Currahee Mountain Trail (Stephens Couny, Georgia)

 

"Three miles up; three miles down!" was a famous line from the Band of Brothers HBO series, in which paratroopers trained at Currahee Mountain. Since I only live about an hour from the mountain, it seemed an ideal place to get in a few miles. After parking my car at the trailhead, I load my pack, check my water situation, and start making my way up the mountain. I'm going to hike fast, but I'm not going to run as the soldiers in the series did though. 

The 'trail' is actually just a gravel road with a slight incline. The first mile-and-a-half or so is pretty mild and I pass a couple of other explorers on my way. At about the half-way point, the incline gets noticeably steeper and with the heat and humidity of August in Georgia bearing down on me, I'm sweating fiercely. I take some water, which I had enough forethought to load with ice cubes before leaving my house. The cool water helps quite a lot and I continuing marching up the hill. 

Near the top, I reach a curve and overlook. Here, some large boulders have been spray-painted with graffiti. The view is really nice though and I can see for many miles to the eastern horizon. Another hiker is resting here and we discuss the view and his desire to hike out west. I tell him that while this view is very nice, it doesn't begin to compare to those available from the Sierra Nevadas. 

After parting ways with the other hiker, I continue a short distance to the top and make my way around the fence surrounding the tall radio towers erected on the top of the mountain. I also find a short path to another overlook, this time looking south. From here, I turn to make my way back down the mountain. When I return to the painted rocks, the two gentlemen I had passed earlier are taking in the view. One of them, it turns out, actually lives in my former home of Reno, NV and is just here visiting. We reminisce about the beauty of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding area before I wish them well and continue back down the mountain. 

It's so hot today. I'm not sure this was the best idea, but I'm glad I got it done. I've been working very hard at the gym the last week or so and it's nice to get some fresh air. I covered about 5.8 miles in total, which is slightly less than the advertised three up and three down, but I'm just glad to have avoided a heat stroke. For now, I'll head on home and relax.