Sunday, October 5, 2025
With a few commitments later this month, it was time to hit the road and squeeze in a quick trip to the North Georgia mountains. The plan was to visit at least two state parks and possibly a third if the weather holds.
With no reason to linger about the house, I was packed and out the door well before first light.
The first planned stop of the day was Tallulah Gorge State Park. I've been here before, but it's been a while.
The trail I had chosen for the day was the North/South Rim Trail. With side trips to overlooks, it was a little over two miles. But, not exactly an easy two miles.
The first overlook of the gorge below...
Eventually, I would be down far enough to cross this footbridge.
One thing about October in Georgia, it's definitely spider web season...
This is where the fun begins. Fortunately, that 680 stairs included the trip back up to the north rim.
At the bottom of the staircase, you have a choice, cross the river and head back up, or keep going down.
Naturally, I kept doing down to Hurricane Falls.
There's a gate on the platform. This was as far as I could go without a permit. I was fine with that.
There's an old hiker's adage, hiking down is optional, hiking back up is not. Sigh..
A sign by the bridge...
The view from the bridge...
Then the stairs back up to the rim...
It was only late morning when I arrived back at the car. Just a few miles south was another favorite trail I haven't done in a long time, Panther Creek Falls.
When I left the house, rain was expected late in the day. As I contemplated the three and a half miles to the waterfall, I checked again. It was still expected, but still far enough out that I decided to risk it. Worst case scenario, there's always the plastic poncho I keep in my pack.
The first stretch of the trail is much like this...
With the trail running alongside Panther Creek.
And the occasional rock outcropping to duck under...
With the sky starting to darken, I checked the weather again. The dark green blob on the radar was no longer going around. So, around the one mile mark, I decided to turn around. In the end, it was the right move.
After a short drive, I came to a pullout alongside the Tallulah River. This is what's left of the Tallulah Falls Railroad.
The railroad would eventually run fifty-eight miles and open this part of Georgia to he rest of the state. A short stretch near here has been turned into a rail trail. I only made it ten minutes up the trail when the promised rain began to fall. It was heavy. but didn't last very long.
When the rain stopped, I still wasn't ready to call it a day. From another parking area further downriver, I walked .6 miles to something you know I couldn't pass up...
That's right, another swing bridge...
The rail trail would have brought me to the other side of this bridge before ending another quarter mile on.
From the park, it was a short drive north to the town of Clayton. Pre colonization, this was a major Cherokee crossroads, with five trails converging here. Four of them would become roads and are now designated as State Highways 23/441 and 76. The town would eventually be named after Congressman Augustin Clayton.
My home for the night was a decent, but basic Days Inn.
There are numerous placed to eat in Clayton. When I heard live music in the distance, I just followed it. Eventually, I'd wind up at a place called Universal Joint. It's your basic bar and grill menu.
You can hear her sing here:
Sunset, such as it was...
Monday, October 6, 2025
Sunrise from the motel balcony....
I chose to overnight in Clayton for one reason. It's a short drive north to Black Rock Mountain State Park.
From behind the visitors center...
The sky was supposed to clear by mid morning, with no rain expected. Perfect considering the trail I had chosen for the day. The James Edmunds Trail is 7.2 miles that you definitely earn. It takes you down in the valley, then back up to an overlook. I had heard good things about the view on the Tennessee Rock Trail, too. That would depend on how I felt when I got back to the trail split.
Edmunds started building trails in New Hampshire around 1900. He brought a new philosophy where trails wouldn't be straight, but they would follow the natural contour of the land.
While the overnight rain, the steep sections of the trail were a little slippery. Fortunately, there were plenty of trees and branches to grab for stability. Much of it looked like this...
Of course, once you hit the valley floor, the back half of the trail was a steady climb...
At the back end of the loop, there's a short out and back trail to an overlook.
On the loop trail back you can also choose a side trip to Black Rock Lake...
I did walk to the lake, but opted out of the loop trail.
A mile and a half from trail's end is a promised waterfall...
From the park, I really had no plans. So, I drove west on Hwy 76 and played it by ear. The plan was a stop in Amicalola Falls State Park the next day. Where I was going to stop was going to be a roll of the dice.
Hwy76 took me to a place named Popcorn Overlook.
Hwy 75 south took me through the outskirts of Helen. For kicks, I took a slight detour to the Uhuberg Castle. But alas, it was closed.
The roadtrip rule of only stopping in non-chain restaurants for food brought me to downtown Cleveland and a place called Ol' Clyde's Table and Tavern. Great atmosphere and a really good grilled chicken sandwich.
Dahlonega is just another half hour west, so over dinner I booked a room at their Days Inn. It was nothing special, but perfectly fine.
The view from the room's back window.
Elizabeth had the room next to mine. She checked in just before me and requested a downstairs room, too. He had both spent the day on our own strenuous trails.
Elizabeth's forty-none and training for an attempt at the Appalachian Trail next year. She wants to spend her 50th birthday somewhere along the trail.
It's pretty impressive considering all the work on her knee. She had been in the Army and stationed in Afghanistan. She was shot in the knee, and as she told me, there's "still a few pieces in there."
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
With no rain in the forecast, I left the motel at dawn and drove on to Amicalola Falls State Park. The last time I was here, I had booked a night at the Hike Inn. Leave your car inside the park and hike two and a half miles to the inn. It was a fun experience. But, this time I was here for a few hiking trails.
The trail to the base of the falls begins with a concrete, inclined path.
Eventually, you get to the stairs...
At the base of the stairs, I paused to wait for a woman coming down at a fairly fast pace. She thanked me for waiting, turned round and headed back up again.
The base of the falls...
There are two ways to the top of the falls. You can either drive to the upper parking lot, or take the stairs.
Yeah, that's a whole lot of stairs. As I started my journey, I met the same women headed back down. We passed yet again and I asked how many times she does it. Her answer, ten to fifteen times.
The eventual view from the top of the falls...
Back at the base of he falls, you have two choices. You can go back the way you came up, or cut through the woods.
From the park, it was just the drive home.
I stopped for gas in Blue Ridge. One block up was a sign for The Pasta Market, a restaurant that make all their own pasta. The stuffed shells were delicious and I would definitely recommend the place.
From here it was a mostly uneventful drive until I-285. Traffic were starting to stack up when I drove under the highway sign. Accident ahead, one lane blocked.
I have no idea what happened. On the right shoulder, a tractor trail was stopped with it's flashers on. Seated on the guard rail, looking perfectly calm, a young guy on his phone. In front of him, a badly mangled motorcycle.
Dave
10/25
