A Slick Saturday!

Saturday was a busy day!  My sis was up when I got up...she was dressed I hadn't even had coffee...LoL.  I was on a mini vacation...

I wanted to stop by Oak Creek Pond one of my favorite ponds nearby...unfortunately it has not recovered from the dam breaking a few years back.  The water is back but I think it will take longer for the plant life in the pond to recover and bring back the ducks, geese, and grebes that used to be all over the place.  We did see one busy Ruddy Duck and a hunting Great Blue Heron. 

Our next stop was to the Campbell Covered Bridge c-1909 to hike the new 1/2 mile loop nature trail one of the scout troops put in.  

The trail was a nice walk in the woods...it's been a while since I have visited this site it is now part of the Parks System of Greenville.  Glad it is being preserved.  The next stop on our whirlwind Saturday was to the mountains above Traveler's Rest.  

                                                               view of Glassy Mountain

We stopped at this newly opened spot, Marci Jo's Old Mountain Store.   They have a simple menu and some very creative hand made gifts...It's a family owned and operated business...dad made all the fixtures, mom makes the crafts, grandma helps out, and daughter works the kitchen and cash register.  

A lovely spot for lunch! 

Since 2010 I've been trying to hike to as many waterfalls in the Upstate region of SC as I can...it has been a long time since I made the effort...I have not given up on this challenge tho.  still a very real goal in my life.  I've been stuck at 55 for a couple of years...so I was thrilled to added more this day! And especially 2 I've been trying to see for a while...I couldn't find the spot where the trail begins...BUT finally we did! 

It's really hard to find; someone painted this Blaze to mark it and that is new, would have helped me find this on the many times I've looked for this trail before.  It is not a long hike but it was challenging due to the slippery rocks, the roots, and the fallen leaves. 

This is Slickum Creek.  Maybe it gets that name due to the slippery terrain around the creek...The first falls is small but very attractive, named the Last Falls on Slickum. If you start at the top and come down the name makes sense. There is 3 more falls up the mountain, but that trail is located in a different place.

The trail  follows the edge of the creek, and goes up.   And eventually after 0.2 mile you come to

Sweet Thing on Slickum.  It has the right name, it is very sweet!

 

You have to do some butt sliding to get down to it, but it's worth it! Love the way it splits after the pool and falls again...really a small jewel. 

                      

and the look downstream...a moss covered log leads the way 

Sweet Thing is about an 18 ft drop...would be a great one to stand under in summer! 

The woods here are a thick Rhododendron/Oak/Hickory type.  Difficult to hike around you have to weave over and under the fallen logs and the tangled vegetation...but it sure was a reward to see the little falls. 

There was enough of a canopy for me to try for a longer exposure...and I like the effect...

We got pretty hot since it warmed considerable this weekend...it rose to about 70! Back in the car we drove with the moon roof open to cool off on the way to our next planned hike on the Oconee Bells Nature Trail a 1 mile loop.  This hike is inside the Devil's Fork State Park on the shores of Lake Jocassee.  A really beautiful man made lake.

The hike is also another woods trail...and the star of the trail is the Oconee Bells a small ground cover plant that produces small white flowers in the spring..it's rare and this is one of the few areas where it can still be found.   We want to come do this trail again in Spring to see the flowers...

A creek runs along the trail for a while before we ascend back to the parking lot...and I didn't realize till later this little water fall is listed in the Waterfall Hikes of Upstate SC the book I use as my field guide for waterfall hiking, this is the Oconee Bells Falls! CaChing #58.  The book contains 125 hikes, but many are on private property...so those I probably won't get to see...but there's also some roadside ones I haven't driven to yet, and the rest are the ones listed as Difficult hike...so gotta get in better shape for mountain hiking. 

It was getting late when we got back to the car I snapped a few shots of the lake with the evening sun making it all aglow...

Then off we headed to home, the Moon was just awesome that night...

What a Great Weekend!! 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.