Cochran Mill (Fulton County, Georgia)

 

I haven't done a lot of the Hiking League Meetup's Sunday hikes this year, but when I saw that my friend posted one for Cochran Mill, it seemed like a great chance to reconnect with friends and revisit one of my favorite areas in the region. Cochran Mill was actually one of the first hikes I did with this group when I moved to Atlanta just over five years ago. With all of the water features It was a nice change from all of the desert hiking I had done over the previous two-or-so decades. It quickly became a favorite and I haven't returned in a couple of years. I'll fix that today.

I arrived at the parking area a few minutes before the scheduled start and began rounding up hikers. We used the kiosk to pay the $5 parking fee and soon thereafter, the organizer arrived with a carload of friends. We embraced and spend the next little bit catching up on our respective adventures. Always great to see these folks.

With the standard round of introductions, we hit the trails. First we crossed the road and the foot bridge over Bear Creek to give everyone a chance to take pictures of Cochran Mill Falls and the remains of the mill that once stood here. Now, all that's left are a couple of portions of stone walls. It's actually a very picturesque spot.

Once everyone got their shots, we dropped down to walk north beside the creek, stopping periodically to take in the marvelous scenery. All the while, I was chatting with friends, both new and old, about various adventures from our respective pasts. Time seemed to slow down as we meandered through the autumn woods, though we were moving at a good pace. The leaves have nearly all fallen off the trees by this time of year and we're offered great views of the creek and surrounding hillsides. 

Stopping by another small waterfall that in the past we have actually jumped across, we take a short break for lunch. I enjoy some jerky and cashews, while others eat whatever they brought with them. Quickly, we're moving again and end up doubling back on a section as the organizer changes his mind slightly on the route he wants to take. No matter.

Soon, we're back near the cars and while some hikers choose to road walk back to the parking area, I and several others make a second pass by Cochran Mill Falls before returning. All in all, we hiked about 8.3 miles and it was pretty glorious. After the hike, many of us met up at a nearby Mexican restaurant and enjoyed some dinner and/or drinks. It's always great to reconnect with these good folks.

Atlanta Fall Colors Kayak Tour - Fort Yargo (Barrow County, Georgia)

 

I've been wanting to get my kayak out onto Fort Yargo Lake all summer, but never got around to it. My biggest concern was the need to do some work on my roof rack before hauling my kayak and just never found the time. When I saw that REI was hosting a fall colors kayak tour at the park, it seemed a good chance to enjoy it without the overhead of the roof rack work.

Meeting up with the group at Section B of the park, we did some introduction and then the guide gave a quick overview of the day and some basic paddling instruction. She was friendly and a good instructor. Soon, we put the boats in the water and began paddling the calm waters of Fort Yargo Lake. 

It's was a beautiful day and while some of the autumn colors had already fallen from the trees, there was enough remaining to stimulate the visuals. Browns, oranges, and the occasional red foliage put everyone in a fall mood. The temperature was just right for kayaking, reaching a high of around 64°.

We paddled east and then north along the lake for a total of about 3.5 miles. There was enough of a breeze to keep it interesting and we saw a little bit of wildlife including a log with a number of turtles sunning themselves. Overall it was a very easy paddle, but a great experience and I'm glad I was able to get outside.

Holiday Lights 5k (Cherokee County, Georgia)

 

Though, I've run a lot of foot races over the past ten or so years, I generally only write about those that are 10-miles long or longer. I'm making an exception with this one due to it's uniqueness. Every year the small community of Canton, Georgia decorates their Veteran's Park with a large number of Christmas Light installations. These range from Santa Clause and his reindeer to the Loch Ness Monster. When I learned that they hold a 5k race through these lights, it seemed a great opportunity to check out something new.

It's about an hour's drive from my house to Canton and once I arrived at the designated parking area, I had to wait in line for about 20 minutes to catch a shuttle bus to the park. It's a little cool standing out on a late November evening in my running cloths without actually running just yet, but it wasn't that bad.

Once at the park, I quickly checked in and used the restroom before heading towards the starting area. Because there were delays in getting everyone from the parking area to the park, they had delayed the start by a few minutes. Now with the shuttling complete, all of the runners and walkers were ready to start and with a quick countdown, we made our way through a tunnel of Christmas Lights. 

I'm all for fun runs, which are very very friendly to children and families that want to walk, but I really wish they would have two separate events here. Combining runners, walkers, and a dark course illuminated only by Christmas Lights seems like a recipe for disaster. I can't count how many times I almost collided with someone, nearly ran over a small child who was zig-zagging across the path, or potentially tripped on a speed bump or electrical cord stretched across the road. Eventually this became so bad that I gave up running and walked the majority of the route. I just didn't feel that I could safely navigate without injuring myself or someone else. 

That said though, it was a cool event and I enjoyed running through the various decorations. My favorite may have been Santa driving a Jeep Wrangler (ah, how I miss mine). After completing two and a half laps around the park, I turned into the lighted 'finisher's tunnel' and completed the race. It really was a fun time, but as I said, it would be much more enjoyable and safer if they separated it into a 5k and a fun run as different events.

Appalachian Trail - Hogpen Gap to Low Gap Shelter (White County, Georgia)

 

Earlier this year, I had set a goal for myself to hike the remaining sections of the Georgia Appalachian Trail (AT) that I had not yet hiked. I knocked out a few sections in the spring and had a plan and schedule to finish up in the fall. Summers are no time to be tackling challenging hikes in this region due to the excessive heat and humidity. Unfortunately, a little storm named Hurricane Helene came through around the end of September and damaged some sections of the trail. I postponed a planned hike and delayed my schedule. I don't expect to finish these sections this year, but I'm still going to try to knock out a few and then hopefully, in the early part of next year finish off the list. Today though, I'm leading the meetup group along the section I cancelled a couple of months back, Hogpen Gap to Low Gap Shelter. 

Meeting the group at one of the three parking areas near Hogpen Gap, the four of us did a quick round of introductions and then quickly hit the trail. Most of the leaves have already fallen, but a few autumn colors remain. The trail is easy to follow, even with the leaves covering it in most places. Though there are a couple of moderate uphill sections, this part of the AT is pretty easy by all of our standards and we make good time.

Reaching the shelter, we stop to have a short lunch break. It's a nice group of people and we have some great conversation on a number of topics. The shelter itself is one of the nicest I've encountered on the AT. It seems very sturdy and includes a picnic table, where we enjoy our snacks. After this short break, we turn around head back the way we came. 

The entire trail was pretty uneventful, but it was nice to get outside again. When we reach our cars, everyone thanks me for leading the hike on such a day with such great weather. Our hike covered about 9.6 miles, including the little spur of the main trail to the shelter. Over that distance, we had around 1,700 feet of elevation change, though it was mild enough to not be all that noticeable. With temperatures starting in the low 50's and reaching the low 60's by the time we were back at our cars, the weather really was perfect.

Long Creek Falls (Fannin County, Georgia)

 Wanting to get more miles in today, I decided to join one of the Meetup groups for a hike along a section of the Appalachian Trail (AT). The planned starting point was an area known as Three Forks and I plan on hiking another section from here at a later date. However, I took advantage of the carpool today, which should allow me to scope out the road and parking situation. Meeting up with several of the other hikers at a nearby Best Buy, we loaded into two vehicles and started the long drive north.

The drive went by fast, though the last several miles are along fairly rough forest service roads. We arrived at the parking area, which has room for around twenty cars in various configurations. While the group prepared themselves, I walked around and gathered a couple of other hikers that were part of our group, but that had decided to drive themselves. After a quick round of introductions, we quickly hit the trail heading northeast towards Long Creek Falls.

Reaching the junction, the entire group opted to take the spur trail back to the waterfall, which I had visited a while back on a different hike. Though we haven't had much rain lately, there was still a pretty good flow to the waterfall. In addition to the waterfall, I pointed out the petroglyphs (modern in nature) to the group. These had been brought to my attention on my last visit and after a careful examination that time, I was very confident in saying that the figures were scratched into the rock by European-American visitors and not Native Americans. I've visited a lot of rock art sites all around the country and even take some special interest classes to learn more about them. I can say with confidence that these were likely made in the last 100-150 years by settlers.

Leaving the waterfall, we continued north a ways and stopped at a cemetery and trail shelter just off the trail. It was a good place for a snack. We rested for a few minutes and then were at it again continuing northwest. As we made our way to the top of a ridge, a light mist started and we decided that it might be best to head back and possibly hike southwest on the trail to get more miles in. The idea being that we didn't want to be too far from the cars if a downpour should happen on top of us.

After crossing Chester Creek along a well made bridge, we entered a rhododendron tunnel and everyone commented about how beautiful it was. This side of the trail seems to be prettier than what we had done originally. To be honest, I didn't notice that much difference, but the others seem taken with it. We went a little further before turning back. 

Reaching the parking area just as my GPS tracker flipped over to 7.0 miles, our hike for the day was done. We said our goodbyes and piled back into the cars we came in headed for home. Overall, it was nice to get out with the group again and the trail was interesting enough. It did allow me to confirm that I could bring my car to this trailhead to complete full section of the AT from this point in the future.

Gibbs Gardens - Japanese Maple Walk (Cherokee County, Georgia)

 

It's been a couple of week since I've been able to get my mother out of the house and with the fall colors in full display, I thought it would be a great opportunity to take her back to Gibbs Gardens. The Japanese Maples should be showing off some amazing colors this time of year. I had the pleasure of visiting right after my wife and moved to Georgia, about five years ago, and it was an afternoon well spent. Hopefully, my mother will think so as well.

Though she can walk just fine, I thought this might be a little much for her and so, I loaded up here wheel chair into the back of my Subaru and we hit the road. It's about an hour drive. Once we arrived, we were directed to a parking spot, though I didn't mention the wheel chair and later regretted it, as I had to push her a fair distance on along a gravel road. It all worked out though. 

Once we entered the gardens and paid our admission, we first headed for the cafe and enjoyed a light lunch. Truffled egg salad on a croissant for both of us - quite tasty. I grabbed a bottle of water and we proceeded into the gardens, headed for the Japanese Garden area. The walkway is of a sandy/gravel composition and not very friendly to wheel chairs. It gave me a bit of a workout just pushing her around, but I think she was enjoying herself. 

I was amazed at how many people were here and a little disappointed in the color displays. I think we came a week or so too early this time around. That's not to say that there weren't some beautiful colorations, but there weren't quite as vibrant as I remember for my last trip, which closer to mid-November that year. We strolled around a couple of the lakes taking in all the gardens had to offer. She commented on how pretty everything was.

After about 45 minutes of pushing her around, I suggested that we should probably start making our way towards the exit. Along the way, she was able to see a number of other sections including some late-blooming flowers. The staff allowed me to leave her at the gate while I went to get the car, which made it a lot easier than trying to push that wheel chair uphill on gravel. And with that, we were on our way home.

4 Bridges Half-Marathon (Hamilton County, TN)

I'm really not in shape to run a half-marathon, but I signed up for the 4 Bridges Half-Marathon in Chattanooga some months ago and I'm determined to see it through. In addition to the half, there is also a full marathon, 10k, and 5k going on this morning. The full marathon and the running event as a whole are referred to as the 7 Bridges Marathon Weekend. 

I got into Chattanooga yesterday afternoon and enjoyed a relaxing evening in my room. Waking early, I dressed, packed, and checked out of the hotel before walking the 1.3 miles or so through downtown to the races starting point. This walk included walking the Walnut Street Bridge over the Tennessee River. This bridge is for bikes and pedestrians and is actually a pretty cool feature of the city. I suspected it would be part of the race course.

With the sun beginning to rise in the east, all of the runners line up at the starting line and with the blow of a horn, we set off on our 13.1 mile journey. The race route twists and turns through the city and in the process crosses several bridges as we go back and forth across the river. Eventually, the course flattens out and we head east along a well maintained river walk for the majority of the distance. 

In addition to not really be in shape for this, I've been struggling with some recurring running injuries over the past couple of years. My old knees have been giving me problems and I often wear compression supports, but opted not for today's race. Today though, it will be an entirely new area that experience pain in. About three miles into the race, I notice a slight throbbing in my left Achilles tendon. It progressively gets worse and I'm forced to walk. Prior to the pain starting, I was doing okay and holding about a 10:00 minute pace, but with significant pain now, I'm forced to walk the majority of the rest of the distance. It's disappointing, but not surprising.

After the turn, we head back west along the river walk, returning the way we came and eventually get back to the Walnut Street Bridge. The pain is fairly intense now, but I want to finish strong and force myself to run a bit as I push each step across the wooden floor of the restored bridge. Making the final turn, I cross the finish line with a time of 3:23:29. Maybe this is the motivation I need. I really need to get back into shape. Five years ago, I was running half-marathons around in around two hours. Oh, how I've fallen. The injuries are part of that, but it's more a lack of training. Having signed up for a couple more races next year, I'm going to try to be better about this. 

All of that said and even with my poor performance, this was a really nice and well-organized race. The course was very scenic and crossing the river four times along the route was actually pretty cool, especially with the sun rising. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone interested.