Crabtree Falls 4/29/13

 

 The hike to end all hikes!
 

This was the longest, toughest, most beautiful hike we’ve done.

 

 

Crabtree Falls has 800+ feet of elevation gain in the first mile. The trail is 1.7 miles to the top of the waterfall. It is full of switchbacks and has steps (with railings) in the worst spots. It’s very shady and beautiful and has many observation and photo spots.
 

 

Lots of rest spots and photo ops.

Thank God.

 

 



 



 



They mean it. There have been over 20 deaths.



 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Dave.

 

 

Dave is in a cave. 

Awwwww. 



The top.

Yep, made it!



There is a little walled off seating area. DO NOT GO ON THE ROCKS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the top of the waterfall--a Clif bar never tasted so good!--we hiked 1.3 miles up to the meadow. This is an uphill trail along the prettiest mountain stream imaginable, past “our” backpacking camping spot. Of course, we didn’t actually camp there, but we’d love to some time.

 

 

(Shortly after this, the battery on my phone gave out so there were no pictures until we recharged. )

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wandered around through the meadow for awhile searching for the AT trail head. Then we found the correct side and the correct road but turned off onto a GWNF trail before we got to the actual AT. We hiked @1 mile out and turned around. (Later, with more research, it turns out we were less than .5 mile from the trailhead.) I was so bummed that we didn’t get on the AT. From there we hiked all the way back down to the lower parking lot. Man, downhill hurts my knee.

 

We hiked a total of 8.2 miles up and back. In the future it would be good to leave a car at the top parking lot. Then we could hike up the falls, go up to the AT and hike a little, then come back down to the top parking lot and drive down instead of walking all the way back down the falls.

 

 On the way out we DROVE PAST the AT parking lot at the bottom of the mountain. But of course. Dave whipped around and we went and walked up it a little and got some pictures.