Caney Creek / Brushy Lake:
August 25, 2012
Bankhead National Forest, AL
Distance: 3 miles
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My first trip out to field test my new dslr camera rewarded me with some decent photos of the upper and lower Caney Creek Falls. The late summer and fall bloom cycle was underway, with a variety of sunflowers, lobelia, phlox and asters. Later, Mark and I visited Brushy Lake and fished for a while, catching and releasing a little more than half a dozen bream. For Josh, exploring the Caney Creek Canyon solidified the need to return here in the spring in hope of finding some special goodies.

Our main worries with this trip and this location were ticks and chiggers. The old roadbed to the falls tends to get overgrown in the summer months, and is nothing but a haven for the itching annoyances. We stopped a few times before the upper falls to photograph some of the later summer wildflowers I’d hoped to see blooming. Among the many were downy lobelia, mountain mint, and rabbit tobacco. We scoured the grassy areas just before the descent into the hemlocks for evidence of Cranefly orchid, in bloom just a few weeks before, but found nothing. We also smelled a campfire somewhere, and soon discovered a group camping above the falls, which made trying to photograph the upper falls without their tents, bright clothing and blur inducing movements annoying. We waited around beneath the falls for a while, I got some tips and tricks on how to properly photograph waterfalls with the new dslr I’d been sent. I also took the time here to dismantle a “new” fire ring in the shelter behind the falls. Why anyone builds these things here is beyond me. Heating a water soaked sandstone outcropping above your head isn’t the best idea.

Soon, we crossed the creek, and took a few photos from a wider angle, though the falls from here looked flat and wasn’t quite as interesting a view. Venturing south on the trail, Josh took note of several areas that might be prime hunting areas for orchids next spring. We found rattlesnake plantain, wintergreen and partridgeberry in bursts all along the route to the lower falls, promising signs of other species that occur much earlier in the year. I’d hoped to find cardinal flower in bloom at the first stream crossing, but nothing doing this time around. There was a fair bit of storm damage here, and we had to wade through the weeds to get around a large tree. At the second stream crossing, the hardest due to a steep, slippery bank, a large hemlock had fallen across. This provided a little help, giving us something to hold on to as we crossed the wet rocks. Not far past here, through what’s usually a very pretty section of the creek, with large mountain laurels overhead, was another section blocked by yet more deadfall. Josh managed to step in a hole here and twisted an ankle, and while he rested I took photos of more sunflowers and ashy hydrangea growing along the banks next to the gentle rapids in the creek bend.

Crossing at the usual shallow section above the falls, I could already tell the flow wasn’t going to be terribly strong. Josh decided to hang back in a shaded spot above the falls while Mark and I explored below. The seasonal falls that usually joins the lower falls here was barely a trickle, which allowed me to get closer than usual to the waterfall for some half decent long exposure shots. Joe-pye weed was in bloom as well, but I never managed to get the plant and the waterfall synched up just right for a photo. We headed downstream to look at the large rock wall and the campsite I stayed at last year and had cleaned up a few months before. To my surprise, the site remained amazingly clean, as did the nearby shelter. We had a leisurely lunch above the falls, rejoining Josh, and Scipio, his faithful chihuahua companion. While they continued to rest, I hopped the creek just above the falls to the large dry area and tinkered with some interesting photography angles of the lower falls. I also came across summer phlox in full bloom, something I’m not sure I’ve seen in bloom before.

The walk back to the upper falls was uneventful, save waiting for a large black snake to meander on past. I never caught a glimpse of it’s head, but it had none of the color markings of anything venomous. Perhaps a rat snake as I’ve seen several of those on hikes this time of year. We briefly spoke to two women and their kids heading to the lower falls for a swim, and, making good time back to the upper falls, stopped for more water and some snacks. It was stifling humid and cloudy, a significant departure from the forecasted 90 degrees and sunny. While we were sitting around, two swallowtails happened to flutter by, and I stalked them until I managed a few photos. They’re hands down my favorite butterflies, and I haven’t seen much of them this year, neither in the wild or in my home garden. After I photographed the wide array of items beneath the falls left bye the group we passed, we set out for our vehicles. The group that had been camping above the falls when we arrived left random cute messages and notes carved in the sandy trail bottom along the way. Back at our vehicles, Josh set out for home, while Mark and I headed to Brushy Lake for a quick round of afternoon fishing. After avoiding some guy who was actively looking for snakes [and he ended up catching a copperhead before we left], we made our way down to the rocky area below the dam. I was quite surprised we didn’t see a single water moccasin. Mark very quickly caught three bluegill, and I finally snagged one. A half a hour or so later, I managed only one more to Mark’s two. Pleased with our efforts, we wandered over through the camping area to survey it as a possible spot for a group trip later in the fall. Hearts-a-bustin was in bloom, and of course I took photos. Then it was back to our vehicle to head home, with thunder rumbling off in the distance.