On January 3, 2019 I made this post on instagram detailing my long-term hiking goals. At the time I was neck deep in nursing school and living in southern Georgia. Checking boxes off these lists seemed a monumental task, but I set small goals and began working toward them. Something about eating an elephant, but I prefer the adage, “How do you walk to Maine? One step at a time.”
I had never heard of Kevin Adams back then. I didn’t yet own his book, though it wouldn’t be long before it came to be considered an essential piece of hiking gear. I didn’t know that some of the waterfalls on my list would come to elude me, and I didn’t know that in addition to these 100 waterfalls, there were hundreds more. Back then, 100 waterfalls seemed like a lot.
When I started the Carolina Mountain Club 100 Waterfall Challenge I had visited a grand total of four North Carolina Waterfalls from the list. I had a long way to go, but I started planning hikes. By the end of that year, I had been to 31 waterfalls! I didn’t even live in the mountains that year, so this really felt like a huge accomplishment. I had also discovered that my quest wouldn’t, couldn’t possibly, end at 100. Not after fellow hiker and waterfaller Aby Parsons mentioned to me that Kevin Adams, the author of the book I’d been using as a guide, had made his own list. And his list? It had 500 waterfalls.
The First Waterfalls
The first few waterfalls on my list were ones I had already visited. All of these were either in Highlands or Franklin. Prior to taking on the Waterfall Challenge I really wasn’t big on hiking to waterfalls. I was, believe it or not, a summit chasing kinda gal. I didn’t want to do a hike if the trail didn’t lead to an awe-inspiring view. Though some of the waterfalls I’d been to already had been spectacular (like Secret Falls in Highlands and Rufus Morgan Falls in Franklin), I just wasn’t sold on falling water.
As I checked off more boxes, something changed. I began to realize that the water brought me more peace than any mountain view ever had. The creeks that feed the diversity of plant life in these mountains also fed my soul. The cascading water that polished the rough rocks was slowly smoothing the jagged edges of my psyche. As I wound may way in and out of the valleys, following moving water deeper into the forest than I’d ever dared to explore before, I felt more a part of the landscape myself than I ever had. Part of it. Not separate from it.
The year 2019 was incredibly difficulty for me. I was living in place I hated and struggling with the rigorous curriculum of nursing school. Everything I’d done prior to that year, from putting myself through grad school, to spending 6 months hiking the Appalachian Trail, to moving into a camper and traveling for two years, had granted me the mental fortitude to bear it– but I was barely hanging on. Searching for waterfalls in my favorite mountains was exactly the respite I needed from the things that were bringing me down. The List gave me a purpose, a new goal to strive for. It was challenging and exhilarating.
One of the first waterfalls I ever hiked to.
What’s next?
By the end of 2019 I had reached a total of 31 North Carolina Waterfalls, and a few SC waterfalls as well. In 2020 I hiked to 108 more waterfalls, reaching a total of 134. So far in 2021, I’m up to 159. I’m planning to go back and make a blog post about some of the more prominent, fun, or memorable waterfalls I’ve visited so far, and I want to move forward with more detailed blog posts about my waterfall hikes. Make sure you subscribe if you don’t want to miss posts!
For more information about the CMC 100 Waterfall Challenge, which I recommend for moderately experienced hikers looking to expand on their knowledge of the region and find new places to explore, CLICK HERE.
For Kevin Adams’ challenge lists, CLICK HERE. His 100 disabled access list is wonderful for locating accessible waterfalls. His own 100 list is appropriate for the moderately experienced hiker. His 500 list is appropriate for advanced hikers with knowledge of route-finding, self-rescue training, and off-trail hiking abilities.
Adventure Like A Girl 
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