Harbins Park

I managed to beat the weather today and get in a hike. Today's destination was Harbins Park, a new, and now the largest, park in the Gwinnett County system at over 1,700 acres. Even though they have only developed the initial phases, the trails and facilities are extensive. The price you pay is that it is truely in the boonies of the county - in Dacula.

I initially turned into the wrong entrance, and found myself in a partking lot dedicated to the equestrian trails. After a quick look at the map, I go to the right place.

This park has over 4 miles of general purpose paved trails, 7 miles of equestrian, 7 miles of mountain bike, and a 4.35 mile hiking trail (we hikers always get the short end). I started out on the 1 mile paved loop, which took me quickly to the start of the hiking trail.

The trail is well laid out, but traction can be difficult on the compacted clay/sand surface when wet (and it rained overnight). I slid down more than one water diversion hill. Before long, I came to the first bridge, crossing a small screen. I have come to expect the bridges in Gwinnett parks to be overkill, and I was not disappointed. I hadn's seen anything yet.

The trail continued winding up, down, and around for some time, on occasion crossing the equestrian or mountain bike trails. Aound 3.5 miles in, I turned the corner to find the granddaddy of all bridges. There was a large outcropping (which I suspect is part of Stone Mountain). Rather than just letting hikers just walk across the rock (which I did anyway), they built an elaborate, winding bridge over it. While I admired the construction of the bridge, I wished that my tax dollers were spent more wisely.

I finally came to the end of the hiking trail. Since I was not yet fully engulfed in sweat from the high humidity, I hiked a portion of one of the equistrian trails. This trail had a bravel base, and was much easier to navigate.

Since I have just scratched the surface on this park, I look forward to returning and visiting my tax money!

The Blue Herons, They Do Taunt Me!

For those of you who have followed this blog, you know that I have been on a quest to get a good photo of a blue heron, if for no other reason that the personal satisfaction (I guess some of my Father's drive as a professional photographer rubbed off on me after all).

At the last minute, I decided to play hookie from the gym, and hike the trails along the Chattahoochee near my house. Since it was an impromptu hike, I was without gadgets. Not long after I left the park and headed into the woods, I happened upon a fisherman climbing back to the trail from the river, and behind him, a blue heron perched on a branch in a wonderfully picturesque pose. He seemed completely oblivious to the fisherman (who was just a few feet from him), and me (not much further away). Naturally, no camera. If I had one, he would have been long gone before I got that close, just for sport. In desperation, I grabbed my aging cell phone and attempted a picture, only to have it die on me. Of well, Heron 3, Robert 0.

As I was walking through Jones Bridge Park, I came across a sign about the history of the park and the bridge which I had not paid attention to before. It discussed the fact that prior to the bridge being built in 1904, a ferry was operated in that location by the property owner. I imagined the operator living in a house near the river, with a bell on the outside. Given the nature of the business, I imagined him having to respond to the bell, night or day.

As my brother will confirm, starting BIZTech in our day is somewhat similar. We need every customer we can get, which means we are often on a short leash to the ones we have.

One of the nice things about hiking is that you see new things, even on trails you have done before. My normal route takes me behind fiserv (aka Checkfree, aka SSI, aka Stockholder Systems). I discovered that I could get across a stream on the far side of the property, where the trail continued along the river. I ran out of daylight before I ran out of trail.

Looking forward to next time, WITH camera.

A Walk Along the Shore

Well, a bit of an exaggeration, but read on.

It has been some time since my last post. With a new business starting (shameless plug - see www.biztechstore.com), bad weather, and repeat hikes, I have not really taken the time. Today, with good weather forecast (which sadly did not materialize until I was just about done), and a new trail to try, I was off.

The trail I selected was the Vineyard Mountain Trail, and Eagle Scout-maintained trail on the South side of the Etowah river outside of Cartersville. The trail began with a moderate climb. Although I was alone in the middle of the woods, I was close enough to I-75 to hear significant traffic noise. Civilization would continue to encroach for the balance of the hike.

Not long after I started, I detoured to the red-blazed trail. I discovered in the process that scouts have a strange sense of humor. On this trail, they did not bother with switchbacks or other conveniences. It just went straight up the mountain. I had finally gotten away from the traffic noise, but when I hit the top, I discovered a large cell phone tower instead of a view.

I resumed the yellow trail, but went off the trail as I approached the river to discover a great view of the Allatoona Dam. I had been driving over Lake Allatoona for years, but never even had an idea where the dam was. The trail eventually led to a disused road which I followed toward the dam. It seems that this dam was open to the public years ago, because the road ended at a very old concrete parking lot. I was able to hike around it to get a better view of the dam. As I approached the dam, I caught a glimpse of the Blue Heron that has alluded me during many a hike. I was able to get a shot of him using the maximum zoom on my camera, but as I moved quietly closer, he heard me and flew off. He would continue to haunt me for the balance of the hike.

I backtracked, and followed the road the opposite direction. I short detour took my to a rocky beach along the lake. It was not much different than being at the beach. The water was lapping the short, and there were numerous shells among the rocks (I assume from fresh water muscles).

The trail continued to parallel the shoreline of the lake, going up and down numerous ridges until my legs felt like they were going to fall off. I passed through one area with million dollar houses being built up on the ridge.

The trail ended at an alternate parking lot at the entrance to Red Top Mountain State Park. I took a break and walked out onto a point in the middle of the lake, and then began the long trip back.

Thanksgiving Hike Redux

After an unavoidable change in plans, I found myself with a free day for Hiking. I decided to check another trail off my list by hiking the Keown Falls and John's Mountain Loop trails between LaFayette and Dalton. Both trails are in the Pocket Recreation Area in the John's Mountain wilderness area. The parking area are completely deserted when I arrived, although I had seen a pickup truck (presumably hunters) every quarter mile on the drive through the park.

This hike is done as a double look. You climb to Keown Falls on the west side, pickup the John's Mountain loop, and come back on the east side of the falls. The initial hike to the falls (more like a strong drip this time of year) is reasonably easy until you get near the top. At this point, I encountered a long set of irregular stone steps which required caution. I stayed on the observation desk briefly viewing the drip, and proceeded with John's Mountain Loop.

I started the loop counterclockwise, and encountered a steep climb early in the hike. It was difficult because of the heavy leaf cover over large rocks, but I managed without too much trouble. Near the top, I encountered a family on their way down.

There is an observation platform at the top of John's Mountain affording a beautiful view to the west. I encountered the only other family I would see the whole day at the top. The loop was fairly easy to follow from this point, although footing was treacherous at times.

I finally got back to the falls loop, and proceeded back to the parking lot on via the east trail. This trail is poorly defined, and very difficuly to hike because of footing/traction issues. Definitely not a trail for the kids.

After a lunch break (and a challange finding anything open on Thanksgiving), I still has time available, so I did a 2.5 mile section of the Pinhoti Trail, which connects the AT in Georgia to Northern Alabama. I hiked west from the trailhead along Highway 136. The first part of the hike involves climbing to the ridge, after which the hike gets easier since the trail follows the ridge for some time. This is a nice section, but not as nice as the east section from the same trailhead. This is a multi-use trail allowing horses and mountain bikes, although I cannot imagine the latter using this trail. Horses are a different story however, as I dodged their calling cards all through the hike.

Other than a brief and ticketless (thank God and Officer Bennett) encounter with one of Marietta's finest, I returned home safely, but quite tired.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

Subtitle: How Noah's Flood related to the election of Senator Obama

I made a return visit today to Sweetwater Creek State Park today. My first visit was Thanksgiving Day last year, but I have made a couple of visits since. I began with the yellow trail, which crosses the creek, climbs the ridge, and then comes back down – quickly. The short but steep climb to the ridge is a real thigh burner! The creek crossing over the military surplus portable bridge is interesting and unique.

Sweetwater Creek is probably mis-named, as it is far from my image of a creek. It is as wide as the Chattahoochee at this point, and loaded with large rocks, similar to the Chattahoochee at Palisades.

I finished the yellow trail, returned to the visitor center, and started the white trail. This one makes an easy climb to a grassy area, and then descents steeply along an old road bed to Jack’s Lake, a man-made recreational lake that pre-dates the park. After passing the lake, this trial gets very technical, crossing over some steep and narrow cliffs that I would not expect to find sanctioned in a state part. I took a detour across a bridge to a non-park trail which follows an old road to the historic New Manchester Colony. It now interconnects with a trail system built by a housing development. I took the opportunity to do some rock climbing out over the water.

The white trail dead-ends into the red trail, the main “consumer” trail in the park. It runs along the old mill ruins and is well interpreted. Half of this trail involves climbing over rocks. The kids and dogs particularly seem to love it.

Unlike my past visits, I took the time to pick-up the interpretive guides, and to read the appropriate parts as I passed each numbered marker. I occasionally had to chuckle in a somewhat frustrated fashion over their references to millions of years of the earth’s existence. This got me to thinking about Noah’s flood, and how it has served as a great mis-direction to the “wise” of this world. Imagine a scientist finding a sea fossil in the middle of the desert. God clearly does have a sense of humor.

In considering Noah’s flood, I began to think about why God did it the way he did. After all, he could have saved much trouble by having everyone but Noah’s family suddenly disappear and the blink of his eye without the need to have an ark or send a flood. Noah’s family and the animals could have gone about their business undisturbed. So then, why did God do it? I don’t pretend to know God’s mind, but these are my thoughts:

1) To build Noah’s faith. Many biblical historians believe that rain did not exist prior to the flood. Imagine what some people must have said to Noah when he explained that the ark would save people and animals from the flood. I am sure they thought he was out of his mind, and he might have thought the same about himself at some point. This serves as a lasting lesion to us that when God points us in a direction, we should move forward with all of our energy, not withstanding what the world might think.
2) As a witness to later generations. Early world history, and particularly the stories of God’s works, were passed via oral tradition. It is easier to preserve oral tradition when you have vivid stories such as Noah’s Ark. This remains true to this day, even with our printed versions. I remember from teaching 3rd grade Sunday School years ago how fascinated they were with this particular story. Our culture remains fascinated with it. After all, look at the documentaries and feature films that have been based on it. Many researchers still search for the ark.
3) As a lasting reminder that God continues to engineer the world (and I use that word deliberately). Many who otherwise believe in God seem to think that after the fall of man, God turned the world over to man, and said in effect “I will check on you later.” The flood serves as a lasting reminder that God is still in charge of every aspect and detail.

I like many, was very disappointed by the outcome of the Presidential election. I did not realize how much the process impacted me until I woke up Wednesday morning feeling like a new man. Just as it seemed odd to me that God would engineer a flood rather than taking care of business the “logical” way, it seems odd that his plan would involve Senator Obama. Noah’s flood however, at least in my mind, stands as a vivid and lasting reminder that God continues to engineer this world as he sees fit, and with a view to his eternal purpose, and not just a random four year period in life of a relatively new nation in North America. It sort of gives me a feeling of excitement as to what God will do with this!

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!

Smith Creek Trail

Smith Creek trail in Helen has been on my short list for some time. With the beautiful fall weather, and a bunch if business decisions weighing heavily on my mind, this seemed like a good day to check it off.

The Smith Creek trail connects Anna Ruby Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Georgia, to Unicoi State Park. Since it is a pretty tough round trip hike, I decided to park at the Unicoi end, hike on the road to the falls, and take the trail back, a round trip of just under 9 miles.

To reach the trail from the falls, you must hike up to the falls on the paved walkway, and the start the trail from one of the viewing platforms. This is probably the most technically-demanding hike I have taken. The trail runs along the side of Smith Mountain somewhat down from the ridge. It is only two feet wide in most places, so there is only a few inches between you and the bottom. There are also some sections where the trail has washed out, making it a challenge to get from one side to the other. Finally, there are a number of trees down whose canopies cover the trail. In one instance I had to maneuver myself over and under various tight branches with my pack on., quite a challenge given that my body does not move around quite as easily as it did 10 years ago!

There are quite a variety of different micro-climates on this trail, including a dry ridge, wetlands, and an area with a canopy of rhododendrons so think that you think it is night time.

I began the hike with the prayer that God would guide me on some specific business issues, and not long into the hike, a great idea popped into my head. While I hesitate to read too much spiritual significance into that, the timing was certainly more than coincidental.

Overall this was a great hike, and one I look forward to repeating.