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South Carolina’s Mountain Lakes Region By Thomas R. Fletcher
The third Saturday of each month (9:00 A. M. - 4:00 P. M.) Hagood Mill becomes a scene of yesterdays gone by. Skills mostly lost in our fast-track society are demonstrated by those who continue to preserve them. See a water-powered gristmill grind corn to grits and cornmeal–a miller performing what was once an essential service to the community. See wool spun into yarn. See hand-quilting on a quilting-hoop from an age long gone. Enjoy some mountain music. Listen in as Beekeeper John Hester, sitting by his bee display, explains the intricacies of beehive operations, between bites of his Carolina barbeque. His display includes honeybees, a bee tree segment, and plenty of honey for sale. The folks gathered at the mill are eager to share their work with any who care to listen.
Snuggled within the northwest corner, squeezed between North Carolina and Georgia, the Mountain Lakes Region of South Carolina takes in the three counties of Oconee, Pickens, and Anderson. Named for the Blue Ridge Mountains and the three area lakes (Hartwell, Keowee, and Jocassee), the Mountain Lakes Region is one of four segments of the larger South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, that stretches some 240 miles, covering 14 counties from the mountains of Oconee County to the sea of Charleston. The Mountain Lakes Region has much to offer in the way of natural beauty, outdoor adventure, cultural exploration, and there’s some fine dining to be experienced as well.
Chattooga means "rocky stream" in the Native American Cherokee, an apt name for this free-flowing, boulder-strewn river. I expected a slow ride and exaggerated rapids’ ratings (calling a Class II a Class III or IV for marketing purposes). What I found was a thrill ride. The rapids weren’t over-rated. After looking Bull Sluice Rapids over for our run, I wasn’t so sure its Class IV rating shouldn’t have been a Class V. The many rocks and swift water flow make this a technically challenging river. The slightest miscalculation and the raft will be emptied of occupants, as I found out. I saw it coming a split-second before impact. We were going broadside into a rock with the rushing river driving us. "Not good," I thought. Four of the raft’s five occupants were immediately ejected into the swirling waters. Fighting to the surface, gasping for air, bouncing like a pinball from rock to rock–I was given a solid reminder that whitewater rafting is an adventure sport that involves risk. Sometimes you go for an unscheduled swim. The Chattooga was more river than I expected to find so far south. Being free-flowing, the water level depends upon the rainfall. Levels can get quite low in summer and there were a couple of places where we were dragging bottom on a spring run. A couple of words to the wise: don’t underestimate the power of the river and pick the most experienced guide available (not a newbie from Kansas).
(Fran Hanson Discovery Center, South Carolina Botanical Gardens)
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"I’ve been doing this 60 years. You find something you love and you
just keep doing it," the elderly gentleman, smile-lines etched on his face,
said. He sliced the blade of his pocketknife into the wood, peeling away another
sliver. I had asked about his whittling. "Some day, you’ll say you’ve
been taking pictures for 60 years," he said as I snapped another image of
him at work. He was working a piece of basswood, sculpting a bird from a raw
hunk of wood. Later he would finish the job by painting the color and markings
of the species depicted. Cliff Grossenbaugh, ‘Wood Carver,’ his card
identifies him, was one of several old-timers I would meet and talk with 
at the
Hagood Mill, three miles north of Pickens, South Carolina. Cliff, who lives in
Central, a town several miles south, came to share his craft at this
once-a-month gathering.
Hagood Mill, located in the heart of South Carolina’s Mountain Lakes
Region, was built around 1825 when the local lifestyle was tied to the land and
the economy depended upon the family farm. The rugged, hilly landscape and an
abundance of water meant there were a number of mills scattered throughout the
area. The mill provided a service for the surrounding community–grinding
grits, cornmeal, and flour for the local farmers, taking a percentage as a
grinding fee. The mill became a natural community gathering place. Hagood Mill
continues to serve the community today, acquainting visitors with the cultural
heritage of the region through various displays and exhibitions.
A
visit wouldn’t be complete without rafting the Chattooga River, known for the
movie Deliverance, filmed there in 1972. The Chattooga was named a
National Wild and Scenic River for its natural beauty, geological features, and
cultural elements. Surrounded by National Forest (Sumter in SC, Chattahoochee in
GA), the river flows south from Whitesides Mountain in North Carolina to form
the border between Georgia and South Carolina. Rafting trips on the river are
carefully timed so each trip has the river alone–preserving the wild and
scenic nature of the river.
Lake Jocassee is another "don’t miss," whether one’s
interest is fishing or merely sightseeing. The name Jocassee comes from the
Native American Cherokee that once inhabited the area, and means "place of
the lost ones." Lake Jocassee, built by Duke Power, features some 7,500
surface acres, 75 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 375 feet. Though
built for power generation, the lake offers outstanding recreational
opportunities. Popular for fishing (state records for several species of fish
have been broken by fish taken on Jocassee), the lake offers access to several
scenic waterfalls and the Cherokee Foothills Hiking Trail that surround the
lake. The Cherokee Foothills Hiking Trail is an 85 mile long trail that connects
three area state parks (Devil’s Fork, Oconee, and Table Rock). Partially
surrounded by Sumter National Forest, the state recently acquired an additional
33,000 acres bordering the lake, known as the Jocassee Gorges Project, ensuring
the area will remain as it is today, largely undeveloped. A robust forest of
pine and hardwoods cover the steep ridges and hills. Surprisingly, there were
only a handful of boats on the lake.
"July 4 is probably the day the lake is most crowded and even then, it’s
not really crowded. The number of boats is limited by the number of parking
places in the park," fishing/tour guide James Couch informed me. Devil’s
Fork State Park offers the only public boat launching facility on the lake. The
ramp is open to the public 24/7/365. I took a pontoon boat tour of the lake with
James. We stopped at several locations along the way to hike to waterfalls, the
most scenic of which is Whitewater River Falls, one of the highest cascading
waterfalls in the eastern US, the waterfall plunges some 400 feet, crossing the
North Carolina/South Carolina border before emptying into Lake Jocassee.
The
best place to acquaint one’s self with what the region has to offer, is to
stop by the South Carolina Botanical Garden on the campus of Clemson
University. The Fran Hanson Discovery Center, within the South Carolina
Botanical Garden, serves to introduce the Mountain Lakes Region and provide
information on the garden. The center is a source for maps, directions, current
events calendar, books, magazines, and brochures–everything one needs in one
central location, thus a logical place to begin an exploration of the region.
The folks there will even help one with reservations for accommodations and
dinner (Two places I recommend for dinner are Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill in
Anderson and Café Rendezvous in Seneca. The crawfish etoufeé of Café
Rendezvous rivals anything one would expect in New Orleans.) Situated on nearly
300 acres of ground, the botanical garden is an excellent place to spend a day–or
at least an afternoon–meandering along the trails, listening to squirrels
scampering and birds chirping. In addition to the expected numerous plant
species, the garden has the largest collection of nature-based sculpture in the
US, and two historical structures on the grounds (the Hunt Family Cabin dating
from 1826 and the Hanover House, a French-Huguenot structure dating from 1716).
1-9-32-16
(The Gospel group Southern Spirit performs at the annual Pickens
Azalea Festival)
1-9-33-17
(Courthouse, Anderson, South Carolina)
