The Mountains of Northern Georgia (04-07-13)

 Having spent the winter hikeless in the Keys, I've  really wanted to get in some hiking so we headed for the hills of Georgia.  We stayed 2 nights near Amicalola Falls so that we could hike the trails there.

 On the way there, we explored the small town of Dahlonega, GA. What a cute town- small shops, tons of restaurants, and lots of motorcycle enthusiasts come here for the great riding. 

The Amicalola Falls area is the southern terminus for the Appalachian Trail and the Appalachian Mountains. I would have loved to have actually hiked part of the “AT”, but the Appalachian Trail Approach Trail- the trail you have to hike just to get to the AT, is 8 miles long.  We hiked the Approach Trail for a while, and also part of the Hike Inn trail- an Inn that you can only get to by hiking.

To reach the top of Amicalola Falls requires climbing more than 600 stairs.  Pacing is key. I like to stop for a break before I am gasping for air, so it doesn’t take me as long to recover and get moving again!

The Falls are some of the tallest east of the Mississippi River, and were certainly worth the trip up the trail.

The walkways allowed us to get close to the water along the way.

The views from the top were awesome. Once we got to the top we hiked part of the Hike Inn trail, then went back down a trail that didn’t involve stairs, but did involve some great views! Total hike was about 7  miles.

 

I have several times toyed with the idea of hiking the entire AT, but I sort of knew in the back of my head that it was such a major undertaking, it wouldn’t be worth it, and after looking at the displays of the trail at the Visitor Center, I don’t think I’d make it.  Good thing it wasn’t a life goal of mine!

Back at the trailhead, Paul and I saw a man, fully loaded with equipment and backpack.  Paul commented that it looked like he was ready to “go for it”- hike the whole trail.  We saw a little boy take his picture, and after the man left, we spoke to the boy’s mom, who was trying not to cry, but had to keep wiping the tears away.  She said her husband is indeed hiking the whole trail, and will take 5 months to do it. She said it was a dream of his and she hoped it would settle something in him.  I told her that once he got back, it should be her turn to do something she wants, and I think a Caribbean cruise could fit the bill. She laughed, which is what I was hoping for!

We moved on from Amicalola to Tallulah Gorge State Park, where we hoped to hike down into the gorge itself.  In order to do that, you have to go to the visitor center at 8 am and hope you are one of the first 100 people that want to do the hike.

Only 100 people a day are given permits to hike it. We were first in line.  They check to make sure you are wearing appropriate footwear, then they go through a bunch of pictures showing what you will have to deal with on the hike. One picture showed a steep slope of rock, with the river at the bottom. 

The ranger said to stay on the top of the ridge, where it’s less slippery, and if you do fall in the water, you’ll have to swim a hundred yards downstream in order to get out.  Once they give you all the details, they make you sign a waiver of liability.

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?

The first thing we had to do was get down into the gorge itself.  This is done by a series of stairs- 1062 steps down.  The two ways out of the gorge are to return, and climb all 1062 stairs, or climb up a pile of boulders that is just as steep.  We kept our options open.

Once we got to the bottom, that’s where it got more interesting.  First we had to cross the river, which was harder than it looks. Everything is slippery.  We took our boots off and put water shoes on for this part. These kids did a great job of helping each other across the river.

The pay off was the first of several waterfalls along the way.

Most of the hike was “bouldering”- clambering over boulders, with no real trail to follow. I love this part!









The next challenge was to cross a very steep slope above the river. With water running down, it was very slick.  In the picture on the left you can see how steep the slope is.  There are a few cracks and crevices, but nothing to hold on to. When the trail is wet after a rain, it is closed because it's too slippery when wet.  I noticed that if I had no choice but to get my foot wet,  I struggled to keep my footing.

 

The first rock  crossing was actually easier than the next one.  No pictures of Paul in this area because I was following behind him.   It was so steep and slippery, I was using both hands and feet to keep from sliding into the water. I almost turned back, but of course, it’s usually easier to keep going than to turn around. That one section cemented something in my brain though.  I would do pretty much anything to not have to come back this way.

The goal is to reach Slide Rock, at Bridal Veil Falls.  Once there, you can slide down the rock, into the pool below.  I decided to pass, Paul was determined to do it.  It was a warm day, but the water was….invigorating. We had our lunch and watched other people slide down the waterfall.

There happened to be two Rangers walking the trail, so I asked them about climbing out of the gorge on the other side of the river- climbing up the boulders. They agreed that it would be less slippery, but steeper, to go that way.  Well, steep I can handle.  The only other question was how to get across the river. 

They explained the best way to do it is right at the top of the falls, where the water is swift, but shallow.  Other areas are swift, deep and slippery. We watched another group inch their way across before we started our trek. I gave Paul the camera, because I trust his balance more than mine!  Boy am I smart.  3 feet from the other side, I slipped and fell into a deep pool of water.  No harm done, since Paul had brought a rope and just tossed the end to me so I could easily make it to the side.

Once we dried out for a bit, we started the trek up the “trail”.  If it looks like Paul is climbing straight up, its because he pretty much is! Still, this was much easier in my mind, than going back over the slippery rock!  We just had to stop and breathe every 40 feet.

Once at the top again, the views of the gorge were gorgeous!
This was one of the most challenging hikes I have ever done, but I am glad I was able to finish it!