When the temperature in the mountains doesn’t reach freezing for several days in a row, the communication lines become replete with a common request: “Let’s go find some frozen waterfalls, Badger!”

I’m only too happy to oblige, but the where, the when and the how questions immediately emerge. The where in 2025 depends on whether the access is available after the Helene landscape disasters; the when is the best time of day or what day to go (as frozen waterfall photography is best suited for cloudy days); the how is whether our vehicles can get us to the access route.

Occasionally, the PLR (path of least resistance) is the deciding factor and that’s why a visit to Roaring Fork Falls was appropriate this fine but chilly Tuesday morning. The roads had cleared from a weekend snow, historically the trail was relatively easy and only the ice on the trail and navigating the waterfall for the optimum photo perch would make the shoot difficult.

The temperature was 8-degree F. at the start of the hike but cold seldom stops Badger unless the wind chill drops below minus 10 degrees. Without icy cold weather there aren’t icy frozen waterfalls so being a bit uncomfortable is the price of admission.

One ubiquitous factor this year is the immense damage done by Helene. Since September 27, 2024, the unprecedented storm damage has affected virtually every hike in Western North Carolina.

Predictably, along the trail, yet another huge landslide was present to negotiate. Thankfully, a rudimentary path through the debris had been carved by the Forest Service and other hikers. Because the ground was frozen, the previous footprints could be discerned and Badger’s way up, through and around it was readily accomplished.

Roaring Fork is a 65-foot waterfall that’s one of the most underrated in Western North Carolina. It’s beauty in winter is phenomenal as water cascades down a rock face and plunges into a pool at the base. Today, the water that had not completely frozen just disappeared into the frozen pool at the base of the falls.

 

One additional benefit for winter adventurers is the ability to climb the falls for a unique photo angle. Climbing this one isn’t generally recommended unless you are wearing your microspikes and have experience with icy and snowy rock ledges. One slip and you’d plunge into water that was below freezing today and take an unscheduled, wet and frigid slide to the base. I’m certain that would be an extremely uncomfortable event. Badger got his photo and emerged unscathed.

So why would anyone want to go to the trouble of photographing a frozen waterfall? Badger’s answer would be: Why not? Risk makes the adventure come alive, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Thomas Mabry – Honey Badger Images: Many of the HoneyBadgerImages are on display at instagram.com/honeybadgerimages.