I left the house on that sunny spring day. No plans in particular. I had a place in mind that I wanted to go to that day and thought it might be a good idea to map it on Google but I didn't. I knew it was there if I needed it. After 20 minutes in the car going north I only imagined where I would be in an hour. No matter where I would go that day, I knew I would there was a possibility I would see water. I had my daughter Emma with me, who out of the five, has the sense of adventure. Whatever I did, I knew I had to make it good.
While hoping to get as many unknown number of miles I had left on my 10 year old minivan, the main road led me about 70 miles outside of town then to smaller road I had been down before. The cool mountain breeze met us as we made our way to an old country store. Emma's says "I don't like old." Well I guess I struck out there but might be able to make it right with a package of Starbursts. A scenic view was also a part of the package while visiting this general store. We opened the door to the patio which overlooked the view. What I saw reminded me of a particular day never to forget which led to a conversation I had with Emma about the day I almost met Jesus. In person!
It was mid-July in 1991 and I had been invited to go on this adventurous date to a place I had never heard of. Apparently the person who invited me (we'll call him Sam.) assumed that I was some sort of experienced hiker which I was not. So Sam as well as a few more of his friends arrived to this very spot and he asked me if I brought my hiking shoes. Hiking shoes? Just then, I realized my little white slip-ons were likely not going to be suitable but we proceeded anyway. As daring as I can be, if only I had known. It is a story I tell often but my own mother still has never heard.
Slowly we walked down a stairway of about 600 feet to the bottom of an abyss surrounded by trees and rock cliffs in 90 degree weather. The river at the bottom was refreshing and ended where it flowed down a dome shaped rock into the pool below. The water level was dense enough for us to slide easily down the rock for some fun filled outdoor water play. The problem was, unlike the typical water park, there is no where else to go once you slide down. There's you, the water and the steep rock you just slid down. That is it. So I made the difficult climb up the slippery rock and somehow managed to conjure up the courage to slide down a second time.
Luckily a nearby camper wearing a Speedo was set up near the rock and had a first aid kit. He told me that the dressing on my chin would only hold for now until I returned home for stitches. I had to forget about my pain as I had to venture on with the group.
Amazingly, my flimsy shoes held up pretty well as we climbed over rocks, around bushes, through spider webs.... and along the edges of cliffs. I was fine as long as I wasn't thinking too hard about what I was actually doing. After the two mile hike, we finally reached our oasis with a cascading 500 ft water fall in full view. I rested on the rocks while the rest of the group went swimming in the pool where the waters fell. I was in awe of the view and tried not to think about my exhaustion and how we had to hike back the two miles we had come. I don't remember a whole lot about the journey back except I learned that exhaustion in 90 degree heat can mess with your concentration. I realized this after I got spooked while crawling along a very narrow edge of a sheet of rock on which there was room for only me and nothing else. I didn't know how many feet the drop was below but I was aware that there was a drop and that I was going to die if I didn't make it across to the other side. I slowly inched my way across and maintained balance with supernatural strength. That same strength also carried me through when we finally reached the end of the hike the where the 600-foot stairs which were at one point descending now a long ascend awaited. I believed all my angels were real that day. Even the ones who wore Speedos.
It was a quiet ride home in the car with Sam. He never called me again after that day.
The scar on my chin faded away over the years. Today as I stared at the view below and remembered how proud I was to have my day that I got to follow Indiana Jones. I also remembered the archeologist from Raiders of the Lost Arc who stood at the entrance of the snake pit informing Jones that "We are way more comfortable up here." As terrified as I was that day, I was in awe of that view of the falls but was way more comfortable with that alone and did feel like I needed to be some kind of a hero where it had to be so strenuous.
About 20 miles or so back in the direction we came would take us to a place we had not yet ever gone. We turned down a nine mile country road which can at times seem very long when you are somewhere you've never been and the scenery is minimal. We turned when we saw the sign. As spontaneous as I was that day, Emma never once questioned my judgement and seemed oblivious to the fact that I did not know what I was doing some of the time. We pulled in to the parking lot of the welcome center where there was a small gift shop and visitor information. All Emma really wanted to do that day was to buy a sketchpad notebook at Walmart or something. We found one in the gift shop then checked in at the visitors desk to pay admission. We conversed with polite young men who were the attendants that day. They had asked us if we had ever visited or if we lived in the area. We told them that we were from out of town and that we did not have any actual plans for the day and that our visit was rather spontaneous. He replied by telling us that those are the best adventures you can have.
We exited out the back door which led us to a short white gravel trail. We could hear the rushing waters off in the distance but we knew we were close. After just a short bend in the river, the falls were now visible to us. They fell 186 feet leaving a gentle mist as they hit the water below. Many others who were there took pictures on the large rocks around the waters edge, some walked leisurely about and explored their surroundings while some were there for hours just basking in the therapy of just gazing at the beauty. Without a hike. |
| Emma's Sketchpad put to good use. |
Places Visited:
The Tallullah Gorge was formed by the Tallulah river which flows through the geological dome rock formation. It became a national state park which was initiated by Georgia governor Zell Miller and Georgia Power. It has been known to be a location for a tight rope act featuring Karl Wallenda and the waters within the gorge are raised a few times a year for kayaking and whitewater rafting. A permit is now required for hikers who wish to explore the floor of the gorge and regulations have since been established for proper hiking gear.
Toccoa Falls is located in Toccoa Georgia. Tragically, the falls were formed when a dam broke over the city on November 6th, 1977 killing 33 people. As sad as it may seem, the victims of this disaster would be proud that a beautiful memorial for them was formed in it's wake and continues to flow in their honor today.
"Roundabout"-Yes, 1971
