Hiking in a Monsoon

This past weekend, my out of town cousin was visiting from Virginia and I was determined to show her all of the wonderful things Greenville and the Upstate area has to offer. We did the whole downtown thing on Friday night, took advantage of the outlet shopping opportunities nearby on Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon ventured up to Caesars Head to do a little hiking.

Located just 37 miles from Greenville, I have always tried to take advantage of the trails' close proximity but have not been as much as I would like. We stopped at the Caesars Head State Park welcome area and picnic shelter where I proudly showed her the incredible view from the overlook located just a few feet from the parking area.

We went on the fairly simple and popular Raven Cliff Falls trail that offers a view of the falls and a connection to Dismal Trail, a trail that is aptly named due to portions of it that require a great deal of determination and athletic skill at times. Raven Cliff Falls is also the highest waterfall in South Carolina at 400 feet.

However, we started hearing what I thought was just the sound of the waterfall (I was impressed that we could hear it so well from so far away) but what was in actuality the sound of a torrential downpour hitting the ceiling of tree branches above us. And...we knew we were doomed.

Already three quarters of the way into the hike, there was no turning back and we trudged our way through the mud and heavy rain until we finally made it to the sheltered overlook. But, the rain turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I have never seen the trail so abandoned or the waterfall so beautiful. The fog and steam rising up from the falls and all around us as the rain cleared and the sun came back out was an incredible sight that made me not mind my drenched clothes or squishy shoes.

Though I know now that it was a rookie mistake to not examine the weather forecast more closely before taking off into the woods, the experience was incredible and framed a trail I've been on numerous times in a completely different light. We are so lucky to have access to such beautiful places right at our back door.