Ash has been busy workin' hard but during one of her days off (I had to work) she decided to go on a solo hike of Falls Creek. She wrote a blog and took photos. Here is her experience:
"On a day that I had off I decided to find a hike. Sadly Kris could not attend. I settled on a hike just up the road from our house in Carson in the Gifford Pichot National Forest Area. Lower Falls Creek Falls is about 3.4 miles round trip and is rated easy. I would give this hike 3 1/2 pies. Originally I thought I would only give it two but there were some obstacles. The trail is not one of the more maintained trails in this forest system. There were a couple of trees that were downed and I had to crawl under them. It's fitting because it seems I cannot go into the forest without bringing back all the dirt. I started the hike and it was mostly flat. A little creek flowed along the trail and the sounds of the water gently flowing over the rocks was tranquil. As I looked around I noticed some Ponderosa Pines and dense fern ground cover. Ironically, the sun at 8am over this setting reminded me of places in Florida. As a result I thought about family for the entire trip. I continued to walk along the trail and crossed a small cable suspension bridge. Precarious but I forged forward. At this point the trail began to ascend. I was the only one on the trail and in some places it was quiet. I could hear myself breathing and hear the wind as it brushed through the trees. The further along the trail I hiked, the louder the water became. It was a slow build. Halfway through it sounded like static. I had read a little about the trail before going on it and had read that the reward for this hike was 3 tier 250 foot waterfall. I continued to walk contemplating that this fall would probably only be marginally different from other falls hikes I have done in the same area. I was wrong. At times on the trail, I felt so alone that I could have been the only one around for miles. I was comforted by the isolation. Trekking forward the creek became more like rapids and the water was rushing in volumes. I hiked to the sounds of dull roar and I appreciated the white noise because I was unable to think. I was unable to think about how much I missed my family or how I wished Kris were with me. I was unable to think about how I was a little cold from the shaded trail and how I really wanted to get to the end so I could turn around and go back. I just kept walking until the white noise turned into what sounded like a rock concert. I rounded a corner and caught a glimpse of the falls and I had to grasp my chest because it took my breath away. I stood there for a moment almost afraid that I wouldn't be able to handle getting close. A few hundred yards more and I arrived at the mouth of the beast. The only other person was a photographer and his dog. I stood behind him on large moss covered rocks and he didn't even notice I was there. The sound of the water was so loud and powerful it was reverberating through my chest and the forest floor beneath my feet. I craned my neck so I could gaze on the expanse of how tall 250 feet really is. The water was falling fast and hard and it was plentiful. I sat eye level with the falls and ate an apple. The noise was intense and it drowned out even the sounds of my eating. Shortly after my snack I headed back and was left awe stricken all the way to the car. I couldn't wait to go home and tell Kris about it and I hope to take her on it soon. The pictures do the trail no justice as with most places here, but the images are forever ingrained in my mind and I know if you hike it the images will be with you forever too."
CLICK HERE FOR THE PICS
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