Foothills Trail Thru-Hike Days Three and Four!
No, my sleeping pad is still not fixed but at least I saw more waterfalls!
Hello everyone! Welcome back to Callie Hikes, the blog where we reminisce about our backpacking endeavors that we hate in the moment, but then talk about incessantly to whoever will listen to us for years afterward. And that’s exactly what we’re doing today! Days three and four on my Foothills Trail thru-hike were when I started to feel confident about finishing the trail. That may sound silly, to not expect to finish something you’ve been preparing for the past few months. However, for me, I knew I could legitimately hike this trail. I just didn’t know if I would. On these days, I realized just how cable I am and regained a sense of pride for my abilities as a hiker and as a human being who is still trying to love herself fully.
Day Three
I left Whitewater campsite the morning after hiking 23 miles and hobbled down the trail as I tried to telepathically force some life into my dead legs. It wasn’t until a few miles in for the day that I decided to stop by the Whitewater river and chow down on some cold-soaked oats from Outdoor Herbivore. Sitting on the rocks with the sun gleaming down was the absolute best way I could have started the morning. Like the day before, I was lucky to be graced with perfect weather conditions. It was a little chilly in the beginning. However, a few hours into the day I was shedding layers like crazy. This action seems odd for winter, but I’ll take being hot and sweaty over painfully numb and cold any day.
Pretty soon, I started the long logging road section. Before this hike, I had heard from other hikers that this was the most boring part of the trail. However, I honestly kind of enjoyed the wider trail, crunchy leaves, and distant views of the surrounding mountains. Intermittingly throughout the day, I would walk along the forest roads and then dip down below to some sort of water source. Then, the trail would climb back up and meet up with the logging roads again. While it did get monotonous, the gentle climbs on the roads were a nice change of pace from the steep drop-offs and practically vertical wooden stairs lodged into the hillsides.
On one of the lower sections, I came across a side trail that went to Hillard Falls. After reading the sign on the side of the creek, I learned that this waterfall was named after Glenn Hillard who is the co-founder and first chairman of the Foothills Trail Conference (later called the Foothills Trail Conservancy). It was nice to take some time to read about the Foothills Trail’s history and marvel at how cool it would be to have a waterfall named after you.
It’s amazing to think about how much time and energy it takes to plan/construct an entire long distance trail from scratch. And not only that but to keep it maintained for years afterward so hikers like me can enjoy it is just beyond admirable. To give back, I made a mental note to sign up for a Foothills Trail Conservancy membership after my hike was over and then kept moving forward.
After climbing up onto the forest service roads from Hillard Falls, I stumbled across another exciting sign that tickled me to death. At 38.1 miles into the trail, I was halfway there! I stopped to have my tuna wrap and chips there and just could not stop smiling at how far I had come. I knew I still had quite a ways to go, but if I could make it that far, I knew for a fact that I could make it to Table Rock State Park. I did a quick little happy dance and then went back to hiking.
The rest of the day was spent focusing on getting to my campsite before dark. I would follow the same pattern of going up very far and then down very far over and over again until finally, I made it to Gorges State Park in North Carolina. From there, I still had a couple more miles to knock out before I could call it quits for the day. At this point, my body was throwing a temper tantrum. My shoulders ached more than they ever had before, my feet screamed as they formed new callouses, and my overall energy level was depleting fast. After stopping to take a few pity party moments, I finally made it across the most fantastic suspension bridge across the Toxaway River flowing into Lake Jocassee.
From there, I settled at one of the many established campsites near the lake and took no time to get my tent up. For dinner, I had some black bean tacos topped with vegan squeeze cheese and lime power. This totally hit the spot after some hot chocolate and a few moments inside my cozy sleep system. However, the peace died when my sleeping pad continued to deflate throughout the night despite my desperate attempts to patch up the holes. After the 17 mile day and a vicious fight to keep my pad inflated, I was just too tired to care. Another fun, mostly sleepless night.
Day Four
The next morning, I left camp later than I normally would (9 am) and started planning what the day would bring as I hiked. Just a mile away from the Toxaway campsites was apparently the hardest part of the entire trail according to other hikers: Heartbreak Ridge. I am not really a fan of fearmongering and try to face every trail challenge with an open mind, but this small part of the trail made me worry a little. Heartbreak Ridge is a steep incline to the top of a ridge where you can see a full view of Lake Jocassee below. After walking on the ridgeline for some time, the trail takes a sharp decline and connects back to the old forest roads.
There were A LOT of steps! I counted 298 steps to the top. It was a tough climb, but it was also very short, so I wouldn’t necessarily think it’s the hardest part of the entire Foothills Trail. It helped to take a few breaks to catch my breath. However, it definitely wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I quickly tackled this chunk of trail and then continued to march along more logging roads, which eventually led me to two more fantastic waterfalls!
First, I encountered Laurel Fork Falls and got to eat lunch at the campsite on top of the falls. Then after following Laurel Fork Creek for a few more miles down the trail, I reached Virginia Hawkins Falls. Seeing two waterfalls during my last full day was one of the highlights of the entire trip. Sure, my body was beyond exhausted and there were parts of myself that were ready to be done with living in the woods, but it was moments like these that made the tough parts worth it. As I hiked to Chimneytop campsite for my last night on the Foothills Trail, I remember just feeling so happy and content with how everything had gone.
Backpacking is hard. Carrying your home on your back for dozens of miles is hard. Being alone in the woods for days on end is hard. However, doing all of these hard things voluntarily not only made me realize that I am capable of much more than I originally thought, but it helped me learn to appreciate myself for who I am in the moment. Stripping all comforts from my world and just living as simply as I could for a few days, walking, walking, and walking some more; this all showed me that I can hold love for the parts of myself that are hard to love sometimes. It was good to feel this, even if those feelings don’t stay for long.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for day five to be posted next Tuesday! Also, another video covering days three and four will be linked at the end of this post.
See you out on the trail!