Dashboards and Saddlebags the Destination Magazine™ Issue 022 January 2013 | Page 21

then to Triple Falls. Usually, I park
at the Hooker Falls parking area
to visit Hooker and Triple Falls.
I thought that I’d change a little
this time.
As I walked up the gravel road
(Buck Forest Road), I ate my second
sausage and egg biscuit. The air
was clean and the sun felt good.
After a short time, I realized that I
was overdressed and took off my
sweatshirt. I still worked up a sweat.
The hike to High Falls was relatively
easy until I walked down to the
base of the falls. The steps and
roots were very slippery. I thought
that if I fell and twisted my ankle
or broke my leg, I’d be there for
a long time. I was all alone at the
falls. I was very careful as I walked
down to the base of the falls and
took some great shots along with a
video clip. There was a lot of water
coming over the falls and the spray
felt good – it cooled me down.
The walk up from the base of the
falls is strenuous to say the least
and the trail is a little rough too.
After I got back on the main trail,
I took a few more photos but the
sun was in the wrong location. It
was behind the waterfall and I
was looking straight into it. The
pictures still came out OK but if
I were there later in the day, they
would have been much better. I
would have been able to see the
covered bridge which crosses the
Little River just above the falls.
I walked down Triple Falls Trail
which runs parallel to the river. The
river looked so calm. It’s hard to see
the actual volume of water moving
until you get to the waterfalls.

After a few minutes, I started to hear
the water falling over the falls. It got
louder the closer I got. I stopped at
the Triple Falls overlook where they
built a very nice shelter for picnics
or get-togethers. It has a perfect
view of all three waterfalls.
I like to visit the waterfalls during
the winter because the foliage is
off the trees. Sometimes during the
summer or fall, the trees obscure
part of the waterfall. It’s like that
throughout the mountains during
the winter. I see things buried in
the woods that are completely
hidden any other time of the year.
After spending some time at the
overlook, I decided to take Triple
Falls Trail back to Buck Forest
Road. It should have been about
a quarter mile shorter that going
back past High Falls. It might have
been shorter but it seemed like it
was all up hill. It was also boring
with not a lot to see along the way.
Occasionally there was a view of the
mountains through the trees but
most of the time; it was just trees
and more trees. Eventually I got
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