FLESH AND
BLOOD
Occasionally
my business travels provide me with the opportunity to hike in new places. This week brought one of those
occasions. I was scheduled to work in
northwest Georgia, so I took advantage of the opportunity to hike in the Georgia
mountains. It’s an area that I have
done very little hiking in, so I was looking forward to checking it out.
My
job started on Tuesday, so I headed to Georgia on Monday morning. My first stop was at Toccoa Falls, which is
located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa, Georgia. I found some vague directions on the
internet, and headed that way. Thanks
to plenty of signs pointing the way, I didn’t have too much trouble finding the
college. From there, I headed through
campus to the gift shop. Accessing the
falls requires passing through the gift shop and paying a $1 per person
fee. In this respect, Toccoa Falls is
like Cracker Barrel. At Cracker Barrel,
you have to pass through the gift shop to get to the restaurant. I paid the fee and headed out the back door
to reach the trail.
The
walk to the falls was short and easy.
Along the way, I passed an odd sign that prohibited swimming, wading,
and hiking. No hiking? I’d never seen that one before. I suppose the short walk to the falls doesn’t
qualify as hiking.
After
about 100 yards, I received my first view of the falls. Toccoa Falls spills almost 200’ over a sheer
cliff. Even with the recent dry
weather, there was still plenty of water when I visited. Aside from the beautiful waterfall, there
was an impressive rainbow arching over the large pool at its base. There was even a little fall color to
enhance the view.
Because
the walk is short, I didn’t need to spend a lot of time there. I headed back to the car and headed
north. I managed to interpret some
confusing mapquest directions, and passed through Cleveland, Georgia. From there, it was an easy drive north into
the Chattahoochee National Forest. Did
you know, Chattahoochee is Cherokee for “Talking to a slutty woman”? I headed up route 19 towards the Appalachian
Trail crossing at Neels Gap. Before I
got there though, I had another stop to make.
I
pulled off at the DeSoto Falls picnic area and campground. It was almost lunch time, and I thought a
short, easy hike to a waterfall might lead to a nice place for a picnic. I parked, wandered through the campground,
and crossed the creek on a footbridge.
At that point, I had the choice of hiking to upper DeSoto Falls or Lower
DeSoto Falls. The hike to the upper
falls is an easy 1.5 miles roundtrip.
The lower falls, which are on a different stream, can be reached by a
harder ˝ mile roundtrip hike. I
arbitrarily chose the upper falls, and headed that way.
I
passed a surprising number of people (for a Monday) before reaching a platform
at the base of a multi-level cascade.
This waterfall was ok, but nothing spectacular. It’s probably more exciting when water
levels are higher. Although the falls
were a little disappointing, the overlook still provided a nice place for
lunch. I had a quick bite and headed
back downstream to hike to the lower falls.
If
the upper falls were disappointing, the lower falls were downright
pitiful. A more strenuous trail leads
to an inconsequential cascade. I
should’ve taken a picture and entered it in SCJack’s sorriest waterfall
contest. After all, not only was it not
much to look at, but it (and the upper falls) are the focal point of a national
forest recreation area, picnic area, and campground. All that, and it’s named after someone famous! I hope that if I end up being famous someday,
I’ll have something more impressive than this named after me. I would’ve taken a photo, but there were
other people at the overlook, and I was too embarrassed to get out my camera.
I
returned to the car, and headed a few miles farther up the road for my main
hike. I passed through Neels Gap, and
continued another ˝ mile to the parking area for the Reece access trail. I parked there, where I was surprised to
find 10 or 12 other cars. One of them
was an unmarked police car, which struck me as being a little odd.
I
started my hike to Blood Mountain around 1:15.
A gradual ascent along the Reece Trail brought me to a junction with the
AT. From there, it was a steady climb
to the summit. Over the course of the
hike, I passed 13 other hikers, of which 12 were more or less completely
clothed. The 13th, however,
was most definitely naked. I
encountered this particular older gentleman about ˝ mile below the summit. He
wasn’t completely naked though, since he was wearing a small backpack. You might say that these circumstances
completely changed the meaning of the term “fanny pack”. He attempted to make conversation, but I
wasn’t sure what to say. “How’s it
hanging”? No, maybe not. “Would you like to borrow some pants”? Regrettably, I didn’t have any extras to
spare. Perhaps I could’ve gone with “I
see your parents were in favor of circumcision”. How about, “Hey that’s a great penis you’ve got there.” Ultimately I kept our interaction
brief.
The
last ˝ mile of the hike led across a series of open rock faces that provided
nice views south, east, and west. I was
hoping that these overlooks would reveal some fall color, but there was little
to be seen. I noticed that the forests
were largely oak, which aren’t known for their vibrant colors even in good
years.
At
the summit I found a fully enclosed stone shelter cabin. There didn’t appear to be a water source,
but Blood Mountain’s summit is a compelling destination for the night. Right next to the shelter is a huge boulder
(technically the summit) that provides a nice view to the west. It would be a nice place to watch the sun
set. I scrambled up there to relax in
the abundant sunshine. I hung around
for 20 minutes or so before it was time to head back down.
Because
of the rocky trail, the 2+ mile hike down took about an hour. I reached the car at 4:30, and resumed the
long drive to Calhoun, Georgia. The
hike to Blood Mountain was nice, but the scenery wasn’t as spectacular as some
areas in the southeast. Still, there
are many other recreation opportunities in northern Georgia. The next time work takes me in that
direction, I’ll be looking for another hike to try.
Back to Georgia
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!