Roten Creek Hike

I rarely get the chance to wander through a mountain canyon especially trekking along a water fall.  The weather wasn't the best for this little hike, but the views and remoteness make this a really pleasant hike. 

I don't know the origin of the name.  Roten is Swiss or maybe German-Swiss, I suspect the falls were named after an early settler to the area.

View from the Blue Ridge Parkway, a short turn off the parkway and a long walk down

and you arrive here - Roten Creek! 

This little creek catches the runoff from the walls of  a pretty deep canyon

It was pretty foggy this morning...

I wonder how many have camped out under this rock through the ages.  I can imagine the smoke from a campfire wafting up through the mountain air...

When trees fall over and tumble down they get carried into catches like this after heavy rains or snow melt.

Sort of reminded me of one of those plasma ball lamps...

So here's the topo. I can attest that this is a real slog. The hills are at 30 to 50 or even 70 percent grades.  It's one of those hikes that take some time. The falls descend a few hundred feet, the canyon walls are another three or four hundred feet.  I found following the deer paths diagonally down the canyon walls kept me out of the brush and ticks.

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