Cochran Mill (Fulton County, Georgia)

 

I had originally planned on exploring some areas in northern Alabama this morning, but I guess yesterday's kayaking took a little more out of me than I thought and I ended up sleeping in pretty late this morning; too late, in fact, to complete the trip I had originally planned. Still wanting to get some good exercise for my legs though, I decided to join one of the Meetup groups last minute to hike around Cochran Mill. This will be my second time exploring the trails of this park and in fact, this was the first Meetup hike I attended after moving to Georgia over a year ago. So, I guess you could say it's something of an anniversary.

The group assembles at the trailhead, and after a quick introduction, we hit the trail. Today's route will be the reverse direction from my previous visit and hit a section that I had not explore that day. The first point of interest includes the ruins of an old mill set atop a beautiful waterfall. We take a few minutes for pictures before moving on. 

After just another mile or so, we come to another interesting section that requires us to balance our way across a stone dam set atop a sheer sheet of granite which the waters race over creating a sheet-style waterfall. After crossing, I wait on the other side to assist those in the group dismounting the wall. Here again, there are signs of old construction. It seems this was a popular industrial area many decades ago.

From here our trail meanders back and forth through the woods and along the branches of Bear Creek. The waters of the wide-creek are mostly calm and the area is quite serene. There are a few small hills to conquer, but for the most part, this is an exceptionally easy hike.

As always, the group begins to splinter into several sub-groups as our paces work themselves out. Those of us that are faster usually wait at intersections for the slower members to ensure they end up going the correct way. We do encounter a few mountain bikes in the western section of the park, but overall, it's not nearly as busy as the parking lot would have lead me to believe. 

Regardless, it's a beautiful day to be out here enjoying the trails and good exercise for my legs. Making our way back to the parking lot, some of the Meetup members want to grab dinner at a nearby restaurant, but opt to head on home this time. I was able to get in about 10.8 miles today, which is pretty good and though it was easy hiking, it was quite enjoyable.