Old Man’s Perch: An Autumn Day of Epicity at Linville Falls 

Most visitors who seek to view famous Linville Falls, NC, stop at Erwin’s View or Chimney View after a short uphill hike. A smaller number continue down the steeper path to the Plunge Basin Overlook. Fewer still drop all the way into the basin itself. Finally, there are the explorers who leave the trail entirely and scramble onto the rocks for an up close and personal view.

On a recent November day, Rock Sprite Kitty Myers, rock climber and scuba maven Jill Young and the Badger joined together for that rare Gorge Rat quest. Kitty and Jill

Kitty Myers and Thomas Mabry take a break at Old Man’s Perch (photo by Jill Young)

are known among the cognoscenti of the Western North Carolina hiking community as Women of Epicity – a term I coined years ago specifically for those two women whose feats are rarely attempted and many unprecedented. Our outings often involve a calculated risk taken for the sake of a viewpoint most people never reach. Badger’s interest is taking photographs from places that are not readily accessible.

The recently reopened Plunge Basin Trail was only the beginning. After we reached the Linville River, we worked our way across the wet and uneven granitic gneiss until we stood river left of the 50′ drop, looking up to a profile view of the falls. On a tiny outcrop on the nearly vertical wall, there exists a tiny sliver of quartzite known as the Old Man’s Perch.

Despite common belief, the moniker does not refer to Badger but rather refers to the silhouette in the rock of the waterfall itself – similar in lore to the Old Man face that appears on nearby Grandfather Mountain.

After I photographed Kitty and Jill standing together on the ledge in front of the falls, they encouraged me to cross the wall to the perch. To Badger, the traverse was essentially a Via Ferrata without the cables, ropes, or harness. One misstep and the landing would have been in the deep, cold November water below.

With Kitty and Jill spotting and steadying me, I moved gingerly across the rock, found the tiny toehold, and finally captured the image that had eluded me for years: a clean profile view of the Old Man from eye level, the water pouring down in a long, silky curtain.

Jill later noted that, other than herself, she was unaware of any other person who hadnprofessionally photographed the Old Man from that specific perch. Whether that is strictly true or not, the moment felt like the coup de grâce of yet another spectacular day.

Asked on social media why anyone would voluntarily go where almost no one else goes for a photograph, I borrowed a line from Linville Gorge legend Bob Underwood: “Risk makes the adventure come alive, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.” On an autumn afternoon at Linville Falls, those words had never felt more pertinent.

Thomas Mabry is a KnoxTNToday contributor, who shares his love of nature through stories, photography and hiking adventures. Follow Honey Badger Hiking on Facebook for trail discoveries and outdoor adventures, and explore more of his photography on Honey Badger Images on Instagram.

Enjoyed this article and photography? Read more features by Thomas Mabry and learn more about him in his author bio on the same page.