Saturday, March 6, 2021

Raven Cliff Falls (White County, Georgia)


Since I've started leading hikes for the Meetup group here in Georgia, most of my the hikes that I've organized have been more challenging and definitely not for beginners, but I do recognize that some folks are just not up to doing 10+ miles on the trail. That said, I thought it would be nice to lead a less strenuous hike and encourage some of those members. Raven Cliff Falls near Helen, Georgia seemed an ideal location. This was one of the first hikes I did after moving to the Atlanta area and so, I know it's a pretty easy trail. Before the hike, I'm running a trail 5k at one of the nearby wineries, which in combination with the hike, should give me a decent workout for today.

The 5k was pretty strenuous as we run up and down the vineyard rows on the side of a steep hill, and so, I'm actually pretty glad I didn't schedule anything too crazy this afternoon. As expected the trail head parking lot is overflowing with cars, but I manage to find a spot to stash my jeep just a short distance away down a forest service road. 

As the large group begins to assemble, I initiate a round of introductions and explain a little bit about the Meetup group and today's hike. There are a lot of new faces, likely encouraged by my listing this as a "beginner's" hike. One of the other organizers has joined us and I ask if should be willing to either lead or sweep, and give her the choice. She ends up leading and I end up sweeping, which is fine by me.

The trail, as on my last visit, is well-kept and well-traveled. It follows Dodd Creek as we make our way to Raven Cliff and the waterfall that time has carved through it. Along the way, I help a few of the older hikers with some of the minor obstacles, but all in all, we make it to the base of the falls without incident.There, we take a few minutes to enjoy a snack and take in the gorgeous landscape and waterfall. 

After a short rest, I call the two minute warning and soon, we are back on the trail. Again, I sweep, while the other organizer leads us back towards the parking area. The return trip is uneventful as far as I can tell from the rear, but when we arrive back at the trailhead, I learn that our senior statesman got slapped in the forehead with a large tree limb. I ask him if I might examine him to ensure he doesn't have any sign of a concussion, which he agrees to. After talking with him a bit and doing a basic examine, it seem he is fine, but as a precaution, one of our other hikers is going to drive him home. All in all, it was a great leisurely hike of about 5.8 miles. Many of the members thank me for organizing and leading it and ask that I do more hikes of this type. I agree, but warn them that they will likely be few and far between, as I personally enjoy the more challenging stuff.

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