The Chattooga Conservancy, in cooperation with the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT), is leading a trip into the Overflow Wilderness Study Area in Blue Valley on Friday, May 12th. The excursion will involve a short, ½ mile hike to Picklesimer Rock House, and several stops in Blue Valley to see evidence of an old amethyst mine, a mountain bog and an old grave yard.
The group will meet at 9 a.m. at the Peggy Crosby Center in Highlands, NC. Space is limited, and reservations are required. Call Chattooga Conservancy at (706) 782-6097 for more info. Call HCLT at (828) 526-1111 to sign up.
Picklesimer Rock House is a deeply recessed grotto beneath a large rock shelf, over which plunges a 40 foot waterfall past the entrance to the dry, open cave below. It is named for Benson Picklesimer, also known as the “Old Highlands Hunter,” the son of a German gun maker, who lived on nearby Clear Creek in the late 1800’s. On the way in, and a little further past the Picklesimer Rock House on Forest Service Road 79, we will make several stops. The hike will focus on both the cultural and natural history of the area.