Sat, Mar 2 2019 - Panthertown Valley - Day Hike (View Original Event Details)
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We had a stellar adventure, moving through rhododendron tunnels, crossing creeks, plodding along mucky trail sections, and climbing up and down plutons. What is a pluton, you say? Why, a pluton is a body of intrusive igneous rock (called a plutonic rock) that is crystallized from magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Think El Capitan or Half Dome out in Yosemite National Park. In fact, Panthertown Valley is known as "the Yosemite of the East" due to its preponderance of distinctive granite domes.
After the requisite Ingles stop, we hopped onto the Panthertown Valley Trail before turning onto Deep Gap Trail and down to Frolictown Falls. Next, the Granny Burrell Falls Trail took us to the Great Wall Trail. There was no mistaking the Great Wall as it loomed 300 feet above us. We changed into water shoes for a chilly knee-deep crossing, then changed back for the climb up Big Green Mountain. Back down, and then up Little Green for lunch with a view. Not a bad view at all. And the menu was not bad, either: hummus wraps, avocado, Korean sweet potato, yogurt, coconut water, and good ol ham and cheese with mayo on white bread, just to name a few.
Sated, we departed the mountaintop and onto more backcountry trails to find Schoolhouse Falls. The water was really tumultuous after all the rain we've had. We finally began the gradual two-mile climb out of the valley, but didn't leave before taking one more very worthwhile side trip down to the bottom of Wilderness Falls. We celebrated our extraordinary day with Mexican food and tasty beverages at La Pachanga.
This day was lit!
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