Rain, rain go away!
Come again another day.
Kailani wants to getaway.
Rain, rain go away!
This month, thick and looming clouds casted dark shadows over our region and bombed innocent people with fat raindrops. At times, the rain poured down in torrents. Other times, it fell gently but relentlessly for days… days… and more days. It’s been raining A LOT here in the Southeast. So much so, that we had indoor recess almost all week at school. But these clouds have a silver lining: our waterfalls are bursting.
This weekend we continued our quest to complete the 2020 Alabama Outdoor Adventurer State Parks Challenge and went waterfall hunting. We visited our third park, Oak Mountain State Park, to see the famed Peavine Falls and its seasonal 65-foot foss. Foss is Icelandic and Norwegian for waterfall. And I just like using it because it sounds fancy… f-AWE-ncy.
There are several ways to reach Peavine Falls, we used the Green Trail, the Green-White Connector, and the White Trail. From the parking lot, Green Trail ascended steeply along the ridgeline, followed by a rapid descent down the connector until we reached the White Trail and the creek. From there we crossed the creek and followed the signs to the top and then to the bottom of the falls. The creek crossing was the perfect place to test my new boots and how water impermeable they are, which is a fancy way of saying waterproof. At the top of the falls, we found pretty purple flowers called Bird’s Foot Violet. I know this because I had my wildflower field guide. The trip down to the bottom of the falls can best be described as wet and steep, and kind of slippery. Be careful going down.
Peavine Falls is magnificent and thunderous. When I crossed the pool at the base, I could feel a chilly gust of mist blowing from the cascade. We spent a lot of time taking pictures and exploring the area. If you go, plan on staying by the waterfall for at least 30 minutes so you can enjoy its beauty and a picnic lunch. You can sit on one of the many boulders. I recommend you bring a sweater to stay warm and a butt pad if you have a tender bottom. However, leave the hammock in the car because there are not many trees at the base of the falls.
I learned a new skill during this hike: how to photograph silky smooth waterfalls. When you take a picture of a waterfall, instead of it being more detailed and choppy, you can use a few tricks to make the water look smoother, like cascading silk threads or a bride’s wedding veil. To achieve this effect, you will need a tripod or sturdy surface to support your camera, a camera set to manual mode, and of course moving water. This is not a tutorial and I am not going to dig down deep on this subject. There are lots of great tutorials online. The gist of it is low ISO, small aperture, slow shutter speed… and lots of stabilization.
So, I hope you enjoyed my tips and photographs. Definitely, check out Oak Mountain State Park and Peavine Falls for yourself. It’s absolutely worth the trip, especially after a rainy week. Onward!
Rain, rain don’t delay!
Come and fill the waterway.
Kailani wants to snap away.
Rain, rain don’t delay!
