Bryanseye
Adventurist
South Carolina's Cherokee Foothills Highway always tempts me with its slow curves, easy hills, and soft edged skyline to the north. It is easy to be lulled into comfort, forgetting that those southern mountains just on the other side of the dormant hardwoods rise abruptly and mark the boundary of a vast mountain range. I would not be complacent this morning as the radio told me that the groundhog saw its shadow. No matter, it was already cold by our standards, getting colder, and I was headed to the beginning of the Georgia Traverse.
The route, developed by David Giguere of George Overland, leads you across the top of Georgia from South Carolina to Alabama with an aversion to pavement. A group of us set off on Friday afternoon from a South Carolina campground and made our way through rhododendron choked hills, along the Chattooga River, and out to occasional pasture land. Travel was easy going with plenty of scenic distractions, and recent rains kept the dust down so that everyone in the convoy could share, but the occasional fallen tree or ditch would bring needed attention back to the road.
A few hours into the trip we met our first obstacle; a forest service gate had blocked this section of the route (FS32C off Patterson Gap Road for anyone making the trip). No worries, a brief study of a map of the surrounding area found an easy detour and we descended to the Tallulah River. What fun that was! Granted, it is an established fording spot with a firm, rocky bottom, but the long diagonal upstream crossing through water just deep enough to bring the word "hydrolock" to the front of your mind made this an entertaining splash across the river. We then made camp at an established site as the shadows cast by recent fire charred trees grew long.
It was a cold night, somewhere in the teens depending on who you ask, but everyone was in great spirits the next morning. We warmed up with coffee and calories and got back on the route. The morning passed by as we crushed ice beneath our tires in the damp, dense Dick's Creek area followed by an ascent to Tray Mountain. The mountain was a fun climb and we said hi to a few others enjoying the mild challenge. Afterwards we were forced back onto pavement for a run over the pass before jumping back across a stream and into the forest. It was already getting late and we found a campsite before dark.
Around 2am the rain started to fall. I have always been one to find rain in a tent mostly relaxing, but there is that small part of me that keeps thinking we have sprung a leak. Well past reveille it didn't sound like it was going to stop, so with rain gear deployed I was out to make coffee under the awning.
The weather let up just as we were breaking camp and we were treated to a hike down to a very healthy, rain-fed waterfall. It was our last moment on the dirt, and a great ending to the trip that made the cold, damp morning more endearing. The drive out of the mountains was picturesque with the Appalachian fog clinging to the empty spaces between icicle covered cliffs. A brief lunch of brats and kraut in Helen was a fine choice before finding interstate and heading home.
The route, developed by David Giguere of George Overland, leads you across the top of Georgia from South Carolina to Alabama with an aversion to pavement. A group of us set off on Friday afternoon from a South Carolina campground and made our way through rhododendron choked hills, along the Chattooga River, and out to occasional pasture land. Travel was easy going with plenty of scenic distractions, and recent rains kept the dust down so that everyone in the convoy could share, but the occasional fallen tree or ditch would bring needed attention back to the road.
A few hours into the trip we met our first obstacle; a forest service gate had blocked this section of the route (FS32C off Patterson Gap Road for anyone making the trip). No worries, a brief study of a map of the surrounding area found an easy detour and we descended to the Tallulah River. What fun that was! Granted, it is an established fording spot with a firm, rocky bottom, but the long diagonal upstream crossing through water just deep enough to bring the word "hydrolock" to the front of your mind made this an entertaining splash across the river. We then made camp at an established site as the shadows cast by recent fire charred trees grew long.
It was a cold night, somewhere in the teens depending on who you ask, but everyone was in great spirits the next morning. We warmed up with coffee and calories and got back on the route. The morning passed by as we crushed ice beneath our tires in the damp, dense Dick's Creek area followed by an ascent to Tray Mountain. The mountain was a fun climb and we said hi to a few others enjoying the mild challenge. Afterwards we were forced back onto pavement for a run over the pass before jumping back across a stream and into the forest. It was already getting late and we found a campsite before dark.
Around 2am the rain started to fall. I have always been one to find rain in a tent mostly relaxing, but there is that small part of me that keeps thinking we have sprung a leak. Well past reveille it didn't sound like it was going to stop, so with rain gear deployed I was out to make coffee under the awning.
The weather let up just as we were breaking camp and we were treated to a hike down to a very healthy, rain-fed waterfall. It was our last moment on the dirt, and a great ending to the trip that made the cold, damp morning more endearing. The drive out of the mountains was picturesque with the Appalachian fog clinging to the empty spaces between icicle covered cliffs. A brief lunch of brats and kraut in Helen was a fine choice before finding interstate and heading home.
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