The Appalachian Trail is 2,184 miles long and begins in Spring Mountain, Georgia and ends in Katahdin, Maine (or begins in Maine and ends in Georgia, depending on which direction one is hiking!). The portion in Georgia is 75 miles long and a few years ago, my brother-in-law RAN the entire trail within Georgia (all 75 miles of it) to raise money for a favorite charity. We met my sister and my nephew at Vogel State Park. The weather in the mountains was at least 10 degrees cooler than in the Atlanta area (and it is only a two hour drive to get there!) We waited for my brother-in-law as he ran the trail at a place called "Neel's Gap". It was a beautiful day. I know it is winter time now, so do you feel like looking at a beautiful summer's day? Let's go!
This is the trail to Blood Mountain, which I think is the highest mountain in this area. We didn't have time to hike this trail but I just had to stop a take a photo since it looked so inviting...
This is Vogel State Park and my sister and nephew are on on one of those paddle boats!
This is part of the Appalachian Trail! It is very rocky in places and very uneven. I am happy that my brother-in-law was able to run this since some of it was done at night!
The view from "Neel's Gap" and it is truly spectatular! We just didn't want to leave this spot.
This is the only part of the Trail that is under a roof. It goes directly through this building. And yes, it is in Georgia! This is still at "Neel's Gap". That is me with my blonde sister!
Here I am with my sister Pam and her son (my nephew!) and we are waiting and enjoying the view.
Here is Richard looking as if he is about to tumble over the mountain but that is just my bad photography!
This is the waterfalls at the end of the lake at Vogel State Park. Just so nice to see and hear this on a hot July day in Georgia.
Richard was fascinated by the cloud formations over the mountains. We didn't get any rain out of this...these clouds passed us by and happily, the skies stayed clear for the entire 75 miles that my brother-in-law ran. The startling thing about this trip... when we met up with him he told us to go and look at his car that he had parked a few miles from where he and his buddies had camped. The car was all muddy and dented in at the back and it looked as if some angry creature had tried to rip off the metal car tag! Well, that is exactly what happened...it was a bear! So if you ever hike the Appalachian Trail, take some sunscreen, some water and watch out for those bears! Hope you enjoyed my memory of a beautiful summer's day!
Oh how I love the Appalachian trail! I can't imagine running the whole thing but that must've been so cool. What an accomplishment! Seeing your photos and reading your descriptions makes me homesick.....
ReplyDeleteWhen I told my friends that he was running the 75 mile portion of the AT, everyone was astounded! Thank goodness we didn't have one of those pop-up thunderstorms that we have in the summer, that trail would have been just like running in a muddy ditch!
DeleteIt is beautiful, but then so is your part of the world where you are now!
What a great way to spend a summer's day! Although I guess the Appalachian trail is worth a hike in any season. I would be a bit worried about the bears, though... And that path at the beginning where you said you didn't have time to hike it looks very inviting indeed!
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking us along, I enjoyed this trip very much :-)
Dear Librarian,
DeleteNot just bears you have to look out for, on that same Blood Mountain trail, a beautiful young woman went hiking on New Year's Day (can't remember what year, it was a while back) and she was abducted and murdered. For me, I would never go hiking alone, and I know that women do it all the time, and wear their headphones and may not know what or who is coming up behind them.
(I just looked it up, her name was Meridith Emerson and it was Jan. 1, 2008. You may read about it on several news sources, it was a terrible thing.)
How sad that a woman on her own can't enjoy the beauty of nature without having to worry about someone so sick lurking in the undergrowth. I do - out of sheer necessity as well as for pleasure - go out on my own a lot, both day and night, but I never wear earplugs, for the very reason that I want to know what is happening around me.
DeleteDear Librarian,
DeleteIt truly was a shocking, terrible thing. You really must be aware of everything as a woman walking alone and I am glad that you don't wear earphones!
Thanknyou for that beautiful post! I've wondered about the AT in Georgia and what it looked like, Last summer, when we went camping in the Smokies, we hiked a little of the trail. It was gorgeous. Hope you have a great day! Love, Silke
ReplyDeleteDear Silke,
DeleteAnd we have the Blue Ridge Parkway to drive on from Cherokee! Aren't we lucky!
Loved your photos of the marsh and the beaches from your last hikes. Isn't it amazing that we have that kind of landscape in Georgia and then, we have the mountains too?
Beautiful! This is something I would enjoy very much as I love the outdoors, and especially love walking, hiking, etc. I don't know if I'll ever get to the Appalachian trail, but for now you've taken me along in these great photos! :)
ReplyDeletePlowing Through Life,
DeleteLet me see some of your hikes! I know you must have some great spots in Canada. Oh, have you ever seen the movie "Canadian Bacon"? with John Candy, it's hilarious! I love Canada!
Happy Trails to you! Oh dear, you have just inspired another post!
I don't think I'll attempt to run whole thing... that was quite a feat, but I'd love to walk part way :) The waterfalls look so refreshing, a lovely spot - and I can't help but comment on that Raven Cliffs Wilderness sign post - so medieval looking - it blends in perfectly with the foliage and trail. Looks like a fabulous time and a great memory for you.
ReplyDeleteThis area was very much revered by the Cherokee/Creek Indians. Visit anyplace that is sacred to the Native Americans, and it will be easy to see why it was so.
DeleteLike you, I would NEVER run any part of it, walking it is just fine for me!
I'm so glad you poted those photographs.
ReplyDeleteEver since I read Bill Bryson's book I've wanted to see the trail.
SP
Dear SP,
DeleteSo glad that you liked these photos!!
My father-in-law from England sent me that book since he had visited the area while he was here and really liked it.
Also, if you get the chance, I think the BEST book by Bill Bryson is "In A Sunburned Country" which is about Australia. To me, it absolutely captures the uniqueness of the people and the land...
After seeing your beautiful photos, I sure would love to go there again. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteDear Kay,
DeleteAnd I would love to see Hawaii! When I watch a movie filmed there, I am annoyed at the characters and the dialogue, I want them to get out of the way so I can see the beautiful scenery! :-)
Jurassic Park, Six Days-Seven Nights, 50 First Dates...those are some that come to mind...
Hello,from one Georgia "peach" to another.:)Just popped over from Lucy's site,seen your photos of Vogel,love that park.My Husbands family have re-unions there.Always dreamed of hiking the A.T. never even hallucinated about running it!WOW!How you seen Amicalola falls?It's a nice hike and a beautiful waterfall.(It's northwest of Gainsville.)Happy trails.:)
ReplyDeleteHello Angela, another gorgeous Georgia Peach!
DeleteI love Vogel State Park, it is so beautiful and running on the AT, are you kidding me, I can barely walk a wee little piece of it! Amicalola Falls is very near where my sister lives and I love it too.
And don't you just love Lucy's blog at Attic 24?
Happy trails to you. Please visit again!