Suwanee Creek Greenway Cycle (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

 

I've been working a lot of late evenings recently and with my bike rack finally installed on my new Subaru Outback, I thought it was well past time to get my new bike out for the first time. Between work, weather and other obligations, I just haven't been able to do it until now. The beautiful spring weather didn't hurt my mood and desire to get outside either. It's around 73° this afternoon. 

After working through a minor user error in securing my bike to my roof rack, I drove a short distance to Suwanee Creek Park. From there, I unloaded the bike and got set to peddle away. This being the first time I've really ridden this bike any distance, it's something of an acquaintance ride as well. Knowing how the bike feels, how it handles, how and when to change gears, as well as a myriad of other things are all on my to do list as I make my way along the combination paved and boardwalk trail that runs parallel to Suwanee Creek.

As I coast down one of the early hills, I spot a gorgeous great blue heron standing in the shallow creek below me and surveying for his next meal. I have to stop for a shot. Continuing on and starting to feel a bit more comfortable on this bike, I decide to see what she can do and put the peddle to the metal. It's pretty fast, but the lack of safety levers for the disk brakes is a bit strange to me. I had asked about this when I bought the bike and apparently, these have fallen out of fashion and are rarely scene. For those that don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain. Back in the days of yesteryear when the "10-speed" bike first came into existence and ram horn handle bars first became popular, brakes could be activated by two different levers attached to the same point on the handle bar. If you were sprinting and had your hands on the lower section (the horns), you could use the levers there. However, if you were in a more upright position and peddling more leisurely with your hands on the crossbar, you could reach out with your fingers and brake with the safety levers. I'm going to have to have to either get use to the new style or find a set to install. Back to the ride though. 

After walking my bike down the twisty turns of the ramped board walk going under and across McGinnis Ferry Road, I push pretty hard and reach end of this particular trail at Suwanee Elementary School. I do an about face and head back the way I came.The return trip is uneventful and I really start to feel comfortable on the bike. Arriving back at my car, I see I rode right at 6 miles on this short jaunt. A decent first ride, but I've got a lot more miles to train on if I intend to bikepack the Silver Comet later this year.

Monadnock Madness (Rockdale, Dekalb and Cobb Counties, Georgia)

For the past several years, the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area has hosted and encouraged the public to explore the gigantic granite outcroppings, known geologically as monadnocks, surrounding the Atlanta-area. I participated in the event two years ago, just after moving to Georgia and just before the COVID-19 pandemic had started. It was a fun event that includes multiple hikes on the outskirts of the metropolitan area. I believe the event was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, but it was held again this year and announced as the final time. Wanting to get some trail miles in anyway, I decided to accept the challenge.

In year's past, the challenge consisted of Stone Mountain, Arabia Mountain, and Panola Mountain. This year, however, for reasons unknown, Stone Mountain was replaced with Kennesaw Mountain diagonally across Atlanta from the other sites. As Panola is a pristine area and exploration of the mountain itself are only allowed as part of a ranger-led guided tour, I made an appointment a couple of weeks ago. This would be my first of the three to tackle today.

Arriving at the Panola Mountain State Park visitor's center a few minutes before the start, I headed inside to check-in and use the restroom. The group of hikers was already forming, about a dozen of us in all. Right on time, our guide called our attention and we headed outside for a brief introduction and overview of the what to expect. He was a young ranger, but very enthusiastic. 

With a few words, we headed into the woods and after unlocking the gate, into the restricted zone. We would make several stops along the way as our guide spoke of the history, geology and ecology of the area. He was quite knowledgeable. This area was once abused with poor farming practices, but after being reacquired by the state several decades ago, has been returned to a healthy woods. The mountain itself, which rises out of the landscape is home to two endangered plant species, diamorpha smallii and sedum pusillum. This plants and much of the other unique ecology of this area are the reasons it is listed and protected as a pristine area. 

As we continue our trot up the mountain, we take several more breaks along the way. While the ranger, a couple of others, and I are fast hikers, there are several slower participants and the guided tour must accommodate all paces and wait for them to catch up. I have a good conversation with the ranger, who is very wise for his young age. He has a great deal of passion for educating the public on the natural world around us and it shines through in his presentation. At one point, I asked why the Monadnock Madness was being discontinued after this year. According to his explanation, it's another case of the public loving our parks "to death". Especially with the pandemic, these natural areas have been visited in record numbers of the past couple of years, and are suffering from it.

Returning to the visitor center, the ranger encourages us to return in the summer to see the highlights of that season and the contrast to this time of year. I check my GPS track and see that we've hiked a leisurely 3.9 miles this morning. It was a great experience full of education and I'm glad we have rangers out there like our guide today who exude so much enthusiasm for the protection of these places.

For my second of the three hikes, I drove a short distance to Arabia Mountain, which I have hiked in and around several times since living in Georgia. Luckily, I am able to get a parking spot at the southern lot, which saves me from having to walk the mile or so from the visitor's center along the completely unnecessary board walk that was installed here. I don't mind the distance, but I hate that so many trees were cut down to install this long board walk, when a simple trail would have sufficed perfectly well. It also saves me a little time and since, I still have one more hike to hit for the event, I'm happy for any time savings.

The trail here hits the granite almost immediately and I'm welcomed by the spring bloom of bright yellow daisies growing out of the sandy areas of the granite outcrop. It's a very wind day today and I'm forced to hold onto my ball cap as I climb up the barren granite along the well-worn foot path. Unlike Panola, this mountain covers a much larger surface area and the vast majority of that is exposed without trees are wooded areas. This allows the wind to blow right through. Here again, some diamorpha smallii can be seen growing in the sediment pools that have formed over the centuries. This time of year, the small plant shines a bright red color and several patches are in bloom with their delicate white flowers. As I reach the summit, I take a moment to breath in the 360-degree view, before heading back down to my car. Without the walkway to add unnecessary distance, I only hiked 1.2 miles here at Arabia Mountain.

Far across metro-Atlanta, rises Kennesaw Mountain. This final monadnock rises sharply in Cobb County and was the site of a major battle during the Civil War. It and the surrounding area are now protected by the NPS as the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Not having much to eat so far today, I stopped and grabbed a sandwich after battling my way through the horrible traffic problems this city has. Finding a parking spot near the visitor's center, I lift the hatchback of my outback and take a few minutes to get some nourishment back into me. 

With some new calories to burn, I start making my way up the Kennesaw Mountain. This trail is considerably steeper than the previous two and I know I'm going to get a pretty good work out going up this one. I also want to hold a fast pace to increase the cardio benefit from the ascent. This is probably the most popular of the three mountains due to it's historical significance, and this is obvious by sheer number of people on the trail. It's also interesting that the granite here is far more covered with soil than the other two. Only in few places along the trail, is the granite exposed. 

Making my way up the final pitch, I arrive at the summit. Here several Civil-War era cannons have been placed to replicate the armaments in place during the defense of Atlanta from General Sherman's campaign. This is probably my third or fourth time reaching the summit, but each visit, I'm struck by the words "prepare to meet thy god" carved into the stone at the summit. I've done some research and while the carving is definitely old, no one seems to be able to confirm that it was carved during the battle. It does seem likely however, given the gravity of the situation and the steadfastness of the soldiers defending this last barrier protecting the city.

The hike down the mountain is uneventful, but I do feel my knees getting a little angry with the pace I'm keeping as I hurry my way down carved steps. Arriving back at my car, I see that this hike was about 2.4 miles, which brings the day's total to 7.5 miles. Not terrible. Now to return home and submit my pictures to the event organizers in order to get credit for the completion. I'm sorry that this will be the final year of this event, but I'm also thankful that the organizers recognize the wear and tear it is causing on these natural wonders. I'm sure they will come up with something similarly enjoyable to replace it.

Yuengling Shamrock Half-Marathon (Lower Norfolk County, Virginia)

Once again, it's race day. This time, I'm in Virginia Beach hoping for a better time than on my last couple of outings. Originally, I had a room reserved at the Sheraton here on the beach, but due to some safety concerns related to construction the hotel was doing, they had to relocate me to the Norfolk property about twenty miles away. It wasn't that big of deal, but did mean I had to wake up even earlier. The also offered me a parking pass for the beachfront property for race morning, which would have been very useful had they informed me how to get past the closed streets and to the hotel to park my car. I attempted several routes and asked a few police officers that were stationed at various points along the race course, but with start time approaching, I gave up and parked about a mile away in a fish market's parking lot. Perhaps, the walk to the starting line will give me a little bit of a warm up.

As I arrive at the starting line, I start chatting with some fellow runners. This is a big race. Between the marathon and half-marathon (which, I'm running), I believe they were allowing a total of 15,000 participants. And of course, this being so close to St. Patrick's Day and the race being called the Yuengling Shamrock, just about everyone is decked out in green and some are even dressed like leprechauns. 

With race-time approaching, I make a quick stop at the port-o-potty and then find my corral. I'm hoping to run around a 2:45:00 today, but we'll see how things go. My knees haven't been bothering me too much lately, but I have been developing blisters on my left foot. I tried to take some precautions to guard against them. Hopefully, they will help. As the corrals line up, the gun fires and each is released in turn. My corral slowly creeps to the start line and with a delay of only a couple of minutes between launches, I should be starting soon. With a quick countdown and the launch of some fireworks, we're off.

The course starts by running north along Atlantic Avenue, which is mostly residential. I wish I had found some water before I started running, but hopefully there will be a water station after the first couple of miles. Just as I think that, I pass a family handing out beer shots along the course. This is generally a bad idea, but this race is sponsored by the largest privately owned brewery in the states, Yuengling. I give in to temptation and enjoy a nice cold shot of beer, which I think is Yuengling's lager from the color and taste. It helps quench my thirst for a couple of minutes and just as I begin to get thirsty again, a second beer stop comes into view. It seems I've started down a certain path in my behavior for this race. Bottoms up.

The next couple of miles are uneventful. The course is flat and I do my best to maintain a decent pace. I'm not as fast as I was a couple of years ago and still need to drop a few pounds, but I feel pretty good today. Hopefully, that will translate into a more respectable time. Just before mile three we take a left turn onto Shore Drive, which routes us through a beautiful wooded area in First Landing State Park. The green of the newly budded trees blends with the leprechaun attire everyone is wearing to remind me of Ireland. The race organizers have even planted signs on the side of the road spouting Irish proverbs. It's all in good fun. Twice through this section, runners in front of me unknowingly drop their sunglasses. I down to grab them and then sprint up to the runner to return them. They thank me and we continue on.

Around mile six, we turn right and rejoin Atlantic Avenue, which is essentially our turn around and heads us back towards the start, though along a slightly different route. At mile eight, we run between the new and old Cape Henry Lighthouses. These two beacons were constructed about a century apart, the first completed in 1792 and about 350 feet away, the second in 1881. The later was built due to instability concerns with the original structure, though it remains standing still today. The newer lighthouse is still in service and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Now, we enter into an interesting part of the course, as we pass through a military checkpoint and start a section that runs about three miles through Fort Story. Young soldiers from the U.S. Navy guard various points along the route to ensure the runners stay on course and don't stray into areas we aren't supposed to be in. As many runners pass, myself included, we thank those men and women for their service. They smile and wave.

After we depart Fort Story, we return to a mostly residential area with lots of public support for the races. People line the streets for these last few miles. Some have water for us. Some have fruit. And even more have beer . . . and yes, I partook a couple more times.

At around the 12.5 miles point, we the course diverts us towards the beach and we finish the last half-mile or so along the board walk (which is actually concrete) with the cool winds of the Atlantic Ocean blowing in to cool us off. It's a fantastic way to finish with the sand on our left spanning on out to the sea. Along the route, I've walked a few sections when I felt the blister on my toe reforming or when I was just getting winded, but I've kept a reasonably good pace compared to my recent performances. In this last half-mile, I try to push myself pretty hard. Finally reaching the finish line, I cross the time bar and catch my breath. I check my own time and compare it to the text that the organizers's automated systems sends me. They differ by two seconds, but I'll take the official time of 2:45:40. It's still not where I want to be, but it's much better than my recent dismal performances.

Grabbing some water and a banana, I'm handed another packet and a running cap as I make way through the finish line stops on my way to the post race-celebration. In the packet, is a nice blanket, which will come in handy as the celebration is on the beach. I admire the giant sand sculpture rising from the beach and commemorating the event before heading into the tent area for my beer. I'm also handed a nice steaming hot bowl of Irish Stew, which I greedily inhale. I'm hungry and this is delicious. I make my way over to the beer line and enjoy a nice cold Yuengling while heading out to the beach. My bib actually has four beer tickets on it and if I were staying another day, I would probably take advantage of that, but I have a nine hour drive home and that much beer would just put me to sleep at the wheel. We don't want that. I revel in the glory of my surroundings, here on the sandy beach overlooking the Atlantic, and enjoy the last few sips of my beverage before walking back to my car. I feel really good about this one, both because of my not-so-terrible performance and just the overall feel and organization of the race itself. This is a great one!

Fort Monroe (Elizabeth City County, Virginia)

I'm in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia area for the weekend to run a half-marathon. This is my first visit to the area and while here, though I would check out Fort Monroe. This defensive position at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay was recognized by early colonials in the early 1600's as having strategic value and fortifications were built here all the way back in that time. Construction on the actual fort called Monroe was completed in 1834. In conjunction with other fortifications at other strategic points nearby, this fort provided a solid defense against any aggressor trying to enter the bay. It was finally deactivated in 2011 and was designated as a National Monument. 

The fort is huge with an inner area protected by both a high defensive wall and a mote, roughly in the shape of a pentagon. In fact, this is the largest fort by area ever built in the US. I had originally intended to walk the sea wall, but there is enough in and around the defensive structures to occupy my time. As I walk up some of the gun batteries placed outside the mote, I peer off into the nearby sea and wonder what any approaching ship intending aggression must have thought when seeing the defenses here. They must have quickly reconsidered their approach. A few gun installations (disabled, of course) remain for the tourists, but the obvious placements all along the walls and other batteries leave no doubt of the firepower this place once had. 

Heading across the bridge and through the East Gate, I climb up the fortification wall above the mote and walk around it for a ways. Here more gun placements would have once defended this position. Two centuries after it's construction, this fort would still provide a lot of protection to anyone seeking safety within. 

Returning to the walkway, I walk down to the sea wall and follow it for a short distance as I make my way back to my car. It's windy today and I almost loose my cap. I didn't really hike all that much, but I do really enjoy the history that a place like this holds. Certainly worth a visit if you are ever in the area.

Little Mulberry Trail (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

For my second hike of the day, I decided to join another hiking group at Little Mulberry Park. I've hiked here several times over the past couple of years, but it's a very nice location with a lot of trails and some decent uphill sections. I generally don't like to revisit hikes too often, but I want more miles today and this seemed like a good option at a pleasant location.

There is some confusion as to our intended meeting place as the description provides one address in the text and a second on the map. The organizer had called me just prior to the start of the hike and I mentioned this to him. We agree to meet at the one listed in the text, but once we arrive and chat further, we decide that he will go to the other one, while I wait here and direct people to that one. We'll then meet up at the listed start time. Our plan works pretty well and I send a couple of hikers over to the other parking lot before joining the larger group myself. However, we end up getting back into our cars and caravaning to a third parking lot, which the organizer thinks will provide a better hiking experience. In fact, this third parking lot is the one I have used most often. 

After all of that, we finally regroup and do our traditional round of introductions. Today's ice-breaker question is whether or not you believe in extraterrestrial life, which gives rise to some giggles and spawns some interesting conversation. With all of that done, we finally hit the trail. 

Several sections of trail in this park are paved and that's where we start. We eventually make our way down one of the steeper sections and across the long board walk spanning a small stream. Our hike takes us around most of the southern part of the park and past a few small streams, which are running quite nicely today. It also takes us down the Ravine Trail and to the waterfall overlook. I've been here many times and while it is still nothing more than a small stream flowing down a hill over rocks, there is more water today than I have seen in the past. It seems to interest several of our hikers who stop to take pictures. 

Eventually, we make our way back to the starting area. Some of us will be reconvening at a local Italian restaurant for food and drinks. The hike itself was about 7.5 miles, bringing my total for the day up to 10.6, which isn't bad. I haven't been hiking as much as I want, but this is a good start back into it. 

Haw Creek (Forsyth County, Georgia)

I'm always looking for new trails to hike and one of my ways of doing this is to monitor the events of some of the local hiking clubs. When I saw the Atlanta Outdoor Club post a short hike for Haw Creek, I was curious, since I had never heard of this area, which is only a few miles from my home. Since the timing worked out, I decided to join the club for this early morning hike.

I arrived pretty early on this unusually cold morning. The mercury is sitting around 27° as I sit in my car awaiting the other members brave enough to get out today. They arrive shortly and after a quick round of introductions, we hit the trail. The trail is pretty basic and just does a long loop around this nice little park. The creek is not much to see, but does break the monotony of the woods a bit. I mention to someone that this would be a great place for trail running, as the path is mostly free of roots and rocks and relatively flat. I may have to consider doing that sometime.

We keep a good pace and enjoy each other's company as we make our way around the loop, finally returning to the parking lot where we started. It has warmed up a bit, but it's still pretty cold. I say my good byes and check my GPS. It seems we hiked right at 3.1 miles, which is pretty short, but I've got intentions to do a second hike today, as well. Overall, the trail is nothing special, but certainly a nice new option for me to revisit in the future.

Chattahoochee River Hike and Beer Tasting at Pontoon Brewing (Fulton County, Georgia)

Hiking and Beer are two of my favorite things and when REI occasionally offers an event that combines the two, I can rarely resist. Today's little adventures sees us meeting up at Pontoon Brewing in Sandy Springs. Once we've done a quick round of introductions, we load into the van and take a five minute trip to the Island Ford unit's visitor center of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. I've hiked this area a few times, but it's a nice trail right beside the river and I'm in good company.

Our pace is pretty decent and first get a mile or so in along the shoreline of the river before turning inland and getting in some short climbs. The group is very friendly and we talk of other adventures, of bears and joro spiders, and of course of beer. Our guide is knowledgeable and very outgoing. She makes it something of a choose your own adventure as we decide as a group which way to go upon examining the installed map stations at various points. 

After about 4 miles, we have returned to our staring point. Now it's time to refresh ourselves. As our guide pulls the van back into the breweries parking lot, she mentions that she will go in and get drink tickets for each of us. The first pint is on REI. Being a beer explorer though, I opt to start with a flight of some selections I haven't tried and then later return for my pint. Most of the group hangs out on the outside picnic benches and we continue our conversations for earlier over our tasty beverages. After an hour or so of spirits and lively conversation, we break out and head in our respective directions, but it was a beautiful day for a hike and a pint and I'm glad I decided to come.