure) and there is a good existing fire-ring. Good lanterns will be important for light on this trip. This valley is more precious to me than any place I have been hiking, and I’ll not harm it with a blazing fire, among the ‘loblolly’ pines of our campsite, unless it is safe to do so. There is a large tin-roofed shelter for the nights’ festivities, if we get rain, so no tarps need be hauled in.

Sundays’ adventure, weather permitting; will be a short hike to the falls on Frolictown Creek, on the way out of the valley.

Important note:

Pack as light as possible as walk in is a pleasant two mile hike, but a short but strenuous two mile - all uphill walk, on the way out. We’ll take a break at the overlook, for a rest on the way out, as it is worth two looks. Bring some means of carrying your water and trail food for the longer dayhike, after we set up camp. Leader will bring a water filter for refilling water containers, a medical kit, which you are also welcome to bring, and snakebite kit for the timber rattlers that exist in the valley, never seen by myself, but talked to several that have. We will stick to the larger, wider main trails exclusively, for this reason, and not smaller overgrown trails, that also exist here.

Required Items to Bring:
the usual backpacking items including: backpack
lightweight tent
ground cover
tent fly
foam pad
sleeping bag
tent stove
food for dinner and breakfast (strongly suggest non-smelly dehydrated foods for dinner and breakfast, trail bars in wrappers, etc., as wildlife in the Panthertown valley is varied and abundant.)
Please see the suggested items list as well for other ideas-among them T.P. and trowel, and headlights, flashlights and lightweight lanterns.		Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.
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How to Get There:
Event Directions:near Cashiers, North Carolina meet at park and ride only from the park and ride lot we will travel up I-85 to exit 1 in South Carolina to highway 11 north which we will follow for some twenty miles to our turn to Hwy 28 through Walhalla and past; to Highway 107 to Cashiers, NC, and two Forest Service roads later to the trailhead at Panthertown Valley.

Notes:

Are Dogs Permitted? NO!

Will this event occur rain or shine? Not if weather is supposed to include either heavy thunderstorms or high winds. Leader will contact you in case of cancellation.
* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cost Includes:shared gas expense-figure five dollars each for drivers, and optional dinner in Walhalla, SC (about ten dollars) at a nice Mexican restaurant Joe Donovan put me on to.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.