March 21, 2024
Author Archives: Karen Balcerzak
Hawkins Laurel
March 14, 2024
Whiteside Mountain
February 20, 2024
Glades Caves
February 15, 2024
Long Creek
February 13, 2024
Lee Falls
February 8, 2024
Bald Knob
February 6, 2024
Narrows North
January 18, 2024
13 hikers explored the beautiful Narrows North trail. We ventured down to the Chatooga and had lunch beside the Norton Mill Creek FALLS. A total of 6 miles of easy to moderate terrain.
Carol’s Exploratory Waterfalls Hike of Panthertown East
January 11, 2024
Eleven hikers braved the cold weather to explore new trails in the Panthertown Valley. What a magical day of snow lined paths, icicles hanging from the trees and waterfalls. Greenland Creek Falls, Halfway Falls and Carlton Falls to name a few. Mileage was undetermined, around 5 miles, but with many obstacles along the route, it seemed like a lot more.
Eastatoe
January 4, 2024
13 hikers trekked 5.5 miles along the Foothills trail. A Beautiful waterfall, pristine mountain gorge and plenty of sunshine and laughter made for a great day.
Ellicott Rock, NC
December 12, 2023
6 hikers trekked 7 miles along the beautiful Chattooga River.
Round Mountain
December 5, 2023
12 hikers trekked 5.75 miles on the FT with gorgeous views of Bad Creek project Whitewater Falls and Lake Jocassee.
PANTHER CREEK
11/30/2023
12 hikers enjoyed the ever challenging Panther Creek in Georgia. Multiple bridges washed out, wired hand holds up boulders and fallen trees made for a fun day!! The trek is 7 miles and it was met by lots of smiles.
CHAU RAM
Opossum Falls
November 14, 2023
Nine hikers trekked 5 miles to the Chattooga River. A lovely lunch besides the river after marveling at the beautiful Opossum Falls.
Tamassee Knob
November 2, 2023
Six hikers enjoyed a lovely fall day in Oconee State Park. It was a beautiful four mile hike.
Cedar Rock Dupont Forest
October 17, 2023
Twelve hikers enjoyed hiking through a lush forest seeing granite balds and gorgeous vistas. Lunch on the rocky shoals on a bold rapids made for a delightful day.
Little Switzerland Inn, Pisgah National Forest
September 5, 6, and 7, 2023
Thirty hikers enjoyed three days of fun hiking through the Pisgah National Forest at our annual Fall Outing.
Chinquapin and Glen Falls
Six hikers trekked six miles observing beautiful vistas, crossing multiple streams and multiple delights with the spring flowers. At the 4100 foot summit was a beautiful place for lunch.
Coldspring – Silversteps Trail
Nine hikers had a glorious day hiking along the Middle Saluda River. 7.5 miles, 1380 Elevation Gain along the Jones Gap and SilverStep trail. Plenty of challenge and spring flowers galore. One of our hikers made a contribution of a cute gnome to the hidden GeoCash. Until next year….
Chimney Top from Laurel Valley Access
9 hikers and 1 pup hiked a part of the FT than none of us had ever hiked. It provided lush valleys, beautiful wild flowers and multiple bridge crossings. We continued on to Beech Falls for lunch and then headed back. Total mileage was about 6 miles.
Whiteside Mountain and Devils Courthouse
Seven hardy hikers braved the cold trekking over 4 miles to beautiful Whiteside mountain and devil’s courthouse. Frozen streams, waterfall and icecicles made for a spectacular but could day.
Table Rock in Table Rock State Park
Nine hikers hiked along the beautiful and yet challenging Carrick Creek Trail. A total of 2000 ft elevation gain made for a challenging but wonderful day. Half the group went only to Governors Rock at 2854 ft, and the other half made it all the way to the summit at 3157 ft.
Winding Stairs with Miuka and Secret Falls
Eight hikers trekked 7 miles starting at the Winding Stairs road up to the Cherry Hill Recreation area.
Round Mountain
Thirteen hikers trekked 6 miles up to Round Mountain. It included fine wintertime vistas of Lake Jocassee and Bad Creek, an encounter with the iconic Upper Whitewater Falls, and with its headwaters.
Ellicott Rock via Fowler/Bad Creek
Eleven hikers did a little of five miles through rolling hills and multiple stream crossings. A beautiful sunny day!
Tamassee Knob
Thirteen hikers hiked 4 miles to a beautiful vista in Oconee State Park.
Opossum Creek and Falls
17 hikers enjoyed 5 miles on the Camp Branch trail down to beautiful Opossum Falls. One tired pup (aka Bandit) needed a ride up in a backup!!
Sassafras Mountain from Chimney Gap
November 1, 2022
Sassafras Mountain is the highest point in SC at 3554 ft. 11 hikers enjoyed this majestic view from the observation platform. Total mileage 5.8 miles
Raven Cliff Falls
7 hikers hiked on a beautiful fall day to view the lovely 400 foot Raven Cliff Falls. Trekking on the Gum Gap and Foothills Trail brought beautiful views. Lunch by the swinging Bridge was perfect. Two hikers went on and braved part of the Dismal Trail.
Thompson River from Bad Creek
Thompson River is heavily bouldered, bold and beautiful especially where it is joined at a bridged crossing. This is where our group of 12 had lunch under sunny skies. A trek of 7 miles with several climbs made for a wonderful day.
Three Forks on the Upper Chattooga
Eight hikers trekked 6.7 miles through lush foliage. The initial creek crossing was not as difficult because of low water. Thankfully, no one got wet. We hiked to the junction of the Holcomb, Overflow and Big Creek streams that form the west Branch of the Chattooga River. A beautiful spot for lunch was enjoyed by all.
Raven Rock and Natural Bridge
16 hikers enjoyed a combination of creek, lakeside, small falls, rockery, natural bridge plus a fine vista from Raven Rock overlooking beautiful Lake Keowee. Sunny skies, warm temperature made the 5 miles fly by,
LickLog and PigPen Falls from Cherry Hill
Thirteen hikers trekked along the Chatooga river making stops at both PigPen and Licklog Falls. We hiked mostly easy to moderate terrain of 5.5 miles. We saw a true scotsman on the way home sporting a hiking kilt!!
Moonshine and Confusion Falls
September 29, 2022
Fourteen hikers braved the cable crossing to get to Moonshine Falls. We also continued our trek down to Confusion Falls The only casualty was a hiking pole that decided to go downstream a bit. Thankfully, it was rescued by one of our fearless hikers.(Thanks Gary H.) A lovely sunny day indeed with a total mileage of 6.5 – 7 miles.
Hidden Falls and Long Mountain via Oconee State Park
Ten hikers trekked 6.5 miles under sunny skies. Climbed up the Fire tower and had lunch by Hidden Falls.
Middle Prong Trail in Smokey Mtn Natl Park Cades Cove
Abrams Falls, Spruce Falls, Laurel Falls in Smokey Mtn Natl Park Cades Cove
Chimney Top Trail – Smokey Mtn Natl Park, Cades Cove
Sept. 12, 2022
Seventeen hikers enjoyed beautiful scenery through the Smokey Mtns. Gorgeous water features and views provided us an awesome day.
Horsepasture River in Gorges State Park
Eleven hikers explored the beautiful trail along the Horsepasture River. Rainbow Falls, towering 130 ft lived up to its name!! 6 hikers continued on to Staircase Falls (see Thom’s pictures below).
BRR Summer Picnic
August 21, 2022
Thirty three hikers and spouses got together at the Keowee Key Picnic Pavilion to celebrate summer’s end and to welcome a new hiking season. We also got to celebrate a very special 70th birthday, that of Jon Young. We are truly blessed to have made all these wonderful friends. Credit for the great group photo goes to Michael Gauderer.
Nancy Carkuff’s Farewell
June 3, 2022
A few of us got together to bid our dear friend and hiker a fond farewell. Nancy has been part of the blue ridge hikers group for 30 years. She has decided to move to Illinois in July to be close to her family. We wish her all the very best.
Burrells Ford to Spoonauger Falls and King Creek Falls
Nine hikers trekked along the Upper Chattooga River and saw two beautiful waterfalls, Spoonauger and King Creek Falls. A little over five miles brought lots of smiles.
Whitewater to Bad Creek
Ten hikers enjoyed a flower show beyond compare. Trilliums galore were dotting the mountainside with splendid colors of white, burgandy and yellow. Lower whitewater falls was spectacular with a bold stream crossing. A wonderful day for sure.
Wattacoo
6 hikers enjoyed a beautiful day walking under sunny skies in the Ashmore Heritage Fork of Wattacoo Creek via the old oil camp trail.
Lee Falls
Sixteen hikers trekked 3.5 miles through open fields to reach the base of Lee Falls. With multiple stream crossings and climbing over lots of large boulders and fallen trees, made for an adventurous hike.
Cane Creek and Twin Falls
March 24, 2022
Seven hikers started out to trek to Cane Creek Falls, but our efforts did not pay off. We were not able to proceed due to high water at the creek crossing. Not to be deterred, we salvaged the day by hiking up to the beautiful twin falls.
Coldspring, Jones Gap & Tom Miller Trails in JGSP
Fourteen hikers trekked 6.5 miles over moderate to strenuous terrain. Multiple stream crossings across the Middle Saluda river and lunch beside a picturesque waterfall made for a beautiful hike.
Rainbow Falls in Jones Gap State Park
Fourteen Hikers (and 1 pup) hiked in Jones Gap State Park on easy and difficult terrain. We saw our first snake of the year and a 2 month old baby taking her first hike (albeit in a front pack) with her parents.
Sassafras Mountin
Thirteen hikers trekked 6 miles to views of Sassafras Mountain. With 1000 feet of elevation change and dense fog/drizzle we were rewarded with….no views. Oh well, still lots of fun.
Table Rock
February 1, 2022
Thirteen hearty souls (and a four legged one, too) hiked 7.5 miles under sunny skies to the summit of Table Rock. Always a challenge, but we all made it with smiles and the sense of satisfaction!
Round Mountain
January 27, 2022
14 hikers trekked 6 miles around Round Mountain. We observed the incredible Whitewater Falls and nice views of Bad Creek Project and Lake Jocassee.
Jones Gap
January 25, 2022
Twenty-one hikers trekked 8 miles along the Middle Saluda River. We observed miles of large boulders and small falls. An added treat was leftover snow making for a beautiful wintertime hike.
Big Bend North
Fourteen hikers trekked 8 miles along the scenic Chattooga River. We added on the beautiful King Creek Falls. A great day for sure.
Opposum Falls
Twelves hikers hiked 5 miles to Opposum Falls.
Medlin Mountain
Fourteen hikers hiked 9 plus miles at Medlin Mountain for the first hike of the year.
Martin Creek
Six hikers braved cloudy skies and some drizzle, but were rewarded with 2 beautiful waterfalls in the Warwoman Dell.
Narrows South on the Upper Chattooga
Eight hikers trekked 6 miles up and down the terrain along the beautiful Chattooga River.
Hickorynut Gap
Twelve hikers enjoyed a sunny day hiking 6 miles through an upland forest from the summit of Sassafras Mountain.
Oconee Connector to Oconee State Park
8 Hikers enjoyed 6.5 miles under sunny skies on a picturesque fall day.