Have you ever been completely surrounded by waterfalls? And that no matter what direction you turned, your eyes landed on falling water? Let me tell you, show you, what a beautiful sight this is.
I definitely consider myself a waterfall chaser. I could see a waterfall every single day and never tire of the sheer beauty. Big or small, tall or short, loud or quiet, waterfalls are some of the most amazing, breathtaking wonders that God has created. Something about the lovely sound of rushing water cascading off rocks and crashing into a pool of water or more rocks below; something about the white curtain of water running down the edge of a cliff; something about the trickling effect of high volumes of water crashing together; I can’t get enough. So when we hiked Rock Island State Park in Tennessee, let me be the first to tell you I was floored. The waterfalls took my breath away, weakened my knees.
Let me take you back to the beginning of this state park to put everything into perspective. It was early November, and we embarked on an adventure in Tennessee for my birthday. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect: 75 degrees, sunny, and a slight breeze billowing through the trees. The bright orange, red, and yellow leaves still clung to the trees; some fell like shimmery diamonds in the sunshine. (I remember being hypnotized by a particular “diamond shower.” In the distance, amidst acres of gold and fiery red and orange trees, leaves were slipping off limbs, sparkling in the golden sunshine as they drifted to the ground.) Every single hiker that we passed was in a great mood, his spirit instantly lifted by not only the weather, but the sheer wonder of this park. The park was named accurately because a long river ran down the middle, dotted with thousands of rocks of all shapes and sizes that hikers could use as stepping stones to pass through the park. Though the area was tremendously beautiful, we definitely were traipsing haphazardly, slipping on rocks and trying to avoid the occasional rushing current. I even slipped at the base of a waterfall that cascaded off a cliff on the edge of the river, but when I regained my footing, I was only worried about my camera, not my scraped hands, knees, and elbows.
I felt like I was playing hot lava from when I was a child, but instead of hopping across pillows and cushions in our basement, I was hopping from one rock to another, careful to avoid the rushing water in between. Suddenly, after crossing hundreds of rocks, we found ourselves surrounded by three unnamed waterfalls. Three waterfalls that we had no idea existed. It was a beautiful, unexpected surprise that absolutely floored me. Three waterfalls of different sizes, volumes and sounds surrounded me, all falling into a seemingly deep, dark blue pool. Looking back toward the path we had just crossed to get there, I spotted a massive waterfall in the distance. That was the one I had expected, but suddenly my head turned back to the ones directly in front of me, and I felt extremely grateful to be witnessing such a magnificent wonder. I could sit there forever. While my wife flew the drone overhead, capturing both my amazement and the display of waterfalls, I stood and soaked it all in.
We played hopscotch as we bounced over rocks in the direction that we came from, careful to find a path that would lead us to our next destination, Twin Falls. This was the waterfall that we could see in the distance. We attempted several different paths, backtracking quite a few times, to get to the other side so we could view the waterfall. We’d sit on rocks, contemplating our next steps and mapping our route. We stumbled on another waterfall below a rock wall. This park was an endless smattering of beautiful falls and rocks, scattered as far as we could see.
After crossing the rock-sprinkled river, slipping through a thin forest with twigs crunching under our feet, and passing a swimming hole beneath a rock wall, we arrived to our final destination! Twin Falls.
We slipped through thinning branches with colorful leaves still clinging on, and carefully stepped down a steep, rocky hill to the water. The river continued to flow with its soft, soothing current, and the massive, wide, cascading waterfall trickled down the rocky wall and crashed into the river below. We both stared at the wonder for several minutes, enthralled by its beauty, before we climbed back up the hill and hiked the tricky path back to the trailhead.
The hike back proved to be the lengthiest. We scrambled to find a spot where we could safely cross the river. Eyeing the strong currents, rushing water, slippery rocks and flowing waterfalls that still scattered the river, we attempted to backtrack the way that we’d came, but the routes looked similar. Before we knew it, the sun was beginning to set, the sky smeared with darkening hues of pink and orange, and we were forced to remain calm and not entangle ourselves in a swirl of panic. Level-headed, we safely hopped the slippery boulders back to the trailhead.
Breathless, pink-cheeked, and eyes closed, a smile crept onto my face. This hike, this adventure, this rocky haven would forever be go down in history as one of my favorite places on earth.
Happy hiking!
Wonder. Wander. Repeat. 