Len Foote Hike Inn (Dawson County, Georgia)

After my quick stop at Smithgall Woods, I headed to Amicalola Falls State Park for the weekend's main event - an overnight hike to the Len Foote Hike Inn along the Appalachian Trail Approach. I've stayed at the Inn once before and made reservations a couple of other times, but cancelled those trips due to poor weather. This time, it looks like the weather is going to be cooperative, other than being cold. If I'm lucky, I'll get to see and hike through some snow on my way in today or my way out tomorrow. We'll see what Mother Nature has planned. 

Once I arrived at the park, I checked into the Inn at the new visitor's center, which is much nicer than the facilities that were here last time I visited. Instructions ask me to leave a voice mail before starting my hike and leave details about my name, my party, and my vehicle. With that all done, I head to the upper parking lot. I toss my mid-sized backpack on and hit the trail. It's just an overnight in an hostel-like facility, but last time, my day-pack didn't seem adequate for a change of clothes, blanket, and other essentials. So, I opted for the larger 33L pack this time. 

Leaving the parking area, I head across the road and into the woods. There are two trails, which essentially form a loop meeting at the Hike Inn. One side (to the west) is the AT Approach Trail, while the other side (to the east) is the Len Foote Hike Inn Trail. It's possible to go either way, but I decided to take the eastern trail in and I will likely take the other side on my way out tomorrow morning. 

The trail itself is pleasant and well-maintained, but relatively uneventful. There's some elevation gain, but not much and I only stop a couple of times to take in some vistas and drink some water. Before long, I've arrived at the Hike Inn. I check in at the front desk and then head to my room to drop my gear. The rooms here are very Spartan and only contain a set of bunk beds with basic mattress pads, a light, a stool, and a heater vent. It will serve my purposes though. After sitting for a couple of minutes and just enjoying the moment, I collect my clean clothes, the provided towel and wash cloth, and then head to the bath house, which is on the level below, connected by an outside walkway and set of stairs. The entire facility is made up of four buildings connected by walkways and stairs, one above the other and down the mountainside. 

I hope in to take a welcomed hot shower, though I try to be conservative on my water use. The Hike Inn prides itself on its extraordinarily ecologically efficient practices. They produce about 70% of their own electricity via solar panels and recycle and compost just about all of their waste. In fact, they have been award a platinum level LEED designation for their continuing efforts to help our environment. The shower feels great though. It's cold outside and after a moderate hike, I've gotten myself pretty sweaty. The warm water does wonders to refresh me. 

Once cleaned up, I head back to my room to drop my dirty clothes and then back to the front desk for the 5pm tour. I've done this tour before, but they take the time to explain their conservation efforts and some of the history of the inn. It's well worth hearing again. Almost immediately after the tour, the dinner bell sounds and we all head to the dining hall. Unlike my last trip here during the height of the CO-VID19 pandemic, there is only a single dinner service and we sit at community tables and get to make some new friends. My table consists of a family of four, as well as a woman traveling solo. We enjoy some great conversation about our other adventures over a wonderful meal of roast pork, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, corn bread, and a light salad. 

After dinner, most of us stick around for a post-dinner education presentation. Tonight, our host will discuss her time in Southeastern Alaska. It's a very interesting discussion and I think most of the audience enjoys the little talk. With the presentation complete, most head back to their rooms to start hunkering down for the night. I do the same. While the rooms are heated and blankets provided, I froze the last time I stayed here and so this time, I brought my own down-blanket. I decided to read a little bit from bed, but soon started feeling sleepy and decided to call it a night. 

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of the alarm clock on my phone blaring AC/DC. I fold back the covers and realize how much warmer it is under them than in the rest of my small dormitory-style room. I lay there for a few minutes before getting dressed and heading out to catch the sunrise. 

Sitting first inside the Sunroom and enjoying the warmth of a wood stove on this frosty January morning and then on the porch overlooking the eastern horizon, I await the rising sun to lighten and warm me. Most of the other guests have also gathered in this lowest room of the facility for the same reason. When the sun finally pops out, it doesn't disappoint. The orangish rays peak from behind the clouds and set the world around us ablaze with morning light. It's majestic from up here in the mountains. 

Breakfast is next on the agenda, and back in the dining hall, we are served a huge helping of scrambled eggs, sausage, cheesy grits, and some kind of peach crumble. I'm not a fan of peaches (I realize that statement can get me shot in Georgia, but it's true), but this is pretty good.

After breakfast, I head back to my room and quickly pack and check-out. The return hike is a little more difficult due to more elevation gain, but after a couple of hours on the trail, I've returned to my car. Total distance was almost exactly 10 miles. I reflect back on the experience and the people I met fondly. It's always a wonderful weekend at the Hike Inn. 

Chunanne Falls (White County, Georgia)

 It's a new year and I'm trying to get outside as much as I can. I spending the weekend at the Len Foote Hike in along the Appalachian Trail Approach, but decided to join the park service for their Second Saturday Hike to Chunanne Falls on my way. Arriving at the Smithgall Woods visitor's center a few minutes before the start of the scheduled hike, I check-in and then head out to meet the guide and other participants near the park's shuttle van. The guide describes what to expect and we all pack into the van for a short drive to the trailhead.

Once at the trailhead, the group heads into the wintery woods along a fairly well defined trail that runs parallel with the raging Dicks' Creek, emboldened by the recent rains we've had. The hike is only about a half-a-mile and soon, we arrive at the falls. I've visited once before, but in the summer there is only a trickle. Today, however, the water is pouring over the lovely little waterfall. After taking in the view for a short time, we head back to the van and return to the visitor's center. It was short and sweet, but I'm glad I made the trip. The waterfall was outstanding today.

Johnson Ferry - Morgan Falls Loop (Cobb County, Georgia)

 

I'm joining the Meetup group again today for a hike near the city. It's one I've done a number of times, but there are varying routes through this trail system in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and the scenery is pretty nice. That said, we had heavy rains yesterday morning and I'm sure there will be some muddy spots, but I have to stop letting the weather prevent me from getting my trail miles in.

I arrived at the trail head about twenty minutes before the designated start time and finished off some fast food in my car. It's fairly cold (mid-thirties) outside and I haven't had a chance to eat anything yet today. Soon, the other hikers begin showing up and we form a circle for a quick round of introductions. Today's leader explains what has happened to the Meetup group's owner, much as I did last week, and soon we're on the trail.

It partially follows the river, but traverses some wetlands. The trails through these wetlands are pretty muddy as I predicted, but what's a little mud to a group of hikers. We make our way through the wetlands and the woods with a couple of small creek crossings. These are some of my favorite spots in the area due to the way the rock has been eroded by the running waters. From there, we head out towards Morgan Falls Dam, which I find to be improperly named. There is no waterfall here, only a small hydro-electric dam. It's not overly scenic, but due to construction our route is somewhat limited and from here we turn back.

The return trip to the parking lot is uneventful, but pleasant and I enjoy the conversations with my fellow hikers. Soon we arrive back at our cars, having hiked about 5.9 miles today. It's a short one, but at least I got outside and didn't let the wet weather keep me from what I love.

New Years Day Half-Marathon (Forsyth County, Georgia)

 

As I've been realizing with my recent hikes, I'm very out of shape at the moment and I really need to get my butt motivated to fix that. A few weeks ago, I learned of a half-marathon being run on New Years Day in nearby Forsyth County. While I'm not in shape for it, I though it might be a good motivator and so I signed up. Also, the very inexpensive registration fee meant that if I ended up skipping it, I would only be out $24.

Having gone to bed well before midnight last night, I awoke early and debated if I really wanted to run this morning or not. It's dark and cold outside, and I'm going to run a horrible time. I forced myself to get up and get dressed though. I know how I work and it's very easy for me to make and accept excuses for not doing things like this. It's a habit I need to stop and this morning is as good a place as any to start.

After the forty or so minute drive to the starting location, I left my car to check-in. It's cold this morning, around 37°, but the only way to do a thing is to do it. That's just what I'm going to do. I returned to my car to pin my bib to my shorts and enjoy the heat until just before the starting 'gun'. As the countdown finished, fifty or so people crossed the starting line and began our journey. This is actually my least favorite type of race, which includes repeating the same route multiple times. I would generally never sign up for a race like this, as I tend to prefer scenic routes, but given the price and my need to get motivated, I signed up anyway.

I ran the vast majority of the first lap, but soon had to take a walking break for a bit. From there, I would alternate between walking and running the next three laps, which the last lap being almost entirely walking. By that point, my legs were shot and I was just forcing myself forward to finish. I crossed the finish line near the back of the pack with a time of 3:02:59, which is horrible for me. I need to do better and I hope that this experience gives me the motivation I need. For now, I feel exhausted and I'm heading home to shower and relax.

Brown's Mill Battlefield (Coweta County, Georgia)

 

When a new hike that I had never done popped up on the Meetup schedule, I decided to take advantage of checking out a new trail. Brown's Mill Battlefield is a small park near Newnan, GA and commemorates a Civil War battle that took place here on July 30, 1864. From my research, a Union cavalry column launched a raid to sever Confederate communication and supply lines in the region. However, they were defeated by forces under General Joseph Wheeler. This defeat contributed to forcing Sherman's siege of Atlanta.

In the days leading up to the hike, my friend that manages the Meetup group was injured and had asked me to lead in his absence. I was more than happy to help him out. I arrived about twenty minutes before the scheduled start time to get a lay of the land and plan out my route. This trail system is meant primarily for mountain bikes and consists of several interweaving trails cutting back and forth on each other. But with a map on my phone and a good sense of direction, I had a pretty good plan put together in my head as the hikers started arriving. As usual, we did a quick round of introductions and I explained the plan. With that, we hit the trail.

The first thing I noticed was that the trail colors on the marker posts differ from those on the map. I soon realized that the blue trail was actually the maroon trail on the map. That's an unfortunate piece of coordination by the park administration. We made our way okay though, as we crossed a power-line swath multiple times along different trail routes. 

Eventually, I wanted to make my way to the outskirts of the park and began heading that way. Suddenly, though an unexpected lake came into view. I was expecting to see a small pond, but further along the trail. This made me question my perceived location on the map. Pushing forward we followed a use trail along the shore of the lake and eventually got into an area where the trail just vanished. I still had a good sense of direction and knew how to get us back, but it required a little bushwhacking. That normally wouldn't be an issue, but we had to pass through a section of thick thorn bushes. I warned everyone to be careful and just as I did, ended up slicing my finger open on one of the sharp little devils. Once we got back to a clearing, I took a minute to clean it and put a bandage on it. Nothing serious, but it was bleeding a bit and needed to be cared for. 

From there, we eventually found the correct trail and covered the outskirts of the park, including the expected small pond. The larger lake we found did not appear on any map we had available. From there, we road walked a bit to get back to the main hiking trail and encountered a fenced marker commemorating the battle. It actually looked more like a tombstone, but after researching it a bit, I discovered there wasn't anyone buried here and it simply marked the battle. The print had unfortunately been heavily worn and made it difficult to read on site.

Once the parking lot came into site, I explained our current mileage and that I was going to do another section, but that everyone was welcome to make their own choice: return to their car or continue hiking. Three of the fifteen or so hikers decided to join me. We followed the red trail, which is wide and well marked. It added an additional mile or so to our total distance, which reached about 6.7 miles by the time we returned to the parking lot. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. While the trails were nice and well maintained at this park (other than the surprise lake and trail color issue), it's one of those parks where they've cut trail for the sake of cutting trail, instead of having a trail that actually leads somewhere. This my not favorite type and I will likely not return, but it was great to get outside and enjoy some fresh air and good company.

Appalachian Trail: Woody Gap to Gooch Gap (Lumpkin County, Georgia)

The weather has not been cooperative the last couple of weekends and though, I have wanted to some trail miles in, I really don't like hiking in the pouring rain when I can avoid it. That said, today, it looks like I may catch a break. For a while now, I've wanted to start doing some sections of the Appalachian Trail and the next one on my target list is the easy section from Woody Gap to Gooch Gap. I'm going to try to beat the rain and knock that piece out today.

On my drive, I catch a few drizzly rain drops, but I decide to push on and when I finally reach the trail head parking area at Woody Gap, the sun has come out and it's turning into a beautiful December day. Tossing my day pack on my back, I head south from the parking lot along the well maintained trail. The first part skirts along the side of a small mountain, but the grade is pretty level and the going is easy.

At about the mile-and-a-half point, I start a short climb up to Ramrock Mountain, which is really nothing more than a bunch of giant boulders poking out of the top of a hill. It reminds me though of just how out of shape I am. I really need to get back to doing this more regularly. On the descent from this part, I run into a man with an orange hunting vest on and a rifle over his shoulder. He asks if I have seen any deer, but I inform him that I've only seen and heard squirrels bouncing around in the dry leaves. He thanks me an continues along his way. I wasn't aware that hunting was allowed this close to the trail, but perhaps, he is only following it back.

From there the trail continues to rise and fall with a little elevation gain, but overall, it's pretty easy going even with my less-than-ideal fitness level at the moment. When I finally reach Gooch Gap, I find a woman sitting at an obvious campsite, complete with a firepit and logs setting around it for benches. I ask if I might join her to take a short break and she welcomes me. We chat about the trail and the weather for a few minutes, before she heads her own way down the road passing over Gooch Gap. After another couple of minutes and a swig of water, I start heading back the way I came.

I bump into a few more hikers on the way back. All of whom are very friendly. I wish each of them a Merry Christmas as I pass by. The return the sentiment. I'm reminded of how nice it is to be outside with the sun shining down and the trail leading me back to my car. I really miss this and need to get back to doing it more frequently. Finally reaching the car, I take another swig of water and check my mileage. It seems I've hiked almost exactly 7 miles round trip. Not a bad way to spend a Friday. 

Victorian Christmas at Hardman Farm (White County, Georgia)

 I was able to briefly visit Hardman farm earlier this year as part of the Falls to Farm New Year's Day Hike, but I didn't have time to explore much. Since then I've wanted to return and really take in this Victorian farm house. When I saw that the state park service was going to host a historical Victorian Christmas re-enactment at the farm, it seemed a great opportunity not only to see more of the farmhouse, but also to get my mother out for a little holiday cheer.

My wife, my mother, and I drove the hour or so to Helen on this drizzly Saturday afternoon. Luckily, the rains held off and we simply had to deal with a foggy drive. Once we arrived, we checked-in at the visitor's center and enjoyed some cupcakes a mulled wine, while we waited our turn to take a hayride from the visitor's center to the farm house. The field between was quite muddy and the tractor pulled trailer saved us from making a mess. I also think that my mother enjoyed it.

Once at the house, we finished our drinks before entering and were then greeted by a volunteer portraying Mrs. Ary Jones the head housekeeper. She welcomed us to the dinner part re-enactment and explained the various rooms, historical figures being portrayed in the various rooms, as well as the Christmas Tree decorating contest between rooms. She was very warm and her acting and accent were top notch. Moving into the family parlor, we met "Cpt. James and Mrs. Kate Nichols", the owners of the mansion. They were also very friendly and thanked us for attending their dinner party.

Moving through the various rooms, we met a host of historical figures and enjoyed wonderful conversation with the actors. The lack of mention of modern cars or highways in our travel story to the farm was quite comical. As we explained, we arrived by "carriage". 

After leaving the main house, we headed out to one of the farm buildings to meet Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause. They thanked us for coming and just as they did, the tractor and trailer arrived to carry us back to the visitor's center. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience and both the actors and decorators did a wonderful job of recreating a holiday dinner party as it may have happened over a century ago. I think my mother really enjoyed it, but for now, we need to head home.