Michael on the Map

Around Town Michael on the Map

By Michael Detrick

Take 8: Long Creek, South Carolina In this series I will be traveling to the towns of northeastern Georgia and western North and South Carolina, sharing my adventures and discoveries as I meet the locals who make up the area. Hop in my Jeep and let’s hit the road!

Between last month’s and this month’s travels, the rhododendron had said their seasonal hello, briefly flecking the forests with a floral summer snow of brilliant white blossoms. The lush wildwood canopy had never been greener, and summer rains came and went, leaving everything vivid and dewy. And the bees.

Sometime also between then and now I nursed a wicked bee sting to the face, which made me look like a post-plastic surgery Mickey Rourke if he sat and drank in the sun all day and then got into a fistfight. Really nice. An ER visit, steroids shot, and a few pills later, and my face finally deflated. I was stung as well last summer and enjoyed a good amount of time – quite literally – as “the bee’s knees”. (Careful out there, folks! This is nature’s world, and we just live in it.) OK, back on the map!

It was a gorgeous day when I set out for Long Creek, and I was excited to take a trip to the river, out of state. Queue up some Kinks “Sunny Afternoon” and off we go!

Straddling Georgia and South Carolina – thus forming the state line – the Chattooga River finds its headwaters just southwest of Cashiers, North Carolina, and travels 57 miles south to its convergence with the Tallulah River, forming the Tugaloo. Designated a Wild and Scenic River in 1974, the Chattooga was the first river east of the Mississippi to be granted such distinction and is the only one today that is commercially rafted.

The ”Crown Jewel of the Southeast”, the Chattooga is a free-flowing river that quickly responds to rainfall and drought conditions, as nature intended. A drop-pool style river, vigorous rapids are followed by calmer pools, which can be enjoyed for swimming. But it is the rapids that make this river famous. It is here that you will find the best whitewater rafting in the southeast.

Headed east on US Highway 76 from Clayton, I crossed over the Chattooga; behind me the Chattahoochee and before me the Sumter National Forest. Not far into the Palmetto State but far away from any palmettos, you come upon the Bull Sluice access point. A benchmark Class IV+ rapid, Bull Sluice is the largest and final cataract of Section III of the Chattooga. Famously featured in 1972’s Deliverance, the trail to Bull Sluice is a short 0.2mile oft-traveled path. I made the quick trek and joined other spectators perched on the rocks and wading in the pool towards the top of the drop. After witnessing some successful rafting and kayaking runs and checking out the sandy beach just downstream (a fantastic place to take a picnic), I got back on the road to Long Creek.

Located in South Carolina’s northwesternmost Oconee County – known as “The Land of the Waterfalls” – Long Creek is a recreational wonderland for those who love the outdoors. Camping and wilderness lodging options abound, so off I was to check out Chattooga Lodge and Campground.

Mat Nelson had a dream: He wanted to own a campground. It took him 15 years to find one, but when he did, he and his wife Teresa pounced. Googling “campgrounds for sale”, Mat came across this special place and thought, “Wait a minute. It’s got a creek and 17 campsites on the creek, and 8 RV sites, and 9 guest rooms, and this 4500 square foot post and beam lodge with a commercial kitchen and bar? Honey, get in the car. We’re going right now.”

And so, cutting short a tour of the Northeast with their dog, Willie Nelson, they did just that.

Still amidst many changes and improvements, Mat’s first mission was to take the existing lodge that was previously used a wedding venue and turn it into a bar. “I’m really good at going to bars. I know by now what makes a good bar. And who doesn’t want to go to a campground with a bar? So simple.” Thus, (named after their dog) Willie’s was born. Offering some 100 beers, spirits, and wine, Willie’s also delivers on great food, specializing in such classic bar staples as wings and burgers. Make sure to catch live music on both their indoor and outdoor stages. “It’s been really neat becoming the gathering place of Long Creek,” Mat said.

I took a tour of the campground before heading over to another local gathering place, Humble Pie (anyone know the 70s hard rock group?) and adjacent Gauge Coffee House (Humble Pie had a hit with “Black Coffee” in 1973). Coincidental. I sat down with owner Trey Barnett, who grew up nearby. Following in his father’s footsteps, Trey spent many years as a raft guide around the corner at Wildwater Chattooga, where his wife Cricket is Operations Manager. While I sipped a Freehouse Lager and enjoyed a delicious perfectly crusted Mediterranean pizza, Trey explained his and Cricket’s realized goal. “We wanted to create a space where people could experience community on a really deep level, and nothing does that quite as well as food, and coffee. And being on the river with each other.” Mission accomplished.

After talking with Trey more about river life and sharing some of my own creekside stories, I was off to visit Cricket at Wildwater.

Growing up playing on the river, Cricket – herself also a raft guide – explained, “Long Creek holds something for everyone in the family. The river has great spots to swim with our kids along with

advanced whitewater for Trey and I. There are short hikes and long hikes to waterfalls and scenic areas. Our community is friendly, fun, and caring. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

And why would she?

Founded in 1971 by Cricket’s grandparents – the pioneers of whitewater rafting in the Southeast – Wildwater is today housed in the historic campus of an old boarding school, Long Creek Academy. (In a fun twist of fate, Gauge Coffee House is housed in the original Wildwater building, which was itself originally a schoolhouse.) Wildwater Chattooga offers rafting trips, ziplining tours, kayaking, and stand up paddleboarding on Lake Tugaloo, as well as various team-building activities. Named by Southern Living “The #1 thing every Southerner must do”, rafting the Chattooga is a no-brainer for those with an adventurous heart who welcome an adrenaline rush. I told Cricket I would be back to take a trip down the mighty Chattooga. (Who’s coming with me?)

Local legend doesn’t stop with the river. Once the country’s largest apple-producing area east of the Mississippi, Long Creek is today still home to many orchards, and thus I next set forth for beautiful Chattooga Belle Farm. Upon arriving to this 198-acre working farm, distillery, bistro, and event barn that boasts a 270-degree view of the surrounding mountain ridges, I sat down with Office Manager Cat Doolittle. Over a glass of the Farm’s magenta Frozé (frozen Rosé), she shared, “It always surprises me how many people have never been here, but once they have, they continue to come back over and over. That view brings them back.” Cheers to that.

Like the rest of Long Creek’s residents, Cat loves the hometown feel of the area and calls it her “small-town family”. The farm remains open to the public after hours, and many people enjoy the sunset from their large stone deck. You can purchase farm fresh fruit and other items such as jams, jellies, syrups, and even fruit wine (Oh, hi, Moira Rose!) from their general store. I tried the apple wine and quite enjoyed it.

But now it was time for a hike. Having begun my day “wild and scenic”, I opted to end it on a similar note. Recommended by Cricket as the “must-see” of the 22 waterfalls of Oconee County, I set out to end my day in Long Creek at the stunning Brasstown Falls. Brasstown Falls is actually a series of three waterfalls, the first and last of which you can get to the base of. You travel past the second of the set as you wind down the trail alongside Brasstown Creek. I lingered here for a bit, enjoying the fresh, earthen smell of the damp forest air, and taking in the negative ions.

This is a heavily visited falls, but I found myself able to gain some moments of solitude. Bring your swimsuit and wade in the cool pools at the bases of these falls. Bring the Tarzan in you and enjoy the rope swing just before the upper falls on the right. Another great spot to check out if you are in Long Creek at the right time is Brasstown Creek Gathering Place BBQ. They may keep lean hours, “But they kill it”, Mat from the Lodge stated earlier. I’ll be back to check it out.

This brings me to the end of one of my favorite entries in the canon thus far. Everyone I met in Long Creek was warm, welcoming, and eager to share why they love where they live so much. And as I depart, until next time, my friends, I will leave with you some mostfitting Willie Nelson:

“On the road again. Goin’ places that I’ve never been. Seein’ things that I may never see again. And I can’t wait to get on the road again.”