Gahuti Trail (Murray County, Georgia)

For a while now, I've been wanting to get back up to Fort Mountain State Park and hike the Gahuti Trail, which circumnavigates the ridgeline of the mountain. I've hiked this a couple of times in the past, but it has been at least five years since my last visit. The park is a couple hours of driving from my home and so, it turns into a near full-day adventure, but I'm hopeful it will worth it, especially with the autumn colors on full display.

After arriving at the park, I stopped at the traditional trailhead parking lot, but it was full of cars and so, I had to go just a bit further to the main area where the trail to the mysterious stone fort wall starts. As stated in my other blog posts of this park, the history of this fortification is unknown, other than the fact that it is quite ancient. It only adds a nominal amount of distance to my overall hike. After I toss my daypack on, I started back up the road and started my hike. 

The trail almost immediately hits a lookout platform, where several people have walked in from the other trailhead to look over the north Georgia hillsides and the color this time of year brings. I have to admit though, it is a great view. I take a couple of minutes shooting pictures before moving on. I get turned around coming off of the platform before realizing the Gahuti Trail actually follows the paved path from this lookout back to the parking area before heading back into the woods from there. With my course now corrected, I kick it into gear and start following the single track around the mountain.

While there are a few people out on this trail today, there aren't many and those that I do encounter are moving much more slowly than I am and politely give me room to pass. I always thank them as I do. I truly appreciate hikers that pay attention to their surroundings and make way for faster hikers. The colors out here are really nice, with some leaves just turning lighter shades of green while others are changing to red, orange, yellow, and every hue in between.

This section of the trail was obviously cut as a hiking trail and includes lots of rocks and roots to slow things down just a little bit, but I actually enjoy that as it keeps things from getting too easy. One has to pay attention to foot placement to ensure ankles don't get rolled. Just as I'm thinking about that, I step on a loose rock that rolls with my ankle. Thankfully, it wasn't bad at all and after five minutes, I don't even notice it any longer. 

Further along, the trail reconfigures and makes use of an old wagon road. This is fairly obvious due to the width and lack of trees along it's length. I'll follow this for some distance as I continue around the south side of the mountain. There are a couple of spots where markings at trail junctions are a little confusing, but I pretty quickly figure out the right way and continue on. 

Where the trail crosses the Goldmine Branch of Rock Creek, a multi-level cascading waterfall is a notable stop for a couple of groups of hikers who are hanging out on the rocks enjoying the beauty of this site. I find a spot above them for a couple of pictures before moving on. It is actually a pretty cool little waterfall, which I must assume is spring-fed since we haven't had much rain lately and it's still flowing pretty well.

Making my way around the north-western side of the mountain and soon before reaching the parking area where I left my car, I encounter a middle-aged couple staring at the ground. As I approach, I ask what they've found. They point out a small black salamander with white speckles on it in the soil. It's a tiny little thing, no more than two to three inches long in total. My later research indicates it the particular species is very likely the northern slimy salamander, which often leaves a stick slimy on other creatures it interacts with as a defense mechanism. Thankfully, none of us picked the little guy up. I take a quick close-up and move along.

I actually reach the end of the trail before I thought I was going to. I was feeling a little tired towards the end, which is a little odd. This hike was only about 8.3 miles and I've been keeping myself very fit as of late, both with diet and exercise. Maybe I just didn't sleep very well last night. It doesn't really matter now though, as I am back at my car. Overall, it was a really nice hike. I was actually hoping to visit another site on my way home, but due to a combination of getting a slightly late start and the hike being a bit more rugged and taking a bit longer than expected, it will very likely be dark by the time I reach the other stop. I'll save that for another adventure.