Arabia Mountain (DeKalb County, Georgia)

Having gotten in some pretty good miles yesterday, I was content to do a bit less today. I decided to hike around Arabia Mountain. This unique area has drawn my attention since I first moved to the Atlanta area about six years ago. It's a series of monadnocks southeast of downtown. It's protected as heritage area and has many, many miles of trails in combination of earthen and paved. Today though, I thought I would spend most of my time on the granite.

It's cool outside and the wind is whipping around like crazy, which should make for an interesting time to be atop the near barren granite landscapes of this area. As I'm very familiar with this area and there are few hazards, I decide to continue listening to an audio book that I'm already deep into as I get my miles in. I start out at the visitors center and make my way down the boardwalk to the main entrance to the Bradley and Arabia Mountains and then start the climb to the top of Bradley on the bare, but well-worn granite. 

As I suspected, the wind is making this an adventure. In some the shallow solution pools worn into the granite over the eons, the wind blows ripples onto the settle water. While in others, the tiny red leaves of sedum smallii grow and bring color to the gray land. Once at the top, I locate the USGS cap and stop to take in the view for a moment. 

There are a few people here at the site, but as I wander further north across the granite, it seems I have the entire landscape to myself. I walk and climb over several steps and shelves where quarry workers cut giant slabs of the stone out for a multitude of industrial and domestic uses. The mountain is scarred terribly by the work of these industries of the last century, but it makes for several curiosities for those who seek exploration on the hills and peaks of the area.

After cresting the top of Arabia Mountain itself, I head downhill towards Mountain Lake and walk across the granite at a lower elevation. I take note of the small waterfalls and streams that flow over the smooth stone that makes up the mountain. Most of the water draining into the lake. 

Returning to the area I entered, I head back up the boardwalk, but instead of heading directly back towards my car, I decide to hike a bit more along the Mile Rock Trail, which pass over another granite landscape to the west of the mountains, but that was also quarried heavily. Here, I find the Frog Pond, which is full of tadpoles swimming about. I'll have to check this out later in the year and see the adults.

Continuing north, I find more of the red sedum smallii and more quarried granite slabs, including some that have even been polished to a mirror-like surface. I can't imagine why these were left here. They must be valuable, although no one could move them without heavy equipment if they had the inclination to steal them.

Closer to the edge of the woods, I find the husk of a building atop the granite, which was presumably some structure associated with the quarry operator back in they day. Leaving the granite and re-entering the woods, I find another curious structure. Several parallel granite walls about a foot-and-a-half thick and about the same distance apart. They are laid out in an area large enough to have been a decent sized building, but I can't imagine why they would be laid out in a pattern like this and a quick survey of the area doesn't offer much insight.

Returning to the visitors center and my car, I remove my headphones and check my mileage. I've only hiked about 5.1 miles today, but that's okay, I got in enough yesterday to make up the difference, and it was very nice to hike in such an interesting area with literature being read into my ears. I even stumbled across a new structure that I'm really curious about now - a mystery for another day. For now, I need to get home and get to making dinner for my family.

Coldwater Mountain Loop (Calhoun County, Alabama)

Later in the spring, I will be hiking the Camino Portugues de la Costa and to prepare for some really big mileage days on that trek, I put together a number of training hikes with fairly low elevation change, but with increasing mileage as the trip gets closer and closer. I posted these on the Meetup, as a few friends will be joining me on this upcoming international trip. Originally, today's hike along the Coldwater Mountain Loop was planned for January, but bad weather forced me to reschedule it to today. Only my friend Angie was able to join me for this one, but I suspect more people will be on the ones later in the spring.

I met up with Angie at the Indian Trail Park and Ride just off of I-85 and only a few miles from my house. We planned to carpool the rest of the way, as it is a roughly two-hour drive over the border into Alabama to reach the trailhead. The drive was uneventful, other than the pouring rain that we had to get through on the way over. I had been watching both the forecast and doppler radar very closely. I was pretty certain the rain would stop by the time we reached the trailhead, though a super muddy trail was still a concern. 

As expected, the rain stopped a while before we finished our drive and we pulled into the gravel parking area to find it completely empty. While this is the first time either of us have visited this trail system, my research indicated that it was very popular for mountain bikers. I guess we'll have to see if they know something we didn't.

We quickly got our bearings and started up the Tortoise Trail, which is just one of the large network of interconnecting paths on this series of small ridges. Luckily, the trail doesn't seem to be very muddy at all, with only a couple of small patches of soft soil along the entire trip. Not too long after starting, we start up a steep incline only to hear some hollering coming from the other direction. With just enough time to react a four mountain bikes jump over the hill with no way to stop in time. Thankfully, their yelling gave us enough time to react and get out of the way. These are only the first of many we'll see today. 

Further along the trail, we hit a junction where three of the longer trails converge. Here a large pipe (8-10 ft in diameter) has been fashioned into the ground with cemented stones holding it and the ramp leading up to the top of it in place. This is meant to be an overpass with one trail going through the pipe and another going over the top via the ramp. We decide this is a great place to stop for a quick lunch and find a nearby bench to rest on for a few minutes. I'm dieting pretty heavily right now and so, my lunch consists of a Clif Bar, the peanut butter variety, and a handful of walnuts. It's enough to give me a little energy boost.

We continue on, hopping between different trails and trying our best to follow our planned route as defined by whomever posted this trail on AllTrails.com. After about five hours, we realize we are nearing the end and discuss what a great day it has been. Before we know it, we're at the parking area. The hiking pole that Angie accidentally left beside the "porta-potty" is even still there. Our total distance was about 14.1 miles, which made for a nice training hike. While this trail system is nothing spectacular, it's very doable and well maintained. I don't know that I would drive this far to hike it again, but overall, it was a nice hike. Now, the drive home.

Sutallee Trace White Trail (Cherokee County, Georgia)

It rained most of yesterday and while I was planning to do some hiking at Black Rock Mountain State Park, I thought the trails might be too muddy and started looking for other alternatives. I landed on a new trail that I found while searching the internet. The Sutallee Trace White Trail is part of the Etowah Trail system near Canton, GA. It follows the believed route created by the Cherokee and Creek and later used by European pioneers to travel about these hills above the Etowah River.

The parking area is large finding parking wasn't a problem. The trail system begins with a large sign, with the White Trail being the main trial and then others splitting off of it further into the woods. For the first little bit, the trail runs parallel to a gravel track that I presume is used by the nearby high school for sports training. Soon though, the cleared area of the track ends and the trail enters deeper into the woods.

Almost immediately, I encounter a large aluminum span of bridge laying on the ground just before a side creek. Just a bit further a ramp leads up to wooden bridge mostly comprised of four tree trunks in an A-frame configuration and a floor to walk across beneath them. The wooden bridge appears to be aging and I surmise that the brand new aluminum bridge is intended to replace it in the near future. At least they are taking good care of these trails. 

The trail continues on and offers some nice views of the muddy Etowah River and it's bends and shoals. It seems all rivers in the part of the country are shallow and full of rocky shoals, which must have made water travel challenging in the past.

Eventually, the trail leaves the rivers and follows the ebbs and flows of the nearby hillsides, crossing into an area that was obviously clear cut in the recent past. Few trees grow here and the yellow grasses reign supreme on these hillsides. A church and associated cemetery are visible nearby at a major junction of trails and old dirt roads. The trail re-enters the woods and spends the next couple of miles tracing the hillsides on very narrow foot trails. 

Finally reaching the end at Jug Creek, the trail and white blazes that mark it, just end at an old boyscout-constructed bridge. Having looked over the trail before coming, I expected this. There is an old dirt road here, but technically this is the end of the trail and my turn point.

The trip back is uneventful, though I do encounter a number of other hikers as I get close to the starting point. When I reach my car, I check and find that I've hiked about 8.3 miles. Not great, but certainly not bad. I was also able to check out a totally new trail system. I think I will suggest this to the other organizers of the meetup as a potential destination for one of the Sunday hikes, as I think this would be right up the group's alley. For now, I will head home and enjoy dinner with my family.

Palisades East to the Bamboo Forest (Fulton County, Georgia)

Trying to make the most of my Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area day pass, I also wanted to hike to the bamboo forest of the Palisades East unit. Originally, I had tried to park at the main trailhead, but it was absolutely packed and there was no parking to be found. I guess everyone is trying to get some outdoor time on this beautiful Valentine's Day afternoon. As an alternative, I headed to the Indian Trail parking area of this unit. It was similarly busy with cars lining sides of the gravel road, but fortunately, I was able to locate a spot to park my car.

Walking back up the road just a short ways, I quickly entered the woods and began hiking the trails of this unit. The follow the small gulches cut by the rain waters as it follows the path of least resistance on its way to the river below. Some of the trails are a little precarious and full of roots and rocks. I step carefully, but before long reach the old ruins and then head north right along the Chattahoochee River and all of it's shoals.

After only about a quarter-mile, the tall straight stalks of bamboo come into view and soon, I'm surrounded by them. This always seems a magical place to me. While there is a lot of the invasive bamboo scattered around the southeast, this area is home to some of the oldest and largest I know of. Also, sitting right alongside the river gives it a certain charm. It's actually difficult for me to believe now, but when I first moved her several years ago, I searched and searched for this place with little luck. Now, getting there is like second nature to me.

I spend a few minutes taking in my beautiful surroundings. The tall, green stalks surrounding me, the wide river full of brown, rocky shoals sticking up out of the water pass before me, and the distant hills on the other side of the river, all add to the character of this place. What a great day to be alive. And now, I have to get back home to get ready for dinner and my other reason for being alive - my amazing wife. I put in another 2.2 miles at this unit, which still isn't a lot of mileage on this holiday weekend, but hopefully, it will be dry enough on Monday, that I can get a few more.

Sope Creek (Cobb County, Georgia)

For the first time in many years, I'm not planning to by the National Park Service's America the Beautiful pass this year. However, I still want to hit a few sites. With dinner plans tonight, I don't have a lot of time and so, I'm going to try to make the best of limited time and the NPS day pass I bought for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area today. The first stop will be a short hike at the Sope Creek unit..

I guess a lot of other people had similar ideas. Whether they are trying to get a hike in before tonight's rains come or just out for some fresh air with that special someone on this Valentine's Day, I can't say. Regardless though, there are quite a few people here. I take the only remaining parking spot available and quickly start making my way down towards the old paper mill ruins along the creek itself.

While close to home, I do love this little park. The walls of the mill add a distinctive character to it. I spend a couple of minutes finding a good angle to take a shot and then head up to the road and across the creek to the other side, which has a few more ruined structures. I follow this side trail parallel to the shoal-heavy creek all the way to the gulch where Cross Creek joins Sope Creek. There is the ruin of a large multi-room structure here and it makes find point to turn back, as crossing the gulch would not be an easy task.

Heading back the way I came, I pass the main ruins and head into the hills and hollows of the park. The trails here are always well maintained and I make quick work of them. Eventually, I reach Sibley Pond, where a young couple is spending their valentines day on the wooden dock, complete with rose petals spread all over. I nod at the young gentleman and he returns the gesture.

After walking around the pond, I return to the parking area. I only put in 2.2 miles here today, but I'm going to hit another unit of the park before heading home. It's always nice to return to this area. The ruins give it a historic feel, which I appreciate.

Brownstone Canyon Pictographs (Clark County, Nevada)

Anyone that follows my adventures knows that I really enjoy searching for and finding ancient Native American rock art. Many of my posts on this blog are dedicated to specific sites that I have visited over the years. Near Las Vegas, there is a pictograph panel that has eluded me for a few years now and today, I'm going to have another go at reaching it. The panel is in a canyon known as Brownstone Canyon, which is north and running parallels to the famous Red Rocks Canyon National Conservation Area. 

My first attempt about four years ago was quickly put to an end by a new subdivision, which had been built near the trailhead I was planning to start from. In addition to homes, they also built tall concrete walls at the back of the project, effectively blocking access to this particular trailhead. About a year-and-a-half ago, I made a second attempt from with in Red Rocks Canyon. I thought this would be about a 12-15 mile hike from the Turtlehead Peak Trailhead. Unfortunately, the early October weather of that trip still saw temperatures breaking the 100° barrier and I decided it was not the best time to be hiking in the remote open desert. 

All of that brings me to today. I have my entry pass to the park and I intend to hike the route, I had planned out for my last attempt. Luckily, the temperatures are only suppose to reach a high of around 70° today, which means it should be perfect weather for hiking. 

After parking my rental, I quickly hit the trail for Turtlehead Peak. My route follows this path for the first mile or so, before breaking northeast and heading on around the backside of the mountain. The first part of the trail is well marked and then enters a wide wash that looks more like the parking lot at a quarry than anything else. Huge amounts of small pebbles, a mix of limestone and sandstone, cover the ground in this wide wash, which has to be more than 150' feet wide. I can only imagine what this must look like during a heavy rain.

Eventually, I reach a point where I realize I didn't leave the Turtlehead Peak Trail quite soon enough and I'm forced to climb over a couple of sagebrush covered hills until I rejoin the large wash. The hiking is all uphill, though at a very slight ascent and so, I'm making decent time. The gravel is hard to walk in though, but as there is very little flora in it, I'm comforted somewhat by not having to be quite as watchful for rattlesnakes in this section. This is a rough time of year for hikers with regard to these critters. I'm familiar enough with snakes to know their behavior at different temperatures. In the hot summer sun, snakes will hide under rocks or in the shade of a small bush, while in the colder months, they will often be out in the open on top of a rock sunning themselves to help regulate their body temperature. The difficulty comes in when the temperatures are between 60° and 70°ish degrees, as they could be in either location. When I am forced to walk by small bushes or rock overhangs, my senses are on hyper alert looking for the venomous creatures.

As I continue to climb towards the top of the canyon, the wash begins to narrow. With the tall La Madre filling the horizon directly in front of me, I know I'm on the correct path. Soon though and after the wash narrows even further, I begin to turn due north as expected. At one point, I find a dry waterfall that requires a modest amount of scrambling to climb up.

From there, the trail continues to follow the wash, but I'm now on the back (northwest) side of the series of peaks that are part of the Turtlehead Peak complex. The trail (wash) is extremely narrow in places and I think to myself what a good ambush spot some of these passages would be for a mountain lion. I'm careful to watch out for tracks and other signs, but as of yet, I haven't seen any. I'm still on guard though.

Finally, I get to the top of the canyon, which is nothing more than a small saddle between two hills. Coming down the other side, I find a feint foot trail with an occasional rock cairn to mark the way. The footholds are a little precarious and on this sandy gravel, slipping is a real concern. Luckily, the fall or slide would only a few feet into the tiny wash between the hillsides. The view of Brownstone Canyon from up here is magnificent though and in the distance, I can see the Las Vegas Strip, which is about thirty miles away. It still stands out though against the desolate desert landscape.

Now making my way down the new wash that forms this parallel canyon, I find the hiking much easier. It's headed slightly downhill and looking down the canyon from above, I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going, which is unlike the first half, where I couldn't see around the next bend sometimes and simply had to trust my sense of direction to ensure I was on track.

On my left, the red rocks for which the area is so famous jut out of the ground to form a small mountain and to my right, similar formations, but in white do the same. They almost look like giant wasp nests. I should note that after leaving the Turtlehead Peak Trail several miles ago, I haven't seen another soul. I suspect the trails up here are not trafficked much, which suits me just fine. I'd prefer to keep people away and keep the priceless rock art safe.

Eventually, I reach an area that I think is near the pictographs. I begin scanning the rock walls to my right in search of any indication. Very quickly, I spot some red figures painted on the sandstone and head over for a closer examination. I'm forced to climb up a small rock outcropping, but once over the edge and in between it and the larger rock wall in front of me, I know I have arrived. 

No less than three panels containing many dozens of figures have been painted here in four or possibly five different colors. There are images of human-shaped images, along with snakes, and numerous other repeating figures. The main panel is actually one of the most colorful I have encountered - truly breathtaking. Experts believe these rock art images are at least 800 years old, but could be much older than that. Either way, I'm honored to be among these amazing art works. 

A small plaque has been cemented on the rocks in front of the wall, warning visitors of the criminal penalties of defacing these treasures. As this area is so remote, hopefully, the will remain safe until the wind and rain naturally and finally wash all trace of them away in the eons to come. 

As I make my way out of the crag between the rocks, I hear foot steps and see another hiker coming from the opposite direction of my route. We chat briefly and I ask where he started. Apparently, he came from a trailhead called Greg's Trailhead and hiked northwest up Brownstone Canyon from behind the subdivision to reach this point. He says it was a little over five miles to this point. I wish him well and start heading back the way I came. 

My return trip is uneventful, but I am afforded more great views of Red Rock Canyon once I get around to the southside of Turtlehead Peak. These views were behind me on my trip in and so, I didn't really take the time to notice them. I'm taking the time now though. When I finally get back to my rental car, I check my track and discover that the entire hike was only about 8.9 miles, which significantly less than I had estimated. Ah well, finding these panels was well worth the effort and I'm really glad I was able to finally accomplish my goal.

Wind Dancer - Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour (Clark County, Nevada)

I've always wanted to ride in a helicopter, but have never had the opportunity. A few months ago, I was reminded of this when I saw one of those 'bucket list posts' on Facebook. I thought to myself this was a fairly easy one to check off the list, especially with a trip to Las Vegas coming up. And so, I looked at companies that offered helicopter rides in and around Sin City. I finally decided to go with Maverick Helicopters and chose their Wind Dancer tour, which flies from Las Vegas to the western part of the Grand Canyon and back.

Originally, the company offered hotel pick up, but for some reason, they stopped doing this. They notified me well in advance and since I had a rental car anyway, this wasn't really much of an inconvenience. After waking up, showering, and grabbing some breakfast I drove from Paris on the Strip just a couple of miles south to Maverick's headquarters, which is just on the edge of the airport property. My flight wasn't for almost an hour and so, I just sat back and relaxed for a bit. I was kind of tired anyway, as I didn't get into Las Vegas until late last night. 

At about 8:45am, our pilot came out and collected everyone in his group. He introduced himself, checked us in, and then quickly covered our agenda and flight plan before taking us outside into the secure area, where he showed us the Airbus EC130 we would be flying in. He gave a quick safety briefing and then loaded us into the ship - eight of us total, including our pilot.

With that, we were off. I was actually pretty amazed by how smooth the take off was. We left the ground and then hovered about ten feet off the ground while we shuttled down the side of the airport a few hundred feet and then to the area where we would really 'take off' and head into the skies over Las Vegas. There were actually a number of tours happening at the same time and so, it felt almost like we were part of a fleet of helicopters.

The view of the Strip was really neat. I've seen it from the air many, many times, but never this close. It was as though we were just floating above the massive casino resorts. Departing the city, we headed due east towards Hoover Dam, which offered more extraordinary views. We circled around a little bit, which gave us the opportunity for some amazing pictures. I've toured the dam before and driven across it many times, but seeing it from this perspective is unique.

Next we headed over Lake Mead and the surrounding desert landscape. Having explored many of these areas on foot or by jeep in the past, it was really interesting to try and get my bearings. Our pilot was great about pointing things out as we they came into view. Everyone was wearing the headphones you see in the movies and some great classic rock was playing, but frequently, he would interject interesting information about our location or historical trivia.

As we passed over the lake, I asked about St. Thomas. It seems it should be further north from our current location, but it's difficult to tell as we are nearly 1,000 feet above the desert. The pilot wasn't familiar with formerly flooded town of St. Thomas, but seemed very interested to read up on it after the tour. 

Leaving the flooded area that is Lake Mead, the Colorado River became clearly visible as it carves it's way through the sandstone desert. We flew over a saddle that the pilot referred to as Indian Pass and from there, descended into the Grand Canyon. He pointed out the Grand Canyon West Skywalk to us as we passed by it, nearly at the same altitude. 

Dropping further into the mighty canyon, we located our landing zone, which already had the other three helicopters in our 'fleet' on the ground, each near it's own picnic table. Because of some crosswinds, our pilot had to turn around fly back in from the west, which offered us even more views of the green Colorado far below us. 

I don't know the exact elevation of our landing pad, but it was probably midway up the canyon wall. With the helicopter now on the ground and the rotors now fully stopped, the pilot opened our doors and we exited the ship. The views from up here are great. He brought out a cooler and from the nearby picnic table offered us some refreshments, including a nice glass of champagne. With this kind of view, how could I turn that down. 

We remained on the ground for about 20 minutes, which gave ample time to walk around the cliff we had landed on and explore. The pilot also suggested we take advantage of some of the nearby rocks and/or bushes to tend to matters of relief (if you know what I mean). With the bubbly now gone and having devoured a small bag of pretzels, we were asked to re-enter the helicopter and were soon in the air once again. 

Before heading back to Las Vegas, it was necessary to refuel at a location that Maverick owns out in the middle of nowhere in the desert. As we landed, our three companion ships were already on the ground, which made for an interesting view and even gave impressions of a military exercise. Once on the ground, we again exited the helicopter and were able to explore some of the desert flora, while our pilot refueled the ship. The area has a lot of Joshua trees, prickly pear, cholla, and barrel cacti, and they are quite beautiful in their natural setting.

After only about 10 minutes, we were back in the ship and on our way back to the landing strip where we started. We followed a similar path, but came into Las Vegas from the north and so flew down the length of the Strip. Again, this was an amazing view and a totally unique way to experience Las Vegas. 

The trip in total was about 2.5 hours and we covered about 80-miles each way. Our pilot was great and my co-adventurers were all very nice. Quite honestly, this was a really amazing experience and I would recommend it to anyway. And now, I can cross that item off of my bucket list.