Splashing and Hiking at Angel Falls

A week ago, only two days after completing my day hike on the Tallulah Gorge Floor Trail with a bunch of teenagers, we headed out as a family to hike Angel Falls trail near Lake Rabun (maybe because I'm a glutton for punishment or maybe I felt a little guilty that I got to go on the Tallulah Trip and The Hubs didn't.)  I sucked it up and without one complaint (eckhmm) went hiking with the boys.

Group shot in front of Panther Falls

Quick Review of the trail (if you don't care, keep scrolling):  The trail to the two waterfalls is a couple miles or more one way depending on which source you check.  It is a moderate hike with some flatter path mixed in with some short but very steep parts.  Some of the steep parts are very narrow with barely enough room for one person, and only some of it has guide rails (metal rope?).  So it would be very difficult to help a small child on part of the path.  

We hiked to Panther Falls and took a couple pictures before continuing straight on to Angel Falls.  Unfortunately, the trees were so overgrown that we could only see the bottom of Angel Falls.  The falls went up much further than I was able to capture in pictures or video.  We might have to go back in the winter when we could more likely see all the way to the top.

The bottom of Angel Falls

(he was right)

We stopped to play in the water of Panther Falls on the way back down.

Not sure about the cold water

Matthan was a little hesitant but loves playing in the water.  He could have thrown rocks all day.  He was really funny about squatting down himself to pick up the rocks so he "made" us do it, which is why we didn't let him do it all day.

Getting Daddy to pick up rock after rock

Matthan-Daddy Love

Throwing more rocks

Matthan took a branch to the face somewhere along the hike which just barely missed his eye.  Daddy put some cold water on it quickly and you could barely see it after a little while.  He was a trooper.

"More rocks, more rocks!!"

A couple of sources said that you can swim in Panther falls, but unless your definition of swimming is flailing like a beached whale in 3 inch deep water, then just be prepared for a little wading.