Let's Talk Catawba.

I miss you, Asheville...

I spent my summer in Asheville, North Carolina amongst the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains. It was a wonderful summer. I actually made friends this time around and I got out of the house and made a person of myself. The mountains make for a lot of hiking, obviously, and there are way too many trails for a person to do in the course of three months. However, I happened to discover a beautiful trail by the name of Catawba Falls and it really is one of the most spectacular land formations I've seen in a long time. It's not on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but just a little farther east in the Pisgah National Forest. I swear, no one would ever know that Catawba exists because it's hidden along a tiny, winding road that's right off the exit. This tiny, winding road extends very far back and a traveler can tell it's a rugged place when a surge of kudzu envelops the trees, wires, and sides of houses. No one keeps it cut down this deep into the mountains.
When I finally arrived at the place, I couldn't even tell that it was the trail head but the gathering of cars was definitely a giveaway. My uncle, aunt and her nephew accompanied me on this hike. It starts off looking like an average trail - trees everywhere, level, rocks and roots littering the path - and I assume this will probably lead to an average looking waterfall. The trail begins to incline, creeks split the trail at various intervals, and at one point, we are bouldering up some rocks just to continue the hike. Bouldering wasn't too big of a deal; it is climbing large rock formations that are so easy no ropes are needed.
Like all waterfall trails, as you get closer the sound of the rushing water gets louder and louder. At one point, hearing some rushing water, I believed we had arrived. I found out quickly that the waterfall I was looking at wasn't even the main course. This pre-waterfall was a sight either way. It was surrounded by a large stone dam that was evidently man-made and very old. There was moss growing on it and the stone was incredibly worn down. The waterfall appeared to have weathered through a corner of the dam that allowed it to run freely off the side of the mountain and down into a pool.
Now let's move on to the waterfall of the hour. The trail snaked up and up, more boulders, more creeks, and at one point we almost lost our way because the trail isn't very clear cut, but we found the markers and continued on our way. Finally, just as I thought I couldn't take anymore of this trail, we rounded a corner and there it was. Catawba Falls - much more than that average waterfall I assumed to find.
Catawba was beautiful. It is a multi-layered, moss veiled, rhododendron littered, mist surrounded piece of land that looks like something out of the Road to El Dorado. The trees created a bouquet of shade and the water was ice cold (just like good mountain water should be). I figured, why not climb up the layers? I can be somewhat of a thrill seeker and when I looked at the falls, yeah, they were about 20 feet high but the individual layers simulated a giant staircase that was easily bouldered. The water rushed all around my ankles at its shallowest but could get to as deep as my waist around some of the pools that nestled in the layers of the falls. I lost my footing on one layer and plummeted into a pool that rose to my midsection. The immediate chill of the water caused me to gasp for air and I attempted to get out of that water as quickly as my frozen arms could hoist me out. One thing I love about mountain water is that even though it is cold as all hell, once you're out of the water and stand in a patch of sunlight or let that hot summer air hit, you're warmer than you were before and ready for another round.
The good thing about Catawba is that this hike is not over yet. If you climb the main waterfall like I did, and find a path that exits from the water to the mountain side, there is yet another path. This path leads us to the grand post-waterfall. The entire trail is a steep, steep incline and at one point, the rangers fastened a rope into the rocks so hikers could have the additional help in getting to the top of this incline. Most of the time for balance, I'd grasp at rhododendron branches that stuck out everywhere. There are many side trails and faux-trails that have been created by animals and hikers alike so it's easy to misplace your steps if you have not hiked here before. I am glad I had my uncle to keep us on the right track. The post-waterfall is that "average" waterfall, one usually thinks of. A straight down, wide, and rushing waterfall that drains into a huge pool and wildly rushes away, pouring into the layered waterfall 100 feet below. This is a waterfall, that as much as I tried to figure out a way, I just could not climb. So I swam in the pool beneath it with frequent intervals of getting out to warm myself and jumping back into the icy freeze.
I tried to look up some history of the Catawba Falls but I did not find much. Maybe I just didn't look hard enough. I'm not even sure how my uncle heard of the place. He just knew how to get there. Whatever the history, Catawba is one of my favorite sites in all North Carolina.  The location is an adventure and the sights are beautiful... Absolutely breathtaking. I was not expecting to run into something so outrageous when I started down the Catawba trail that day but I more than approved of what I did see.

Here's a couple pictures: