LOCALadk Magazine
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Summer 2016 LOCALadk Magazine 42 LOCALadk The remotest of the waterslides herein described, a glide down Sliding Rock Falls is a must for all Cranberry Lake 50-miler th- ru-hikers. Located about the halfway point of the circuitous hik- ing trail, the freshwater glissade can also be reached by boaters after a one-mile walk from West Flow on the south bay of Cran- berry Lake. On my 2009 Cranberry 50-miler, we stop midstride upon reach- ing the trailside scenic falls. Slide Rock Falls is impressive to view. Even more impressive – I deduce as a lightbulb goes off in my head – will it be to slide down on our butts. Giving in to this epiphany, I drop my pack and lead my companions out to the per- fectly angled slab. Carefully I wade out into the Six Mile Creek at the falls' midsec- tion. I sit down on the wet rock and lift my feet. Zoom. Soon I am smiling in the deep-water pool below. Having achieved an initial adrenaline uplift, I eagerly venture higher on the sixty-foot slide. Both "runs" at this naturally formed fountain of youth ignite eu- phoria, the beneficent bliss of a backcountry baptism. The ankle deep creek disperses itself ten-feet wide over the rock, which while allowing any number of slide routes, also makes for slippery footing if caution is not exercised. While Bog River Chute is fueled by the river current Sliding Rock Falls depends upon gravity, its water gaining velocity steadily as it drops. A butt-slide on Sliding Rock Falls requires that you stay to the north (right) side so as to avoid a bruising 2-inch high lip on the south side that left me hobbling in 2009. Some Cranberry Lake boaters compensate for the ridge by sliding on boat cushions. I brought along an inner tube on my 2014 return trek. The tube allowed for even more adventure opportunities – including tan- dem rides! Aim your tube at the lip – we found in 2014 – and it will propel the tube airborne. Hold on tight. Such propulsion is certain to jettison the tube's riders high into the air, capping a high-speed glide with a triumphant plunge into a deep, satisfying pool of refreshment. The Call of Sliding Rock Falls (Cranberry Lake)