Damascus Adventure Part 4: Backbone Rock and Backbone Waterfall

I could have called this post "BACK to

Backbone Rock" since we were here last year.  

This year's visit was totally different.  Last

year was a damp, drippy day with slippery

stone steps and wet leaves.  Not very good

for a treacherous hike like this.

This display shows how old steam locomotives once
traveled through "The World's Shortest Tunnel" here,
just 5 miles south of  Damascus.

If anything, this is an understatement.
But it's worth the risk.  Just don't take
children up there-- PLEASE!

Going up.  And up. And up.

Don't let the greenery mislead you about the width of
Backbone Rock.  If you step off the rock you see here,
you're goin' DOWN!  A long way.

It's nice up here above the trees.  Certain trees were
starting to turn, but not many.

The scariest spots are where there's only a railing
on one side.  The kind of railing that might keep a
grocery cart from going over the cliff, but not a person.

This might help you visualize just how much you
feel "at one" with the wide open spaces.

You almost feel like you're walking on a bridge that's
not attached to anything.

Anybody have acrophobia?  That's a fear of heights.
What do you call a fear that a mysterious force is
going to grab you and hurl you off a precipice into space?

Sourwood is a real showcase in the fall.

Forget the sourwood.  Let me take my pictures and
get down from here!

That rock is just as narrow as last year.  Our hostess
at the inn told us that the mayor's wife (presumably
of Damascus) either jumped or fell to her death from
backbone rock.  But they don't want additional railings
because it interferes with the natural beauty.  I get that.

We didn't get this far last year, but on the far side of
the rock is another stairway leading down.

Notice the missing railing above.  We found the
missing piece several yards below.  Somebody had
a bad day, I'm afraid.

Every view of Backbone Rock is unique because of
lighting, shadows, and angles.

Another wooly worm (refer to a previous blog post).

This year we discovered Backbone Falls,
a small but lovely waterfall.

Watch this video for a panorama of the falls

and some amazingly calming sounds of nature.

Judy suggested I get a shot of the sunlight filtering
through from above.  Not much touched the ground.

One last view of Backbone Rock.
It seems to be little known except among the local folks.
But I love finding the obscure little secret places.

This is the last of my four blog posts about this
year's excursion to Damascus and the Virginia Creeper
 Trail.  If you missed any of them, please check them out.
 I hope some of my readers add this
beautiful area (less than four hours from Moore
County) to your bucket list.  I feel sure we'll go back.