Magical waterfalls: there is nothing in Nature quite as sublime in Daydreaming on the Porch

One of the most magical experiences in the mountains is the possibility of coming across a small, unexpected waterfall as you drive winding dirt or gravel roads up to higher elevations. The air gets cooler, the anticipation mounts, and then you hear, suddenly, that unmistakable sound of rushing water, a rhythmic, mesmerizing sound as some small creek, unrestrained, descends over a ledge or an eroded out-cropping of rock. Some small plumes descend in shimmering sheets of water down the face of the rock. What ethereal beauty! I could spend hours looking at them and meditating in a state of total relaxation. .

Many of the more popular waterfalls are larger and higher, and thunder to the bottom of a gorge or small eroded valley through which the stream or river flows. Yellowstone and Snoqualmie Falls out West in Wyoming and Washington come to mind, as well as the majestic Yosemite Falls in California.

I remember the first time I visited the mountains of North Carolina in the winter of 2974. Actually, it was my first mountain experience of any kind. I was elated, excited, disbelieving. At the first sight of a mountain, I could hardly believe I was witnessing such sublime grandeur. Coming from the flatlands of south Louisiana, I had only lived in South Carolina a year or so before this first opportunity to travel to Blowing Rock and Boone, North Carolina, arrived.

The foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains were an awesome sight to behold as I looked ahead into the distance and tried to fathom what could lay beyond those ancient folds in the land.

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, I saw my first major waterfall, Linville Falls in the Linville Gorge Scenic area. What a majestic sight as the Linville River tumbled over a rock ledge leg in a tumultuous and powerful display of energy.

I’ve since been back to that area and seen other waterfalls, including probably the most perfect and beautiful one I have ever seen, Crabtree Falls, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which can be viewed after a two-mile hike to the base of the waterfall.

Years later, I was able to visit Silver Falls State Park near Salem, Oregon with its ten accessible waterfalls along a loop trail. I have also driven along the unforgettable Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway on the border between Washington and Oregon, and saw many of the magnificent waterfalls that can be viewed from just off the road, such as Multnomah Falls, which at 600 feet is one of the highest in the country. There are smaller, less imposing, but just as wondrous, ribbons of water that seem to come out of the rock and fall straight down vertically as you make your way along the road. You need to have your window down and listen out for the sudden sound of rushing water that can easily be missed.

In Washington State, I took weekend day trips from Seattle to visit favorite waterfalls along the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains. My copy of Gregory Plumb’s waterfalls guidebook was well worn and marked up. It takes a lot of effort and stamina to find many of these off-the-beaten-path waterfalls, adventures I am not likely to pursue alone anymore as I often did years ago when I was younger.

I can stop and look at waterfalls for long stretches of time. The smaller ones have a gentle rhythm that is calming to the spirit. Since the flow of the stream or creek is essentially constant for the short amount of time you are viewing it, the water falls endlessly in gentle pulses that hit the rocks at the bottom in regular intervals. There are few natural wonders in Nature as unearthly and sublime, and as capable of elevating the sense of wonder, as waterfalls.

Some of my favorite waterfalls:

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Last updated August 19, 2024