Whittier Mill (Fulton County, Georgia)

With a pretty substantial chance for rain going into the weekend, I wasn't sure that I would be able to get in many trail miles, but luckily the showers had passed over by the time of the Meetup's Sunday hike. Today, we're exploring some new trails starting at Whittier Mill Park west of Atlanta. The group is smaller today, only consisting of about ten hikers. We do our introductions and then quickly hit the trails.

Coming out of the parking area, we immediately pass by the remains of an old carpentry shop that served the Mill facility. Not much remains of the overall site, but this structure was stabilized and now servers as a group area for visitors to the park, complete with picnic tables inside the building's brick husk. Soon the trail heads up hill and we begin walking along the supports of an elevated railroad track. While we'll definitely get some time in the woods, it seems there is going to be a lot more industrial area along today's path than normal.

Entering the woods, today's leader points out a couple of oddities in the distance, which we follow the trail over to examine more closely. The first and more eye catching is a replica (I hope) human skeleton perched atop the frame of a Schwinn bicycle. The frame is mounted to some steel plates to keep it up right and the skeleton seems to be enjoying himself on his stationary ride. Nearby, a number of other bike frames have been lined up and partially buried. It's an odd sight, but certainly interesting.

Heading further into the woods, we meet up with the Chattahoochee River and the trail begins following it, though there area a large number of connecting trails throughout this area. This seems to be in the flood plane judging by the vegetation, mud, and debris. This is not really a pretty part of the river, as it is passing by a number of industrial plants. We see one on our side of the river and two or three on the opposite shore. I comment that it seems we are in the bowels of Atlanta.

The trail continues north until we eventually reach a railroad yard. We attempt to find a way around the area, but having no luck in that endeavor, choose to walk through. While we search for continuations of the trails north of the yard, we really find nothing and decide to head back, though taking one of the many alternate paths we had found. At one point, we end up in a neighborhood dog park. I'm sure the people exercising their pooches there are wondering about a group of ten people emerging from the woods, but they greet us with a friendly hello regardless.

After some more adventure crossing a few questionable foot bridges, we eventually end up back a the park where we left our cars. We discuss grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby barbeque place, which turns out to be pretty fantastic. The hike today was only about 5.6 miles and it was quite different than our normal adventures, passing through some less beautiful areas of the city. While it was interesting, I don't think this one will be added to the group's standard rotation.

Alpine Helen Weihnachten 5k (White County, Georgia)

Hosted by the Alpine Helen Volksmarch Club, the first annual Weihnachten (Christmas in German) 5k seemed like a fun event for the Meetup group for which I lead hikes. Unlike the traditional '5k', this is not a run, but an evening meander through the Bavarian-themed city of Helen to enjoy the holiday spirit in the form of Christmas light displays all around the main strip of town. After posting the event, I originally had five people sign-up, but by the time of the event, it was just myself and one other hiker.

After registering at the Loreley Resort's Clubhouse on the outskirts of town, we began our short walk through the streets, complete with map in hand. The path first took us across a short footbridge crossing the Chattahoochee River, which passes through town, but is much closer to its headwaters and therefore, much smaller. From there, we walked the streets past the Oktoberfest Beer Hall and into a park area with several brilliant light displays, all Christmas themed. It wasn't quite dark yet and so, the lights were not as impressive as they likely will be on the return trip in an hour or so.

Continuing through the streets of Helen, we're both taken by the number of people shuffling about in the touristy town. Some of whom are participating in the 5k, but the majority of whom are probably just here on their own. There is a festive mood in the air and the weather is just about perfect - cool, but cold. 

We do struggle a little bit with the map as it is not exactly to scale, but it's not like we can get lost here in the streets of this little mountain town. Quickly, we find our way back to the intended route and begin look for the turn around near the western end of town. We cross the street and begin making our way back down the other side of Main Street. Along the way, we encounter the a line for the Christmas Train and then the Train itself, which is more of an amusement ferrying people up and down the main street to enjoy the same sights and Christmas spirit we are enjoying on foot.

Before returning to the resort for the raffle, we decide to stop for some dinner. Originally, we had both wanted to eat at one of the several German-themed restaurants, but as most had a long line, we settled on a Thai place. This turned out to be a great choice, as the food was fantastic. After our meal, we completed the walk and returned to the clubhouse just as the raffle was beginning. Neither of us ended up winning anything, but it was still a nice event and I look forward to possibly doing it again in the future.