Currahee Mountain Sunset (Stephens County, Georgia)

 It has been quite a day, but I'm not quite ready to call it quits. I was originally planning to get in about 18 miles on the trail today, but with my knee acting up, I had to change those plans a bit. I'm still shooting for about 15 total, but with much less elevation gain. For my final hike, I decided to join the Atlanta Outdoor Club for a sunset hike to the top of Currahee Mountain, made famous by the 'Band of Brothers' miniseries and the training mantra "three miles up, three miles down".

As I was in the area and had already stopped for some dinner, I got to the trailhead about thirty minutes early. I simply listened to music and relaxed while I waited. I've already hiked 9 or so miles today and my legs didn't complain about the rest. Soon though, the other hikers began arriving and after super-quick round of introductions we were on our way. I did mention to the organizer that I didn't remember there being an unobstructed wester vista from the top, which would make for a nice sunset. She hadn't even thought about that, but I'm mostly here for the miles anyway. The views to the east though are really good.

Though with a listed expected pace of about 3-miles per hour, we were pushing hard and doing nearly 4-miles per hour for the first part of the hike. The entire trail follows a gravel road, which is probably used by the caretakers of the radio towers that sit atop the mountain. Even though my legs were a little tired from the hikes I had completed earlier, I was mostly able to keep up with the group and only started falling a little behind when the steep uphill started near the summit. Without too much trouble though, we all reached the radio towers and began looking for a clear view of the descending sun. We didn't find much though. 

After a little exploration of the top, we started back down maintaining a similar pace. I was feeling good by now though. I and one other nice lady that I was chatting with opened a considerable lead on the others as nigh descended around us. I pulled out my headlamp, but didn't even use it. The half-moon overhead provided more than enough light for us to arrive safely back at our cars. I said my goodbyes and headed home for well-deserved night of sleep. After all, I hiked 5.6 miles on this trail, bringing my grand total to nearly 15 for the day.

Travelers Rest and the Tugaloo Stone (Stephens County, Georgia)

 

I'm out in northeastern Georgia today getting a few hikes in, but with a little bit of downtime before my last one, which is a sunset hike, I decided to visit the nearby Travelers Rest State Historic Site. The main house was built between 1816 and 1825, as one of four facilities to lodge weary stagecoach travelers as they made their way between South Carolina and Tennessee along the newly constructed Unicoi Turnpike. The house was later expanded upon and additionally used as a base of operations for the new owner's various business interests, including a large cotton plantation.

Entering the large house, I'm struck by its size, measuring some 90 feet long with several bedrooms, studies, and a full dining area. After some chatting, the caretaker starts a short ten-minute educational film for me, which covers much of the history. The facility is about 85% original and has only been restored to its original condition to maintain it. It must have been quite a wonderful experience after a long travel day to arrive at such a fine establishment for dinner and rest.

While the house itself and its history are worth learning about, the real draw for me was a petroglyph stone that was supposedly found in 1796 by works constructing a chimney for the owner of the house that previously stood here. They claim to have found it along the nearby Tugaloo River and brought it to the house, where it now rests under a small wooden canopy just outside the large Travelers Rest house.

The stone is a large and volcanic in nature, with deep petroglyphs carved on all visible faces, including the narrow top and sides. Unfortunately, the images have been eroded down to the point of almost disappearing, though I did use the G-stretch app in an attempt to enhance the carved images. As you can see here, the results are somewhat disappointing. The app works much better on pictographs than on petroglyphs.

There seems to be some controversy about the origin of the stone. The informational placard suggests that it may be related to a piece treaty between the Cherokee and the Yuchis, but the exact age and original creators are something of a mystery. I have read one article, which provides some convincing evidence of the stone being of Viking origin. This hypothesis is largely based on detailed studies of the drawings and require the stone to be flipped 180° to allow the images to strongly resemble Viking long boats. We may never know. Whatever the history, this was a great way to spend a little time between hikes.

Tallulah Gorge - Persistent Trillium Hike (Habersham County, Georgia)

 Tallulah Gorge State Park is just a few minutes north of the Panther Creek Falls Trailhead, and I had noticed they were doing another of their Persistent Trillium hikes today, the timing of which worked well with my previous hike. So, I decided to join the rangers for a guide hike to see some rare endemic flowers.

After meeting the group at the visitors center and having a discussion about the appropriate amount of water to bring on this short hike, we headed out. We first hit a couple of view points of the gorge itself overlooking Tempesta Falls, which is currently raging. Earlier today, water was released from the dam and the kayakers were having a marvelous time navigating the river. 

From there, we walked across the highway bridge and to the South Rim Trail. Along the way, the rangers (who are actually the Manager and Assistant Manager of the park) pointed out several plant species. They also mentioned that this area had been a touristy garden in Victorian times and that much of the imported flora remains in one form or another.

Soon though, we reach a side trail that they lead us onto and here we are able to see a few examples of the persistent trillium. This specific species of the small ground flower only grows with a five miles radius of the park. From what we learn from the rangers, it gets its name because the leaves remain throughout the year, while many of its cousins shed theirs. The small flower itself starts white, but soon turns to a lavender color before degrading. We're only able to see a few examples of the flower, but it's nice to experience. 

After seeing the flowers, we head back the way we came. Along the way, the Park Manager has to correct a couple of children dangerously climbing on hand rails. I appreciate the tact with which she does it, but that must be the worst part of the job. Returning to the visitors center, I see we've gotten in about 1.9 miles during this short hike. It's not much, but it adds to the days total, and I still have a couple of stops remaining.

Panther Creek Falls (Habersham County, Georgia)

 

Originally, I was planning on knocking out the northernmost section of the AT today, but my right knee has been giving me some issues and I didn't think 18 miles and nearly 6,000 feet of elevation change would be a good idea (at least the elevation part) and so, I started looking for other options. I noticed that a friend posted a hike to Panther Creek Falls on the Meetup for which we both often hike with. This seemed like a great option, with a combination of reasonable miles, low elevation changes, and a great payoff destination.

Arriving early, I was surprised to see the trailhead parking area gated off with a sign indicating storm damage. I'm not exactly sure how a storm damages a parking lot, but I was able to park alongside the road without issue. This popular trail has been closed by the Forest Service off and on over the past several years, as the bridges have been washed out time and time again. The trail itself is supposed to be open right now though. Anyway, the other hikers joined me a short time later and soon, we hit the trail.

The first section is a pretty standard Georgia hike, as our path takes alongside Panther Creek. It's already getting pretty warm though. Soon, we hit a rocky outcrop section that requires a little maneuvering, but nothing too terrible. I do worry though that some of the trail in this section is not going to last much longer and ten or twenty good storms from now will be washed down the hillside into the creek below.

Soon, we approach the first and widest of the expected water crossings. We are surprised to see a new, sturdy bridge constructed across the creek here. Though, it's been a couple of years since I've hiked here, others in our group have been here as recently as late last year and even they were not expecting this welcome new addition. This is a fairly large and elaborate bridge and it's obvious by the track marks and fashioned road that heavy equipment was brought in for its construction. We wait for everyone to catch up and then proceed across.

We end up following the road made by the heavy equipment for a bit and crossing a couple of other smaller new bridges, before noticing a trail leading off to the left with a plywood sign on the ground with 'water' painted onto it. From past experience, we're confident that this is the right path to the waterfall and begin to head that way. There are some stragglers though and we are concerned that they may not make the turn. To raise confidence, I grab a couple of sticks and fashion an arrow to lay on the ground. We also move the sign to a more visible spot and lay a small log across the road. Honestly, if they can't figure it out from everything we've done there, they probably shouldn't have left their house.

From here, the trail gets a bit more treacherous, with muddy climbs and washed out sections. Steel cables help in some areas, but in others they concrete poles they are attached to have been washed out of the ground. We manage to make it though without incident. From this part of the trail, it's always possible to take in some great views of the raging creek. 

Soon, we are at the mighty waterfall, which I've always thought to be one of the best in the state. After climbing down the natural stone steps, we all find a spot on the sandy bank to stop and rest. Several members of the group strip down to bathing suits and wade out into the waters and even climb up on the cascading waterfall. They say the water is pretty cold, but refreshing. I have other plans after this and didn't really want to go swimming, and so, I just take it all in. There are a few others here in addition to our group and everyone seems to be having a great time.

After thirty minutes or so, we begin to rally the group and start heading back to the cars. The way back is equally challenging with slippery sections, but again, we make it without too much issue. With everyone back at the cars, I say my goodbyes and head for my next destination for the day. This hike was 7.2 miles with only about 650 feet of elevation change - a good start for the day, but I'm going to get more miles in.

Kennesaw Mountain - Pigeon Hill Trails (Cobb County, Georgia)

 

After hiking a fairly tough (though short) section of the AT yesterday and with my knee feeling quite a bit better today, I decided at the last minute to join the Meetup for some hiking around Kennesaw Mountain. Since we're not planning to climb the mountain, I think my fatigued knee will be okay. I met the large group in the overflow lot and immediately began chatting with several friends. Our introductions were short and sweet and we were soon in the woods to the west of the mountain.

This whole area was the site of a Civil War battle and has numerous historical reminders, which includes some fake cannons. We stop for some pictures before continuing further into the woods. Our path follows a small creek for some distance, before descending into some lowland areas that probably flood quite often. The result is a marshy muddy area that we struggle with a bit. 

A couple of small creek crossings later and our muddy boots reach firmer ground. Along the way, today's organizer has stopped a couple of times to play a some word games, which is his normal practice. It's fun and keeps the event very social.

Reaching the bridge over Noses Creek, we stop for quick lunch. While hiking and continuing here, I discuss some up coming trips with a few friends. The conversation with this group is always one of the draws and I've made many friends while hiking with these folks. 

Soon, we're on the trail again and headed back towards the parking area. Our leader decides to stray a little bit from the way we hiked in and we are required to cross another creek and then climb up a steep hill to a railroad track, which will pretty much lead us back to the parking area. I end up helping several hikers make it up the hill, which is pretty challenging. 

Before long, we're back at the cars. We say our goodbyes and head our respective paths home. Our total distance for the day was 8.0 miles, which is not bad. My knee bothered me just a little, but nothing to serious. I'll rest it for the next couple of days and I should be fine.

Appalachian Trail - Coopers Gap to Hightower Gap (Union County, Georgia)

 

Continuing my quest to knock out the remaining Georgia sections of the Appalachian Trail (AT) that I haven't yet hiked, I organized a Meetup event to do a shorter section from Coopers Gap to Hightower Gap. As I think I've mentioned previously, I sectioned out the Georgia AT in such a way that all portions could be done as an out and back hike based up on trailheads reachable in my Subaru Outback. Todays' section is not that long, but due to the elevation gain and loss should be pretty challenging. In addition, I felt as though I was coming down with something yesterday and didn't eat a great deal, which may play into my energy level today.

One hike asked to carpool with me and so after picking her up, we headed to the trailhead at Coopers Gap, which is close to a two-hour drive. The last short section of the forest service road is a bit rough, but my car didn't seem to have any issues with it. Soon after our arrival, several familiar faces began arriving and we arranged our cars in the crossroads of two forest service roads, which serves as the trailhead. We did our customary round of introductions and then entered the woods.

Temperature-wise, it looks like it's going to be a great day for hiking. This first section, as we ascend Sassafras Mountain, is a pretty good climb, but everyone seems to be doing okay. We stop at the top for what will probably be one of our best views today, but even it is blocked by trees. This section does not have any really notable vistas. The downwards side of the mountain is pretty steep though and we begin to encounter several AT thru-hikers. I offer them some words of encouragement as they start the first days of their 2,000+ mile trek to Mount Katahdin in Maine. 

Reaching the bottom, we hit Horse Gap and a nice gentleman has set up some chairs and is offering water to the thru-hikers. He offers us a respite, but we're anxious to get our miles in. The next couple of miles are relatively uneventful and we finally reach Hightower Gap and stop for a short lunch break. We make use of some fallen logs and gather round to take in some calories. 

After ten or fifteen minutes, I suggest that we should wrap-up and start heading back. Everyone agrees and we start the trek back towards our starting point. I can feel myself getting a little tired by now. Though I just ate a peanut butter sandwich, I think yesterday's low caloric intake may be affecting me. Not long after restarting, we encounter a small garter snake seeking safety in the warped portion of a small tree. He's a cute little guy and poses for a picture before slithering off.

The hills on the way back do a number on my right knee and eventually each downward step begins to ache. We decide to stop at the gentleman's 'trail magic' spot this time and enjoy a short rest, which my knee is thankful for. He seems nice and offers everyone water. It seems he does this just to occupy himself and enjoy some socialization. I'm sure the thru-hikers really appreciate it. 

The final push up Sassafras Mountain is by far the hardest section for me, as it ascends for nearly a mile before reaching the summit. I'm pretty exhausted and the way back down the other side to our cars is really hard on my aching knee, but we make it without incident. Everyone thanks me for organizing the hike and begins to head out. Our total distance for the day was right at 7.0 miles. Not much, but at least I can check off another section.

Panola Mountain - Diamorpha Days (Rockdale County, Georgia)

This time of year is always exciting around the three monadnocks (Stone Mountain, Arabia Mountain, and Panola Mountain) southeast of Atlanta due to the blooming of the diamorpha smallii. This is a tiny rare reddish plant that grows in the solution pools of these granite behemoths. It provides a stark contrast to the white granite and green mosses that generally cover the landscape.

I arrived at the park and checked in with the ranger a bit before the scheduled 9:00 AM start time. I've hiked here before, but it's always a treat as the public is only allowed on the protected mountain in the company of a ranger. This is done to protect the undeveloped environment that is home to a number of endangered plant species, including diamorpha smallii. 

After a brief round of introductions, we headed into the woods with Ranger Veronica leading the way. Along our path, we stopped to discuss some of the fallen tree and the remnants of some long abandoned moonshine stills that were left here from an earlier era. Soon though, we hit the base of the mountain and begin carefully making our way up through the rich green moss and mint green lichens, trying our best not to damage these fragile plants. 

We stop a few times along the way as the rangers shares more information about the mountain, the ecosystem, the flora, and the fauna. She's quite knowledgeable. At one point, we encounter some trees that have taken shallow root in the soil created over the millennia as the moss and lichens convert the raw granite into something softer. Perched near the the top of one of the trees, a couple of buzzards hold their wings out sun themselves. I've never witnessed this behavior before, but apparently it's pretty common on cool days like today. They are effectively using the back of their dark-colored wings as a natural solar panel to raise their body temperature. It's quite a stunning picture to behold.

Further up the mountain, we begin to see some great examples of the diamorpha smallii beginning to bloom. It fill some of the largest solution pools at the summit of the dwarf mountain. It looks almost like a fairy wonderland with all of the marvelous colors. Really stunning. 

The hike continues around the top of the mountain and eventually back through the woods to the parking area, where we say our goodbyes and head to our respective homes. Our total hike was only about 3.3 miles, but we had to take it pretty slow on the wet granite to ensure no one slipped and injured themselves. This was another great experience that I would encourage anyone in the Atlanta area to take advantage of.

Tallulah Gorge - Full Moon Hike (Habersham County, Georgia)

 

I guess I'm just in a "lun-ey" mood today. After getting up super early this morning for the blood moon, I decided to spend my evening hiking down into Tallulah Gorge to see the full moon rise over the cliffside. This is a monthly event the park rangers put that draws a pretty big crowd. It's about an hour drive from the park and I left after dinner to arrive at the park a little after 8:00 PM. There was quite a crowd gathering.

At just about 8:30 PM, the scheduled start time, a ranger came out and started handing out light-stick wristbands to all of the participants, and soon we were headed down the 310 steps to the swinging bridge. In a moment of poor planning, I forgot my good headlamp and ended up stopping at a gas station on the way up to get something. It was a cheapy, but it definitely helped on the stairs in the dark. The walk across the bridge was a little un-nerving. Though the bridge is well constructed, it still sways a bit as people walk across it and with darkness surrounding us before the full moon rises, it's a little . . . unsettling. 

Once at the bridge, some people decided to wait, but I continued on with the park ranger and a few others to the bottom of the stairs at the gorge floor itself, raising the total stairs to 1,099. From there, we were very near the water level and with a few spotlights managed to get a decent shot of Hurricane Falls, the tallest waterfall in the park. It looks a little creepy at night. 

Returning to the bridge, the bright full moon began to climb above the trees on the distant cliffside and rise into the sky above us. My phone really struggles with night photography, but I chose the best photo I was able to get for inclusion here. 

After a bit, I decided to climb back up the rest of the way to the parking area and head home. I'm extremely tired and it's been a long day. I'm glad I came though. This was a cool experience.

Blood Moon (Gwinnet County, Georgia)

 

Note: Photo credit to the Griffith Observatory and Youtube.com

Tonight, I'm waking at the incredibly early hour of 1:30 AM to try and get some shots of the blood moon, which is a common name for a full lunar eclipse due to the red tint the moon takes on during totality. From 2:26 AM and 3:31 AM, the moon will be completely in the shadow of the Earth. On average, this only occurs in any given location about every 2.5 years and so, it's worth a little sleep deprivation.

I got up so early as I don't know how good the view will be from our home and I might need to drive somewhere for a good view. Luckily, the view from the bottom of our driveway turned out to be good enough. The cameras on our respective phones on the other hand, not so much. My wife and I tried several techniques with both of our phones (I'm using an iPhone 15 pro and she has a new model Android), but the pictures we were able to capture left quite a bit to be desired. I was able to take advantage of some new binoculars I recently purchased though.

At the predicted time, we could start seeing the dark curved shadow of the earth moving across the surface of the bright white moon. And then as it neared totality, the color shifted to a cloudy crimson. This is due to atmosphere scattering the shorter wavelength blue sunlight, while the longer red wavelengths are bent and refracted towards the moon.

In the end, it was a very cool experience and I'm glad I got up for it even though, I'll have to settle for someone else's photo.

Chattahoochee River - Suwanee Creek Unit (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

 

Today, I decided to join the Atlanta Outdoor Club for a hike in the Suwanee Creek Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. I've hiked many of the park units, but this one was unknown to me, even though it's very close to my home. The hike organizer mentioned that this unit is undeveloped and has no official trails or parking area. 

I met the organizer and two other hikers in the corner of a nearby grocery store, where we had agreed to leave our cars for the hike. After a sprinting across Peachtree Industrial Drive due to a malfunctioning crosswalk light, we walked a short distance through a pleasant neighborhood before reaching the entrance to the park unit. There is an old sign here, but all of the print has either worn off or was removed. 

The trail begins as a dirt road, which followed a short ways before ducking into some side trails that had been cut by someone, perhaps one of the many residents of the nearby neighborhood. The hike organizer mentioned that he had scouted the trails out prior to this event and had good idea of the route he planned to take. We followed his lead and were treated to some nice, but pretty standard trails through the woods. With most of the trees still barren of leaves, we could see quite some distance across the landscape. It was nice.

After completing a small loop on the western side of the dirt road, we headed towards the confluence of Suwanee Creek and the Chattahoochee River. Here we crossed an old concrete bridge, which seemed sturdy, but likely hasn't been used in years. Now it acts as a canvas for graffiti. 

From there, we walked alongside the Chattahoochee for a short distance, even climbing down an earthen bank to examine some kind of abandoned crane apparatus. The trail continued to loop around until we found ourselves back at the dirt road. 

The bulk of our miles put in, we headed back through the neighborhood towards our cars. Overall, it was a nice little hike of just about 5.2 miles. I have to compliment the organizer for having explore the trails so thoroughly before posting the event and for maintaining a strong pace for the hike, which was a pleasant surprise.

Parade of the Planets (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

 

*Note - Credit to Google for the above image

For the past few weeks, the seven other planets of our solar system (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) have been aligning themselves on the same side of the sun. The effect of this is the ability to see all seven of them in the same night sky. From everything I had read, February 28th, would be the night to witness this 'parade of the planets'. Though I did make an effort to witness this event while on Cumberland Island last weekend, the clouds did not cooperate. Tonight, however, is blessed with clear skies.

After getting done with my last conference call for work about 5:30pm, I drove over to the nearby Little Mulberry Park, which is home to the highest point in Gwinnet County. A short walk from my car up the paved trail and then into an open field with a walled stone patio at the top, provided a great spot to witness tonight's astronomical rarity. There were quite a few people here for the event and I chatted with several of them while observing the heavens.

As the sun set in the southwest, I tried my best to locate Saturn and Mercury, which were following close behind, but the sunset was still too bright. Neptune came next, but was too distant to see with the naked eye and residual sunlight. I did try my new binoculars, but no luck. Soon though, the bright shimmer of Venus became quite apparent in the dark blue sky. Directly overhead, mighty Jupiter soon came into view, and a short time later the red shimmer of Mars began it's march across the sky. I searched for Uranus, which should have been slightly ahead of Jupiter, but was unable to locate it. 

After about an hour enjoying the spectacle, chatting with fellow astronomy enthusiasts, and just taking in a beautiful evening, I decided to call it a night and head back to the car. I startled a few deer on my way down the path, but they quickly went back to their business. What a wonderful world we live in to be able to witness something like this. 

Cumberland Island - Sea Camp (Camden County, Georgia)

I'm leading a group of novice campers on a trip to Cumberland Island for the weekend. It's a long drive from my home near Atlanta, and so, I drove most of the way last night and then finished the route this morning before meeting my three other adventurers at the Cumberland Island Ferry in St. Marys, Georgia. I had been in contact with the others over the last couple of weeks to ensure they brought the appropriate gear and understood what to expect on the island. Everyone, including myself, seemed excited about our weekend excursion.

At the appropriate time, we boarded they ferry and settled in for the 45-minute ride over to Sea Camp dock, which is the main entry point to Cumberland Island. This will be my third (I think) trip to this island, but the first for a couple of my companions. Once the ferry docks, we grab out gear and disembark. It's a short half-mile hike to the Sea Camp campground from the dock. Our agreed upon plan is to first head to our campsite and set up our tents and sleep systems. While getting things set up, we are visited by one of the many, many armadillo that inhabit this little paradise. I give it a gentle nudge with my boot to encourage it to move away from our campsite.

We're able to get all of that done without incident and I'm able to help a couple of the others with some of the finer points of setting up a tent and/or inflating a sleeping pad. By two o'clock or so, we're all settled in our campsite and I suggest we walk out to the beach. This is one of my favorite features of Cumberland island and most of the barrier islands in general. I'm not a 'resort beach' person, but seeing miles of completely undeveloped beach stretching as far as my eyes can see is quite appealing. We head out and follow the short trail and boardwalk over the sand dunes until we reach the white sandy beaches and the Atlantic Ocean spreads out before us all the way to the horizon.

We walk a couple of miles north up the beach, collecting shells and admiring the birds that feed here. It's a bit windy with the waves rolling in, but the temperature is quite comfortable with a fleece on. Everyone seems to be having a fantastic time. Eventually, we find a large flock of small waterfowl spread out all across the beach and decide it is a good time to turn around. 

Once back at camp, we get a fire started and prepare our individual dinners. The fire starts out pretty well, but soon a collapse of the logs puts it in jeopardy. I'm rather indifferent to the fire, but one of the others is determined to see it blaze again. She spends a huge amount of time and effort in this endeavor, but eventually surrenders. 

I had mentioned that there was a planetary alignment underway and we decide to head back out to the beach in the dark and take in what we can see. While we're able to spot Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, the cloud cover we had earlier in the day soon returns and blocks our view. Ah well, we tried.

Heading back to our campsite, we catch site of a opossum on the way. Soon, we're back at camp and everyone decides to turn in. We crawl into our respective tents and start up a movie, or audio book, or whatever we each enjoy. The night passes and I'm able to get a good nights sleep. It didn't even get as cold as expected.

When I rise in the morning, I'm surprised by how warm it is. I was expecting temperatures in the low 40°'s, but it feels more like the higher end of that zone. I change into some fresh cloths and crawl out of my tent. After a quick trip to the recently refurbished restrooms, which are just a short walk away, I get some tea going and begin to prepare my breakfast. The others are doing similar chores. After our meal, we begin to break down camp. Our plan for the day is to explore the southern part of the island on foot and get a few miles in the process. 

After dropping out gear at the dock, we head south along the main road (which is nothing more than compressed soil and sand) towards the Dungeness Ruins. What remains of this expansive mansion was once home to a branch of the wealthy Carnegie Family, but it was destroyed by fire in 1959. The ruins and what remains of the city that was home to the mansions support staff are maintained in a state of arrested decay by the National Park Service. We spend some time walking around the ruins and nearby community, and discussing how these people were dedicated to serving their wealthy employers. We also discuss how poorly this would likely be perceived in today's culture.

After the ruins, we continue south through the palmetto and live oak forest until we reach the raised boardwalk through the salt marshes. The tide is out and the oyster beds are revealed. A number of birds, including a long-legged egret, search the mud for their sustenance. I've asked everyone to be on the lookout for wild horses that roam the island and finally we encounter some as we leave the marshes and head for the beach. We see five in total. The first three require us to do some light bushwhacking, but we stumble on the remaining two without trying. Majestic animals, but they live a hard life out here on this island.

Hitting the beach, we head north and decide to have some lunch on the white sands. I only brought some cashews, but it should be enough to hold me over. A couple of seagulls pace nearby, looking for an easy meal. Soon, we head back into the woods and north along the Parallel Trail, which runs parallel to the main road.

A mile or so in, we hit a crossroads and head back towards the ocean and a shelter we had spotted yesterday. It serves as a great spot for a short rest break. From there, we turn back south the way we came and eventually back out to the Sea Camp Dock. Now, we just have an hour or so to wait for the boat to carry us and our gear home. In the mean time, we are assaulted by hordes of 'no-see-ums', which are tiny biting gnats that congregate where they know people be. I do my best to protect my skin from these little bastards, but I'm sure I'll have number of whelps tomorrow. Our total hike today was a slow and leisurely 7.5 miles. 

The ferry soon arrives and we scramble to get a table inside for the ride home. Back at the St. Mary's dock, everyone thanks me for organizing the trip and we go our separate ways to return to our homes. I think everyone really enjoyed the weekend.

Fort King George (McIntosh County, Georgia)

 

I have organized a camping trip on Cumberland Island this weekend and posted it as an event on the Meetup that I often lead hikes for. As it's a long drive to the southern end of Georgia and we have to catch a ferry over to the island, I drove to Savannah and spent the night there last night. This morning, I have to finish the drive and make my way to St. Mary's, but as I have some extra time before the ferry departs, I decided to check out the historical site of Fort King George.

This fort was built in 1721 by the British, as the southernmost safeguard against the Spanish. It is situated on what is now known as the Darien River, which sneaks through the salt marshes of this part of the country. From what I've read, life was miserable at this post. Between insects, unbearable humidity, and constant flooding, the inhabitants of the fort lost 140 of their numbers without ever having seen battle.

The state of Georgia has reconstructed the fort to the original specifications and it now serves as a historic site. It includes replica canon batteries, the bunkhouse, main headquarters, blacksmith, bakery, and even the original mote that surrounded the fortification. As I walk around the facility, I'm amazed at how much detail was put into this recreation. I also try to put myself in the place of those British soldiers that lived in this most remote of outposts. It's really a wonderful site and I would encourage anyone to check it out.

Appalachian Trail - Hogpen Gap to Neels Gap/Walasi Yi + (White County, Georgia)

 

I'm taking advantage of the President's Day holiday to continue my quest to hike all sections of the Georgia portion of the Appalachian Trail. Today, I'm going to knock out a pretty tough section and as I have been doing for most of these hikes, I posted it as an event on the Meetup group that I occasionally lead hikes for. Four other brave souls decided to join me. We'll be starting at Hogpen Gap and hiking southbound (actually west directionally) along the AT. We'll pass through the old stone hostel (now a store) known as Walasi Yi at Neels Gap and continue the climb up Blood Mountain until we reach the junction with the Byron Reese Trail. At that point, we'll turn around and retrace our steps back to the cars.

It's a cold, windy morning at Hogpen Gap. I arrived about twenty minutes before the start of the hike and the others start showing up shortly thereafter. We do our customary round of introductions and I go over the plan with everyone. I make sure they are aware, both through the description I posted for the event and through my verbal description to them now, of what they are getting themselves into. Everyone claims to be good to go.

We hit the trail and immediately start a steep incline and then back down the other side, which is even steeper toward Tesnatee Gap. That climb back up is going to be challenging on the way back. The air temperature is around 28° and depending on our position on the mountainside, the winds might blow up to 30-40 mph, which makes for a frigid start. The icicles dangling from exposed rock faces attest to the cold. There are also many examples of what I've termed "ice strands" on the ground along the trail. These are small filaments of ice that have frozen into some that looks like a hair brush. I assume they form as water droplets are blown from the ground and frozen in mid-air, but I'm no expert. They are quite pretty though.

From the parking area at Tesnatee Gap, we begin the ascent of Cowrock Mountain and stop for a nice view once we reach the top. From here, we can see far off into the distance with the Southern Appalachian range filling the frame all the way to the horizon. It's pretty stunning. Already though, these steep climbs are starting to get to some of my hikers and a couple of them start falling behind a bit. Hopefully, they'll catch up.

During the next four miles or so, the trail undulates the steep ups and downs of the ridge, until eventually dropping us out at Walasi Yi. This stone structure was built in the 1930's by a logging company and has been used for many functions over the decades. Currently, it serves as hostel and resupply store for AT through-hikers. We decide to stop here for lunch, as it provides a wind break for us. We also take time to visit the store. I didn't really need to buy anything, but I'm here and wanted to see what it was all about. 

After a short break, we begin the hike up Blood Mountain, the highest point on the Georgia AT and sixth highest peak in Georgia. I have summited Blood Mountain by means of all existing trails, including from the Byron Reese Trailhead, which is about a half-mile up the road from here. Unfortunately, there is a small section of the AT between Walasi Yi and the junction of that trail with the AT that I had not previously hiked. So, this was my best opportunity to knock this small section out. Everyone was on board with this plan when we started, but one of the ladies that was hiking was struggling to keep up a little bit and decided to turn back from the store. We wished her well.

The rest of us began the ascent. It's only about mile up and back, but it's fairly steep. We knock it out pretty quickly though and then start on the return journey. We're all pretty tired by this point, but as a joke, I tell the others that they are welcome to summit Blood Mountain if they want, but that I won't be waiting for them. My comment gets a couple of laughs.

Our hike back is fairly uneventful, though the other gentleman that was hiking with us fell far behind and raised some concern. I explained to the others that I wouldn't leave the trailhead parking area until either he had made it back or I had called for help. That last climb was very challenging as expected and it tore all of us up pretty well. Arriving back at the parking area, we ended up with 15.1 miles and nearly 3,900 ft of elevation gain and loss. This was definitely a butt-kicker, but I'm glad to have it done.

The others thank me for organizing and start their drives home. I hop in my car and begin to listen to an audio book while I wait for the last gentleman. I would have probably started hiking back to look for him, but my legs are shot at this point. After about twenty minutes, he showed up. Apparently, he decided to road walk around the mountain from Tesnatte Gap to here to save time. He thanks me for waiting for him and check to make sure he's okay before departing. Now, to head home and relax.

Arabia Mountain Championship Hike (DeKalb County, Georgia)

Originally, I was planning to run a 5k this morning, but a couple of days ago, I saw a posting that the Arabia Mountain Rangers were hosting a Championship Hike themed after the NFL's Superbowl, which takes place tomorrow. As I'm training for some very big hikes later this year, the appeal of hiking 20 miles instead of running just over 3 seems obvious.

I arrived at the designated meeting area, Wilburn Farm, to something a bit unexpected. In the field near where I parked my car, there were a number of middle-aged and some elderly people in a standing in a circle and sharing their memories of a man named Tyrone. As I would later learn, Tyrone had been a ranger at Arabia Mountain for many years and had been an inspiration to many of these individuals to start their interest in hiking. He passed away in December and the other rangers had organized this celebration of life just before the planned hike. I felt a little out of place, as I did not know the man, but from all of the stories, he seemed like a wonderful human being.

While the start time was listed as 9:00 am, we didn't actually get moving until almost 9:30 am and then at a pretty slow pace. Since I'm in this for the miles, I moved to the front and began pushing the pace a bit. After walking a couple hundred yards up the road from the retired farmhouse, we dove east into the woods along what seemed nothing more than a game trail. The rangers seemed to know where they were going though and soon we came a cross a small trickle of a creek that seemed to disappear into the ground at one point. The ranger pointed out a large cracked boulder and encouraged us to move closer to it. Once there, it was easy to hear the water running through and beneath the feature, known as Melody Rock. The water came back out and continued down the hillside through the later winter ground cover.

From there, we made our way across several granite slicks, which this entire area is known for. We had to be a little cautious as the morning dew makes this granite somewhat treacherous to walk on, but we made it without incident. After about a mile, we walked across the dam forming Arabia Lake and then north to another retired farmhouse now owned by the National Heritage Area. At this point, the rangers switched and the original organizer, an enthusiastic young man, took over the lead spot and we made our way first further north and then east across a large open field, finally hitting the paved paths alongside Klondike Road. 

I had mentioned our slow pacing and the impossibility of hitting the 20-mile goal by the designated 4:00 pm end time. He was patient and suggested that we would move faster now that we're on the pavement. I wasn't trying to be a pain about it, but as I had changed my plans specifically to do what was advertised, I wanted to do my best to reach the goal.

We followed the path all the way to the Nature Center, where we took a short break and allowed hikers to use the restroom and refill their water. Though it was only supposed to be a five minute break, it turned into more like fifteen minutes, again adding to my frustration. Soon though were were once again moving and now headed the wooded northern end of Arabia Mountain itself. We kept a pretty good pace through the woods and soon ended up on the granite outcropping, where we had to be cautious with our steps so as not to crush the sprouting diamorpha smallii, an endangered small red plant that this area is known for. 

Walking up to the shallow summit of the short mountain, we paused for a few minutes to take in the view, before heading further east to circle around Mountain Lake. Leaving the granite on our way to the lake, we encountered an abandoned community in the woods, with the foundations and chimneys of at least two long-forgotten homes remaining. There is also a well dug near one of the houses, which the rangers have covered with branches in an attempt to keep anyone from falling in. Though little is know about who and when these houses were built and occupied, it is assumed that this area was once cleared and that quarry workers and their families resided here back in the late 1800's. I do enjoy coming across things like this.

After circling the lake, we climbed up somewhat steep eastern slope to the top of Bradley Mountain, which is the highest point of the trip. Again, we took far too long four our break and I began to have substantial doubt that we would be able to finish the hike. Though the views were beautiful and I always enjoy the barren granite desert that is this area, I was ready to move. We pushed on and crossed back over the road and made our way towards Wilburn Farm, the starting area. The rangers plan was to crisscross the Heritage Area through a series of loops, returning to the area we parked every five or so miles. This would give those unable or uninterested in continuing a chance to depart. 

Though, I really wanted to continue and finish the entire twenty miles it was already almost 3:00 pm and we had only hiked 11 miles. As I have other plans this evening and need to get cleaned up beforehand, I explained my situation to the ranger and thanked him for organizing. He suggested that he had misjudged a few things and that next year he may organize this as two sperate events, a challenging hike that holds to the pace and a more leisurely hike. I thought that was a great plan and with that too my leave.