Raven Rock Loop Trail, Keowee-Toxaway State Park, SC

My first time in South Carolina... Hot and humid, but not as bad as in Durham, so it was a relief already. The closest trail to my new place was Raven Rock Loop Trail, a five mile loop in the forest going along a few waterfalls and partially the lake. 

The trail started out relatively easy with mild loss of elevation. I was pretty narrow, but clear enough to pass through without constantly brushing against vegetation. I did this trail twice so far. The first time I went in the counterclockwise direction on the first loop (there are two converging together for a while, like an extended number "8"). The second time I decided to go clockwise to see the waterfall first. The elevation dropped rapidly as I descended the stairs, but the reward of flowing water was right there as well. After the drop comes the gain in elevation to get back to the same level as the rest of the trail. This is probably the most difference in elevation gain/loss that this trail has.

Small waterfall

The second loop was along the lake and I found no major difference between either direction. The views of the lake were spectacular! Unfortunately, as soon as I would stop moving mosquitos would be hard at work gaining access to any piece of available skin (whether open or not) to get a nice meal. Movement was the solution. With movement though came spider webs. On my second hike, I think I was the first person to hike the trail that day, so I caught most of the spider webs stretching across the trail. Even my long stick would not do the trick effectively. It was quite an annoying experience to be covered in spider webs stuck to arms, face and hair.

I still liked the trail because of its relative challenge for a local trail. I could see myself hiking it often after the summer is over, but I am not giving up on it even now.