Roswell Riverwalk (Fulton County, Georgia)

Originally, I was hoping to drive up to Fort Mountain State Park today and hike the Gahuti Trail, but as family obligations changed, I needed to adjust my plan. I still wanted to get a few miles in, but didn't have time for the long drive. I settled on walking a few miles along the Chattahoochee River on the Roswell Riverwalk Trail. I've walked this area a few times in the past and it's very nice. A combination of pavement and boardwalk, the trail is sandwiched between several roadways and the river itself. It's very popular for walkers, runners, and bikers, but as it is a completely urban trail, I feel comfortable listening to an audio book while I get my miles in. 

After parking and using one of the public restrooms, I start my walk at Don White Memorial Park and head west. I'm in running shoes, which are more comfortable on pavement than my hiking shoes. It's a bit cool today, but that doesn't seem to stop people from getting some exercise. There are a lot of folks out here, which is great to see. As I approach Riverside Park, I note that it is fenced off and lots of largescale landscaping is going on. Apparently, the park is being redesigned and rebuilt with fresh construction. Luckily, the planners route the walking trail around the construction.

From here, I'm right along the river for a ways before hitting the swampy marshlands of the river's overflow. This area is a thriving ecosystem for birds and amphibians of many types. Along my walk, I spot several herons, geese, and even a large snapping turtle all out sunning themselves on this beautiful day. 

Normally, I walk all the way to Willeo park when I walk this trail, but as I'm a little pressed for time, I make my turn at the Chattahoochee Nature Center bridge today, which cuts a mile-and-a-half or so from the total distance. I push my pace pretty hard on the way back and seem to be walking at nearly four miles an hour. At that pace, I'm back at my car pretty quickly having hiked a total of 5.9 miles. It's not much, but it's still nice to stretch my legs a bit.

Sandy Creek Lakeside Trail (Athens-Clarke County, Georgia)

For a while now, I've been wanting to get over towards Athens, GA and check out the Sandy Creek Area, north of town. I've seen pictures of this park and it seems a really nice area, though they do charge a $2 entry fee. After running my fastest 5k in about six years this morning, I thought I would finally make the hour-or-so drive and get a few more trail miles in at this park.

The park is well marked and after paying the entry fee at an entry booth, I asked the best place to hit the Lakeside Trail. The attendant suggested the boat ramp area and gave me directions, though the signage in the park is very good and clearly guided me to the right spot. I parked my car and quickly entered the woods. 

The trails here are marked with white blazes identical to the AT, but as we are many miles from that famous trail, there is no confusion possible. The trail starts out by following the shoreline contours of Lake Chapman, a moderately sized reservoir made by damming Sandy Creek. I'm feeling really good after my 5k this morning and push the pace pretty hard. Also, I need to get home at a reasonable time to make dinner. The park is filled with people, though most are just fishing or picnicking. There are a few hikers on the trail though.

As I wind my way around the northern end of the lake, I spot several turtles huddled on a floating log, though a couple of them flee when they notice me taking their picture. Like most fished lakes this one has the slight odor of dead fish. It's completely unpleasant, but it is noticeable. Continuing on, the trail crosses a long, wide boardwalk over the Sandy Creek drainage. This entire trail system is really well maintained. 

Now headed down the eastern side of the lake and distracted by the scenery and my own thoughts, I almost step on a long black snake stretched across the trail. I gently stomp near him to encourage him to move on. He's slow to react, but eventually slithers into the leafy forest floor just beside the water line of the lake. He was about four feet long and perhaps two-and-a-half inches in diameter at his girthiest point. He had a white chin, but I couldn't notice many other details. He obviously wasn't a viper of any kind, as he didn't have the diamond shaped head of his venomous cousins. Later when I got home, I did a little research and was trying to decide between a North American racer and an eastern ratsnake, which look both pretty similar. I finally decided on the ratsnake. 

Continuing towards the dam at the southern end of the lake, I've been on the lookout for some stone-walled ruins that I've seen pictures of and that I know are somewhere near this trail. Before long, I practically run into them. I expected the remains of this old house to be set back from the trail and therefore the lake a little ways, but instead it sits right no the trail. What would have been the front entrance steps right out onto the trail. The walls of this structure are local stone held together by mortar and opposite the front entrance a brick fireplace remains. The walls are mostly destroyed, but this would have been a fantastic place to live with the proximity to the lake. 

Winding around the final section before the popular park area, I note several campsites in the woods near the lake that appear to have been abandoned. Someone took the trouble to build gravel-containing platforms bordered by lumber and added steel fire rings. I spotted at least five or six of these campsites, but they are very overgrown and covered with the brown leafy debris of the forest floor. I don't think these have been used in a while. I wonder why they were left for the forest to reclaim though. This seems like it would have been a nice spot for families to camp.

Now hitting the beach area, there is quite a crowd enjoying the lake and the park in various forms, be it playing disc golf, grilling, or just swimming in the cool waters of the lake. I pass through and soon end up back at the boat ramp area having completed my loop of the lake. My hike was 6.8 miles and quite enjoyable. I would recommend this little trail to anyone in the area. The combination of scenery and wildlife made it time well spent.