Blood Mountain at Sunset (Union County, Georgia)

Blood Mountain is the sixth tallest peak in Georgia and the the tallest point on the Peach State's section of the Appalachian Trail. I've been meaning to hike to it's summit for a while now and a sunset hike with one of the local Meetup groups seemed like a perfect chance to do it. 

Arriving at Vogel State Park a bit early, I explore the park a bit before gathering with the large group and heading up the trail. This is my first experience with this particular group, but as with all of the others I have met over the years, they seem to be extremely friendly and we chat on our way out of the park and up the mountain. After a short walk on the pavement, we quickly head into the lush woods of northern Georgia. There are a couple of small cascading waterfalls and extremely shallow creek on the early part of the trail making for a pleasant setting. While this early part of the trail is not overly steep, the group is keeping a good pace, which I appreciate.

There are a few trail intersections here in the woods and the group seems really good about ensuring everyone knows the direction to go. I have a number of good conversations with some of my fellow hikers as we make our through the woods. At one of the junctions, the group organizer mentions that we are about to start the most challenging part of the trail and as we begin this section, I move towards the front of the group and really push the pace. I want a good workout from tonight's hike. The grade is pretty steep, but I'm feeling good. That said though, I'm sweating like there's no tomorrow in this Georgia humidity. 

As we approach the last section, I see signage and tree blazes indicating that we are now on the Appalachian Trail. As a hiker, I'm obviously aware of this historic trail, but these are my first steps on the actual route. It's actually kind of humbling. I have a few friends that have through-hiked the AT's 2,200 miles and I have dreams of someday doing it myself.

A number of switchbacks finally lead us to the summit and to a stone shelter that has been constructed for hikers. It's still about half-an-hour before sunset and we take the time to rest and enjoy some snacks, while gazing at the amazing views. After a few minutes though, the group organizer suggests dropping down to another larger outcropping that will offer a better angle for the setting sun.

Arriving at the final destination, I find a large rock to sit on that offers a great view of both the setting sun as well as the sea of trees, complete with undulating hills and mountains, spread out before me. It's the best view I've had since relocating to his part of the country. That said though, it is starting to get a cool. The combination of my sweaty self and a cool evening wind flowing over the mountain top here at 4,458 feet of elevation encourages me to pull out my windbreaker, which helps tremendously. 

The group remains here while the brilliant oranges and reds fade into the night, before eventually pulling out our head lamps and preparing for a downhill hike in the dark. I strap two of my solar lanterns to my backpack straps in addition to donning my headlamp. The solar lanterns are the source of much curiosity and as I'm the most well illuminated member of the group, I take the lead as we head down the mountain. 

Of course down is easier faster than up, and I try to maintain a steady and brisk pace. Arriving back at the park after only about an hour-and-a-half, we say our goodbyes and I head to my jeep to change shirts and shoes in preparing for the eighty or so mile drive home. It was a great hike with a great group of people. While very far from the most difficult hike I've ever done, it is certainly one of the more challenging hikes I've completed since moving to Georgia. Total mileage clocks in at about 10.4 miles with right around 2,300 feet of elevation gain. Good times.

Lake Trahlyta Waterfall (Union County, Georgia)

Since moving to Georgia a few months ago, I've been hearing about a great hike to the top of Blood Mountain and when I saw one of the Meetup groups post this hike, I thought it would be a great opportunity to check it out. Additionally, it would give me a chance to check out a the small state park where the group was intending to meet. 

I arrived at Vogel State Park, which is near Georgia's border with North Carolina, in the late afternoon and about an hour before the scheduled meet up time. After finding a parking spot, I got out and took a stroll around Lake Trahlyta, which seems to be the primary focus of the park. As I've mentioned before, Georgia has no natural lakes and like all others, this one is the result of damming up of Wolf Creek. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of people here today. With stay-at-home orders related to the pandemic being loosened, may people have been getting out into to nature. The park features a beach, several spacious cabins, and a trail that encircles the lake.

Knowing that there is a waterfall at the end of the lake opposite where I parked, I decide to head that direction. Once reaching the far end, a short spur trail drops below the damn and around to a gorgeous tiered waterfall. The Park has built an observation deck that allows very close access to the waterfall and I take advantage of it to get some great shots. Afterwards, I had back up to the lake and return my jeep via the other side of the lake, thereby completing the mile-or-so trail around the lake. It was a nice relaxing warm up for what comes next.

Judaculla Rock (Jackson County, North Carolina)

Heading up from Atlanta today to spend the night with family near Asheville, NC. I always try to sneak in at least one or two interesting stops along the way and today's stop is the Judaculla Rock, which is a large soapstone boulder containing the highest number of petroglyph motifs of any single stone east of the Mississippi River.

The Cherokee harvested soapstone from this area (and from this exact stone) to fashion bowls and other vessels dating back nearly three millennia. It is believed that most of the petroglyphs were carved between 300 and 1500 years ago. Much of the rock art, including a supposed hand print, relate to the Cherokee Spirit, Judaculla, who was the master of the hunt in their mythology. The location is still sacred to the Native people.

The boulder itself is massive and somewhat circular. I'd estimate the diameter to be around 10 feet. The l flat surface on which the petroglyphs were carved, slants slightly downhill and a observation deck has been constructed around the sacred stone to allow visitors to see the petroglyphs from many angles. It's truly an impressive site.

Angel Falls (Habersham County, Georgia)

 

Departing Unicoi State Park, I had a few miles east to the trailhead for Angel Falls. When I arrive, the small trailhead is packed and a few cars are pulled off the side of the road, which is my only option for parking. 

The short trail follows Joe Creek and passes by a few scenic waterfalls on it's way to the larger fall towards the top of the valley. The flow waters a cool and clear and many of the small waterfalls along the creek are stepped, almost as if cut by man. I do believe that they are completely natural formations though.

Passing a curious stone construction, I read a sign indicating that it is believed to be "spring box" constructed in the early 1930's to take advantage of the cold spring to keep perishable food items cold for local workers. I've never seen anything quite like this, but I have taken advantage of running streams to chill a beer every now and then. 

The trail beyond here is maze of roots, leading up to the base of the tall and again, stepped, Angel Falls. Unlike the falls further down though, this one is about 50 feet tall. As it hasn't rained in a few days, the waters are not raging over it, but there is still steady flow enough to make it a beautiful site.

I take a few shots and then head back the way I came. The total distance was only about 2 miles, but it sure was a nice way to spend a little time in nature.

Unicoi to Helen Trail (White County, Georgia)

I was supposed to be starting a Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon this morning, but due to the global pandemic our backcountry permits were cancelled and the national park remains closed to the public. I'll just have to make the best of it here at home. I decided to hit a couple of trails near Helen, GA. The first of which starts at the Unicoi State Park Lodge and travels along Smith Creek.

Arriving at the lodge just after 9:00 AM, there were plenty of parking spots available and I just chose the nearest one to the start of the trail. The trail is very well signed and marked (ridiculously so in some cases), but at least I won't get lost. The trail quickly descends into the first of a couple of shallow valleys. As I approach the bottom of this valley, I hear a frog making his frog noises and a little further I see a sign indicating a side trail to Frog Pond, which I decide to explore. 

The pond is nothing more than a dammed up section of a small tributary creek. A drainage pipe prevents the level of the pond from exceeding the top of the damn. While I don't see any frogs, having heard them on the way down, I know their here, but they'll have to remain hidden as I return to the main trail.

From here, the trail closely follows Smith Creek and one point opens up into a wide grassy meadow, which is quite beautiful. A couple of bridges provide passage over the shallow creek before heading back up the the far side of another valley and then dropping down into Unicoi Hill Park, which sits along the main road through Helen, GA. The small German-inspired hamlet of Helen is a tourist destination and boasts a popular Oktoberfest celebration in the fall. I've already reserved a hotel room and intend to partake later this year.

After a drink of water, I turn around and head back the way I came. The trail was well maintained and pleasant overall, but nothing overly exciting. I was able to get about 6.3 miles on this trail, which is a good start to the day.

Sprewell Bluff (Upson County, Georgia)

Always on the lookout for new adventures, I hopped on an opportunity to hike with one of the local meetup groups at one of the areas in Georgia that I hadn't heard about yet, Sprewell Bluff. The area is a popular county park centered around a large bend in the Flint River. After good drive to the park, I met up with the small group just before 10:00 AM.

Standing on a overlook platform overlooking the river, we did a quick round of introductions and the group leader described the trails we would be exploring. He had warned that the first section known as the Widow-maker was quite steep and he wasn't kidding. It quickly descends approximately three hundred feet down to the river. There are a couple of large switchbacks, but the slope was still steep enough to warrant caution. One of my fellow hikers even took a spill on the way down, but she luckily wasn't injured. 

Once at the river level, the trail is very easy and meanders through the woods. For a good portion of the trail, it follows the shoreline of the river and as we glance out onto the rapids and shoals, we spot an otter going about his business. He was on the far side of the river when I snapped my picture, but you can still make out his image.

A little further on, and we find another wonderful example of the river ecosystem. The large boulders rising out of the shallow river provide perfect sunbeds for the soft-shell turtles that call the waterway their home. It's really great to be able to see all of this wildlife and I must admit it's something I've missed over the winter months.

Returning to the trail, we reach a popular picnic area and stop for a quick lunch break. After we have snack, we continue on to the Long Leaf Pine Trail, which loops back and takes up another steep hill to the top of the bluffs before returning to the picnic area. From here we follow the trail we came in on until we return to Widow-maker Trail, which is quite a work out to climb back up. Along the way, I find a small garter snake sunning himself, but as soon as he notices me he races down the hill out of site. Returning to the top, we say our goodbyes and I head back towards home. It was a very scenic hike of about 7.8 miles and a perfect day for it.

Kolomoki Mounds (Early County, Georgia)

 

After departing Providence Canyon, I headed further south to the Kolomoki Mounds site, where ancient peoples constructed large earthen mounds for ceremonial, residential, and funerary purposes, or so archaeologists believe.

Upon entering the park, I headed to the most obvious of the mounds, Temple Mound, which rises sharply to an elevation of 56 feet above the grassy field that would have compromised the main plaza of the Native American village that was here centuries ago. The steep sides of the mound are overgrown with thick brush, as they would be very difficult to maintain a their angle of ascent, but the top of the mound, which was likely home to a chief or high priest-type figure is nicely manicured. From the top, I'm able to survey the entire area below and plan out my course for visiting some of the other mounds.

As I walk through the field toward the next mounds, I'm puzzled by a number of large burrows that I find. I consider that the may have been made by what I grew up knowing as ground hogs, but I'm unsure. As I walk over towards the next mound, I find a very shallow rise from the surrounding surface. Of the eight mounds that have survived into modern times, most of them are very shallow like this one and only a few feet tall. They would be easily missed by most people.

Heading to the next mound, which is the second tallest behind Temple Mound, I find more of the of the curious burrows and in one of them note the resident. A very large gopher tortoise scurries deeper into his tunnel when he hears me, but not before I catch a photo of his rear-side. Apparently, the vulnerable members of this species are excellent diggers and live most of their lives in the subterranean mazes they create.

Arriving at the mound, I read the informational placard and learn that this one was constructed in phases and digs found a log structure that was believed to be one of the early stages of the mounds development. From this final mound, I head back to my jeep and decide to call it a day.

Providence Canyon (Stewart County, Georgia)

 

Southwestern Georgia's Providence Canyon State Park is an interesting collision of the poor farming practices of the past and a soil composition that simply cannot endure them. When farmers of the early 19th century plowed their fields, they kicked off a chain of events and as water ran through those rows, it began to erode away the soft ocean sediments and sand until a gaping chasm was formed. This place has been on my list for a while and when I saw one of the local meetup groups plan an outing to the park, it seemed an opportune time to explore this unintentional man-made wonder.

Arriving at the park around 10:00 AM, after a couple hours of driving, I quickly met up with the group and we descended into the canyon, doing our best to maintain social distancing. It's a fairly short trail to get to the bottom of the canyon, but a little steep in places. 

Once at the bottom of the canyon, it's as if we entered a different world. The canyon walls are painted with shades of white, orange, and red. The sandy, silty red floor beneath our feet is alive with shallow waters flowing over and carving in deeper into the soft soils. Rich green flora grows everywhere, reminding visitors of a jungle setting.

As we make our way up different fingers of the main canyon, each is a similar in appearance, but offers some level of uniqueness in terms of color palette. After visiting five of the finger canyons, we make our way back to the main junction and while part of our group heads back to the parking area, four of us continue up the opposite side of the canyon and circle back around. This path allows us to pass through a long abandoned homestead full of the rusted hulks of automobiles and more interesting views looking back down into the canyon from above. I'm wondering if a trip to this canyon in the late fall or winter would be even better. Once the leaves have fallen, visitors would have unobstructed views of the area.

Returning to the parking lot, I wish my fellow-hikers farewell and use facility before driving to my next stop for the day. It's was a pleasant hike and I was able to get in about 3.8 miles while meandering around the canyon.