You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.
Hunting scenic waterfalls in the wilds of Kentucky
The day looks fine, and hikeworthy, 6 October 2021, and we're bound for the Eagle Falls Trail on the far side of the river.
But first things first. The counties in which Corbin finds itself are all 'dry', and that problem must be remedied before anything else intervenes. The good residents of Corbin, in 2012, voted in a 'local option election' to permit full alcohol sales within the city limits. Liquor King is a paradise for dedicated shoppers, and the establishment is easy to find for stocking up -- it's right on US 25W, past the Karaoke Tyme, the Corbin Bingo Parlor, the Moonbow Plaza Bingo, and Bubby's HQ, under the I75 interchange, and you're there.
So now, we can set out on the Eagle Falls Trail, a 2.5-mile amble that promises to be scenic and sounds just right for us.
Before we start out, we're taking a moment to scribble down those Trail Rules in the little notebook we always carry with us for just such occasions.
That mention on the sign of it being a 'challenging adventure' looks like just a tourist promotion from here, but we'll keep an open mind.
We're hearing the Falls at this point.
And now we're passing the Falls, but from here it's not all that scenic after all.
The trail itself is starting to become fairly scenic, though.
And we've gained a little height on this lovely, well-kept path.
That's the Falls directly below -- the trees in the way are not awfully scenic, though, to be honest.
Still a little uphilly; that's all to the good, scenery-wise.
Trees growing on rocks; the wonders of nature.
An intersection -- we're turning right for the Eagle Falls.
Here's some thoughtful fencing along the top of those cliffs we noticed yesterday from down by the river.
There's an anticipation of some dynamite scenery coming up soon.
There's the very beach we trod upon yesterday afternoon.
And lo! the Falls theirownselves . . .
. . . Canon PowerShot zoomed
This appears to be the end of our scenic views of the Falls, at least until we come back this way.
Trail scenes as we progress
We're still very high up for arriving at river level anytime soon.
-- Mind your head!
So now we're starting down, and someone has thoughtfully chain-sawed off those huge trees across the trail.
A serious downhill now
A downhill blessed by iron railings . . .
. . . for which we are suitably grateful.
Wait up!
This is all scenic round here, and photogenic. That's the beach across the way.
And looking downriver
-- Don't for heaven's sake move that little rock.
Our guide has located the fabled Eagle Falls.
The Cumberland River flowing past
The photogenic jumble
The Eagle Falls itsownself
-- Is that all?
Actually, it's a very acceptable little waterfall, but the trail itself is really the major attraction here.
It would be good to get over there in the centre of the pool for a head-on photo of the falls, but how to do that without getting our favorite shoes soaking wet.
By virtue of astonishing agility, we've negotiated some of the overhanging rocks and earned our head-on photo after all.
And a new view of the outflow from the falls into the river . . .
. . . as well as an improved view of the beach from this side.
How to not get one's sandals wet
Like an SUV under a tarp
Now it's back up we go.
We're plodding back along the same path; there is a variation that loops round the back of this knob we're on the side of, but it misses the views of the river and falls.
Views like this one
s.
-- Mind your head!
Just a very brief charge up to a dead-end observation point in hopes of an even better view --
. . . to a lean-to and overlook that recalls to mind the 'Tearoom sur la Plage' [the Tearoom on the Beach] above Marchissy, poised high over Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
The promised view is, however, disappointing . . .
. . . though at least there's this. Not so scenic, but recognizable.
Dashing back down the stairs to rejoin our party
Passing back past the Cumberland Falls again, and . . .
. . . the back end of the Visitors Centre. The splashes of red in the centre are the vending machines presently standing in for the closed snack bar.
What's next, then? Another river march towards the 'Blue Bend' of the river.
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All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 14 November 2021. 
