In the land of the sparkling waters.........03/01/2010

3 lakes. 1 park. Beavers. Otters. Bald Eagles. Wild Hogs. Quails.

Nope, it's not the zoo. It's rural Georgia, specifically the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center and it's surrounding trails.

Today we discovered one of Georgia's many best kept secrets. 45 minutes south of Atlanta, tucked back behind the tiny railroad town of Mansfield lies a land of sparkling water. This preserve was founded by Charles Elliot, a conservationist and the founder of Georgia's state park system. His ashes are buried at a white oak tree in the center of the preserve.

This 3 mile loop trail within the preserve follows creeks, watershed areas and circles 3 lakes. With the gorgeous weather today, it seemed as if the place sparkled. Warm sunlight streams through the tree tops and reflects off hundreds of surfaces, from wet rocks to tiny trickling streams. The park is completely secluded. You won't hear cars on the highway from here. And the park's location has made the foot traffic on the trails minimal. We passed a man and his son playing in the creek, but they were the only other adventurers we saw.

The 3 lakes within the park are pristine and reflect the trees on their shores creating a stunning mirror effect.

Towards the end of the trail we followed Murder Creek for quite awhile. The creek's water is perfectly clear and painfully cold. The creek also has multiple small cascades. We mused to each other about the creek's name, of course. My husband's theory is it's named after the large amount of crows that live in the park. My theory is the creek's reddish tint caused by Georgia red clay.

This preserve is known for it's amazing wildlife. There are countless species of birds, including bald eagles and wild turkey. This is a bird watcher's paradise. We kept our eyes open for turtles, otters, beavers and wild hogs to no avail. Perhaps we'll see some of these animals on our next trip to these trails, but today we only saw 2 blue herons, quails and birds of prey circling far off in the distance.

We left the park with our minds centered. I can only attribute this to the naturally spiritual ambiance this amazing preserve possesses. It's amazing in Winter so I can only imagine what it must be like in Spring. I will just have to wait (impatiently) and see!

Haunting hike. 02/24/2010

My husband and I have been very fitness oriented lately. As of the 1st of the year we made the chronic resolution to lose weight. It's one we've made before. It's also one we've broken before. This year, something snapped in both of us. We've stuck with it and have lost a combined weight of 50 pounds so far! We frequent a small local gym and have recently started hiking.

As a reader of my blog would know, the first hike was a bust! Big Trees Forest Preserve was downright disappointing. So, I kept my expectations low as we headed to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield in Marrieta, GA. The drive wasn't promising. The road leading in runs right through an industrial area. But let me tell you, as we rounded the corner and caught our first glimpse of the park....my spirits lifted!

Our first view was of a large open field leading up to a heavily wooded mountain. To the right a huge hibernating tree stands watch, heavily armed with Civil War cannons. We entered the Visitors center first, hoping for a map. The attendant was very friendly and we got to see a few Civil War artifacts and items found on the mountain. There is also a small museum in the gift shop, which we didn't go into. He handed us a map and we were on our way.

Initially, we entered the woods and the sharp mountain trail loomed ahead. A few hundred feet up we stopped to read a sign that stated the trenches we were seeing all around us were actually rifle trenches, used by the Confederate Soldiers that guarded this direct mountain path to Atlanta. I had though the terrain was naturally uneven, as it is covered in leaves and foliage. At about .2 miles up the mountain, we were completely enveloped with mist and barren trees. Looking up the hills, I imagined what it must have looked like during the Civil War. Men hiding in trees and shadows.
The mist definately added to the haunting feel of the woods.

Another aspect of the mountain that I found amazing was the amount of bright green moss covering just about everything the eye could see. Rocks and trees and fallen branches had been taken over by this sea of amazing green, which contrasted with the black and white of the winter forest.

At our first overlook, once I finally caught up to my husband (I'm not quite in hiking shape yet!) I rounded a corner and found him stopped, silent and staring into a mass of trees. He shushed me as I approached and I tiptoed to where he was standing. He had spotted a deer. She was grazing quietly just a few feet away from us, completely unaffected by our presence. I was exited of course. You just don't see that in San Diego! I saw perhaps 3 deer the entire time I lived in California, and they were always up in the mountains and usually out at night.

I snapped a ton of pictures and we moved on. Together we rounded the next corner and there were 4 more deer grazing on the path, right there in front of us! Again, they were not disturbed by us and continued nibbling. They kept a close eye of course. We watched them a while longer. I especially enjoyed watching one deer stretch her neck and head way above her body to nibble on a leaf hanging above her head.

While I was taking pictures of the deer, I looked down to see a huge centipede gliding along near my feet. It was neon pink and green and had what looked like hard plates all over it's body. I'll never tire of seeing these beautiful creatures.

After plenty of huffing and puffing, we finally reached the top of Kennesaw Mountain. The point has been made into a memorial to the Georgia born soldiers who lost their lives in this place. There are several more cannons at the top, surrounded by "earthworks" created again by the Confederate soldiers. From the top of the mountain there is a 360 degree view of surrounding areas, including downtown Atlanta. However, on this day you could not see anything past the edge due to thick fog.

I did some research after leaving the park. I'm drawn to the history of the place, because I felt what I can only describe as a connection to the place. The top of the mountain has been dubbed the "Dead Angle" because the battle at that spot turned into hand on hand combat. Many men lost their lives. 4000 or so, in fact. I can't help but believe that there has to be something left of those souls on the mountain. It feels like a cemetery. Not creepy, necessarily...but mournful.
Needless to say, the place is beautiful. It's serene, calm, isolated and peaceful. I imagine it's even more amazing in the spring and summer. I've read that there are several birds that live in the woods and one hiker claims to have seen a bald eagle at the top. I felt emotional when I thought of all the souls that had been lost in this place.

This hike is a bit difficult. It's steep in most places and you have to climb between rocks and roots. But the prize at the end of the trail is something you will keep with you forever. I know I will always keep Kennesaw Mountain in my "amazing file".

Notes on Georgia: Sandy Springs, Big Trees Forest Preserve. 02/21/2010

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 chips. 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/

Notes on Georgia: Has Spring Sprung? 02/2010

Has Spring sprung? One week ago, I would have laughed this question off. Atlanta received record snow fall, blanketing the city in puffy snow and leaving the streets a slushy mess. Matt and I headed straight to Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, hoping for snow play time. The park was gorgeous. The lights from the buildings downtown reflected off the ice and it truly seemed as if the trees were sparkling. It was quite cold obviously, but Matt and I forgot about the temperature for awhile, and walked through couples making snow men, groups of kids having snowball fights and others who like us, were looking for white zen.

The snow started melting away the next day, and each day throughout the week seemed colder and colder. The prospect of Spring seemed so far away.

Yet Spring seems to have appeared suddenly, as if trying to prove us all wrong. The sun shines, there are Robins and Woodpeckers galore and people seem to be walking with a little more bounce in their step. The magazine covers all boast Spring decorating ideas, and I even read an article about forcing Spring blooms on tree branches to open!

I understand the romance of Spring a little more. In California there really is little to no distinction between seasons. Here, after several month of real cold, Spring seems like a warm and fresh gift from Mother Nature.

The forecast claims rain will begin again early next week, and maybe it will go back to being frigid outside. But today it feels like the world is flowering around us. The trees are still barren, but the kudzu is turning green. I've gotten a taste of the upcoming season and now I really can't wait for the sun to come out of hiding.