Waterfall Chasing: Big Leatherwood & Quarry Falls

Field Notes IV.V: Photographing 2 waterfalls in the Lake Russell Wildlife Management Area, North Georgia

Welcome to Field Notes!

Icicles. I cannot stop thinking of them. Of rays of morning sunlight diffracting through them, glinting with the brilliance of inverted cones of diamond. Use an f-stop setting of f16 or so to create a sunburst effect as the rising sun shines through trees on the hills behind. A waterfall covered in icicles could be a scene so stunning it calls a halt to the machinations of the world, for all to pause in appreciation of its radiance.

Fantasies of ice covered falls have been in my mind for two days. It was then that I bushwhacked through the Lake Russell Wildlife Management Area to find several small off trail waterfalls. Spray at the base of Split Rock Falls coated a fallen branch creating a thick coating of ice.

That day was overcast and above freezing. In the days ahead the skies would clear, but temperatures would drop into the low 20’s. Surely water would freeze. I had to go back.

A major hindrance to photographing waterfalls in winter conditions is simply that there are none in my immediate area. Snow and ice would allow for very interesting compositions, but to capture the photos I would have to drive in hazardous conditions for long distances. Could snow chains for the truck tires be a solution? Generally, there just aren’t enough days of wintery weather here to justify considering it.

Now that I know of the area and the number of waterfalls it holds, the sub 1 hour drive on fairly flat and straight roads is a tempting possibility. Even if there were snow on the ground. Wheels grind across the gravel as I once again pull into the parking lot of the Frady Branch Trail System. Sunrise peeks bashfully from behind the bare trees and it’s 20 degrees outside.

Big Leatherwood Falls. Quarry Falls. Possibly some others. These are the waterfalls I did not have time to explore the other day. They may be larger, too.

Walking along the now familiar dirt roads, I can see the sunlight slowly shining on more and more of the distant hilltops and trees. The line of shade is lowering fast. These falls are further from the trailhead, but the path is mostly on dirt road and trails. As much as I want to see the early sunlight shining on ice, there is a very narrow window before the sun gets too high, too harsh.

The path winds thought the forest, now fully in daylight. This is a horse trail, as well and I must remain vigilant to dodge frozen horse poop piled in the path.

A GPS waypoint marks a side trail to Big Leatherwood. I would have passed right by, had I not know to look for it here. The path is there. Just a faint depression in the leaves veering off towards a steep valley cradling the creek.

Am I too late already? The sun is higher than I’d like and the topography does not conceal it behind any rise of the land. I hurry along, getting snagged by vines, picking my way through brush, turning, backtracking, finding a slightly different way.

And then a short scramble down, clutching at roots and at the earth itself, but I reach the level of the stream unscathed. There’s a problem. I’m above the waterfall. Gingerly, I ease out onto the rock face, looking toward the drop. There’s no way down from here. I’ve got to climb back up.

Scrambling back up the hillside I see some faded small strips of orange tape tied to branches. I missed those earlier in my haste, and they mark a bend in the trail.

The descent continues in a different direction. A switchback, maybe two. Another short slide down an incline of loose dirt and leaves, but then I arrive at the base of Big Leatherwood.

No ice! At least no more than four or five small icicles tucked away and hardly noticeable. This is not at all what I had envisioned or hoped for. That expectation was of my own creation, though. I have to let it go. Nature unveils be beauty of her own choosing. It is up to me to appreciate what is offered.

Considering aspects of interest and of beauty, Big Leatherwood Falls has quite a lot to offer. While not incredibly high, the cascade is tucked in an crevasse of overhanging bare rock with a free fall of water courses in to a shallow pool below.

I tuck into a low overhang rife with spiderwebs on the near side of the pool and slowly circumnavigate my way around. I look for different angles, different ways to frame the images. In warm weather it would be interesting to get behind the free falling water, underneath the massive rock ledge, and photograph through the flow. But that is not something I will attempt in these frigid temperatures.

The east facing rock of the waterfall is shining in the rising morning sun. Soon the light will be too harsh for good pictures. The other waterfalls I hope to see may or may not be in shade with more even light. I do not know.

I have to assume they will be in the sunlight. And that means I have to go.

A short backtrack along the trail I’ve already hiked brings me to a sign marking the side trail to Quarry Falls. The narrative does not provide much history. Very little is known. The waterfall itself has been formed by a small rock quarry in the stream, but its purpose is unclear. In generations past this was moonshiner territory. The sign points out that at one time every valley, every cove between the ridges here held its own illicit distillery.

What appears at first to be an easy walk along a marked trail quickly becomes something else. Not many people hike here, it seems. The trail is entirely obscured beneath a thick layer of fallen leaves. I make a best guess as to its course, but soon find myself high stepping along the untrodden hillside.

Still, I can easily see where I am heading and the terrain is not steep here. Soon I arrive at Quarry Falls.

This little waterfall is low and long. A series of stair step drops over sharply angled cuts in the rock. The span of it makes capturing its entirety in a single frame nearly impossible. And again, no ice to speak of.

I walk around Quarry Falls for a little while, hopping across slick stones to get different perspectives. As much as I consider photo compositions, I also just want to get a better understanding of the scope of this quarry. To consider what was once happening here and why.

In the end I make attempts at unique views of the scene, shooting through laurel or framing the different tiers of cascades. The sun is shining brightly here too, though, and a settled feeling builds in me letting me know I’ve accomplished all that I can for today.

Other small falls are in the area. I take a look at a couple on my walk out, but make no more photography stops. There will be more opportunity. Before long the trees will green up, the rainy season will return in the spring and the water flow here will be much higher. One thing is clear… I have to come back!

I hope you all enjoyed this follow on waterfall chasing episode! I really wanted to see waterfalls covered in ice, but it was not to be. Never the less, in the Lake Russell WMA I’ve discovered an interesting region chocked full of smaller (and a few bigger) waterfalls. I look forward to coming back more often, as long as its not hunting season! Let me know what you liked (or didn’t) about the photos.

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