The second hike over the labor day weekend to scout out some potential waterfall hikes for this fall was intended to be a short one to new falls (Pat's Falls and Middle Laurel Falls) on a trail I'd been on before (Laurel Falls Trail in Dennis Cove). It was another bad really day for taking pictures of water but it was a glorious day for going walk-about.
The side trail down to Pat's falls is about 8/10ths of a mile down the Laurel Falls trail. It's a short but excitingly steep descent of 150 feet down the side of the hill. If you like waterfalls this one is definitely worth the effort.
The upper drop is about 8 feet high, the lower is shorter at about 3 ft. The pool at the base is quite impressive, I'm sure it's quite popular with the fishermen - if not it should be. The rocks that makeup the falls are copper colored and covered in some wicked cool green and brown lichens, a really great color contrast with the white water background.
Get back up on the trail and continue toward Laurel Falls. About another 4/10ths of a mile and you'll hear the Middle Laurel Falls about 200 feet below the trail - yep, that's 200 feet of straight down the mountain holding onto roots, trees and anything else that's handy. You might want to skip this one because of the treacherous nature of the trip up and down, and the falls themselves are not the most special ones around. The falls are really just an 8 foot high cascade that empties into long pool, but there are several cascades in th area that are just as nice and easier to get to. I snapped a few pictures which were ok, but again, this was not the best day for water snapping pictures. I collapsed my hiking stick and used it like an ice axe to crawl up the side of the mountain to get back on the trail.
I intended to continue on to Laurel Falls proper but by this time there were several folk on the trail, and if you've ever been to Laurel Falls you know how much work it takes to climb the rock stairs back up the hill once you make the trip down the hill. I was tired, so I trekked back out to the truck, maybe next time.
The side trail down to Pat's falls is about 8/10ths of a mile down the Laurel Falls trail. It's a short but excitingly steep descent of 150 feet down the side of the hill. If you like waterfalls this one is definitely worth the effort.
The upper drop is about 8 feet high, the lower is shorter at about 3 ft. The pool at the base is quite impressive, I'm sure it's quite popular with the fishermen - if not it should be. The rocks that makeup the falls are copper colored and covered in some wicked cool green and brown lichens, a really great color contrast with the white water background.
Get back up on the trail and continue toward Laurel Falls. About another 4/10ths of a mile and you'll hear the Middle Laurel Falls about 200 feet below the trail - yep, that's 200 feet of straight down the mountain holding onto roots, trees and anything else that's handy. You might want to skip this one because of the treacherous nature of the trip up and down, and the falls themselves are not the most special ones around. The falls are really just an 8 foot high cascade that empties into long pool, but there are several cascades in th area that are just as nice and easier to get to. I snapped a few pictures which were ok, but again, this was not the best day for water snapping pictures. I collapsed my hiking stick and used it like an ice axe to crawl up the side of the mountain to get back on the trail.I intended to continue on to Laurel Falls proper but by this time there were several folk on the trail, and if you've ever been to Laurel Falls you know how much work it takes to climb the rock stairs back up the hill once you make the trip down the hill. I was tired, so I trekked back out to the truck, maybe next time.
Thanks for stopping by to visit. We don't get to spend enough time with you and the family.
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