Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield - Full Loop (Cobb County, Georgia)

With a big hiking coming up in a few weeks, I'm taking every opportunity to get trail miles in. I hiked about 6.5 miles yesterday, but I have something a little more grand planned for today. About an hour from my house, likes Kennesaw Mountain, which was the site of a fierce Civil War battle as General Sherman pushed towards Atlanta. This area is now protected by the National Park Service as a National Battlefield and offers many miles of trails. I hike here fairly often, but I've only done what I intend to do today once before and that was about five years ago. My plan is to hike the entire 17ish mile loop around the park.

Arriving at the overflow lot around 9:15 am, there are already a lot of people here enjoying their day and visiting the historic site. After a quick stop in the visitors center restroom, I hit the trail, which almost immediately starts the steep incline towards the summit of Kennesaw Mountain. Climbing nearly 700 feet in just over a mile makes for a good challenge, but it's always worth it and I try to maintain a strong pace as I make my way up. 

Reaching the summit, I find one of my favorite markers, which is a slab of granite carved to say "Prepare to meet thy God", which is thought to have been carved by Confederate Soldiers as they prepared for battle against the Union troops. It's been sprinkling rain just a little bit on the way, but the forecast did not call for anything substantial today and so, I push onward. The wet granite at the top, does force me to slow myself just a little bit.

The area at the top of Kennesaw Mountain, through the saddle, and over towards Little Kennesaw Mountain is the roughest terrain of today's hike and requires a very minor amount of rock scrambling, but it does keep things interesting. Before too long, I'm making my way down the backside of secondary peak and headed southward towards the crossing of Noses Creek.

These next several miles should be pretty smooth sailing and once again, I decide to put my headphones in and enjoy my audio book. I'm on park lands and still within the Atlanta metropolitan area. Though I'm in the woods, it's pretty civilized and I feel comfortable with my headphones on.

Though it's cooler today, it's still very humid and the hard work to climb the mountains in combination with the light drizzle earlier has gotten me pretty wet and sticky. I'll be glad for that hot shower when I eventually get home, but that's still a few hours away. I have miles to put in before I've earned that luxury. 

Crossing state route 120, I begin the largest section of the loop. All along the way, there have been life-sized replicas of Civil War era cannons set up as if they were ready for the battle that took place here 160 years ago. They make for good scenery and remind us of the hallowed nature of the ground where roughly 4,000 men died. The park service also puts numerous informational placards around to describe historic events or locations from the battle. It's a history buff's dream and as a psuedo-history buff, I appreciate it quite a bit myself.

Finally hitting the far southern end of the trail, I pass by Kolb's Farm, which was the site of smaller battle just a few days before the main fighting just north of here. The farmhouse itself has been preserved. I don't take much time here though and pass through quickly. It's interesting, but I've visited in the past and today is more about miles than history.

Now headed north, I pass through miles of wooded areas and catch site of a doe and her two fawns (one larger than the other) out for some lunchtime grazing. It reminds me that I haven't eaten yet either and pull a peanut butter sandwich from my daypack. I don't stop to eat, but just consume it while I'm on the move. I'm not racing anyone, but I do want to keep my heart rate up.

Further up the trail, I pass by the Illinois Monument. This is a large marble structure memorializing the Illinois soldiers who fought and died here during the battle. Though fairly deep in the woods, it is well cared for by the park service, as it should be.

By now, I'm getting a little tired. I'm not sore or anything like that, but I've been walking for a few hours now and I'm just kind of wanting to be done. I still have a few miles to go though before that's going to happen. The last miles of the trail are pretty uneventful and I arrive back at my car at right about the 6.5 hour mark, having hiked a total of 17.7 miles. This is the longest hike I've done in a while and though, I'm a little tired, I'm extremely happy to have completed this trail once again.

Little Mulberry Trail (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

Originally, I was planning to hike a short section of the Appalachian Trail this morning, but after re-evaluating the travel time, I decided to hike closer to home. I've got a concert to go to tonight and don't want to be late. I've got a very, big hike coming up in a few weeks and I'm trying to get trail miles in whenever I can. I decided to hike a few miles at the nearby Little Mulberry Park. Though I've been here many times, it's a good option as it is nearby and the trails are quite popular, which will allow me to continue listening to my audio book while I'm getting some exercise. 

The park seems especially busy on this rare August afternoon, where is is both not raining and a bit cooler. Many people are out taking advantage of the great weather. The trail begins on pavement, but at my first opportunity, I enter the woods. I'm breaking in some new hiking boots and pavement is not the best option. I pass a number of families out enjoying the day. Everyone is friendly and either offers a nod, a wave, or a hello.

Before too long, I've made my way to the lake and decide to follow the trail around it. There is a small island in the lake and though I don't know the story behind it, someone has erected a tyrannosaurus rex statue in the center of it and cleared the trees out to offer a unobstructed view. I've commented on this before, but it never ceases to amuse me.

As I being making my way back the parking area I decide to walk across the observation plateau, which I believe is the highest point in Gwinnett County. It's nothing more than a mowed field, with a slab of concrete poured and some park benches scattered around, but it does make for a nice astronomical viewing area when certain stellar events occur. Just as I begin down the hill towards the car, a light sprinkle begins. It's actually kind of nice, since I'm fairly sweaty from my fast pace. I was able to get in about 6.5 miles today. That's not much, but I have plans for substantially more miles tomorrow.