Moore's Bridge (Carroll County, Georgia)

My friend Charlie, the owner of the Meetup group I often hike with or lead hikes for, has been trying to get me to a park called Moore's Bridge a ways west of Atlanta for a while now. For one reason or another, I just haven't been able to make the past outings to this area, but even with the rain pounding down on us, I decided to give it a go today. I've been watching the weather forecast closely and it appears the rain will pass just about the time we start hiking. 

I've done a little research on this park and I believe the remnants of the old bridge are still here just downstream a bit from the western-most trail in the park. Charlie has explained that he has gone to the river and checked, but was unable to see anything. I'm a bit bull-headed and really want to see for myself.

The rain seems to have scared off the majority of hikers today and we are only a group of seven, which is actually better for my tastes. Often, our Sunday hikes get to be too big and unruly. Seven is a good number to manage. Everyone here knows each other and so, we skip the introductions and just head off into the woods. Before long, we encounter a small box-turtle seeking the security of it's shell. We try not to disturb him.

I think this park was created primarily for mountain bikers, which is probably why it is so appealing to Charlie, but even so, the trails are nicely maintained and wind through the woods enough to keep it interesting. We all hold a really good pace and will hopefully get in some good miles today. 

When we reach the southwest corner of the park (the area closest to where the remains of the bridge might be), I begin looking for a way to explore beyond the park. A large deep gully with a feeder creek blocks our passage directly across, but walking through the thorns and brambles just a bit upstream, I find a spot where I can cross over. The group follows curiously. After making way through the undergrowth, the area opens up into a maintained grass area with a house sitting up on a hill above us. I believe this is the historical home of Horace King, a renowned architect, engineer, and bridge-builder of the mid to late nineteenth century, who happened to be African-American and a former slave. He was responsible for designing Moore's Bridge and many other structures throughout the deep south.

Looking left through the trees, I see the unmistakable steel girders of a bridge skeleton spanning the Chattahoochee River. We make our way closer to the bridge and take a few minutes to explore. Everyone is excited to find this structure and I'm glad to have been proven right about it being here. There isn't much left beyond the steel skeleton and in the distance, the approach earthworks just below the house.

Heading up to the house, we take a few minutes to explore around the property, which appears to have been a museum or preserved historic site at some point, though Google indicates that is currently temporarily closed. It's a pretty nice house, though obviously dated and in some level of disrepair. There is an outhouse and well behind the main house and a couple of barns on the nearby land. It's all quite interesting to walk around.

Heading back up to the main trail a slightly different way than we came, we rejoin the mountain bike trails of the park and finish out the hike for the day. When we finally arrive back at the parking area, we've finished 7.9 miles. While mountain bike trails are often boring to me, looking for and finding the bridge made this a very good day. The others agree and thank me for my tenacity in exploring for it. They seem to have really enjoyed the diversion. We say our good- byes and part ways until our next hike.

Savannah Valley Railroad Trail (McCormick County, South Carolina)

Continuing my series of training hikes for my upcoming Camino Portuguese Trek, I posted a group hike on the meetup to explore the Savannah Valley Railroad Trail. This trail was created from an old, unused, railway bed and covers about 18.7 miles each way with very little elevation change. That seemed perfect for a training exercise. Two of my friends joined me for the exploration of this trail and we carpooled the two or so hours from Atlanta to the trailhead just across the border in South Carolina.

We arrived at the trail just a few minutes later than planned and took a few minutes to prep our gear and find suitable 'facili-trees' in the nearby woods. Pretty quickly though, we were on the trail, which starts off through a poison-ivy infested section of woods. Thankfully, this only last a short time as it winds back to the road we drove in on and then crosses to the other side and the trail really opens up. Some of the actual rails and ties are still visible here partially buried in the ground. 

As we peer into the distance, the trail looks very well maintained. It is wide and covered with pine needles for as far as the eye can see. It should make for an easy day. Since this is a training hike, we keep a pretty solid pace as we knock down the miles. There are few things of interest along this first section, including some stone signal signs. From an informational sign, these were to warn the train conductor of an upcoming road intersection and indicate for him the proper whistle sequence, with a wide symbol for a long steam horn burst and a narrow one for a shorter burst. The sequence here is two long followed by two short. As we walk, I visualize the scene of this happening in my mind.

After just a couple of miles, we are forced to walk on the road for a good distance. I had read about this and knew to expect it. I warned my friends to choose their footwear accordingly. For myself, I chose to wear an old pair of running shoes today and that seems to have been a good choice. The extra padding helps a lot on the pavement. 

This section on pavement is about two-and-a-half miles long and takes across two bridges spanning sections of the dam-flooded Little River. The water is low, but it's still offers some nice views. A few fisherman are trying their luck on the nearby shorelines below us. Luckily, there isn't a great deal of traffic on these roads and we're easily able to step into the grassy shoulder when the infrequent car does come along. 

After that stretch, we enter the woods on the old rail bed and continue west. Several sections pass through small hills and valleys. To ensure a smooth grade for the trains, either a cut was made to lessen the grade of the hill or a land bridge was built to raise it above the valley. Either way, it makes for a nice flat hike for us. As we cross highway 7, we note a sign on a post indicating the trail is closed about 1.75 miles ahead. That's interesting and will cut our mileage a little short. 

Another mile on, and we encounter a bridge or trestle. I check on either side and try to find a spot to get down to an angle where I can get a good picture, but it's a bit too treacherous for me to want to risk injury. We just decide to cross and are are greeted by a squadron of wood bees guarding the bridge. There are enough of them that I assume they have a next somewhere in the structure, but luckily, they don't do anything more than attempt to dive-bomb us. 

As expected we hit a no-trespassing sign after another 0.75 miles. It's attached to a stretch of barbed-wire across the trail, with no other explanation. As this is a county trail, I assume there was some problem with the easement. Either way, it will cut our overall distance about four miles short of the expected 18.7. We turn around and head back the way we came.

Getting hungry, we discuss stopping at a picnic table near the trestle to enjoy whatever snacks we each brought along. However, when we arrive we find that the bees have taken over the table area also and decide to keep moving. Eventually, we find a nice bench and stop for a few minutes to get a few calories in ourselves.

Fueled-up, we continue the return journey to our car. It's pretty uneventful, but we we reach the last section beyond the road walk, I suggest checking out a couple of side trails that we noticed when we first came this way. It will allow us to get closer to our original goal mileage. My friends agree and we first head northeast along a gravel road towards the old Badwell Cemetery, only a half-mile distant. 

The graves in this small cemetery range from 1793 (the oldest) to 1925 (the most recent). All of them (except one) are enclosed in a thick stone wall that has collapsed in several sections. As the newest grave here is over a century old, it's not surprising to see everything in such disrepair, but it is a little disheartening.

As we explore the area a bit further, we discover another marble gravestone outside the main walled-in area. The inscription tells of "Daddy Tom" who died in February 1857. While the inscription speaks kindly of the main, the way everything is worded leaves little doubt that this man was a slave, which is very likely why he wasn't buried inside the main plot. It's a harsh reminder of the dark past of our nation and the atrocities we committed against so many peoples in our ignorance. I have no doubt the family that erected the stone to this man thought highly of him and that they were doing him a service by even raising a gravestone, but looking at it through modern eyes, I can't help but think of how cruel it is to even consider this a great honor, rather than just a decency owed to any human being. The image of this will remain with me for quite a while, I think.

After the cemetery, we head back the opposite direction to explore a old spring house, which is really nothing more than a small building constructed of concrete blocks over a spring. The interior of the building is flooded with water and there really isn't much to see here, but it's interesting nonetheless. 

Just after leaving the spring house, it begins to rain on us. Lightly at first, it does pick up a little bit. I wouldn't normally have brought an umbrella on a hike, but knowing that this would be a wide and open trail, I thought it might work and it did just that. My companions put on their ponchos, but I simply raised my umbrella. 

Finally returning to my car just as the rain mostly stops, we check our tracks and see that we've hiked 15.8 miles. That's still less than the originally planned 18.7, but it will have to do. This was an interesting and easy hike and we all agree that the history of the area made it an especially enjoyable experience. Now the drive home.

Appalachian Trail - Unicoi Gap to Dicks Creek Gap (Towns County, Georgia)

I'm continuing my quest to complete all of the Georgia sections of the Appalachian Trail. Today, I'll be hiking from Unicoi Gap to Dicks Creek Gap, which is considered one of the most challenging sections. A few years ago, I hiked from Unicoi Gap up to the Tray Mountain Shelter and back, which means, I don't really need that section, but it's shorter to do it this way as a shuttle hike than it would be to hike south from Dicks Creek Gap to the shelter and back. Luckily, I convinced my friend Tina to join me and help with the shuttle logistics. 

Driving up separately, we met at the parking area at Dicks Creek Gap. The plan is for me to leave my car here and then for Tina to drive us the twenty minutes or so to Unicoi Gap, where we'll start the hike. Once we get back to Dicks Creek Gap at the end of the hike, I'll drive Tina back to her car at Unicoi Gap.

It's a little cooler this morning than I was expecting, but that might be a good thing, as we'll be doing a number of big ascents in this section and the cooler temps will help prevent us from getting to warm. Before leaving the parking area, we notice a some folks at the other end with some chairs and tables set up. They also have some coolers and are obviously performing some trail magic for the AT thru-hikers who are just now starting to come through this area. I always appreciate the folks that do this. It's a great service and it means a great deal to the hikers.

We get our gear together and hit start the big first climb up Rocky Mountain, which is already pretty tough. I had told Tina that my research indicate that doing this section northbound was slightly easier because the worst climbs were earlier in the day. She's very fit and though, she claims to be out of shape, she handled the steep hill with grace.

Along the way, we encounter a few thru-hikers and in a couple of instances, enjoy a brief chat with them. We also notice a really interesting plan growing all along the trail. It's called trillium and has a sort of primordial look to it, with four wide, leopard-spotted leaves rising just a couple of inches off the ground, and central flower-like structure in the center, often of a dark burgundy color. It's actually quite pretty. 

After Rocky Mountain, we begin the tallest ascent of today's hike to the summit of Tray Mountain. This is the seventh tallest peak in Georgia and the second tallest on this state's section of the Appalachian Trail (only Blood Mountain to the south is taller). It's a workout to get up here, but eventually we reach the top. I had thought the shelter was at the summit, but I mistaken and we encounter it a little bit further down north-eastern face. 

It's only a short spur trail to get to it and so, we head over. When we arrive, we encounter three thru-hikers who are packing up to start their day. They stayed here last night. We take a few minutes to chat and offer them some of our snacks. They seem to be really excited for the fresh blueberries I offer them. With many miles to go though, we can't linger too long.

The next several miles are undulating hills with rocky sections of the trail. It's doable, but after about ten miles on the day, we're both kind of ready to be done. I'm in pretty good shape right now and so, it's not a matter of being exhausted. It's more a matter of just being bored. Tina agrees. These sections of the AT offer the occasional nice view of the rolling hills to the horizon, but there are very few standout landmarks along the way. We do our best to keep ourselves entertained though. 

Just about the time we are talking about being ready to be done, we hit the final big climb of the day. This one will take us up Powell Mountain. While not the tallest of the three peaks we summit, the approach to this final one is the steepest and we are forced to stop a few times along the way to catch our breath and give our legs a break. Along they way, I spot a few sticks that have been laid out to form the letters 'A' and 'T'. Kind of a cool thing to see up here.

Eventually, we reach the top and I tell Tina that it's all downhill from here, though I throw out a disclaimer about the topographic map not being detailed enough for small climbs. She laughs and gives a sigh of relief. For the most part though, my statement holds true and there are only a couple of little climbs the rest of the way. Mostly, we are heading steeply downhill towards Dicks Creek Gap.

Near the end, we enter an area lush with rhododendrons, and I spot a tiny spur trail with a small green bench dug into the ground that overlooks a similarly tiny waterfall passing through the trees. It's a nice break for someone to enjoy the cool stream. That said though, I know we're very close to the end and we decide to push on. 

Finally arriving at my car, we both take a moment to breath and get a gulp of water. This was a tough hike for both of us. It was about 16.5 miles with nearly 4,800 feet of elevation change. Those hills were kill and with only one more section of the Georgia AT to go, I can say with some expertise that this is definitely one of the more challenging sections. Tina is tire, as am I, but she says she's glad to have hiked it with me. We hop in the car and I drive her to her car back at Unicoi Gap. Quite a day, but with only one section left (a big one to be sure), I'm feeling pretty accomplished.

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.