Driving north to
Dupont State Forest, we looked forward to a few days in a temperature cooler than Columbia's 100 degrees. We opted to drive through Hendersonville (rather than Hwy 11) in order to pick up a few last minute provisions on the way. Once we left Hendersonville's city limits, we watched the numbers on the thermometer drop. We made a friendly wager on what the temperature would be when we reached the forest. Laura said, she thought it would be 86. I said 88 and Jay said 89. We weren't asking too much. In the distance, dark storm clouds hovered over the mountains. As we neared, we turned the air conditioner down as the temperature gradually passed each of our predictions to a pleasant low of 76. The cooling effect was brought around by a magnificent thunderstorm.
 |
| Main house at Black Forest Campground |
 |
| Cabin 617 |
We picnicked on the porch of our cabin at
Black Forest Campground and watched the rain. As we pondered a trip to Brevard, the sun began to shine. Jay and I opted for a bicycle ride.We left Laura lying in the hammock reading a novel and headed out for a ride.
 |
| Grassy Creek Falls |
Dupont Forest is crisscrossed with singletrack trails and old country roads that wind up and down mountainsides. Make sure you take a
map.
 |
| Map of Dupont Forest |
This trip to Dupont Forest was highlighted by a series of sky crashing,
earth cooling, thunderstorms. Our days were marked with a thundering
foreboding and ended with the sun peaking out from behind the clouds. On Day 2, we parked in the Lake Imaging lot. We bicycled to Grassy Creek Falls and around Hooker Creek Trail. Thunder could be heard in the distance. We passed a group of girls pushing their bicycles up a steep incline. I could smell the rain coming. Yet we were at least two miles from shelter. The sky was turning dark. I pedaled hard, sweat dripping, dreading the thought of the rain beating down on my glasses. We made it to the shelter at Lake Imaging within minutes of the rain pouring down.
 |
| Lake Imaging |
 |
| Picnicking Day |
Dupont Forest is known as the land of
waterfalls. Day 3, we parked at Hooker Falls. We biked up the road to the High Falls Access Area. We cycled through the covered bridge and around to Bridal Veil Falls (which are famous for their appearance in The Last of the Mohicans and The Hunger Games. We followed the trails around Jim Branch to the new Holly Hill Road back to Hooker Falls.
 |
| Bridal Veil Falls |
 |
| Picnicking Day 3 |
After a picnic lunch overlooking the creek, we headed up to Triple Falls. The thunder started rippling through the mountains. We hiked up amid families heading up the mile long trail to see the falls. We made it up to the first fall, before Jay recommended that we turn around. Jay hurried ahead to get the car. As we made it to the road, he pulled up and the rain started to fall.
 |
| Triple Falls |
No better way to spend a few days - thunderstorms, waterfalls, and picnics with friends.
