I've lived in Sandy Springs, GA for 8 months. I've passed the sign about 500 hundred times. Off Roswell Road next to the Fulton County Government Annex Building (they literally share a parking lot) is the large and professional looking sign boasting: "Big Trees Forest Preserve".
Out of curiosity I googled it a few months ago. It has it's own website that tells readers of the history surrounding the preserve, and directions and rules of course. It sounded interesting but it took us all this time to actually stop and check it out.
With very low expectations, we ventured into the strange little preserve. The parking is free and ample, and there were plenty of visitors. This makes sense. I assume they were all there for the same reason we were. Today was absolutely gorgeous. Sunny and 60 degrees. I know my California readers are chuckling as they regularly let me know how wonderful the weather is in San Diego. But after snow and cold for weeks and weeks in Georgia, 60 degrees is perfection.
We quickly took off on the first trail we saw. It was pretty much completely flat and covered in soft wood ch
ips. It rounded the preserve and took us over several man-made bridges stretching about 6 feet over a tiny brook. Ok, it might have been a creek. Or as some Georgians might call it, a "crick".
It was quite pretty, except that from any point on any trail you could look to your right and see the road or parking lot, or buildings in the distance. You could also hear the traffic on Roswell very clearly. A small jet even went right over our heads. It made the whole place feel....almost fake. I started to call it the "Disney Land of hiking trails". It felt like everything was man-made, not nature's handiwork.
The man-made features I speak of included: several bridges, a stone walkway over the creek, and several "fallen" trees which looked like they were placed strategically. I couldn't help but wonder if the preserve has been overly planned. There was something missing. It lacked the isolated feeling of other trails I've been on. And the overall ease of the hikes made this a place I wouldn't ever return to, for fitness anyway. I like a trail that makes you work for the natural wonder at the end of the trail. Like the moderate hike through a dense forest that leads to a waterfall. This is a easy walk that leads you in a small cirle back to your car.
I don't knock the place for being a park. I mean, it's a nice place to walk your dog or stroll with a friend. It's not a place to go and become "one with nature".
There is a notebook at the beginning of the trails where people have shared their own insights on the preserve. I may have entered the only entry that wasn't positive. I was honest.
I welcome any comments about the preserve of course. I'd love to hear someone else's point of view on what exactly draws people to the park. And the people who said the preserve "re-centered their souls". Please explain! I must have missed that part of the walk.
http://www.bigtreesforest.com/
Out of curiosity I googled it a few months ago. It has it's own website that tells readers of the history surrounding the preserve, and directions and rules of course. It sounded interesting but it took us all this time to actually stop and check it out.
With very low expectations, we ventured into the strange little preserve. The parking is free and ample, and there were plenty of visitors. This makes sense. I assume they were all there for the same reason we were. Today was absolutely gorgeous. Sunny and 60 degrees. I know my California readers are chuckling as they regularly let me know how wonderful the weather is in San Diego. But after snow and cold for weeks and weeks in Georgia, 60 degrees is perfection.
We quickly took off on the first trail we saw. It was pretty much completely flat and covered in soft wood ch
ips. It rounded the preserve and took us over several man-made bridges stretching about 6 feet over a tiny brook. Ok, it might have been a creek. Or as some Georgians might call it, a "crick".It was quite pretty, except that from any point on any trail you could look to your right and see the road or parking lot, or buildings in the distance. You could also hear the traffic on Roswell very clearly. A small jet even went right over our heads. It made the whole place feel....almost fake. I started to call it the "Disney Land of hiking trails". It felt like everything was man-made, not nature's handiwork.
The man-made features I speak of included: several bridges, a stone walkway over the creek, and several "fallen" trees which looked like they were placed strategically. I couldn't help but wonder if the preserve has been overly planned. There was something missing. It lacked the isolated feeling of other trails I've been on. And the overall ease of the hikes made this a place I wouldn't ever return to, for fitness anyway. I like a trail that makes you work for the natural wonder at the end of the trail. Like the moderate hike through a dense forest that leads to a waterfall. This is a easy walk that leads you in a small cirle back to your car.
I don't knock the place for being a park. I mean, it's a nice place to walk your dog or stroll with a friend. It's not a place to go and become "one with nature".
There is a notebook at the beginning of the trails where people have shared their own insights on the preserve. I may have entered the only entry that wasn't positive. I was honest.
I welcome any comments about the preserve of course. I'd love to hear someone else's point of view on what exactly draws people to the park. And the people who said the preserve "re-centered their souls". Please explain! I must have missed that part of the walk.
http://www.bigtreesforest.com/
It looks like a pretty enough place, though I generally prefer that 'getting lost in nature feel'.
ReplyDeleteI wish you could come visit me so I could take you to Armstrong woods and Sugarloaf mountain =p