April Fools Hike

Today we hit the trail again, this time even further north, in beautiful Chattahoochee National Forest. We decided to tackle two trails at once and traversed the Keown Falls Trail and Johns Mountain Loop Trail, totaling 4.6 miles. This was by far our most challenging hike to date and was rated moderate to strenuous in our handy Georgia Hiking Guide.

We started at the Keown Falls trailhead and followed the loop counterclockwise to the falls overlook. This segment of the trail ran alongside a small creek which sometimes actually joined our trail which we found ourselves wading through and jumping over on occasion.

One major difference Keown had from other trails we have hiked, is it's much narrower walkways and less distinct trails. The blazes along our way varied from green tags nailed to trees, to white signs with a bird's footprint on them, to basic white sprayed blazes. This aspect, along with a walkway riddled with stones and roots, kept our eyes constantly fixed on (or searching for) the path.

Just over .5 miles in, we reached the stone staircase leading to the falls' observation platform. The stairs came at uneven intervals and thankfully there were some handrails to assist us in the climb. On these stairs we first spied the Wooly Lip fern- a species that is rare in Georgia- and also encountered some basking lizards.

A view of the falls from in front of the platform:

The observation deck was closed for repairs, so we ventured out in front of it to get a full view of the falls.

Johns Mountain Trail continued from this point, leading us up to the mountain's ridge and looped back to the waterfall after a gorgeous overlook of the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province (now that's a mouth-full).

Once we rejoined the Keown Loop, the trail actually led us under the falls. This portion of the was quite treacherous as we navigated over unmarked trails and slippery rocks. Because it had rained the day before, there were multiple waterfalls creating creeks which we traversed as they merged with our trail.

We enjoyed our lunch at the lovely picnic area at the trailhead.

Alpine Adventures

Our most recent escipades led us to north Georgia, more specifically, Unicoi State Park. We took the Unicoi-Helen Trail which leads down to the town of, you guessed it, Helen Georgia. The path was 2.9 miles leading us beside streams, fields and large thickets of Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel.

Here are some pictures documenting this outing:

After leaving Unicoi, we mustered the energy to continue to Anna Ruby Falls, just a couple of miles south. The half mile walk from the visitor center to the falls was paved (handicapped accessible) and had lovely overlooks and bridges to best view the falls from. I'm glad we made the stop!

Our First Documented Adventure!

Today was the first sunny day since the daylong downpour on Wednesday and in honor of such an occasion, we went for a hike! We walked through beautiful Red Top Mountain State Park and despite the chilly start to the day and the blisters that resulted from the 5.5 mile trek, it was absolutely spectacular. We spied three white tail deer frolicking through the woods and enjoyed the meandering trail that led us in and out of wooded areas and along the shores of Lake Altoona. We finished our trip with a simple picnic by the lake. My now-famous homemade cheese-its made an appearance as well as a few steak biscuits (thank you Cracker Barrel) crisp ambrosia apples and refreshing sparkling black cherry juice. The day could not have been lovelier! Now to find our next hiking destination...and some kinder footwear.

At the visitor center and trailhead

Beautiful wooded areas and very well-kept paths.

The blazes for the different trails were very clear as well.

Our picnic was visited by several feathered friends looking for handouts.

We finished our meal in the car- the wind was so cold on the water!