Cochran Mill (Fulton County, Georgia)

 

Today, I went out for my first hike with a local meetup group. I made some great friends and got in a lot of terrific trail miles with one of the groups back in Reno and I thought this would be the best way to learn of and explore some new trails in my new home. Meeting at the Cochran Mill Park entrance just before noon, the dozen or so members of this little expedition made quick introductions and swiftly departed into the autumn woods.

As we hiked through the naked trees, now nearly stripped of their summer foliage, I made my way towards the leader and started a nice conversation. She works for one of the airlines and is originally from the Channel Islands just off the coast of Normandy. We discussed our travels, this hike, other hikes in the area and a plethora of other topics, while made a good pace through the leaves on this well worn trail. I commented about how much I appreciated the pace she was driving, as it was just about right for me.

The woods here is unremarkable, but does remind me a great deal of the summers I spent on my paternal grandparents farm in western Kentucky. It somehow feels like home. Overall, the trail is well maintained and there is very little in the way of elevation gain or loss. I do note, however, that it seems to excessively twist and turn as it makes its way through this wooded area. I don't mind the miles, but at times, it almost seems as though the trail was cut this way for no other reason than to make it longer. That seems oddly unnecessary to me, but I'm here and so, I'll enjoy it.

A short distance below us, a small creek comes into view and the leader mentions that we will soon be crossing over this area. We take a side trail that signs indicate leads to a waterfall. From here, we reach a small waterfall that we decide to cross above. The water is not deep and the fall is only ten or twelve feet, but with a large group, some of which are inexperienced, we begin looking for the best place to cross. A couple of younger guys, just getting a running start and leap across the flowing water. Trying to find a safer path for the group, I make way down the stream slightly and find a spot to cross over the aging granite where the water is no more than a half-a-foot deep. My shoes get wet, but no matter. When I return to the group, most have found their own way across and we start heading back towards the cars on a new trail.

When we crossed the creek, we switched from being on the yellow trail to what the park map designates as the red trail. It's similarly wooded, but perhaps a bit more hilly. As I had stopped to grab a snack, I now end up towards the back of the group and make some new friends. Again, the people I'm with are friendly and we have some wonderful discussions about all sorts of things as we make our miles. 

Finally, arriving at a larger section of the main creek, we encounter a larger waterfall with the ruins of what was likely a grist mill at some point in the past. All that remains now are a few crumbling stone walls. I suspect I will be a seeing a lot of sites like this as I continue to explore the areas around my new home. After we cross a sturdy bridge over the flowing creek, we are back at the parking lot. The group says some quick goodbyes and then head to their respective cars. We got in about 11.8 miles today, which is really nice, as it is the longest hike I've done in a couple of months. I may feel it a bit tomorrow though; we'll see.