Land of Waterfalls Bike Tour (Transylvania County, North Carolina)

I've heard about a great area in southwestern North Carolina called Dupont State Recreation Area and I have been meaning to make it over that way to see some of the incredible waterfalls and trails I keep hearing about. When I saw REI post a bike tour of this area, it seemed like a great chance to both explore the area with some people that know it well and to try out an activity that I have never been very excited about - mountain biking. 

It's a nearly three hour drive to the parking lot where we're suppose to meet and so, I had to get a very early start to be there by the 9:00 am start time. It was a pleasant drive though and once I arrived, the REI guides were very friendly as they walked through their safety protocols and got me set up on their loaner bike. The other participants and I did a quick round robin of introductions and soon we were peddling on the trail. 

I used to road bike when I was a teenager, eons ago, and I have a bike on order to get into this activity again, but I've never really been interested in mountain biking as a hobby. I've always felt that if I'm in the woods, I would rather be hiking and going at a pace that I can stop to smell the flowers and become one with my surroundings. The thrill of racing down a hill on a bike is not something I seek any longer. Perhaps, I'm just getting old.

Though we're on wide-tired mountain bikes, this is less of single track and more of gravel/dirt road biking. We cover the first section and meet at a covered bridge overlooking the top of one of the waterfalls. Later, we will ride around to the bottom of this falls, but it's interesting to see it from this view. The water seems to just fall off into nothingness.

After getting use to the gearing of the bike a bit, I feel a little better about the uphills, but my legs are still not conditioned for this and I struggle a bit up some of the steeper inclines. The downhills are fun though and while this is not an adrenaline rush that I would go out of my way to seek, it is enjoyable while I'm here. 

The first waterfall we visit is Bridal Veil Falls (one of dozens by such name in the country), but this one is quite spectacular. The creek fans out over a huge chunk of stone and cascades a distance of roughly eighty feet before rejoining at the bottom and continuing on down the creek. 

From here, we continue on to another uphill section and I can feel my quads really starting to burn on this one, even in the lowest of my available gears. I find that I can actually walk with the bike up these sections faster than I can peddle up them and so, I do. It probably doesn't help that I did a pretty challenging hike in northern Georgia yesterday. When we get to the top, we are rewarded with an outstanding view of the valleys laid out before us.

Peddling through the next section, I find my body doing much the same. The uphills are really starting to kill me and I find myself walking up them more and more. When we reach our next and final stop, we park the bikes and head down a short trail and set of wooden steps to reach the base of one of the falls of Triple Falls. These are fairly impressive waterfalls flowing over a series of rock banks dropping the river a total of a hundred and fifty feet or so. It's a gorgeous view.

Now heading back towards the parking lot after our three-hour or so excursion, my legs are done and I find myself having to walk up the most shallow hills along the way. The guides are helpful though and slow the pace for those of struggling. Luckily, I'm not the only one. Finally, we arrive back at the parking lot and remove our helmets and gear. I thank the guides for a great experience. They were fantastic, but after this little adventure, I'm even more convinced that mountain biking is not an activity for me. I'll stick to the flatter surfaces of road bikes. We did manage to put in 12.9 miles on this short outing and it was definitely a scenic area. Perhaps, I will return to do some hiking here at some point.

Arkaquah Trail to Brasstown Bald (Union County, Georgia)

For quite a while now, I've been reading about and wanting to hike the Arkaquah Trail, which starts at the Track Rock Petroglyph Site and climbs up to Brasstown Bald, the tallest mountain in the state of Georgia. This is suppose to be one of the most challenging hikes in the state, but scheduling a trip has been an issue until now. As I've been leading some more challenging hikes for the Meetup group, this seemed like a great opportunity to allow some folks to check off a bucket list item. 

With rain predicted towards the end of this week, I've been debating on whether or not to cancel the hike. There are several reports of a large blow down and washed out section that is very difficult and dangerous when its wet. If I were on my own, I likely wouldn't hesitate to do this, but bring others along for the ride causes me some reservation. As of last night, when I am suppose to make the official call to cancel or proceed, there is only a 20% chance of rain. I decide to push forward with the hike.

Meeting the eleven other participants, many of whom I have hiked with before, at the trailhead, we pack our vehicles into the small parking lot as best we can and when the designated time approaches, we do a quick round of introductions. I remind the group that this is a strenuous hike and of the expected pace. I also remind them, once again, to bring gloves for the scrambling section where the blow down occurred. And with all of that, we're off.

The trail starts just across the highway and immediately begins to ascend the ridge-line. The first mile and a half or so is suppose to be the most challenging and as I find myself getting a bit out of breath, I have to agree. That said though, a couple of us open up a large gap between the lead group and those behind. I had warned the group both in the original posting and at the trail head of the pace we would be maintaining and that we would not slow down for those unable to keep up. This is a pretty standard warning for the advanced hikes that I lead. I always want to help people, but I also want to ensure that those on the hike are capable of completing it in a timely manner. I do my best to scare beginners off from the hikes, in a nice way of course.

Reaching the top of the ridge, things start to level off a bit. The trail is muddy with a few smaller blow downs here and there, but well worn and easy to follow. The group has splintered into several different pace sub-groups by this point and the lead group and I continue to push our way along this knife's edge ridge. While I've hiked many ridges like this before, where there is a steep drop off on either side, this is the first time I've found one in a deciduous forest. The trail on top of the ridge is plenty wide enough to not be dangerous, but it's still interesting to hike through this section.

Around 2.75 miles in, we reach the blow down/washed out section and it's not really as bad as I had been lead to believe. Three large trees that probably once stood alongside the trail have been blown down and now force hikers to scramble their way up a steep wall of mud and rock. Someone has tied a thin rope from a large root above to act as a guide line. I climb up a little ways to get the rope and test its strength. It seems strong enough to hold an adult. Knowing that this section will be challenging for all of us, I want to wait and see everyone safely up the hillside before moving on. A couple of the faster hikers ask if it would be okay for them to continue on and I not in agreement. I ask them to wait at the summit for me, as I don't know exactly how far back the others are. I do take note of the path they take up the slippery, muddy hillside as they climb up. It doesn't seem all that terrible. After waiting a few minutes for the slower hikers, they finally arrive and I demonstrate the path up the hill and then guide them verbally from the top. Everyone makes it without any injuries and I then start hiking again at my pace toward the top. 

This is in no way a race, but I am doing this as both an adventure and as a training hike, and so, I want to keep a strong pace. I quickly build up a lead over those I just helped up the hill and before long, the trail pops out onto the visitors center parking lot, just below the summit. As the tallest peak in the state, Brasstown Bald sees many visitors and an observation tower and visitors center has been constructed on the top. I've been to the top before via the half-mile paved trail leading up from this parking lot, but today's trip will be much more rewarding as I will have really earned the summit this time. 

After having hiked nearly six miles to get here, this paved section is actually pretty challenging. It's all up hill at roughly a twenty degree grade. I force myself to push through without stopping for a break, but by the time I reach the top, I'm pretty winded. Some of my hikers call down to me from atop the observation deck as I reach the summit. After climbing the stops up to the round deck, I meet up with my faster hikers and begin to take a few shots of the view. It's foggy and the panorama is largely obscured, but the longer we are up here, the clearer it gets. We take a few minutes for snack break and to allow the others to catch up. Once they do and have a few minutes to enjoy the rewards of their efforts, we start heading back down the mountain. Some decide to stay a bit longer, which is fine, but I want to get my legs moving again.

We make good time down the mountainside and once we reach the blow down/wash out section again, we carefully make our way down the slippery surface. I think each and every one of us in the lead group slips at some point, but luckily we all fall onto our rumps and the only damage beyond our pride is a bit of mud on our clothes. Carefully using my poles to help support my descent, I thought I was going to get down unmarked, but just as I reach the bottom, I step on a flat rock that slides out from under me in the muddy muck and I go down as well. Oh well, luckily no one was hurt. I tell the others to continue on towards the cars and that I'm going to wait for the others to guide them down the hazard.

It feels like I'm here for fifteen to twenty minutes, but eventually, we get everyone down the hillside and to safer ground. From here, I take off again and quickly start catching up with lead group. With the recent rains, the muddy trail is somewhat treacherous on the steep way down. It would be very east to get going too fast, step on a section of mud, and find yourself on the ground once again. I'm careful to position my poles in front of me and to push into them, distributing my weight between my feet and the poles. Luckily, I make it safe without falling again.

I reach the parking lot just a few minutes after the others and tell them that I will be waiting for everyone to return. In the meantime, a couple of cars have gotten stuck in the mud. The first, three of us are able to push out by hand, but the second is a larger 4x4 truck and he seems to just be getting more and more buried in the muck. I tell him to hold on a minute while I grab the tow rope from my jeep and get set up to drag him out. While I'm getting set, I get a call from one of the other hikers who had elected to stay at the back with the slower folks. She's also an organizer for this Meetup and an accomplished hiker. She tells me that one of the hikers at the back had stepped off trail for a communion with nature and has failed to catch back up and isn't responding to calls. Not good. I let her know the situation here and that once I get this truck pulled out, I will check back with her for status.

It's kind of funny watching my little, but mighty, Jeep pull a large truck out of the mud, but we get the job done and the gentleman thanks me and suggests that he owes me one. I wish him well and return to my other potential crises. As I get my pack back on and check to see how much water I have left, I get word that the group still on the mountain has made contact with our lost hiker and while he is okay, he's out of water and struggling. Near the end though with only downhill between us, I decide to let him come out on his own, but I do get some water prepped for him when he arrives. I was willing and able to hike back up the mountain to find and help him, but I can't say I was looking forward to that steep climb again. Thankfully, he emerges from the hillside a few minutes later and I greet him with a bottle of water. After talking to him, I think he just pushed himself a bit beyond his current capabilities. He had actually brought quite a lot of water, but it wasn't enough.

As some folks have already departed and the slower hikers have all now safely reached the parking lot, I feel my obligation has lifted. I say my goodbyes and wish them all well. It was quite a day of adventure. We managed to hike 13.5 miles with an elevation gain/loss of around 3,850'. While I can't say with any certainty that his is Georgia's toughest trail, it is definitely one of the more challenging ones I've found in this state. I may try to do this again in the fall when the leaves have started changing. The views could be quite spectacular. For now though, I'm heading home to relax.

Cloudland Canyon - Sitton's Gulch (Dade County, Georgia)

Only having put in about five miles on the overnight trek here in Cloudland Canyon, I really want more miles for the weekend. I had considered heading up to Lookup Mountain near the Tennessee border for another trail, but instead decided to hike another trail in the park, Sitton's Gulch. On my previous visit to the park last year, I hiked the Waterfalls Trail, which is the first section of Sitton's Gulch, but with rain moving in that day, I didn't explore beyond the waterfalls. I'll fix that today. 

Leaving the crowded parking area, the trails here on top of the plateau are quite muddy due to the traffic they see. They offer outstanding views of the canyon and waterfalls below, but all that traffic just makes the trail surface worse. All good though, as I won't be on this part for long. Peering down into the canyon, I get a view of Hemlock Falls from far above. And then it's time to descend several sections of wood and metal steps as I traverse my way down the canyon wall. It's easy enough . . . . until I get to the icy section. Drip from the plateau above has formed a wall of icicles along the stone surface. Now as the sun warms these rocks, water drips from the wall and onto the trail below, only to refreeze in the shade. It's a bit slippery, but by making use of the railing, I make my way across it. I sure wish I had left those Yaktrax in my pack. The would have made this much easier.

Steps, steps, and more steps before finally cross a bridge over Daniel Creek. The scenery here is outstanding. It reminds a little of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne in Yosemite National Park. Tall canyon walls on either side of me and a raging river (or creek in this case) tumbling over one fall after another as the water races downhill.

A little further and I have to rock-hop across the stream coming from that tall seasonal waterfall I mentioned in yesterday's post. It's fairly trivial though, but adds some excitement to the adventure. There are a few folks hiking this trail, but it's not overly crowded. I'm not sure if it's the moderate-to-difficult rating listed or the colder temperatures, but either way I'm happy to have it mostly to myself.

As with the trail this one reminds me of, the route has a lot of ups and downs, some of which are pretty steep, as it follows the creek to the canyon mouth. It's nothing terrible though and definitely adds a fitness level to the checks before hiking this trail. Luckily, I'm in pretty good trail shape right now and the hills seem trivial to me.

A couple of side trails catch my interest, but I decide to stay on the main trail in hopes there is a pit toilet at the northern trailhead. However when I arrive at the parking lot, I find that I am out of luck. Luckily, I don't need to go that badly and can just wait until I return to my original departure point. I make the quick turn around and head back the way I came. This time though, I decide to explore one of the short side trails, called the Wildflower Trail. Unfortunately, I'm a bit too early and there are no wildflowers to be seen this time of year. The trail returns to the main trail after only a few dozen meters.

Making my way back up the canyon is a little more challenging, but still nothing terribly difficult. Those steps though. Climbing back up all of those steps, I do find myself winded a couple of times and I'm actually thankful to take a break while others descend on the same steps I will ascend on. 

Finally reaching the top, it's time to call it a day. This has been a great weekend with lots of good hikes. I put in about 5.7 miles along this trail and in conjunction with my other adventures this weekend, I've gotten a light workout from it. As for Sitton's Gulch, this might just be my new favorite trail in Georgia. It's very scenic and enough of a challenge to make it worth doing. I would strongly recommend this one to anyone that can handle all of the steps.You also might try approaching it from the northern trailhead and just avoiding the climb up the canyon wall altogether. Either way, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you take the time to hike this one.

Cloudland Canyon - Backcountry Trail Overnight (Dade County, Georgia)

I camped in Cloudland Canyon on the West Room Loop last spring and really enjoyed the area. Since moving to Georgia, I've only been backpacking once and that was a quick night trek to Blood Mountain. When I saw that REI was offering a quick backpacking trip in Cloudland Canyon, it seemed like a good opportunity to revisit one of my favorite Georgia state parks as well as pick up some tips and tricks for backpacking in this part of the world. I've done a lot of backpacking out west in Nevada, Arizona, California, and Utah, but there are always specific things to be aware of in each different ecosystem. As I want to do many more trips in this region, it seemed to make sense to learn all that I can from those that have lived and adventured here for a long time.

After arriving at the park from my earlier adventures on Pigeon Mountain, I meet up with the crew. This will be a slightly unusual trip in that there will be three REI Guides and only two participants, myself and another person. It seems there were several last minute cancellations and two of the three guides are in training.

We spend a few minutes describing our background, experience, and what we are looking to get out of the trip, before getting into gear. While I have all of my own gear, I figured this was a good chance to test out some new items without having to purchase them. Of my personal gear, I only brought my sleeping pad, folding chair, and a couple of solar lanterns. I'll rely on the provided gear for my other essentials.

This class is intended as an introduction to backpacking and while my co-participant has no experience, I'm on the other end of the spectrum and only looking for tips and tricks to enhance my own skills. We spend time talking about how to fit and pack our backpacks, how to plan for the cold night we have ahead of us, and the basic agenda before hitting the trail.

We begin by following the overlook trail, which offers some fantastic views of the canyon below us and a spectacular seasonal waterfall coming off of the west rim. Far below, we can hear the rapids of Bear Creek. After entering the woods, we break off onto the Bear Creek Trail, which leads us to a small pond. Nothing noteworthy, but we stop here to rest for a couple of minutes. 

At another fork, we turn left to head east on the Backcountry Trail, which is a small loop and where we will find our campsite. Our guides, have already picked one out and shuttled up some supplies. The trail itself is a bit muddy and slick in a few areas, but nothing too treacherous. 

As we reach our campsite, I note the pit toilet, picnic table, and the cart and firewood that have already been brought up. I comment about this not exactly being backcountry camping, to which the group agrees and laughs. After we rest for a few minutes and just chat around the picnic table, we begin to set up our tents. The one I chose is a common cross-pole half dome tent and sets up very similarly to one of my own tents. I have it up in a few minutes and then begin setting up my sleep system, which will include a sleeping bag liner tonight. This is a new item that I have never used before, but figured I would give it a try, as it is likely to dip down into the low twenties overnight.

Returning to the center of our camp, we start to get a fire going. One of the guides-in-training, gets everything set up to start a campfire with a flint and after some effort, we see flames. For the next little while, we feed the fire until we have something big enough to keep us all warm. We then begin preparing dinner, which consists mostly of dehydrated meals and snacks. I chose Backpacker Pantry's Kathmandu Curry. After adding boiling water and letting it set for a few minutes, it's actually pretty tasty, even more so with the Sriracha that another guide offered me.

With the sun now down, it's getting cold pretty quickly and I return to my tent to put on my thermal underwear before returning to the warmth of the fire. It's always cold for the short time you are undressed, but it's worth it in the long run. After a while of chatting and sharing stories around the campfire, we all decide to turn in. It's going to be a cold night and we had might as well get it started.

I end up sleeping pretty well, though my feet do get a little cold through the night. The sleeping bag liner does make things slightly warmer, but it is a bit of a pain being in a second bag. I'm not sure I would use one of these again. As the sun rises, it gets lighter and lighter outside as seen from the walls of my tent, but I know it's very cold outside of this sleeping bag and I'm reluctant to leave it until I finally start hearing others making their way out. Finally, I bite the bullet and decide to leave the warmth and comfort for the bitter cold that awaits me outside.

Everyone seems to have slept pretty well, but is anxious to get some water boiling and the coffee going - tea for myself. We make quick work of breakfast and leisurely begin to break down camp. We're not in any particular hurry. Once we've packed up, we do a once-over around camp to ensure we didn't leave anything behind or litter on the ground. Then, it's time to head out, returning on the other half of the Backcountry Loop Trail that we came in on. 

It's a short hike back to our cars and we spend a few minutes doing a debrief and separating gear. We hiked a total of almost exactly 5 miles over the two day excursion. Not really the miles I had hoped to get in, but it was still a fun adventure. Our guides were terrific and I expect I may meet them again at some biking and kayaking adventures I have scheduled in the near future. As for me, I'm going to add a few more miles in before leaving the park.

Rocktown Trail (Walker County, Georgia)

 

My final stop within the Pigeon Mountain Wilderness Management Area this morning takes me to Rocktown, an extremely popular bouldering area on the plateau of the mountain. A rough gravel roads leads to a medium-sized parking area, with only a couple of other cars at the moment. It's still early and fairly cold, but I'm sure things will get busier here as the sun rises further overhead and warms the ground below.

The trail leads off from the right side of the parking area and at first seems like any other trail in this part of the world, but soon, I begin to encounter the first of the massive sandstone boulders that give this area it's name and make it so popular for climbers. Side trails lead off to large areas of building-sized boulders and outcroppings. Many of these would be amazing for bouldering. A few would also make reasonable shelters with their large overhangs.

I follow the trail for a while, but quickly get distracted by the number and topographical diversity of the rock field. Soon, I'm scrambling over one rock face and then the next looking for more and more amazing formations. This is all sandstone, but unlike the brownish-red surfaces I'm used to in the southwest. This is more the color of granite. Perhaps age has something to do with that, as I'm sure these formations are much older than those of southern Utah. Strange erosion behavior carve strange cross-mesh patterns into the stone faces. It looks somewhat otherworldly, but really interesting.

As I make my way back to the trail, I find myself once again getting pulled off trail by the incredible formations. One is of particular note. Between large stone ridges, a large formation rises from the center. It's much larger on top than on the bottom, somewhat resembling a funnel of sorts. I would call it a balanced rock, but unlike many formations that take on that name, this one doesn't really have a separation between the 'rock' and the 'support'. It looks like a single structure that defies gravity. Very interesting and unique. 

The final part of the trail, which I find my way back to eventually, enters an area of stone corridors and rooms. This could almost be the interior of a building or plaza, and is likely the source of the name Rocktown. It's appropriate. I think I'm actually on the summit of Pigeon Mountain here, but it's difficult to tell as the mountaintop is a large plateau and with these giant boulders making up the landscape, it's difficult to know where the highest point is. Either way, it's a great spot.

On my way back to my jeep, I begin to wonder about some of those rock overhangs. I've seen many structures like this in other places of the world that are home to spectacular pictographs. The overhangs themselves provide protection to the rock art underneath. Though this is a very humid environment, it's possible the ancient Creek or Cherokee decorated these surfaces with their artwork. I detour to a couple of the more prominent overhangs on the return trip and scan the protected surfaces for any sign of pigments. Some have modern graffiti, but obviously, I'm looking for something older and deeper. As I note a couple of red spots, which could simply be mineral-based, I decide to pull out my trusty Dstretch app on my phone and scan with some filters. The various color filters do make the blotches pop, but I'm not able to see any definitive sign of the colors being applied by the hand of ancient men. Ah well, I'm certainly not an expert, but it would have been pretty amazing to find some obvious pictographs here. 

After having hiked and scrambled about 3.1 miles on this little adventure, I return to my jeep. On the way out, I encountered no less than thirty or so individuals with bouldering pads attached to their backs and making their way into the rock maze. The parking lot re-enforces this, as there isn't a spot to be found now, where many existed when I first arrived. As for me, it's time to make my way to Cloudland Canyon and begin my next adventure for the day.

Lost Wall at Dickson Creek Falls (Walker County, Georgia)

Just a short distance up the mountain from Pettyjohn Cave, I arrive at my next stop, The Lost Wall at Dickson Creek Falls. This is a popular rock climbing destination, though less so than many of the other sandstone surfaces in the region. Another short hike sees me at the base of the wall, over which, Dickson Creek plummets a good 60-80 feet in a spectacular waterfall.

The area behind the waterfall is carved out and I consider exploring back there, but as I will be camping out tonight in frigid temperatures I think better of it, preferring not to risk getting wet in this situation. I content myself by simply finding a good perch from which to take some nice pictures of the lonely waterfall. I suppose climbers work on the areas around the water or perhaps this fall dries up outside of the rainy season, which we are currently in. Either way, I'm glad to be here when it's flowing so well. 

Pettyjohn Cave (Walker County, Georgia)

I'm out exploring again today, while on my way to short overnight backpacking trip in Cloudland Canyon. My first stop is to the entrance to Pettyjohn Cave, which is within the boundaries of the Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The cave is said to be a popular destination for spelunkers and is generally rated easy to moderate experience. I don't have the appropriate gear with me and so, I won't be entering the cave, but only visiting the entrance.

After parking my jeep on this cold morning, I follow a well-worn trail just a few meters into the woods to a natural collection of boulders. At the center of this group, is a deep hole. Someone has spray-painted an "X" on one of the vertical surfaces to mark the spot. This would seem to be the entrance. I gaze down into the hole, but can only see a meter or two into the darkness. I suspect one simply ties off and lowers down through this entrance to the horizontal surfaces below. While I won't be doing that today, I wouldn't mind checking this out at some point in the future when I'm not alone and have proper gear along with me. For now, I'll end my exploration of the cave right here and move on to my next stop.

Arabia Mountain Starlight Hike (DeKalb County, Georgia)

 

For my final adventure this weekend and to add even more miles to my total, I'm joining REI for a starlight hike to the top of granite monadnock known as Arabia Mountain. I've inquired with the park rangers in the past about leading the meetup here for a similar evening hike, but the park closes at dusk and they were unwilling to give me special permission. REI has a long relationship with the park and is allowed some special privileges such as this. That's okay though, I'll take advantage. 

My main reason for wanting to hike up here at night is to confirm my suspicion that it will be one of, if not the best, place to stargaze near the city of Atlanta. The mountains of north Georgia are certainly an option, but there is a bit of a drive involved there, whereas Arabia Mountain is just a few minutes outside the perimeter.

Meeting up with our guide just before dark, we do a quick health screening (pandemic protocols) and some introductions before making our way down the long boardwalk to the base of the mountain. Arabia Mountain is not very mountain-like in general and only requires hiking up a shallow incline to reach the summit. It is, however, almost complete bare granite with only the occasional plant-life popping up around puddles. After reaching the top, we spend about thirty minutes taking in the night sky. Even though it was cloudy earlier today, the skies are crystal clear tonight and we are afforded a magnificent view of the heavens. Okay, having lived in Nevada for many years, I use the term "magnificent" generously here. These skies cannot compare to those above the vast barren spaces out west. Compared to what I have seen since moving to Georgia though, this is a great view.

We point out a few constellations (Ursa Major and Minor, Orion, etc.) and even catch a view of the International Space Station as it whizzes by overhead. It's not as cold up here as I thought it would be and it makes for a really nice overall experience. 

After a while, we begin to head back down the mountain, admiring the small frogs singing their song from the puddles and plant-life I mentioned earlier. Returning the way we can, we get in right at 3.5 miles total on this little stroll. While it was very easy, it was nice to experience this area at night and see the stars once again.

Bowmans Island to Laurel Ridge at Buford Dam (Forsyth and Gwinnett Counties)

 

Miles, miles, and more miles - that's what I need right now. With a couple of big backpacking trips coming up in the coming months, I'm doing everything I can to get in shape for them. That means lots and lots of running and hiking. I got a good hike in yesterday and I ran a virtual 5k this morning, but that's not enough. To add to the tally, I decided to hike with the meetup again today on a trip the organizer referred to as the Really Secret Trail at Lanier Lake. With all of the rain we had last night though, our plans were forced to change a bit and we ended up hiking a combination of the Bowmans Island and Laurel Ridge Trails, crossing over the Buford Dam, which holds back the large man-made lake from the lower Chattahoochee River to link them. I've hiked both of these trails before, but never connecting them this way. It should be fun.

Our large group met at the Lower Overlook within the Bowmans Island Unit of CRNRA. While there was some confusion on the actual parking lot to meet at we got it sorted out for the most part and after our customary quick round of introductions, we were off on our muddy adventure.

The sustained rains overnight have turned the trails here into a muddy, slippery mess. We persevere though and manage to make our way all the way to the southern end of the unit. Here, we divert slightly to walk around a fish hatchery, which is quite interesting. The large long tanks contain thousands of trout separated in sections by their relative age. As I understand it, the fish here are used to stock area lake and streams for fisherman. Walking around the back, we find a large mucky pond, complete with a large group of black vultures hanging around.

From here, we head back the way we came doing our best to not slip on the mud, but that proves to be near impossible and a couple of people slip and fall. Luckily, nothing is hurt beyond their respective pride. Returning to the parking area, some hikers decide to leave, but as many of us are wanting to get more mileage in, we had across the dam and up the steep staircase to arrive at the Laurel Ridge Trail. This trail offers some nice views of Lake Lanier. 

Here we knock out another three or four miles before deciding to turn back. When we re-arrive at the parking area, several members suggesting hitting a nearby brewery for some food and fun. I'm encouraged to go and while it really is tempting, I've got other plans this evening and I need to depart. I was able to get in almost exactly 10 miles on this hike, bringing me to a fairly respectable number for the weekend, but I'm not quite done yet.

Mud Creek Falls (Rabun County, Georgia)

On my way home from Rabun Bald, I decided to make a very quick detour to check out a waterfall one of the other hikers told me about. Even though there are some snowflakes falling, I understand that there isn't really any hiking to this waterfall and that it can be approached directly from the parking area. As I drive through Sky Valley, Georgia, I get turned around a couple of times, but eventually see the sign for Mud Creek Falls. The road twists around the mountain as I make my way steeply downhill, but in almost no time at all, I'm at the parking lot with the 100+ waterfall looming directly above me. This is a really nice one - on the same level as Amicalola and Anna Ruby Falls in my opinion. I had never heard of this one, but the majestic water-wheel formed about half-way up as the waters rush into a spoon-like formation and shoot upwards before again falling to the next tier of the waterfall makes me think of some of the falls along the Tuolomne River in my beloved Yosemite. It's just a quick stop, but well worth it. Now, I just need to get home before the weather really kicks into high gear.

Rabun Bald via Bartram Trail (Rabun County, Georgia)

I don't really consider myself a peak-bagger, but I do like climbing mountains. At 4,696', Rabun Bald is the second highest peak in Georgia, and until today one I have not yet climbed. Located in north-eastern Georgia, just south of the border with North Carolina, it seemed like a good trip to lead the Meetup group on. As we've had some cold weather lately, I warned those who signed up to join me to bring traction devices of some sort in case we encountered ice at the top. We'll see if they listen.

Arriving at the Hayes Ridge Trailhead along the Bartram Trail, I find an adequate place to park my jeep and begin scouting the area for the start of our trail as well as to identify other parking spots for those joining me. I always try to arrive a little early when I'm leading a hike, and today is no exception. Over the next several minutes, eight others who has registered for today's outing join me and I direct them to the various parking spots I found. At the designated start time, we gather in a wide circle and do a quick round of introductions. I remind the group of the description I gave on the event posting and re-emphasize the pace expectation. Everyone nods in agreement. And with that, we are off.

More weather is suppose to be moving in late this afternoon and I'm hopeful that we can reach the summit and return prior to the storm hitting. As we start the trip, we pass a little drip waterfall, which has a few icicles hanging from it. As we're about half-a-mile in, it seems like a good time to delayer while the group takes pictures. After a couple of minutes, I check that everyone is ready before pushing on. My goal is to hold us to about a 2.5 mph pace on this trip. 

The first two-thirds of the trail are relatively flat, meaning that the last third is going to be pretty steep. I warn the group of that as we push forward. After a few switchbacks, we start seeing the elevation gain kick in, though it never gets as bad as the elevation profile would lead one to believe. This is also where we start encountering the ice that I warned the group about. Natural spring run-off has flowed over the trail and created sheets of thick ice around two of the switchback turns. The ice covers the entire trail and spans for about twenty yards in both places. We pause for a minute, while I and a couple of ladies that followed my advice put on our Yaktrax or Microspikes. Meanwhile, those that didn't bring any traction devices do their best to skirt the trail and bushwhack past the icy sections - a dangerous proposition. 

Thankfully, everyone gets past the ice without incident, though the Yaktrax make it much, much easier. From here, it's only a short distance to the top. As we make the final turn, we pass a sign indicating that Warwoman Dell is another 15 miles to the south. I only mention this because I led another hike from Warwoman Dell north to the top of Pinnacle Knob a few weeks ago. The Bartram Trail is a long National Recreation trail and spans the distance between the two, as well as continuing much further in both directions. It might be a backpacking option at some point in the future.

High atop the mountain, a large observation deck has been built to offer visitors a spectacular view above the trees. We climb the steep set of steps leading to the top and the group gasps in awe of the breathtaking 360° were are privileged enough to see before us. The cold air up here may also have something to do with taking everyone's breath away. We spend a few minutes enjoying the view, before I mention that I'm heading back down the stairs to enjoy a quick snack out of the wind. Everyone follows me and we each pull out a bar or other snack to get some calories into our bodies.

After ten or so minutes at the top, I give a five minute warning and everyone begins to pack up and prepare for our decent back down the mountain. It doesn't take very long before we are on the trail once again, though going down is always much faster. We have similar struggles with the ice, but again make it without any falls. A couple of us hang back to remove our traction devices, causing the group to split in two separated by just a couple of minutes. Interestingly, both groups make the same wrong turn, but quickly correct our course. It only took us a few dozen feet in the wrong direction, but was caused by our actual trail climbing a small, but steep ridge that none of us remembered. No matter, we're again heading in the right direction.

As we near the end of the trail, we start seeing the occasional snowflake falling from the skies. We arrive back at our cars just in time to beat the snow. Everyone thanks me for leading the hike and comments how much they enjoyed it. I wait to ensure everyone is able to get their car out of their chosen spot before heading out myself. Looking at my tracking app, I see that we've hiked about 8.8 miles today. Not bad and the views definitely made it worthwhile.