Fort Mountain

I was blessed this week to be able to knock out another hike from my top 5 list - Fort Mountain State Park, between Chatsworth and Elijay. This park is literally at the top of a mountain, and incorporates a mysterious 855 foot stone wall, which was thought to have been built by Indians as a fortification.

My goal was to hike the Gahuti trail, an 8.8 mile loop which skirts the edge of the park. Depending on which guide book you reference, it is rated from moderate to strenuous, the latter being the appropriate rating based on my experience.

The hike begins near the aforementioned rock wall. I started in a counter-clockwise direction. It began innocently enough, with a gentle descent, following by a few moderate climbs. It was not long before I came to the first great view, overlooking the mountains to the West.

The trail then descents into a valley with a few streams, and a beautiful waterfall which I heard some time before I could actually see it. The footing in this area was quite difficult, because of yesterday's rain, and the fallen leaves covering small rocks.

The trail comes close to the campground, and I took advantage of the short detour to have a brief rest stop. I returned to the trail, which joined an old roadbed for a a steep climb. This was the first occassion on which I got a bit lost. This trail is blazed in orange, and when I hit the roadbed, the only blaze I could see was to the left. As I got close to the first blaze, it appeared to be red rather than orange (using red and orange for interesting trails is not a good idea). I followed it a short distance, and it dead-ended into the cabin road. I retraced my steps, and found the first orange blaze some distance beyond. This unplanned detour paid off, because I ran into a family looking for that very road, and I was able to give them accurate directions.

For the balance of the hike, the trail was a continuous series of steep climbs, followed by steep descents. Footing became even more difficult, causing me to have a non-serious fall at one point. No damage done.

I was planning to join my sister-in-law and the kids for a trip to the pumpkin patch, so I was hurring at this point to make it in time. Getting in a hurry when hiking however is never a good idea! Toward the end of the trail, it intersects with numerous other short trails in the area of the rock wall. I missed a turn, and found myself on the yellow trail, which follows the stone wall around the summit. I then mis-read the map, and ended taking the long way around the yellow trail. While this unplanned hike was very tiring, it was one of the most beautiful sections. The unplanned but enjoyed detour added 1.5 miles to the hike, which I finished in just under 5 hours.

I highly recommend this hike, but eat your Wheaties first!