Sprewell Bluff (Upson County, Georgia)

Always on the lookout for new adventures, I hopped on an opportunity to hike with one of the local meetup groups at one of the areas in Georgia that I hadn't heard about yet, Sprewell Bluff. The area is a popular county park centered around a large bend in the Flint River. After good drive to the park, I met up with the small group just before 10:00 AM.

Standing on a overlook platform overlooking the river, we did a quick round of introductions and the group leader described the trails we would be exploring. He had warned that the first section known as the Widow-maker was quite steep and he wasn't kidding. It quickly descends approximately three hundred feet down to the river. There are a couple of large switchbacks, but the slope was still steep enough to warrant caution. One of my fellow hikers even took a spill on the way down, but she luckily wasn't injured. 

Once at the river level, the trail is very easy and meanders through the woods. For a good portion of the trail, it follows the shoreline of the river and as we glance out onto the rapids and shoals, we spot an otter going about his business. He was on the far side of the river when I snapped my picture, but you can still make out his image.

A little further on, and we find another wonderful example of the river ecosystem. The large boulders rising out of the shallow river provide perfect sunbeds for the soft-shell turtles that call the waterway their home. It's really great to be able to see all of this wildlife and I must admit it's something I've missed over the winter months.

Returning to the trail, we reach a popular picnic area and stop for a quick lunch break. After we have snack, we continue on to the Long Leaf Pine Trail, which loops back and takes up another steep hill to the top of the bluffs before returning to the picnic area. From here we follow the trail we came in on until we return to Widow-maker Trail, which is quite a work out to climb back up. Along the way, I find a small garter snake sunning himself, but as soon as he notices me he races down the hill out of site. Returning to the top, we say our goodbyes and I head back towards home. It was a very scenic hike of about 7.8 miles and a perfect day for it.