July 30, 2011: Seth O'Shields joined me on a misty Smoky Mountain morning to bushwhack up the Roaring Fork Branch, reputed to be the steepest creek in the Great Smoky Mountains. I had been torn between either heading up Styx Creek through Huggins Hell, or this, the Roaring Fork Branch bushwhack. Temperatures were forecast to reach the mid-90s today, so I chose a route that would keep deep in a north-side creek drainage where hopefully, the temps would be just a little more tolerable. My off-trail luck continued, with the creek being kept cool by low clouds blowing across the summit of Mt. LeConte.

On the map above, the blue line shows the route that we followed up to the switchback on the Trillium Gap trail, shown in black. The red line shows the route that leads to the spring below the Lodge on Mt. LeConte. We knew that we needed to take a right-hand fork in the creek to climb on up above Twin Falls and Dome falls to the Lodge, but I ended up going the same way that I did when I climbed the route several decades ago. It's all good though - we still got in a terrific climb through some spectacular wild country, with a monstrous waterfall/cascade climb right at the end. Now we'll have an excuse to go back to try the other route. The route is only a little over a mile in length, with a climb of around 1,500 feet. Doesn't sound like much, but that is Smoky Mountain off-trail distance, which isn't the same as normal distance.

Grotto Falls, with the Trillum Gap trail passing behind the curtain of falling water.

Our route for the day climbs the steep bank to the right of the falls.

Indian Pipe was growing all along the creek, with this stand being within a few feet of Grotto Falls.

Seth starts the climb that will end several hours later.

I didn't notice the initials on the log above when I was taking the photo. It's only a hundred feet or so above Grotto Falls. It would be the last sign of human presence that we'd see until we emerged onto the Trillium Gap trail hours later.

OK, it's time for the standard disclaimer. This is a risky, dangerous, potentially fatal pastime. There is a very real possibility of broken bones, snakebite, drowning, or even death. Nobody should attempt following our path without having years of experience, or at least traveling with somebody that has a lot of off trail experience. If you get hurt, help is far away and extrication will be difficult. Be sure to carry the 10 essentials whenever you head into the backcountry and especially if you plan to leave the established trails in the park. This is not an activity for the inexperienced or out of shape!!!
Having said that, I take no responsibility for the stupidity of others. I am a kayaker, but seeing videos on You Tube of extreme creek kayakers boofing off of 100 ft. waterfalls will not inspire me to do the same. The web is full of stories, photos and videos of extreme skiiers and snowboarders jumping off of cliffs and racing avalanches down remote peaks. Again, I'm a skiier - or was - but I know better than to try emulating those who are skilled enough to enjoy skiiing the ragged edge. Name the sport, and there is somebody that enjoys it so much that they devote much of their life to it, putting much effort in learning how to do it as safely as possible without taking away from the excitement and sense of exploration that makes it worth doing to begin with. Do not think that this sport is any different simply because the equipment that is used is less expensive. If you really want to try it, be sure to do so with somebody that has experience first.
As we hiked off the mountain later in the day, we ran into a young couple that was camping at Trillium Gap and the guy asked me about the campsites down at Grotto Falls. Huh? We explained that there are no camp sites at Grotto Falls and gently explained that there is also no camping allowed at Trillium Gap. They didn't have a clue. They had looked one of the big Nat Geo maps of the park and had noticed that Roaring Fork ran from Grotto Falls up to near "another trail." They were thinking about backpacking up the creek until it reached the trail and camping there the next night. I told them as clearly as possible that what they were considering was illogical and dangerous in the extreme, with big cliffs and slick rocks all along the route. Undeterred, they were still discussing the possibility of trying to bp up the creek the following morning when we left them at the Gap. So... like I say, I am not responsible for the stupidity of others. Don't mean to be callous, but folks, that's just how it is.