Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield - Full Loop (Cobb County, Georgia)

Almost exactly one year ago I hiked to the summit of Kennesaw Mountain as one of my first hikes in the area, after moving to Atlanta, GA. Little did I or any of us know what a tempestuous year 2020 would be. With that said, I decided to send it out with a bang in the hopes of better times in the coming new year. Also, I have a lot of big trips planned in the year (some were cancelled in 2020 and got pushed to 2021) and will be steadily increasing my trail mileage and difficulty leading up to those trips. With that said, today I will be leading the meetup group around the entire Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield.

As always happens, a number of people dropped off the event as the date approached. I think much of this was due to the predicted storms, but also, some may have had second thoughts about knocking out 17+ miles in a single hike. Either way, when I arrived at the trailhead near the park's visitor center, I met up with the five other brave souls that wanted to conquer this trail today.

We did a quick round of introductions and I explained the plan. With the possibility of thunderstorms approaching a bit later this morning or early afternoon, I wanted to get the summits out of the way first to minimize our risk of lightning strikes. I also explained that while this was a long trail, it should not be terribly difficult and the vast majority of the elevation gain will be right at the start as we climb to the summit of Kennesaw Mountain and then immediately afterwards the summit of Little Kennesaw Mountain. Give the holiday today and the proximity to metro-Atlanta, I did not post this as an advanced hike, but I did explain that a number of options were available to bail out if the mileage became too much for anyone. And with all of that, we hit the trail.

From the visitor's center, the trail begins the steep climb of approximately 650 feet to the summit almost immediately. As of right now, the weather is holding, but it's foggy and there's a lot of moisture in the air. Hopefully, we'll get luck and the rain will hold off for a few hours. Most of the group makes it to the summit with little or no issues, but one individual is a bit slower than the rest. While I often post in my descriptions that we will not hold up the group pace for those unable to keep up, this being something of a beginner's hike, I did not post any such warning and feel some obligation to wait for the last person. Additionally, I have hiked with her before and I know that it's really just the uphill sections that challenge her. While we wait, some of the group decides to push forward, but after only five or so minutes, we have all reached the top and continue towards the next small summit.

The trail is well maintained, being within a National Historic Park, and the mountainside is littered with large boulders and even some granite slicks. The occasional civil war-era cannon placed in their approximate historical positions adds character to the site and reminds of the terrible death and destruction that took place here a century-and-a-half ago. It's a somber reminder of tenuous our fragile union truly is.

After we descend from Little Kennesaw Mountain on a couple of long switchbacks, the trail flattens out with just the occasional rolling hill. The slower hiker suggests that she may take one of the bail-out trails and do less mileage. She encourages me to continue on and catch the faster group. I have already discussed the trail system with her and I know that this is not her first time doing this trail. I check to make sure she's comfortable with my leaving, but she re-confirms and we part ways. She says she'll check-in on the event site once she makes it back to the parking lot. I thank her and wish her well before picking up my pace substantially.

Just a short time later, I and the one other hiker that stayed behind catch up with the other three. It's kind of nice to have a larger group to converse with now and to be able to hike at a quicker pace. Everyone here is pretty comfortable maintaining 3-3.5 mph and so, we do.

As we we approach the southern-most point of the loop, it's nearly noon and most of us are beginning to get a little hungry. One gentleman wants to continue without the lunch break. He lives nearby and has hiked these trails many times. We wish him well as the rest of us find a couple of trees cut down by the park service that will service nicely as benches and stop for a few minutes to enjoy some snacks. With nine or so miles to go, we can use the refuel. I enjoy some portobello mushroom jerky flavored with balsamic vinegar and golden figs, which my wife put in my Christmas stocking. It's quite tasty and I share a sample with the others.

The return section of the loop is still pretty flat and does not require us to re-climb the two small peaks from the beginning. There is a slight drizzle, but nothing to dampen our spirits or slow our progress. We make pretty quick work of the last half of the hike. Along the way, we take notice of a pair of owls in trees on opposite sides of the trail. They sound as if they are communicating something to each other, but unfortunately, none of us speak owl. It's a nice diversion.

The final couple of miles go by quickly and we soon find ourselves back at the trailhead. My GPS track shows that we've completed 17.6 miles today.Two members of the group have just set new personal records for miles hiked on a single trail - congratulations! Before departing, I check the event site and see that both of the hikers that left the main group have posted their safe completion of the trail. I thank everyone for braving the weather and completing this monster mileage hike before getting in the jeep and heading home. What a great day!