Arabia Mountain - Lake Alexander and Barn Trail (Rockdale County, Georgia)

 

Though I got in some really good trail miles yesterday, I was not content and decided to join another Meetup Event. This time we'll be exploring some new areas around Panola Mountain, which is part of the Arabia Mountain Heritage area. 

The drive to our meeting spot was less than an hour from my home, but I still wanted to make sure I arrived well before the start time. When I arrived, I was surprised to see a couple of friends that I haven't gotten to hike with in quite a while. As today's leader normally does, we did a quick round of introductions and an ice-breaker before we hit the trails. 

To start out, we headed around the reservoir along the paved bike trail, but soon entered the woods along the South River. I know there is an archer range here and I've heard that there used to be a golf course here. As we do a lot of bushwhacking, we eventually come to an obvious trail. Soon, we discover that it's actually a paved trail covered with years of pine needles and dead leaves. In fact, there are paved trails all throughout this wooded area. I suspect these were once golf cart paths and have long since been abandoned and reclaimed by the forest. The fact that none of the trees here appear to be more than twenty or so years old lends credence to my suspicion.,

We also note a number of numbered markers with trails leading a short distance back into the woods. These indicate what are called 3D archer targets, which are actually target dummies in various animal forms. There is a mountain goat, a moose, cougar, racoon, and many others. It's a little bizarre to see, but if that's what's been made of the abandoned golf course, it seems like a good use.

As usual, we circle back a few times on these trails and then end up down by the river in an area that seems to have been recently flooded. It's muddy, but the dead plants provide some relief from the mud. I spot a washed out bridge at one point. I'm not sure if that was part of the golf course or used for some other purpose. 

As we start wrapping up, we head back towards the cars. We only got about 6.4 miles in and much of that was backtracking along the same trails. It was an interesting adventure though. Seeing how the forest has reclaimed this formally developed area is really something to see.