As part of our resolution to get out and exercise more, the wife and I went on another day hike. This time we went to Whitewater Falls on the state line. The upper falls are in North Carolina and the lower falls are in South Carolina. The elevation drops more than 400 feet from top to bottom. We parked on the SC side and took the Foothills Trail about a mile to the path down to the lower falls. It was a tough hike, but the view was worth it.
We didn’t see anyone all day until we were near the lower falls when six teenage boys suddenly came running toward us from below. They were all giggling uncontrollably. When they saw us, they immediately went quiet, blushed a little, and scurried up the mountain. The wife and I looked at each other perplexedly and we kept on trekking. After another hundred yards, we finally reached the lower falls. As I started bouldering over to the bridge across the water, I spied a couple in their early twenties laying on a large rock in the middle of the stream. The guy was quickly pulling his pants up and the girl was rearranging her sweater. All of a sudden, we realized why the teenage boys had been smirking and acting so awkwardly. I turned around to the wife, giggling to myself, and gave the couple and minute to compose themselves. The girl picked up a book, the guy acted like he was taking a nap, and the wife and I finally got to explore the area.
After resting for ten minutes or so, we climbed the grueling trail from the bottom up to the Upper Falls viewing area and got a view of the majestic falls. By the time we got back to the car, we had hiked the hardest three miles of our lives. I swear it was uphill both ways. Click on the first image to enlarge. It may take a moment to load, then use your right arrow key to advance:
