Pine Mountain Trail West (Bartow County, Georgia)

Just a couple of months ago, I lead one of the local Meetup groups on an exploratory hike from Coopers Furnace to the summit of Pine Mountain and the two interconnected loops on either side of the summit. It was a great hike and inspired the owner of the Meetup to post it again. Unfortunately, his plans changed and he had to go out of town during the scheduled hike. He asked if I would mind leading it again, which I was happy to do. However unbeknownst and strangely to me, it seems the Army Corp of Engineers, which manages the area where our original trailhead, closes that area in the winter. This was pointed out by one of the hikers that had signed up and then I called and confirmed the information. Given that we're in Georgia, where it rarely snows or drops below thirty degrees, I don't really understand the need to close any outdoor facilities, but it is what it is. Luckily, there is a second trailhead on the opposite side of the mountain that offers the same access.

Arriving early, as I always try to when leading a hike, I quickly meet up with several hikers that will be joining us. After a quick round of introductions, we hit the trail at the appointed time. Unlike the route from my original trailhead, this one starts out climbing the steepest section of the trail and quickly some of the hikers fall behind. As we approach the spur trail that leads to the summit, I hang back and ensure that everyone makes it safely. Once we reach the summit, we take a short rest and enjoy some snacks and conversation.

There are a few others that are not with our group up here at the summit. The day started out pretty cold, but is turning into a beautiful day for a hike. The clear skies allow us the best views possible from this mountain top and we are able to see Lake Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain, and several other lonely mountains in the distance. As we depart the summit, someone points out a raccoon munching on half a banana. I'm told that the animal was alongside the trail and appeared to be in distress. One of the other hikers gave him some food and he came back to life. I'm not sure if the animal was truly sick or if that was some tactic for getting handouts. Either way though, it worked out for the little guy. He doesn't pay us much attention as we walk past.

From here, we hit the central point of the horizontal figure-eight trail. We've already hiked the southern half of the western loop and now we'll hike the southern half of the eastern loop. From there, the we'll take a long section south to Coopers Furnace. I tell the slower hikers in the group that they should probably stop and wait for the rest of us where the section to the furnace begins as we will return the same way. 

We're making good time and again, the hikers split up into two groups as defined by their respective pace. Since I had explained where we should meet, I continue with the faster group and after a mile or so from the junction, we reach Coopers Furnace. Most of the hikers have not visited this large pre-Civil War site before and are surprised by it's scale. We take a few minutes to read the signage and a couple of hikers make their way down to the Etowah River just a few dozen yards away. Soon, we're making our way back the way we came.

Shortly after we turn around though, we meet up with the slower group, who has been making pretty good time. We all continue onward and back a the junction, we now start the longer norther section of the eastern loop. I tell the faster group to continue on, as I know a couple of the hikers in that group are quite capable and accomplished, and I hang back with the slower group. As we scale the mountainside via a series of longs switchbacks, I do get a ways ahead once again, but I stop often to ensure I can still see the hikers at the rear making progress. I also generally stop at any fork in the trail and wait for them to catch up to ensure they go the correct direction.

It's slow going and as we make our way along the northern half of the western loop, we take our time over the rocky sections to ensure no one gets injured. Eventually though, we make our way back to the trailhead, where some of the faster hikers have waited for us. All in all, I got in about 8.3 miles, though some of that was back-tracking as I was checking in on the slower hikers. Most of the time on the more challenging Saturday hikes that I lead, I give a disclaimer at the beginning that we won't be waiting for those that can't keep up. I'm very clear with all of the details like distance, pace, elevation gain, and terrain in my description and that hikers to ensure they are up to the challenge. That said, the Sunday hikes are generally a little more casual and so, I wanted to be more patient with the slower folks and ensure their safety. It was still an excellent time and several of the hikers mentioned that this is one of their new favorite trails. As far as those within a close proximity of the city, I have to agree.

Chilly Willy Half-Marathon (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

 

It's cold and I could be in much better running shape, but I had signed up for the Chilly Willy Half-Marathon in nearby Sugar Hill, GA a couple of months ago and I'm going to see it through. It's only a twenty or so minute drive from my house and I arrive in plenty of time to check-in and pick up my bib. As cold as it this morning though, I retreat to my the rental car I'm currently driving to enjoy the heat for as long as possible. I say it's cold, but I think living in Georgia the past couple of years has spoiled me. It's really like 35 degrees outside, which isn't that terribly cold. I've just gotten weak.

A couple minutes before the scheduled start time I leave the warmth of the car and head up to the starting line. It appears to be a pretty popular race, with maybe 400-500 runners braving these temperatures. Though this is the combined started for the 5k, 10k, and Half-Marathon.

With buzzer, we're off and while my hands remain cold most of the run, the rest of my body starts heating up as I start moving. The course takes us through downtown Sugar Hill and then along Peachtree Industrial Blvd before entering and doing some trails through E.E. Robinson Park only to return to Peachtree for the turnaround. The 5k turns back before entering the park, the 10k does a single traverse of the race course and me and the other half-marathoners will do the 10k course twice with a few yards tacked on near the turn around to make the up the difference between 12.4 miles and 13.1 miles. 

By the time I almost make it back to the start for the first time, my knee is already throbbing a little bit and I consider throwing in the towel and just quitting here. I'm wearing my compression braces on my knees, which usually help, but not as much today. I'm not sure if it's the cold weather or just the fact that I haven't been running as regularly as I need to be, but regardless, I decide to push and finish the half.

At about the time I enter the park entrance for the second time, I start regretting my decision. My knee is really starting to bother me and I'm forced to walk most of the uphill and downhill sections or face fairly excruciating pain from my right knee. As I make my way through the park and to the turn-around for the second time, I try to run short sections, but normally have to go back to walking pretty quickly.

It's pretty disappointing to cross the finish line with unofficial 2:53:43, but considering how much my knee is hurting right now, I don't give it much thought. I make my way back to my car and relax for a few minutes. I'm proud of myself for fighting through the pain and completing the half-marathon, but I have to reconsider any long races in my future.

In Search of Manatees in Florida’s Spring-fed Rivers (Marion, Hernando, and Citrus Counties, Florida)

 This weekend, I'm joining the Atlanta Outdoor Club on several paddle trips along the clear spring-fed rivers of northern Florida in search of Manatees and adventure, of course. I arrived last night at the AirBnB the organizers rented for us in Astor, FL. While I only new a couple of the other attendees, everyone made me feel extremely welcomed. The mansion they rented is gigantic and the interior is constructed of various types of cypress, with a gigantic living room, several bedrooms, a magnificent kitchen and dining room, as well as a nice fire pit area outside overlooking the canal and river. After some introductions, a terrific dinner, and some discussion of the plan for the weekend, we all head to our respective bedrooms for a good night's sleep in preparation for a long paddle tomorrow.

Day 1 - Juniper Creek Run

I slept well and awoke early. After taking a quick shower and getting a little breakfast in my belly, I join the others as we make last minute preparations. Before long, we caravan away from the house and head to our first destination, the Juniper Creek Run. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to us, this area does not allow inflatable kayaks. All but one of our paddlers are in hard-shell kayaks, but the one remaining gentlemen has an inflatable. One of our organizers who has paddled this run several times, volunteers to lend the gentlemen his hard-shell boat and he will just skip today's paddle. This works out. 

As this is the first time I've put my new boat in the water, I'm curious to see how it performs. From the launching pad, I gentle ease my way in and in doing so almost manage to flip myself in this shallow water, but I catch myself with my left hand, jamming my thumb a little bit in the process. The others enter their boats and soon, we are off on first paddle.

The water here is crystal clear and very shallow in most places (only a few inches deep), but our lightweight craft pass easily across the surface in most areas, though I do find myself scrapping a few submerged logs here and there. We see abundant wildlife as we make our way, including a couple of alligators (one of them roughly twelve feet long), turtles, and abundant avian species.

The channels and current of this creek do require some small level of technical paddling and while I'm a little overwhelmed at first, I quickly remember my skills. After all, it's been a few months since I've been in a boat and that last time was on a wide-open reservoir. The gentlemen in the borrowed kayak doesn't fair quite as well though as he rolls his boat and goes into the water several times. We all do our best to assist him and give him some advice, but I think his nerves were getting the better of him by the end. You could see in his paddle strokes. When he realized he need to correct his track, he would first go to steer one direction and then immediately remember that he needed to go the other way to prevent the current from pushing him into the brush and trees growing along the banks.

Eventually, we reach the end of the run. It was a long, but terrific paddle. The twists and turns made for quite an adventure and being so near alligators in the wild always adds a sense of danger, though gators of this size would rarely attack a human (the twelve-footer may have been big enough). After exiting our boats and reloading them on our respective cars, we return to the house for a bit to cleanup. 

For dinner, we hit a local bar and grill. I order a beer and a mahi-mahi sandwich, which is fantastic. After dinner, we return to the house and enjoy a fire on the patio, while discussing the days events and many other topics. It was a great day and we managed to get in about 7.2 miles on today's run. I'm looking forward to what tomorrow brings. Perhaps we'll see some manatees.

Day 2 - Chassahowitzka River and Homossassa Springs Wildlife Refuge

Similar to yesterday's start, I rise early, showering and eating some breakfast before most of our crew has stirred. Once the masses have awoken, they do the same. Today, we have a healthy drive to our destinations and we try to get an early start. It's nearly a two hour drive to our first destination on the Chassahowitzka River. This location was not in the original plan, but the organizers were unable to get launch permits at the planned spot, Weeki Watchee Springs, and settled on this as an alternative. As I've never been to any of these places, one seems just as good as the other to me.

Today's paddle will be in a much wider channel for the most part, and as we put our boats in the water, we note that the water is not nearly as clear here as yesterday's paddle. No matter, it will still be a great time. 

We first paddle out to an area where one of our organizers and lead paddler believes we will be able to see some manatees and sure enough, there are three or four of the rotund water cows feeding on the underwater flora. These animals are huge; most as long as my 11.5 foot long kayak. They lumber around below us occasionally surfacing for a breath of air. With nearly a dozen boats floating above them, you would think they would be timid and move away, but perhaps because of their great bulk, they go about their business as if we weren't even there. 

As we wait, we listen for their breaths when they surface to locate them in the waters below us. This is the first time I've ever seen manatees and to see them in the wild like this is quite an experience. They pass within inches of my boat as they move to and fro in search of the rich plant life growing on the river's floor. After thirty minutes or so gawking at them, It's probably time for us to move on and let these guys eat in peace.

We continue downriver and head for one of the springs feeding it, known as the Crack. It gets a little tight on some areas, but still not quite as bad as yesterday. On one shallow sandy section, three of our group end up beaching themselves. While two are able to scoot themselves free of the sands, the one remaining paddler has to exit his boat and tow it by foot back to the deeper waters. Luckily, I managed to avoid the sand all together. 

More wildlife is present here and we see numerous bird species and a large amount of fish swimming below our boats in the water, which has become more clear as we move toward the spring. Eventually, the water gets too shallow to paddle in and we pull our boats partially onto shore to prevent them from floating away, while we make our way the rest of the way to the Crack on foot. It's only a hundred yards or so. 

When we arrive, we are greeted by numerous other visitors, some of whom are playing on a rope swing that carries them out over the actual vent of the spring. It looks fun. The water here is a sort of hazy blue as it rises from the depths, but quickly becomes crystal clear as it fans out away from the Crack. I'm not much of a swimmer and so, I decide not to take a plunge from the swing, though several of my companions do. The water just above the vent is much deeper than the shallow creek we walked up to get here. 

We decide that his would be a great place to have lunch and all return to our boats to get our food. I manage to get my feet stuck in the bog beneath my boat and have quite a time freeing my feet without loosing my water shoes in the mud, but finally free myself and join the rest of the group for a short break at the spring.

After a short break and more horseplay on the swing, we agree that it is time to head back. We get in our boats and start paddling back the way we came. Passing the launch point, we attempt to paddle up to another spring, but it is so packed with kayaks from other visitors, we decide to turn back and call it a day, at least on the water. We only paddled about 3.5 miles today.

We load our boats and then head for another location, the Homossassa Springs Wildlife Refuge, which we had passed on our way here. This place is home to numerous rescued animals of all varieties. Regrouping, we take a short shuttle ride, which is nothing more than a truck pulling a couple of trailers with bench seats, to the main starting area. From there we agree on a meeting time and then head off on our own to explore the animal enclosures.

This place is essentially a zoo, but the animals within are all rescues of one sort or another that likely wouldn't survive long in the wilds. I'm really against traditional zoos, but something like this makes sense to me. As I wander along the boardwalks and paved paths through the animals, I'm amazed by the number of black vultures that call this home. One of the signs indicates that while these vultures are not technically part of the refuge and come and go as they please, they act as natural housekeepers and help keep the facility free of disease by consuming uneaten food.

There is a huge variety of animals here from alligators to the oldest hippopotamus in captivity, to the whooping cranes, to bald eagles, to a black bear, to mountain lions, to manatees. It's a cornucopia of wildlife. It seems the keepers do their best to give these rescued creatures a good life, which is quite commendable.

Additionally, the facility contains an underwater observation area. Steps lead down below the surface of the spring-fed waters right beside the vent. From down here, one can see schools of large fish swimming about. I spend a couple of minutes down there, but soon return to the surface.

Meeting the group back at the start we start the long journey back to our temporary housing, though we do stop for some delicious ice cream along the way. Some of us also stop for a quick dinner at a New Orleans-inspired restaurant. Desert before dinner, it's the way to roll while you're on vacation.

Getting back to the house, we get a fire going and then have an all our concert on the patio. One of the other participants has been teaching herself to play guitar and brought a small "backpacking" guitar with her. As I've been playing guitar and singing most of my life (in bands during high school and college), I give her a few pointers and we all join in and some singalongs (mostly rock ballads of the 70's, 80's and 90's) as we enjoy some adult beverages and the crackling flames. It was a lot of fun and I remember how much fun it used to be performing in front of an audience, though it's been many years since I've done so.

Finally the light from the fire pit dimming and our beverage containers becoming empty, we all decide to turn in for our last night on this great trip. I had originally planned on heading home first thing in the morning, but the group talks me into do one more paddle on the way home, which they claim may be the best one. I agree and as a thank you, I tell them I will make breakfast for all of us.

Day 3 - Silver Springs and River

I'm among the earliest risers in the group and get my shower and pack before most are awake. As promised, I get a breakfast scramble going for the group. It's nothing special, just eggs, ham, and cheese, but everyone seems to like it and thanks me for preparing it. After breakfast, we do the necessary clean-up of the house and pack our gear for our long drives home.

Our paddle for this day is at Silver Springs, which is only about forty-five minutes from the house and on our way back to the interstate we will all take home. We put our boats in and set up the shuttle at the other end at Ray Wayside Park. Once all of us have returned to our boats, we start our paddle. 

First we head out to the gigantic Silver Spring, the largest artesian spring in the world. I admit that I had to look up what "artesian" actually means. It simply means that it's a free-flowing spring, where the water rises without the need of any kind of man-made pumping mechanism. The water here is deep, clear, and very blue. It reminds me of the water in Lake Tahoe a bit. Large fish swim in abundant numbers and pass beneath our kayaks. It's pretty surreal.

After spending a little time here, we head back a short distance the way we came and then take a sharp turn into the Fort King Paddling Trail, this short but narrow water passageway runs parallel to the river, but offers better wildlife viewing options. We see more alligators and abundance of bird life. In addition, we can see the ruins of what was once a wooden fort-based summer camp and a number of supporting structures. I'm unsure as to when this was open, but it has all fallen into disrepair over the decades. 

After about a mile, we exit the paddle trail and rejoin the Silver River. We paddle slightly upstream to a little cover, where we once again see a number of giant manatees going about their daily routine. The waters are more clear here though than yesterday and we have a better view of the behemoths. One passes right beside my boat. We linger a little while observing these magnificent but docile beasts before continuing our trek downriver.

The channel here is wide and the waters are much deeper, though the water is still crystal clear. We see huge numbers of turtles. In fact, I accidentally bop one on the head as he surfaces near where my paddle was going in the water. Hopefully, it didn't injure him. I was paddling pretty gently and so, I don't think he was hurt. We see large fish, alligators, and waterfowl of numerous different species as we continue down river.

We also pass above several manatee hastily making their way to their favored feeding grounds upstream. It's kind of strange to see animals this large pass below your boat through this clear blue-tinted water, maybe even a little unnerving. 

In a few sections, I can really test the speed of my boat. No twists and turns or shallow bottoms to worry about here. It's nice to really work out my shoulders like this a bit, and to see what this new boat is capable of in terms of speed. Though there are twists and turns here, there are not the super tight ones like we experienced on Juniper Creek. With the river ranging from thirty to eighty feet wide in most places, maneuvering is very easy.

And then, just as we make our way around one of these big turns, I finally see something that I had been told to be on the lookout for; something that you would not expect to see in the trees of Florida . . . monkeys! Specifically, these are rhesus macaque monkeys. I was told they were brought here by an eccentric land owner in the mid-1930's in the hopes of opening some sort of jungle adventure park, which never came to fruition. Since then, they have set up shop and built quite a large colony, numbering in the hundreds, on the shores of this river. 

*Enhanced to zoom in on a monkey

It's wild to see creatures like this playing and fighting in the trees above us. There many, many of them in the trees. Some of them, including some very young ones, climb out onto the branches overhanging the river. I would think that they would be easy prey for the alligators should they fall in, but they don't seem to worry about this grim prospect and go about their playful day. Even on the forest floor, we see several of them sitting on logs and just lounging around. Wondrous!!!

As we near the end of our paddle, spot more alligators, manatees, and turtles along the way. Turning into the canal for the Ray Wayside Park, we drag our boats ashore and I shuttle the other two drivers back to their at the other end. When we return, we help each other load our boats and say our goodbyes. In total, we got about 6 miles in today on the river. It's truly been a fantastic weekend and I've made several new friends (not the monkeys). Now it's time for the long drive home.

Rainbow Springs (Marion County, Florida)

 

My next stop takes me to Rainbow Springs, a natural wonder that feeds up to 600 million gallons of crystal clear fresh water per day to form the Rainbow River. The site is also a popular state park and takes advantage of numerous facilities that were constructed the area was the site of a privately owned resort in the 1930's. The resort closed in 1974 and several years later the community rallied around the idea of turning into a state park.

The remnants of the resort are present all long the trails. Man-made waterfalls are around most turns. Some have water running across, while others remain dry. The highlight is the spring itself, which surfaces from numerous vents all around the area and provides for an abundant ecosystem. The waters are very clear in most areas and reflect the brilliant blues of the sky above. While I don't see any on this visit, I'm told that alligators, turtles and a variety of bird life call this place home. 

It was a nice stroll, but again, I must be on my way. I expect I will see much more of these clear waters and the wildlife they support from my kayak over the next couple of days.

Crystal River Archaeological Site (Citrus County, Florida)

 

Escaping the cold temperatures that have hit the Atlanta area for a few days, I'm on my way to northern Florida for a few days to do some paddling in my new kayak on the spring-fed rivers of the area. On my way, I decided to stretch my legs at a couple of interesting sites. The first of which is the Crystal River Archaeological Site near the town of the same name.

This Native American site contains six mounds, similar to those found in the Mississippian Culture, but overlooking the nearby salt marshes. Many of these mounds were used for burials. It is believed that around 7,500 people were buried in and around the complex from around 250 BCE until around 1600 CE. The area has been preserved as a Florida state park.

I take a short walking tour of the area and try to take in the historic nature of the site. The largest of the mounds, Temple Mound, was partially partially cut away prior to the site's preservation. Now, a wooden staircase allows access to the summit. From there, the observer gets a birds eye view of the river and salt marshes that border it, as well as the entire complex itself, though several trees have grown from and over many of the mounds.

It's a very interesting site and well worth a visit if you are in the area, but for now, I must move on. I still have miles to go before I reach my final destination on this trip.