#5 Go Hiking

Take a hike!

As I child I fondly remember our many family trips to the mountains, Josh and I would spend hours playing among the streams near our campgrounds and hiking through the forest to explore creeks and waterfalls. I especially remember a trip with dad to Yellowstone.


In 2001, Dad and I set out on a 3,000 mile journey to Victoria, British Columbia. I was to spend a semester at the University of Victoria as an exchange student and being the American that I am, I had to have my car. The highlight of our long journey was a quick break in Yellowstone. Other than some adventures with buffalo and the geothermal wonders of the park, one of the most memorable parts of the trip was our adventure down to a waterfall.


So as I was scrolling through my GSA Weekend email, I stumbled upon the words Waterfall Extravaganza. Given that it was approximately 102 degrees on this particular Thursday nothing  sounded more appealing to me. The trip was a four mile hike to 3 of the most spectacular waterfalls in the southeast; Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls.

With an overly packed backpack (seriously, I could have survived in the woods for days), I headed to Dupont State Forest, slightly over the North Carolina state line. What a beautiful day to drive up to mountains! It was 70 degrees, slightly foggy and with the windows and sunroof open, music blaring and heater running, I zoomed my way through the mountains excited to take on another adventure.

After several hours of hiking, we arrived at our final destination of Hooker Falls, which when it comes to people watching is pretty much the North Carolina equivalent of Lake Hartwell. After a little encouragement from our leader Jenna, I climbed over to the waterfall and crawled underneath. (I highly recommend doing this if you ever get the opportunity) After enjoying a few moments underneath the waterfall staring into the massive wall of water pouring over my head, we slid down the rock into the pool below.

I headed back down the mountain with two things on my mind 1) nourishment 2) nap. I stopped by the Bohemian for a to-go burger and after inhaling the thing, it was time for a long afternoon nap. (I think I may have bathed at some point, but there's really no guarantee). I'm really looking forward to recruiting some folks for another mountain trip really soon.

Special thanks to Jenna, Spartanburg Parks Commission's L.E.A.F. program, and the fun people I met along the way. And to HS, I promise to be a bit bolder with my future adventures.

Check it out!

• Dupont State Forest
• L.E.A.F.
• The Bohemian Cafe