Little Mulberry with the Nephews

I had been promising my nephew C. (11) to take him on hike after our plans last Saturday got cancelled. I had what was shaping up to be a relatively quiet Thursday, so I asked his dad to bring him to work, so we could leave from there early in the afternoon. I invited his older brother S. (13), and he agreed to go as well.

We left the office at 2, headed for Little Mulberry County Park. I had really enjoyed it a few weeks ago, and thought it would be a good place for them to get more hiking experience. C. wanted something more challenging, but I wanted to get a better feel for their abilities before we did something more aggressive.

After reviewing the map, I decided to start with the Ravine Overlook trail, and then cross over and do a portion of the wilderness trail, to give them a taste of a more rustic hike. We made fairly good time on the Ravine trail, but paused for quite some time when the trail reached the stream at the bottom of the ravine, as I knew the boys would enjoy walking out on the rocks. I was not disappointed.

It was a bit slow going back up, as the boys were not used to climbing steep hills. When we got to the top and crossed to the main trail, we paused at a nearby picnic table for a snack.

After eating, we took various connectors over to the wilderness trail, and took it clockwise. The boys were getting a bit looser at this point, as was I. I began seeing orange spray pain on an occasional tree, which I had the boys convinced was the sign of a prior bear sighting.

It had been some time since I had spent time with just the older boys together. It was interesting to observe how their relationship had changed over the years. They have always been very close, with a minimal number of disagreements. This was still in evidence, but they now tease each other much more, and in more adolescent ways. This fortunately never exceeded the bounds of appropriate behavior. The only real disagreement was over who would get stuck with the backpack at various points.

I got a little carried away, and ended up taking a longer route than I had planned. Toward the end, the boys, particularly S., were getting quite tired, and I had to keep pushing them on.

We finished after 2 hours 45 minutes, and did around 5 miles (except for C., who did 6, because he kept running ahead and then back to S. and I). It was a wonderful opportunity for me to spend time with them, and to help ensure that our relationship remains close even as they grow up. I am so blessed to have them living in Atlanta!

Long Leaf Loop at Pine Mountain

I confess to not being very ambitious when I woke up this morning. I had planned to go on a hike with my brother’s father-in-law M. (does that make him my cousin-in law or something?) and my nephew C. (11). We had to postpone that plan until March because M., who is clearly more dedicated than me, headed back to Nashville earlier than planned to get some work done. As such, I had no definite plan going into the morning. To further complicate matters, I had been fighting a cold all week (I won, it lost, thank the Lord), and I was out late last night watching my nephew S’s (age 13) virtuoso performance in the Pirates of Penzance. It was a blast, but my energy reserves were low. Little did I know at the time that this would be one of my longer hikes at 13.2 miles.

Since my sinuses are not fully recovered, I did not want to fight ear pain and go to the mountains, so I went South, and made a return visit to Pine Mountain. I was planning to do the one defined loop I had never done before – the Long Leaf Loop.

After a late start, I arrived and was ready to hike at 10:45. I have never gotten lost during a hike, but at times I have been know to have trouble finding the trailhead, and today was such a day. I even asked directions when I paid the parking fee, and still had trouble. I finally found a sign I had ignored before, and found that the trail was below the visitor center, and had to be accessed via a connector trail. I began the loop headed north.

Hikers are a strange lot. The last time I was here, the ground was covered with 4 inches of snow, and the wind chill was quite frigid. On that visit, I ran into an abundance of other hikers. Today was beautiful, spring-like, sunny, and warm, and I nearly had the place to myself. Go figure.

The trail description for this loop recommends the use of a map, given that there are more than 7 road/trail crossings during the 6.9 mile loop. I guess the writer of that description is directionally challenged, as this loop (along with all trails in the park) was marked with surprisingly descriptive signage. I had my map, but never needed it.

The first couple of miles were relatively uneventful, other than two crossings of Highway 354, which connects the park to downtown Pine Mountain (don’t blink when you drive through). The first major landmark was the historic Liberty Bell Pool. This pool was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1940. It is the largest rock, spring-fed pool in existence, holding more than 550,000 gallons. The pool is still in operation today.

Following that, the loop took me down to what is referred to as the nature trail area, a wetland near the campground. This section includes numerous stream crossings, and walks through some very tight woods. After this area, the trail climbs back up to the ridge, and connects back to the Pine Mountain Trail (PMT), for the return trip to the visitor center. This is where my plans changed. The hike had not been quite as long as I wanted at this point, so I decided to go south for a short distance, to see the fish hatchery pond area. This is a series of ponds built by the CCC, but abandoned during WW II.

I was getting really hungry at this point, given that it was pushing 2 PM. There are not many eating options in the area, outside of the Country Store at the extreme Southern end of the park. According to my map, I was less than 2.5 miles from there via the PMT. My stomach overruled my feet, and I went south. Due in part to hunger, along with the fact that this is one of the flattest sections of the PMT, I made really good time, and was seated for lunch by 3 PM.

The Country Store, run by Callaway Gardens, is not known (at least by me) for its cuisine, but the view is incomparable. The store sits on the edge of the ridge, with the picture windows in the dining room overlooking the valley, with a view for miles. I finished my veggie plate, a gallon of tea (I was a bit dehydrated due to my runny nose), and headed back for the car.

I have done a bit of this section of the PMT before. While it is relatively flat, it is the rockiest section in the park, with numerous boulders, often sitting right on the edge of the cliff. It is a really beautiful section.

I found my thoughts turning once again to my marketing plan. I am happy to say I have already implemented all of the ideas from the last hike. That being said, I began to be concerned given the situation at work that we would be gone before they had a chance to pay off. I soon heard a little voice in my head saying “that is my problem, so just keep at it.” Enough said.

The trip back to the car went by fast, with a total elapsed time of 4 hours 57 minutes. While I had no intention of going that long, I am happy I did. I have now segment-hiked all of the PMT from the visitor center to the Southern end, and a number of other sections.

AT: Gooch Gap to Cooper Gap

I am continuing my quest to day hike as much of the AT in Georgia as I can, and todays hike finished most of the section between Woody and Hightower Gap. Two weeks ago when I did the prior section, I discovered that FS 42 crossed the AT just where I stopped. After reviewing the map, I figured out how to get there fairly easily (highway 60 to Cooper Gap road, just past the AT crossing at 60). As such, that is where I began this hike.

This section of the AT is fairly unremarkable. There are relatively few vistas, but after all it’s about the hike, stupid. Within the first mile, I came to the Gooch Gap shelter. Since I have seen relatively few of the AT shelters, I am always curious enough to walk up and take a look. This one was a small wooden building with an open front and a loft area, not very inviting by my standards. It also has an open air privy, which was at best functional, but welcome at that point none the less.

I am getting familiar enough with the AT in Georgia that I am finding myself giving rather than asking for directions. I encountered a lone hiker early on, and he stopped me and asked where there was a water source (which I was able to accurately direct him to). About 45 minutes, a encountered another lone hiker who was looking for someone, After getting the description, I realized that he was looking for the guy who asked about the water, so I sent him off in the right direction.

Having now finished “A Walk in the Woods”, I am more aware of the fact that hikers often get separated. This fact was underscored by fresh writing (an initial and an arrow) in the dirt. Even as it seems there is nobody for miles, you often encounter signs like this that show just how much the trail is used.

After a moderate climb, I came to an unusual area of dense small Poplar trees. It seemed really unusual to see them so close together. I suspect it has something to do with the fact the Hurricane Opal heavily damaged this area some years back. Perhaps the Poplars sprang up to fill the gap after all the hardwood trees were knocked down (recalling succession from high school Biology).

Following the trees and a fairly steep descent, I came to Justice Creek, which marks the low point of this section. It is a large and fast moving creek, with numerous small waterfalls.

Next, I managed the steepest climb in this section, to the top of Ball Mountain. I could see FS 42 snaking around in the distance. I knew that if I made the descent to the road, I would just have to repeat the difficult climb. That being said, it seemed like the hike was incomplete without it, so I bit the bullet and went all the way to FS 42. I ended up being glad I did, because this was one of the more scenic areas, including a cave formed by the overhang of a giant rock.

After getting through the return climb, I was feeling pretty smug about the prospect of completing a 10 mile hike on my 52th birthday. That was at least until I encountered a woman at least 10 years my senior. She was hiking with her husband, but was well ahead of him. We had a good chat, and she gave me much information about the topology of the area, and the numerous trail reroutings that had occurred over the years.

As usual, I prayed at the beginning of the hike that the Lord would use the solitude to speak to me, and I spent a good bit of the time in thought, expecting some great spiritual insight. Instead, my mind kept turning back to work, and how I am trying to figure out how to market the retooled company in order to save jobs. Since I am a techie by nature, marketing is an area of great insecurity for me (I told a friend this week I knew less about marketing than about cooking, about which I know nothing). Half way through the hike, I suddenly came up with two very good marketing ideas. I then recognized that God was in fact answering my prayer asking for insight, but in a more practical way than I expected. It seems at times he has to hit me over the head to get my attention.

While I had encountered few people on the trip up, it was crowded by comparison on the way back. I ran into multiple scout troops, a family who had decided to make camp three feet from the trail, and a group of about 20 people, apparently on a trip, assembled at the picnic area at Gooch Gap.

I arrived back at my car after 4 hours and 15 minutes, a bit tired, but in remarkably good shape for a 52 year old.

Frosty Mountain Loop at Amicalola Falls

I left the house this morning not knowing for sure where I would end up. I thought about going back to the AT, and picking up from the spot I stopped at last week. At the last minute however, I decided to go to Amicalola Falls State Park, and do the Frosty Mountain Loop. The loop begins on the AT approach trail, which connects the effective beginning of the AT with the traditional start at Springer Mountain. One can begin that trail at the visitor center, or at the top of the falls. After signing in at the visitor center (a permit is required for this trail), I drove to the top of the falls to begin, as I did not think my knees could handle 468 steps in addition to a 4 hour hike.

I picked up the approach trail on the road near the lodge, and followed it briefly until the Hike Inn trail split off. This trail runs 5 miles at a steady climb, and is wide, and well groomed and blazed. With all of the remote trails I have hiked, no mater the weather, I have never failed to encounter at least one other hiker. This trail was the exception. I saw nobody (man nor beast) during this leg of the trip. All of a sudden, I went around a bend in the trail and found myself in civilization again – well, sort of.

The purpose of the Hike Inn trail is to allow hikers to reach its namesake, the Len Foote Hike Inn. This Inn is quite unique in that it caters strictly to hikers. It is open year round and only accessible by foot. It appeals to those beginning or ending a thru hike on the AT, as well as those who want to get away from it all. This is surely the Gilligan’s Island of the Georgia Mountains (no phone, no light, no motorcar, not a single luxury). That is a bit overstated – it does have electric lights and heat (but no electrical outlets), bathrooms, and showers. The rooms, each with a set of bunk beds, are about the size of my bathroom.

I went into the lobby and asked the manager to direct me to the restroom, and he kindly led me there. He also told me there were biscuits, honey, and drinks in the dining room (they only serve breakfast and dinner). I stopped in there and helped myself to a biscuit (I was half starved at this point), while I reviewed the balance of the trip.

The Hike Inn trail continues for 1 more mile past the Inn, where is connects to the AT approach trail. This was the hardest part of the hike – almost straight up the whole way. I hit the AT approach, and started back down toward the park. This trail, unlike the Hike Inn trail, is narrow, not well maintained, and poorly blazed.

The approach trail climbs briefly before reaching Frosty Mountain. This is the former home of a fire tower, but all that remains of it is the four concrete supports. From this point, the trail is mostly downhill, with a few good climbs.

The guide book I was using for this hike (Best Hikes with Dogs: Georgia & South Carolina) suggests taking the access road at Frosty Mountain back to the Hike Inn trail, but I hate to backtrack, so I continued on the approach trail. I finally reached the park road again right at 4 hours,

When I got back to the parking lot, I could not resist the brief walk to the top of the waterfall, after which I ate soup and salad at the Amicalola Lodge dining room. This is surely the dining room with the best view in the entire Southeast. On my way back out, I finally got to see the bears I had missed last week :-)

Woody Gap and the AT, Part II

There is something about the AT that draws me back frequently. I always get a feeling of continuity when hiking it, given that it runs continuously for 2,200 miles. With the prediction of good and warm weather for the day, I decided to return to Woody Gap, and hike South at least to Gooch Gap.

During my normal obsessive pre-hike research, I had found a blog with a recent bear sighting on this very section of the AT. Now, the only thing a really fear about hiking is running into a bear. That being said, I pressed on with my plans. When I included the bear sighting in my pre-hike message to my family about where I was going, my sister-in-law quite appropriately recommended that I skip the bacon-scented cologne.

Some people would consider this section somewhat mundane, but after all, it is about the hike. There were good views to the South, including an interesting house in a large clearing, which I suspect was in the R Ranch development. I also had to cross a waterfall, with the water running along a large curved rock outcrop.

I had one minor unexpected adventure during the hike. I was about half way to Gooch Gap, with the trail approaching a house (there are a few close to the trail in this area), when it suddenly took a 90 degree turn. I continued to follow it without giving it much thought, but soon realized that it seemed really different. The AT normally runs along or close to the ridge, but this section was well off the ridge. I also realized that I had not seen a blaze in some time. Finally, I pulled out my GPS to take a look. I have the area topo maps loaded, which include the AT. According to the GPS, I was fairly close to, but off of the AT. I zoomed out and looked back, and could see where my path had diverged from the AT. I decided to backtrack to that point, a distance of around a quarter of a mile.

When I got back to the point I appeared to get off the trail, I could not find an alternative route, and the only blaze in the area indicated that I had gone the right way. I decided that a trail was a trail, even if it was not the right one, so I turned around and covered the distance again. Finally, I came to the blaze as the AT crossed a small stream. I suppose the confusion was the result of one of the many AT reroutings.

I had only run into three other hikers at this point, but business began to pick up as it got later in the day. A small dirt road crosses the AT at Gooch Gap, and a family had parked there and was just beginning their hike. Shortly thereafter, I ran into two backpackers who had decided to cook their lunch right in the middle of the trail.

I had hoped to reach the Gooch Gap shelter, but ran out of time and turned around about 1 mile South of Gooch Gap.

Now that I have discovered the small road crossing the AT, I plan to drive back to that point in the near future and continue South from there.