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Owen571 
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 11:51 am |
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Tuesday, December 18.
Slave Falls to Charit Creek Trail connecting to the Twin Arch loop.
Needle Arch
Slave Falls
North Twin Arch
South Twin Arch-so massive I couldn't fit it in a pic without backing up into the woods where the trees obscured the view.
I camped at nearby Pickett State Park, where I would also spend the first part of the morning.
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| Post Number: 2
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 11:52 am |
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Wednesday morning.
Arch Lake.
Also at Pickett State Park, I visited Hazard Cave, and then the "Natural Bridge".
My camera got its modes switched without my realizing it, and the pics came out...kind of horrible, mostly.
Leaving Pickett State Park, I briefly visited the East Rim Overlook before heading into a nearby town to eat.
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| Post Number: 3
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 11:54 am |
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Early Wednesday afternoon.
Part of the sign from the Honey Creek Loop TH
The trail starts out like a normal walk in the woods.
The terrain quickly shows signs of changing to something a bit more rocky.
Soon, it turns to walking along a drainage with many small cascades and waterfalls interspersed with climbs up to, and along, a rising cliffline.
Colorful rock formations with wildly varied shapes will become the norm throughout this hike.
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| Post Number: 4
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 11:56 am |
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Repeatedly descending into drainages, then climbing back to the rock walls will also become the norm.
The trail is sometimes flat along the base of the cliffs, but because of the constant transition from high ground to waterways, the trail is usually at a fairly steep incline, or decline, depending on which way you're going.
Leaning cliff. This was like standing next to an ocean liner-has a bulge where the anchor would be near the bow and everything. I somehow accidentally deleted a bunch of pics from around this spot, which was a maze of large boulders, and very picturesque:( I stopped here for a short "break" climbing around on the boulders.
From this point there were also some views of the walls on the opposite side of the canyon.
Onward...
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| Post Number: 5
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 11:57 am |
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Soon I reached a set of ladders that climbed up to the top of the cliff line. There are a couple of these, then some wooden steps and more uphill trail which ends at Honey Creek Overlook.
Back down the ladders...
What follows next is a steep and slippery descent all the way to the bottom of the canyon, and no pics were taken. I needed both my trekking poles, but it went quickly.
I had thought the trail would curve around and go right down to the river, but this was as close as it came.
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| Post Number: 6
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 11:58 am |
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There are few things I love more than following a streambed uphill, and going up this drainage is where everything gets more. More exciting, more rugged, more beautiful, more dangerous, and more FUN!
Nonstop cascades and waterfalls, boulder-hopping...it was fantastic.
Part of the time you're in the streambed, others you get diverted around, over, and sometimes under house-sized boulders
I really liked this, even if I had to get prone to get a pic under there!
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| Post Number: 7
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 12:00 pm |
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It took a moment to realize some of that was root and not rock!
Yes, this IS the trail!
Every now and then, you can even tell it's a trail!
After awhile, the trail climbs out of the drainage, and becomes "normal" again. And again, I think the hike must be over as the trail climbs back up to the upper cliffline.
Must be a tradition of putting cairns in this cave.
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| Post Number: 8
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 12:02 pm |
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But then it descends again, and things start to get interesting again!
This is Boulder House Falls.
I actually got lost here. It looked like the trail curved behind some boulders and headed downstream, so I headed downstream, too, just not on the "trail".
It shortly becomes impassable. I cast about looking for sign where the apparent trail continued, and could find nothing, so decided to take a break before climbing back up the hill to see if things looked different, or the trail had spurred off without my noticing.
Somewhere along the way, I looked over, and there was a freaking sign with an arrow right there. Duh...
It was on the left, and pointing upstream to a crack to the left of the Boulder House.
The next arrow was on a rock, and I guess it was fake, since all I could see at the back was a pile of rocks. The road to nowhere...
But there was another arrow.
Afterwards the trail begins to climb, and again, I'm sure the hike is over.
Nope..it heads downhill yet again. This time to what turns out to be Ice Castle Falls.
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| Post Number: 9
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 12:03 pm |
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So now it's over for sure.
The trail heads up across a slickrock section, the woods seem to thin, and I start to look for the ridgeline, and the outline of my truck against the sky through the trees.
Instead, it goes downhill again.
I'd been hearing a waterfall down below, and wondering if the trail might loop around to it. Sure enough, it does.
Rather steeply, at that! There's actually a little bridge just to the left of this slide, but I kept it out of the pic.
The trail winds around some walls into an undercut amphitheater which is the home of Honey Creek Falls.
Best I could do with the sun hammering down right on the edge.
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| Post Number: 10
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 12:04 pm |
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I figured it was getting close to the end for real this time, and decided to take another break to ramble around some piles of debris, and just enjoy the waterfall for a few minutes.
Leaving Honey Creek Falls, the trail again begins to climb.
It also begins to look normal again.
And finally, a familiar sight.
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| Post Number: 11
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magicmomma
Wildest Flower in Tennessee
Group: Members
Posts: 2005
Joined: Sep. 2008
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 3:30 pm |
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Beautiful place! Been there and done most of that. Have not seen Slave Falls, but will return. I spend a lot of time up that way these days. Thanks for sharing your trip report. You had a far prettier trip than I did. When I was there it was Summer and nearly bone dry!
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| Post Number: 12
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ashepabst
Group: Members
Posts: 1005
Joined: Jul. 2008
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 3:44 pm |
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nice photos, Owen. Honey Creek is one of my favorites.
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| Post Number: 13
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Owen571
Group: Members
Posts: 536
Joined: Apr. 2011
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Posted on: Jan. 01 2013, 3:48 pm |
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Oh, I loved it! That loop, well, that day, starting at Arch Lake then finishing with the Honey Creek Loop(which really suits me), was one of the high points of my year. A very full, satisfying day from start to finish.
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| Post Number: 14
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bukkit
People for the Ethical Treatment of Apostrophes, Founder
Group: Members
Posts: 171
Joined: Apr. 2008
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Posted on: Jan. 21 2013, 12:24 pm |
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+1 for all the things everyone above said; Honey Creek Loop is by far the favorite after the loop last year. Made a base camp on Friday, loved the loop all Saturday long, hiked out Sunday. Great weekend bp trip!
Wish I had the chance to take as many gorgeous pics as you did - thanks for the reminders! : )
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"If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees." ~ Kahlil Gibran
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