Lanning Ridge Road to Tom's Spring Falls
Oct. 3rd, 2023 12:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerNorth Carolina Travelog #23
Near Brevard, NC - Fri, 22 Sep 2023. 6pm
There are a number of reasons you might pick one trail to hike over another. One reason is you prefer the scenery on that trail. That was the case with the trail to Tom's Spring Falls; we wanted to see a waterfall. I'd proposed another trail, to the top of a peak near the Blue Ridge Parkway, but Hawk shot that down. "There's no waterfall there, is there? This trip is all about waterfalls." 🤣
So we're on this trail to see a waterfall. And we're also on this trail because, frankly, it's short and easy. We've had a long day today, spending a bit longer on driving between places than we had estimated, plus also adding in some unplanned stops when we learned about— or saw trail signs for— waterfalls along the way. For example, our visit to Silver Run Falls fits that description. The hours of the day passed leaving not long before sunset.
Even around 5:40 when we started it was already getting into the golden hour. That's the time when the sun is low in the sky and casts a more golden colored light on things. Dusk comes soon after that here as the Blue Ridge Mountain rises 2,000 - 3,000 feet above us just to the west.
We parked at the trailhead for the Lanning Ridge Road, an old fire road. We crunched across its gravel surface 100 yards before crossing a planked bridge over a stream (photo above), then returned to crunching on gravel the rest of the way.
Just because it's getting late in the day doesn't mean we don't stop to smell the roses... or check out the butterflies pollinating the flowers. Butterflies seem to like this purple flower that I'm to tired to look up the name of. 😅
Toms Spring Falls is one of those waterfalls that falls over a huge, sloped rock face, in this case at least 60 feet tall, but doesn't have enough water flow to be a gusher. Instead of forms a number of smaller plunges and cascades.
We spent a while at the base of the falls. We climbed up from the main trail on a narrow use trail then scrambled over some downed trees and rocks to get close. We saw a few other hikers pass by; they only snapped photos from down on the main trail before continuing on to points unknown. Why rush it? In beauty I walk.
Near Brevard, NC - Fri, 22 Sep 2023. 6pm
There are a number of reasons you might pick one trail to hike over another. One reason is you prefer the scenery on that trail. That was the case with the trail to Tom's Spring Falls; we wanted to see a waterfall. I'd proposed another trail, to the top of a peak near the Blue Ridge Parkway, but Hawk shot that down. "There's no waterfall there, is there? This trip is all about waterfalls." 🤣
So we're on this trail to see a waterfall. And we're also on this trail because, frankly, it's short and easy. We've had a long day today, spending a bit longer on driving between places than we had estimated, plus also adding in some unplanned stops when we learned about— or saw trail signs for— waterfalls along the way. For example, our visit to Silver Run Falls fits that description. The hours of the day passed leaving not long before sunset.
Even around 5:40 when we started it was already getting into the golden hour. That's the time when the sun is low in the sky and casts a more golden colored light on things. Dusk comes soon after that here as the Blue Ridge Mountain rises 2,000 - 3,000 feet above us just to the west.
We parked at the trailhead for the Lanning Ridge Road, an old fire road. We crunched across its gravel surface 100 yards before crossing a planked bridge over a stream (photo above), then returned to crunching on gravel the rest of the way.
Just because it's getting late in the day doesn't mean we don't stop to smell the roses... or check out the butterflies pollinating the flowers. Butterflies seem to like this purple flower that I'm to tired to look up the name of. 😅
Toms Spring Falls is one of those waterfalls that falls over a huge, sloped rock face, in this case at least 60 feet tall, but doesn't have enough water flow to be a gusher. Instead of forms a number of smaller plunges and cascades.
We spent a while at the base of the falls. We climbed up from the main trail on a narrow use trail then scrambled over some downed trees and rocks to get close. We saw a few other hikers pass by; they only snapped photos from down on the main trail before continuing on to points unknown. Why rush it? In beauty I walk.
