Sweetwater Creek Trail (Douglas County, Georgia)

 

Since moving to Georgia, I've made a concerted effort to get out, do things, and meet people. Meetup has been a great tool towards those goals. Today is my third hike with one of the local groups and we will be hiking the trails of the Sweetwater Creek State Park, which is a few miles west of downtown and OTP (outside the perimeter).

I arrived a bit early and had the opportunity to walk through the park's museum, which contains a number of Colonial, Civil War, and even Native American artifacts. As I wrapped up my time in the museum, a few hikers began to gather outside. Today's event is co-hosted by two-different meetups and after everyone arrives and we exchange names, it seems we have about twenty people in the group.

We quickly head out on the white trail, which departs directly behind the museum and makes a large loop before connecting to the orange and black trails, which we are also planning to hike today. The weather is pleasant and the pace is quick, just like I enjoy it. As we make our way through the bare deciduous trees, having shed their autumn colors on the forest floor, I'm surprised at how well the trail is visible even in this sea of fallen leaves.

After a short time, the trail hits Sweetwater Creek, which by all accounts, should more appropriately be called a river. At this particular point, it is approximately eighty yard across. It contains a large number of ancient boulders in the water and several small spillage type waterfalls, forming a fairly intense set of rapids. It's quite awesome to behold. The trail alongside the river requires some minor rock scrambling, but nothing too hazardous.

As we walk and talk, my new friends enlighten me on a number of other areas to explore within the region. We take a short detour to find a small waterfall, no more than eight or ten feet tall, but still worth a minor distraction. The group seems to be keeping up pretty well, but as we start up a long, steady incline, the group fans out a bit. I remain at the front, but even I'm getting a little winded. I really shouldn't be, but I haven't been nearly as active as I was back in Reno. I need to change that.

Eventually, we reach another highlight of the trail, the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Plant. The factory was built in the middle of the nineteenth century and seems to have only operated until the end of the Civil War. Though I'm unsure of the history, all that remains is the skeleton of a once large building, with an obvious mill creating power from the churning river rapids alongside the husk. It's an interesting reminder of the impermanence of all things.

Returning to the parking lot, we say our goodbyes and head our separate ways. It was a pretty nice hike with some interesting scenery totaling about 7.7 miles. Not a bad day, but I really need to get my butt back in shape.