Voice of the Rivers 2008

April 19. Brian Randall. No one could deny the sense of irony as we collected water from the dammed up spring of the headwaters of the Toxaway River Saturday morning.

Our adventure had truly begun and we couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that almost all the water we were going to encounter, even from the very start, was dammed.
A few of us also got a laugh out of the decorative wooden alligator that certainly had a sense of foreshadowing for the later part of the trip. Needless to say it was a bit of a nervous laugh.
We piled in the van and made our way to the Toxaway Gorge for what would be an enjoyable and strenuous day hike through Gorges State Park. As we pulled up to the gate we met Ranger James Ledgerwood, our guide to the base of the gorge. Full of useful information and advice, Ranger Ledgerwood showed us signs of wild hogs and identified rare and endangered species of flowers that can only be found in Gorges Park.
Navigator Clyde’s true sense of adventure was apparent when we began to bushwhack up and down what many of us would call miniature cliffs. We climbed roots and scampered up and down rocks, on occasion making leaps of faith, or for some of us, slips of fate. And all this was in the RAIN which didn’t seem to want to stop. So in our myriad of brightly colored rain coats, we rock-hopped through creeks and pushed through rhododendron all the way to the base of the cascading Wintergreen Falls. After a brief conversation on who would be brave or foolish enough to kayak the several hundred foot waterfall, we turned and made our way back to the van. Clyde proposed a future trip to canyoneer the steep Toxaway Gorge which got some of us excited.
The group has a very good dynamic; the rain and rigors of the hike brought us together. No one complained or wanted to quit as laughter and a sense of adventure propelled us forward. We drove out and said goodbye to Ranger Ledgerwood. Once we were out of the rain, Ken treated the van to cups of hot chocolate at a nearby store; nothing could have tasted better. Thanks Ken!
After a conversation with some local bikers, we made our way to the Foothills Trail. It was a beautiful and dry hike down to Lake Jocassee and the view from the Duke Power suspension bridge was the highlight of that trail, though not everyone was comfortable; some of us thought it was the highest trampoline we had ever been on.
About a mile past the bridge there was James and the boats! We made camp, ate delicious spaghetti alfredo and sausage, then went to bed for a good night’s sleep, just as the moon hit the lake.