We hopped out of the truck and headed down the steep incline, slipping and sliding with excitement as we went. From far below we heard the soft roar of a creek. I wanted to approach the falls from downstream, so we followed the upper bench south until it met with a small drainage leading down to creek level. 

As last week’s August rains fell, I knew it was time to revisit Senyard Falls, named for a great person we lost last month. To learn a little about Roy Senyard, read Loss of a Friend.

Hiker-dog and I got started later than we’d planned but the drive up Hwy 23 (Pig Trail Scenic Byway) was beautiful underneath a cloud cover and occasional patches of fog.

After bushwhacking down to creek level, we began making our way upstream, stopping for a few photos along the way. Hiker-dog was excited and made many trips up to the rim of the hollow and back down for a reassuring pat on the back. She took several cooling dips in the water.

As we made our way upstream, I caught a hint of campfire smoke and thought someone must have camped on a bench above the hollow. It turns out the camper was a friendly guy named Robert who had hammock camped the night before over boulders next to the creek. We visited briefly then moved to the base of Senyard Falls.

Robert and Hiker-dog

After a couple of quick photos, the sun came out from behind the clouds so we moved to another position and waited for better light. Waiting was a good decision. The light never got right for another photo, but sitting under the bluff of Senyard Falls for an hour gave my mind exactly what was needed. Hiker-dog sat quietly as if she understood the importance this time. Or, maybe she was worn out from all her ridge running.

I finally used the sunny scene for a short video clip of the falls. Tim Ernst says that sitting next to a waterfall has healing qualities. Spending time next to Roy Senyard Falls today definitely had that effect.