Monadnock Madness (DeKalb and Rockdale Counties, Georgia)

Before moving to Georgia a few years ago, I had no idea what a monadnock was. Now, I end up getting many, many trail miles in and around them each year. I learned of these geologic formations, which are really nothing more than an uprising of softer rock from the cooling magma of past eons, by doing the Monadnock Madness event back in 2020. This event is sponsored and organized by the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Heritage Area and challenges participants to summit the three nearby granite monadnocks in a single day. This includes the famous Stone Mountain, Arabia Mountain, and Panola Mountain. It was a great even and I enjoyed it so much I returned to do it again in 2022, when they added a forth hike to the summit of Kennesaw Mountain diagonally across Atlanta from the other three. After that though, they stopped holding the annual event, claiming it was damaging the mountain trails too much. This year though, they decided to revisit the event for their 20th anniversary. Once I learned of it, I was in.

As we will be tackling Stone Mountain (the tallest and steepest) of the three first, we met at the walkup lot. Unlike previous years during the pandemic, this year we will be hiking as a group, which is an interesting twist. Additionally, we will have expert scientists, rangers, and others along with us providing some educational opportunities as we torture ourselves (okay, these will be easy hikes for me, but for some they may be torture). It should be great day.

The organizer gives us quick rundown of the days agenda and with that we begin making our way across the street to the walk-up trail. These steep trail summits Stone Mountain, which is actually the most popular attraction in the state. As it was once used as a granite quarry, there are many, many elaborate carvings on the ground on our way up. Our guides share some history of some of them. We also learn of some of the flora unique to the monadnocks, which includes black cherry trees and a species of oak, which has specialized to grow in these dry, rocky environment. 

Once at the top, we take a few minutes to enjoy the view. It must be somewhat unique to this time of year and this time of day, and I'm certain it wasn't planned, but as we look west towards downtown Atlanta, the sun is reflecting off the mirrorlike top of one of the skyscrapers. Its so bright, it appears to be generating the light itself. I mention that this must resemble what the Emperor Constantine must have seen nearly two millennia ago that inspired him to convert to Christianity. I'm not sure that anyone here understood my reference, but trust me, it was a good one.

We soon regroup and head down the mountain and back towards our cars. I get ahead of the group a bit with the intention of sneaking in some lunch before we caravan to Arabia Mountain. I prepared a little dish with grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and feta cheese. A small cooler in my front seat is keeping it cool. I grab the dish and a seat and begin to enjoy my lunch. Soon though, the others arrive and I'm forced to finish it later. We start our cars and head south towards Arabia Mountain. The distance of our hike here was about 2.5 miles. 

The park volunteers direct us to a super secret parking area north of the visitors center due to the main parking lot being full today. I can't blame people, it's a beautiful day. A short little jaunt through the woods and we regroup at the visitors center. The park has provided two large baskets of snacks and fruit, as well as a water refill. I'm good though. I'm trying to eat very healthy right now and potato chips are not on my menu.

The ranger gives a brief talk about the history of the park and before very long, we're hiking once again. We cross the road and skip the board walk, much like we did a couple of weeks ago when I came for the lunar eclipse. As we make our way up the side of the mountain, we stop to take in all of the unique life that thrives here, including the beautiful diamorpha smallii, which is just coming into bloom. 

Our guide is quite knowledgeable and speaks about all things related to Arabia Mountain, including it's ancient history, it's time as a quarry, and now, it's continued preservation as a park. As we listen and hike, we explore the area between Bradley Peak and Arabia Mountain. It's always interesting to see the stark contrast between the areas that were quarried and those that were not, or at least not as heavily.

Returning to the parking area, we are given instructions on our next destination, which takes us to another super-secret parking area at the nearby Panola Mountain State Park. Again, I head out early in the hopes of finishing my lunch at the final stop. Our hike distance at Arabia Mountain was 2.3 miles.

Driving just a few miles to the southwest, we arrive at our final mountain. This super-secret parking area takes us down the old driveway of the family that use to reside here before they accidentally burned their mansion down and later donated the land to the state. It's about a quarter-mile until we reach an open field, where I'm directed to park. I'm the first here and I take a minute to finish my food. 

As others arrive, the ranger greets us and asks us to sign a waiver, which is common at state parks for these organized events. After everyone signs, we begin our third and final hike to the summit of Panola Mountain. Unlike the other two, this one can only be accessed when accompanied by a ranger. Panola was never quarried (mostly due to the brittle nature of the granite here) and once it donated to the state, it was decided that it should be preserved in it's natural condition. The park offers guided hikes regularly, but frowns and even fines visitors who try to access the mountain on their own.

We make our way through the woods and soon up the side of the mountain. Our ranger knows the path well and does her best to avoid stepping on the mosses and lichens that grow on and slowly consume the granite. She describes many aspects of the geology and biology we are witnessing first hand. At one point, she asks if anyone knows the difference between igneous and metamorphic rock. A bright 7-year old young lady speaks up and gives a textbook answer. I look at her dad and nod in approval. He's doing it right. Great job young one!

We wrap up our hike by hiking back down towards the old lake house, where one of the park volunteers has prepared a campfire and set up supplies for making smores. As the sweet treat doesn't really agree with my diet, I decline, but thank everyone for such a great day and had back towards my car. This final hike was only about 1.8 miles, bringing the total for the day to about 6.6 - not huge, but still a wonderful event that I'm glad to have been able to participate in.

Sweetwater Creek - All Trails except Blue (Douglas County, Georgia)

I'm feeling great! I ran a 5k last night and performed better than expected. I ran my fastest race in over five years and even took second place in my age group. That said though, these legs need more exercise and so, I decided to join the Atlanta Outdoor Club for an extended hike at Sweetwater Creek State Park. The park has a number of different interconnected trails and the plan is to hike all of them (each designated by a different color) except the Blue Trail.

After meeting up with the group, we did the standard round of introductions and were soon on the trail, seven of us in total. We notice that there is another event going on and later discover it to be the Yeti 7-11 Endurance Race, which is not about time, but about how much distance you can run in either seven hours or eleven hours, depending on which option you registered for. We encounter a number of runners and hikers participating in the race. In some cases, we will see them multiple times throughout the day. 

Our first section takes northeast crossing the sturdy steel bridge over Sweetwater Creek and into the eastern side of the park, which is full of hills. All of the trails here are well maintained and at this time of year, we can occasionally sneak a view of the creek below us. One of the ladies in the group even mentions that there is a lookout from this side where we can look back over the ruins of the Manchester Manufacturing Company on the western shore of the creek. Unfortunately, she mentioned this well after we had already past the point. I will have to look for this spur trail on my next visit. 

We complete the 4ish mile loop on this side of the creek and then head back across the bridge and pass by the visitor's center once more, where we stop for a quick restroom break and snack. Once everyone is ready, we head south through the woods above the ruins. Once we reach the designated point (as defined by the gentleman that originally planned this event), we turn around at what seems like a strange point by the creek and then head back along the rushing waters of Sweetwater Creek. 

This section is a little gnarly with lots of rock scrambling and a few stairs involved. I enjoy this section the most. However, at one point, I grab onto a vine to steady myself over some slippery rocks only to feel a sharp stabbing pain in my thumb from the thorns attached to the vine. I guess it suits me right for not looking first. Regardless, once we close out this section with a short stop at the observation deck directly over the ruins. 

All along the way, we've been discussing various topics, but mostly focused on past and future hiking trips. It seems one of the ladies is headed to Tanzania, where I was a few months ago. Another is planning to hike the Camino Portuguese in a few weeks, which I will be hiking about a month after her. It never ceases to amaze me how many people in these groups share such common interests of travel.

From here, we head southwest along the White Trail, which eventually becomes the brown trail and climb some of the steepest inclines in the park, though they still aren't much by comparison. It's great to be outside though this time of year. While the temperatures are warm, the humidity for which Georgia is famous, hasn't quite kicked in yet. That fact along with the occasional cool breeze makes it a beautiful day to be doing this.

Finishing this section of the Brown Trail, we begin to make our way back to the visitors center. We see many more runners continuing their torturous multi-hour march. Once we arrive, we say our goodbyes and head our separate ways. For me, I'm planning to go home and fire up the grill. We hiked about 12.7 miles here today, which isn't bad at all. 

Allatoona Creek (Cobb County, Georgia)

It's all about mileage right now. With several big hikes coming up, some of the multi-day trips, I'm trying to get in as many trail miles as I can. I hiked fifteen yesterday and hope to get another seven or eight today. To that end, I decided to join the Meetups standard Sunday hike, which today takes us to the Allatoona Creek trail system. I've hiked here once before and I remember thinking it was okay, but nothing spectacular. Probably great for mountain bikers, but just average for hikers. Either way though, I'm happy to get some miles in and hike with several friends. 

We meet at the parking area and get started pretty quickly after a round of introductions. I'm using today to begin breaking in some new hiking shoes I will be taking overseas with me in a couple of months. Hopefully, they won't tear my feet up too badly.

The trail meanders through the woods and passes over a number of features made for mountain bikes, including ramps and jumps. Our leader is a big mountain biker and often enjoys hiking trails of this nature. The scenery is nice and occasionally we get a small section walking along the creek itself. What really makes these Sunday hikes enjoyable though is the company. Over my years in Georgia, I've made a number of friends in this group and we always have great conversations as we make our way through the woods.

Once start to make our way back to the parking area, I check mileage and see that we've hiked 8.5 miles, which is a little more than I was expecting, but I'm glad for it. This isn't a bad trail system by any means. It's well maintained and easy to navigate. It's just that it's one of those trail systems that was created just for the sake of creating a trail system. There is really nothing interesting to see here, other than maybe the occasional view of the creek. Either way though, it was an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends.

Wagon Train Trail to Brasstown Bald (Towns County, Georgia)

With some big hikes coming up in just a couple of months, I've been training pretty hard to get ready. For one hike in particular, the Camino Portugués de la Costa, I've posted a number of training events on the Meetup in the hopes that several of my friends that will be joining me will take advantage in order to get used to the big mileage days on that trip. Today's training hike takes along the Wagon Train Trail all the way to Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia.

After meeting a few of my hiker friends and carpooling to Young Harris, where the trail starts, we wait for others arrive. Six strong at the scheduled start time, we do a quick round of introductions and then leave head past the red gate along what was once an old logging road. I've hiked this trial once before, but it was about five years ago. It's not terribly difficult, but it is long and has gradual elevation gain all the way to the top. 

The weather is beautiful today, perfect for a long hike. As we make our way up the old road, we get spaced out a little bit, but I've hiked with most of these people for years and I feel confident that they are okay on their own, though I will wait at forks to ensure everyone goes the correct direction. At one point, we stop for a quick water break and while waiting for everyone to catch up, one of my friends hears a water feature below the trail. It turns out to be a small waterfall. He finds a way down and after I ask, points me along the right path. It's a little precarious to get to, as you have to hug a large boulder and hold onto some trees to keep from sliding down the steep incline, but after working around the boulder, the small waterfall becomes visible. It's nothing more than a few small streams of water pouring over a large dark rock, but with the sunlight hitting and framed by the greenery of spring, it's actually quite striking. I remember seeing something on the map called Wagon Drivers Hidden Falls, and I suspect this is it.

Back on the trail, we start to see the observation deck atop Brasstown Bald in the distance. It's actually a really nice view from there because we can see the ridgeline we will follow all the way to the top. The entire length of this trail is well maintained and we are able to maintain a pretty good pace. Towards the top, we encounter a tree that I remember from my last time here. It's root system is laid out smoothly, but visibly, just on top of the ground. It's actually a pretty cool picture in my opinion.

Just a bit further, we cross the paved walk-up trail and join many, many others making their way to the top of Georgia. The paved trail begins just a hundred or so yards below us at the large parking area and then continues steeply to the observation tower. My comrades jest at the people walking up the paved trail with backpacks and hiking poles, though the total paved trail distance is only about a mile. They find it a little funny since we've actually hiked about seven miles already to get to this point. 

With everyone caught up, we begin the final ascent. I'm feeling really good today and decide to push my pace a little bit. It's a steep climb, but a good way to get the heart pumping a little bit. Soon, the tower comes into clear view and we cross the shuttle road and then to the structure itself. I tell my group to take about twenty minutes and then designate a meeting spot. Apparently, the gift shop opened today and so there are a lot of people here. My hikers scatter to explore the views from this high point. For three of them, it is their first time here. I think it's my sixth of seventh. I too take a few pictures and then make my way to the meeting spot to enjoy a protein bar. 

Once we regroup, we start making our way back the way we came. It seems the first-timers really enjoyed the views. The way back is uneventful other than one of the newer hikers stumbling in the mud and the minor excitement caused by a small garter snake stopped on the trail directly in front of me. I gave him a gentle brush of my foot to encourage him off the trail.

When we arrive at the cars, I check our mileage and we hit almost exactly 15 miles with right about 3,000 of elevation gain. Not a bad hike at all. We say our goodbyes and head back towards civilization. It's always good to hike with these folks and this was a good experience for those used to lighter miles. They seemed to have done very well with the long distance, but they may feel it tomorrow.

Cloudy Lunar Eclipse and Sunrise from Arabia Mountain (DeKalb County, Georgia)

The astronomers say there will be a full lunar eclipse (also known as a blood moon) early this morning. I had gotten an email from the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center indicating they would be leading a hike to the top of Arabia Mountain (technically Bradley Mountain) for the event. Originally, I had planned to get up and drive to the nearby Little Mulberry Park and walk up to the observation plateau, but when heard of the Arabia Mountain option, it seemed a better choice.

I got up a little after three and after getting ready, I drove the 35ish minutes to Arabia Mountain. Though there was a thick cloud over overhead, I was optimistic that it might clear before the eclipse was over with. When I arrived, there were a few folks already there, but over the next twenty or so minutes it grew to a crowd of rough 125 people. Truly awesome to see this many people, including a number of teenagers, interested in something like this.

At 5:15 am, the rangers gathered everyone up and gave a quick briefing for the hike. From there, we walked through the woods and crossed the street over to a shortcut to the top. It's cold out this morning, but it seems most people, including myself prepared for it. I even brought one of my foam sleeping pads to sit on once we reached the top.

With our headlamps on, we scaled the side of the granite monadnock and quickly reached the top of the short mountain. The clouds remain and my hope of actually seeing something dwindles, but while we wait, I enjoy a number of nice conversations with fellow enthusiasts, as we brace ourselves from the cold winds. 

As 6:33 am, the minute of maximum, comes and goes, we're unable to see any thing resembling the moon. We do have a nice view of the city in the distance though. I pick up my sleeping pad and walk a few yards to get a eastern facing view. Perhaps the pending sunrise will be more accommodating. A few others join me, but once again, the clouds put a damper on our plan. 

With the time of sunrise, 7:03 am, now having come and gone, I pack up and head down the mountain. It's a bit disappointing, but it's still great to be outside and I do love climbing Arabia Mountain any chance I get, especially at night. I didn't do a GPS track for this one, but I suspect my distance was just over a mile. Hardly worth the effort of tracking.

Yellow River (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

I was able to get some good miles in yesterday and knock out an unexplored section of the AT in northern Georgia, but I really need to be pushing myself in preparation for some other upcoming hikes. I decided to join the Meetup group for their standard Sunday hike, which today was happening at Yellow River Park, which is only a short drive from my house. 

Arriving just a couple of minutes before the start time, I was greeted by several friends. We did our quick round of introductions and quickly hit the trail. I've hiked here before, but it has been a while. The park is mostly known for mountain bike trails, but they are shared with hikers. As we meander through the woods, I get into numerous conversations with friends, new and old alike, about a variety of topics. Several of the topics relate to an upcoming trip a few of us are doing together to hike the Camino Portugués de la Costa and our preparations for the trek.

As we hike, we are afforded a nice view of the river here and there. With the recent rains, it lives up to it's name with a muddy yellowish color to the water. It's still a nice view though. In addition, we wander alongside a couple of tributary creeks, one of which has a couple of small waterfalls, which adds some nice scenery to the hike.

Our hike takes us all around the park and finally, we end up back at the parking lot. Having hiked 7.6 miles today on top of the big miles yesterday, I feel I've given my legs a pretty good workout for the weekend. I say my goodbyes and hop in my car to drive home.

Appalachian Trail - Jacks Gap to Low Gap Shelter (Union County, Georgia)

 

For my continuing quest to complete all sections of the Georgia portion of the Appalachian Trail, I decided to knock out a section between Jacks Knob and the Low Gap Shelter today. I had been trying to plan out exactly how to do this without needing to shuttle, as there is a 15ish mile section between parking areas. However, I realized I could park at Jacks Gap, which is the starting point for the shortest hike up to Brasstown Bald, and then walk the Jacks Gap to Jacks Knob Trail, which hits the AT just past the mountain. I planned to then continue south on the AT towards Low Gap.

I arrived at the small parking area a little before 11:00 am. I had posted this as an event for the meetup, but only a couple of days ago. One person, whom I had never met, signed up and so I waited until the scheduled start time. I didn't necessarily think she would show up, but I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. When the clock struck though, I was quick to hit the trail, which started across the highway from the parking area. It quickly starts up hill towards Jacks Knob. We've had a bit of rain the past few days and so, the earth is soft here, but not terrible. 

As I make my way up the hillside, where the trail has been cut alongside it, I can't help but think of watching out for the mythical haggis of the Scottish Highlands. This beast is said to have the legs on one side of its body (both front and back) grow a bit shorter than those on the other side. This adaption allows the animal to feast on the grasses of the hillsides without struggling. It's a great story and having eaten haggis in Scotland, I can tell you that there must be something to the myth to produce such great food.

Reaching the top of the trail and Jacks Knob, I can easily see where this trail meets the AT. The famous trail blaze, a single white vertical stripe adorns a tree here. Just below the trail, is the source of the Chattahoochee River. I consider making my way down to it, but realize that it's not going to be anything more than just a trickle down a wash and decide against it. There are many other drainages coming off the mountain much like what I image that spot must be like.

So, my journey along this section of the AT now begins. I'm amazed at how flat the trail is here. It's actually using what I am fairly certain is an old abandoned logging road. The foot trail uses only a single track of what was once a double track, though the trees and bushes have started to reclaim the other section. I imagine in decades past a great deal of lumber was hauled out of these mountainsides.

In a few sections, the water trickles down from the mountaintops above and makes for some small waterfalls descending the steep hillside. As I pass through this long flat section, I pass a few northbound AT Thru-hikers. When I see their larger packs, I ask if they are bound for Mount Katahdin (the northern terminus of the AT in Maine). Many respond with "that's the plan", to which I wish the best of luck. Someday, I hope to thru-hike the AT myself, but taking four months off of work is challenging right now.

After a few miles, I drop down to the saddle that is Low Gap and then take the spur trail to the shelter constructed there. I'm sure there were hikers camped here last night, but at this time of day, I'm here all by myself. I take a few minutes to rest and eat some walnuts and blueberries. It's peaceful here and after a few minutes a another thru-hiker shows up and pitches his tent just up the hill from the shelter. I wave on my way out and he returns the gesture.

The return trip is pretty similar - easy going along the flat section and then a bit a of a challenge on the way down from Jacks Knob. One interesting thing that I didn't notice on my journey to the shelter that I do now on my journey back is a section of the old logging road supported by flat stones that have collapsed. I imagine the trail itself will completely wash out here in time and need to be rebuilt. It's a problem for another day though, as I need to get back to my car and head for home. As I make my way down the hillside, I can see the observation tower on Brasstown Bald from a distance. It sticks out above the tree tops on the distant ridge marking the highest point in the state.

Shortly before reaching my car, I'm stopped by an older couple who asked about where I had come from. I explain what I'm doing and we get into a longer conversation about nearby hikes and other adventures. They are nice folks, but after ten or fifteen minutes, I excuse myself as I really do need to get going. When I reach my car, I check the GPS track and see that I completed 14.6 miles today. Not bad at all, and with this section knocked out, I only have two more remaining (the two northernmost sections). I get in my car and head for home.