Spending the night at Tallulah Gorge State Park, the next morning, I head out on foot for the Tallulah Gorge to view and photograph the Falls. It’s just a short hike from the campsite down to the trailhead at the foot of the US-23 bridge at the top of the gorge. There is a dam here and the trail follows the river and quickly begins descending into the gorge. Stairways are provided to slow bank erosion and to allow for hikers to access the bottom of the gorge.
I descend as far down at the suspension bridge a little less than halfway down and I cross the river at that point. I begin my ascent back up the stairs on the other side. Just nine weeks after my quadruple bypass surgery, I ascend the equivalent of 34 flights of stairs back to the top, cross over on the US-23 bridge and return to camp, another uphill climb.
I obviously had to make several stops on landings on the way back out. My motivation has always been that I refuse to be that guy on the 6 o’clock news that shows a helicopter rescue off of the side of a mountain somewhere. I’d prefer to get to the top before the medical personnel take over, thank you.
I stay another day for rest and recovery and to do a little site-seeing, then head home in ernest.