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.

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.