I moved to South Carolina for college in 2001.  Soon enough, I was taken with the surrounding landscapes, particularly the waterfalls.  This was long before the tourism board made any efforts to mark or sign these landscape features.  Waterfalls were, for me, synonomous with adventure:  dirt roads, unmarked walking paths, steep grades.  I loved the anonymity of it all; I had to fully commit to each waterfall–each adventure–to find whatever rewards waited somewhere down near the distant sound of crashing water.

Turkey Beard Road is a particularly fertile location for waterfall enthusiasts.  At the terminus, one can access the Wild & Scenic Chattooga River and Long Creek Falls via a series of unmarked fire roads and trails.  Long Creek flows over it’s namesake Long Creek Falls just before joining the Wild & Scenic Chattooga River.  It’s a spectacular location, and it’s often frequented by rafters and kayakers who are passing by while floating this stretch of river.  The waterfall is about 25-30 feet in height with a main split at the top and lots of smaller cascades of interest to work in the foreground.  There are still many ideas I hope to execute at this location, even nearly twenty five years of visiting later!

Camera:  Nikon D850
Lens:  Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8 @20mm
Tripod:  Really Right Stuff TVC-33

Date taken:  May 5, 2024
Settings:  f13, 1.0 second, iso 64