John Muir

I decided it was time to change out the quote over in the sidebar. I switched it out for a quote from John Muir. Who was John Muir? He was a Scottish born American naturalist and an early hero of mine. Muir was an early advocate of conservation of U. S. wilderness. His books and essays have been read by millions.

Mountaintown Creek Trail To Buddy Cove Gap

This weekend’s hike began just a little northeast of Ellijay, GA just along the edge of the Cahutta Wilderness. We started out on the Bear Creek Trail and passed the Gennett Poplar, the second largest tree in the state. That’s me in the picture standing next to the tree which measures almost 18 feet in circumference. Near the top of the Bear Creek Loop we took a connector trail over to the Mountaintown Creek Trail which took us to the top of Buddy Cove Gap at 3164 feet. With numerous elevation gains and about 12 creek crossings the hike was 14 miles round trip which we covered in about six hours. There were two extended climbs as we approached Buddy Cove Gap that were real quad burners, but all in our group made it fine. The Mountaintown Creek Trail has the dual designation of a hiking and a mountain biking trail, and it just so happened that a mountain biking club was doing trail maintenance that day. From time to time along the way we would run into folks with saws and grass blades clearing fallen trees and overgrown areas, so we had a clear trail the whole way. The weather cooperated as the clouds thinned out in North Georgia and we had sunshine and mild temps the whole day. A great hike with some nice folks. I returned a little sore and pretty exhausted but at the same time craving more. It’s great to be returning to the trails again after so many years away.

The Gahuti Trail at Fort Mountain State Park

This past Sunday I joined fellow members of the AOC for a hike of the Gahuti trail at Fort Mountain State Park. Fort Mountain is quite impressive as it rises quickly from the lower land just outside of Chatsworth Georgia. The hike is 8.2 miles of fairly strenuous ups and downs, made all the more challenging by the fact that this was a group of pretty fast hikers. There are several really good overlooks along the trail, the most impressive toward the end. About midway, we were greeted by a band of evil yellow jackets and several of us were stung, but that just goes with August hiking in Georgia. I’d like to go back to Fort Mountain on my own some time and do a little more exploring at a more relaxed pace.

New Old Photos

I have long held the opinion that the old black and white photos tucked away in a box in the back of my closet were approaching real art. It’s been my feeling that these old snapshots had a certain nostalgic grace. I’ve shared some of them with you here before. Well, last night my feelings were confirmed. I happened to catch a program on The Documentary Channel called “Other People’s Pictures.” It seems there is a whole subculture of collectors, buyers and sellers of the hundreds of thousands of old pictures that have become part of the public domain, having ended up in flea markets or estate sales. It’s been said that every picture tells a story. I think there is something really special about holding in one’s hand a cracked and faded image from the past.

I’ll take this opportunity to share some more of my own. I don’t know who these guys are or how they ended up in my box of pictures, but I really like them. Looks to me like a quick lunch break dice game going on. I would imagine somewhere in the hot Mississippi River Delta, probably on the Arkansas side. In the picture on the left one man prepares to roll the dice while a second man stands with his foot on a few dollar bills to keep the wind from blowing them away. In the picture on the right, the second man takes his turn, money now clutched in his hand, work gloves tucked under his arm while trucks roll in the distance. Click on the photos for a larger view.

In Remembrance of Skip

When I moved to Atlanta in 1999, the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees were headed to the World Series. Suddenly, I found myself wrapped up in the drama of the Series and cheering on the Braves. Everyone on the second shift where I was working at the time had a radio tuned to the game. The Braves lost the series in 4 games but I’ve continued to follow them ever since. At first I didn’t know what to think of the grumpy fellow doing the pre-game shows, but soon Skip Carey’s personality began to grow on me. He truly was “the voice” of the Braves. The games won’t be the same without him. I envy all of you who got to listen to Skip over the years as he made the big calls and I’m glad I was here these last few years to hear him myself.

The Cherokee Trail At Stone Mountain

This past Saturday I joined several members of the Atlanta Outdoor Club for a hike around Stone Mountain. I’ve been to the top many times but have never taken the loop trail around the mountain. The trail is well marked and quite interesting. There were great views as we walked past the two big lakes inside Stone Mountain Park. There’s a historic covered bridge along the way that was actually moved to Stone Mountain from Athens, GA years ago. We hiked past a small waterfall where an old grist mill sits with a huge slowly turning water wheel. Later we took a side hike to the quarry exhibit which tells the story of how granite was harvested from the mountain for many years. Winding our way underneath the Confederate carving we arrived several hours later back at the starting point of our hike. The hike was very enjoyable and a must do in order to get the complete Stone Mountain experience.

Upon finishing our trek however, some of us decided that a 5 mile hike wasn’t quite enough and our day would not be complete without a trip to the top. The only problem was that a storm was brewing to the west. We struck out anyway and hoped to make it up before the storm hit. We got about halfway to the top when the lightning started and we immediately turned around. Before we could get off the mountain the rain came, along with strong wind, more intense lightning, and pea sized hail. Twenty-four hours later, my shoes are still not completely dry. I haven’t been soaked like that in a long time. Still, all in all a very enjoyable day.