Waterfalls, Waterfalls, Waterfalls!!!

One benefit of all the rain we have had recently is getting to chase waterfalls. Melissa and I sat out on such a chase this past weekend. Melissa decided she was going to pick the falls we visited this time and she did a great job. The weather was sunny so we waited until afternoon to visit the falls. The sun was dropping behind the hills and the light was getting better as the day went on. In fact it was near dark when we left the last one. There are a few pictures below and I'll describe them as I go.

The first two photos were actually taken on Friday. Melissa was not with me. I had to make a north Arkansas run for work so I stopped by this fall on the way back home. It was very sunny and I didn't have my tripod. I had to use a fast shutter speed which freezes the motion of the water. This is the Hammerschmidt Falls. It is named after former Arkansas Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt. He helped pass legislation that created our first national river. The fall is located off of highway 74 between Jasper and Ponca Arkansas. It is 43' tall.




The first stop for Melissa and me was the High Bank Twin Falls. It is located north of Ozark Arkansas off of highway 215. This fall is part of a creek that runs into the Mulberry River. There is no marked trail but it is easy to find by just following the creek upstream. These falls are 71' tall. Melissa is in one of the pictures to show just how tall they are. Melissa posed for me in front of the falls. I also included a cascade shot from downstream.

There is another creek that enters from the right as you are following the first creek to the High Twins. We looked and there was another fall that we didn't know was going to be there. We ventured up to it and it was beautiful. We decided to name this Sweet Melissa Falls. Melissa is going to do some research to see if it has already been named. If not, then we are going to see if we can officially name it. Speaking of Sweet Melissa, she is posing next to her own waterfall.

It was time to leave and go in search of two more falls. The falls that were next on our list were the Senyard Falls (29' tall) and the Murray Falls (37' tall). They are named after Roy Senyard (a volunteer maintenance coordinator for the Ozark Highlands Trail) and Dick Murray (a pioneer for hiking in Arkansas). These falls are located off of highway 23 (the pig trail) north of Cass Arkansas. There is no official trail to these falls and the terrain is very very steep. On the way down we passed what appeared to be a 70's model car whose driver more than likely missed a curve high above on the highway. One thing I always keep in mind is the farther we go down....the farther it is back up. Let me tell ya...some of the trip back out was on our hands and knees. One slip and I would have been an out of control boulder careening over a distant ledge to take up permanent residence next to...well... a 70's model car.

Anyway, back to the falls. To get in position to take the next pictures we had to walk above and around Murray and over, around, and below Senyard. The first picture below is actually a cascade above Senyard. Melissa is standing by the Senyard Falls. It was getting late as we wrapped up this trip and I was ready to head back to the truck with my trusty GPS in hand.

In case anyone was wondering how I find these falls and know the information I know about them....the answer is not that I am related to Lewis and Clark or a modern day Grizzly Adams...No, I must give all of the credit to Tim Ernst. You will notice I have a link to his website on this blog. The book below holds all of the secret hiding places and interesting tidbits about Arkansas Waterfalls. Tim has named several of the falls in our state. This book can be purchased from his website cloudland.net. I am taking one of his photography workshops on location in the Ozarks in May. I CAN"T WAIT!!!

On our way back to the truck we passed this makeshift shelter that someone built under a cliff side. Apparently someone was trying to slow down any bear that might try and wander in to camp in the night. Speaking of bears, it's getting dark, and I don't think I can out run Melissa. I am outta here.