June 8, 2014 Keowee-Toxaway State Natural Area: The Wild

The rain came down over the mountains last night and this morning there was fog and light rain,  a pleasant cool temperature in the 60's.  Up through Moore and Duncan on 290, then through Greer with it's mammoth churches, a quick left onto Wade Hampton Blvd in Greenville and then a right for several miles merging into Hwy 25 which goes to Asheville, but a left onto scenic highway 11 of the Cherokee foothills which travels along the escarpment.

Soon the fog is lifting, but still over the mountains water filled clouds linger as the sun fills the sky.

I am near the Table Rock entrance when to the left from a narrow driveway in the woods I see a big fat black bear, huge and beautiful, it's front legs with claws gently swaying as it meets the highway and decides to turn and mosey on back into the forest.  I am astonished at this glimpse into the world of wild nature not far from Aunt's Sue's across the road where tourists gather on the porches.  I pass Heaven Hill Rd on the left.  This is where the big bear lives, on the hill of heaven.

I continue up highway 11, pass the entrance to Sassafras Mountain and finally the entrance to Keowee-Toxaway on the right.  The ranger station is open from 11 to 12 and later from 4 to 5:00.  The ranger, Kevin, tells me to take the two trails, clockwise making a big loop.  Here I buy a carved and finished walking stick.  I have passed up so many until this one which I can't resist.

I take the Natural Bridge Trail from the parking lot to the right.  I pass over a rock which forms a bridge over Poe Creek where the cool rushing waters flow under it.  Soon there is a sign which tells you that the Raven Rock Trail goes to the right.  I take it up the mountain to where there are boulders of two or three stories high reaching into the heavens, smoothed by the progress of time and partially covered with moss.
Raven Rock trail curves around and up and down  until it reaches Lake Keowee where at the bottom of the jade colored waters lies the remains of an ancient Cherokee village.  I take time to search for arrow points near the stumps of uprooted trees but find none.  Here and three the trail runs along the edge of deep ravines and where it curves along the lake, there are rocks jutting out with  sharp and deep drop offs. At one place, the trail has completely fallen through and Boo and I crawl across, me holding onto a tree root.

The trail turns back into the mountain forest and later connects  with the Natural Bridge Trail in its upper loop.  This trail runs along Poe Creek again until you come to a rock crossing.  There is a big quartz shaped rock perched on top of the large rocks in the stream.  Later a ranger tells me that they found the rock in the woods and placed it over the rocks in the stream to make it more passable.  From here it is .72 miles back to the ranger station.

Both Boo and I are exhausted.  The ranger station is closed.  My legs have rubbed against poison ivy at many points and so I stop at a grocery store and wash my legs, face and hands with lots of soap and water.