Decisions, Decisions

We had canceled our trip West due to the atmospheric river pummeling California. Greenville was our backup trip.  Wednesday morning we awoke to near perfect weather, clear, cool, dry with light winds.  Who says you can't pick your weather?

Cecilia had chosen our planned hike at Jones Gap State park.  It’s a rather popular destination and on weekends you need to make a reservation.  The drive is about an hour North and with our late start the morning chill was done by the time we pulled into the lot.  While the park website warns that you will be turned away when the lot is full, mid week is a great time, we had our pick of spaces.  

After donning our hiking boots we set out along a nice smooth path to the visitor center area.  We had traveled about a quarter mile when it occurred to me that I had not grabbed our water bottle.  I asked CC if "we" had brought any water and luckily "we" had.  This "we" thing is one of the perks of being married.  That is until she tells me that somehow "we" backed the car into the garage.  

Properly provisioned we continued on.  Our goal was Rainbow falls.  On paper it is a 4.4 mile hike but from car to falls and back it is really 5.0 miles.  It is also a climb, you gain 1181 feet on the way up.  I was aware of this fall for a while but the walking and climbing to fall ratio was a bit high, usually I try and find waterfalls that are no more than 3 miles per fall with less elevation change.  

It’s also a bit deceptive.  The first .9 miles are a gentle up slope following the Saluda river on the Jones Gap blue trail.  The Rainbow falls red trail also has a short section that is pretty easy but once you cross the river it gets hard. The terrain is rocky and there are lots of tree roots.  Oh, and it is pretty steep.  

We both work out and past uphill walks have not really pushed us, even at higher elevations.  This trail is a combination of steep slopes and stairs.  There are some flatter sections but not enough to keep our respiration low.  We took several breaks on the way up, mostly to enjoy the view and just maybe to catch our breath.  It rates as moderate on All Trails and that seems like a fair call.

The falls are really nice.  You have a running river section with a small fall and the main drop above.  You can safely cross the river on a series of stones and walk up to the main falls.  The water makes a cool swirl pattern as it falls as well which makes it a bit more interesting,

The morning had been cooler and there was still a bit of ice clinging to the rock face.  Another benefit of the mid week visit was that we had the falls to ourselves.  We hung out watching the water and taking pictures for about 25 minutes before heading down.  

Heading down took a lot less energy.  It is a bit hard on the knees but overall we came down much faster than up.  The trail is a good workout, it is not difficult in the sense that you need any exceptional skill. It really is all about how fast you can push yourself up 1000 feet.

We had considered visiting a second fall but decided we had gotten a good workout and thought that we deserved a snack and a rest.  We headed off for some food and relaxation and then spent the evening having dinner with some old friends.

We had originally planned to come home Friday afternoon but I was watching the weather and it looked like Friday was going to be a wash out with deteriorating conditions in Greenville starting at 8AM.   We really enjoy our hikes but only because we pick our weather.  Hiking in rain and mud is just no fun for us, we are not outdoorsy enough.  The rain and low ceilings actually arrived around 10AM  Friday, right around when we would have been pre flighting.

We only had the forecast on Wednesday but after discussing our options, we decided that we should head out a day early.  Had we departed by mid day Friday, we would have contended with low clouds, rain and possibly a bumpy ride.  

Thursday morning CC headed off to see some friends while is did some work.  We headed to the airport around noon.  I pre-flighted on a warm sunny afternoon.  We departed in clear skies and even had 2-3 knots of tailwind.  Heading home we could see the front forming off to the West.  

Other than a steep descent due to a busy controller, we had an uneventful and smooth ride.  In the end, it was a bit disappointing to have not visited 3 iconic National parks.  Yosemite was a lost cause though, the park was closed for the entire time we planned. That river dumped lots of rain and snow which made the roads impassible.  All was not lost though, I did get my heater fixed, we had a fun time and we are home safe.  In the end some good decisions.