Best August Weekend Ever!

senordante — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:37:00 GMT

Wow! Below 90 degrees for an entire weekend in August! Just wow!

This time last year I can remember doing an insanely difficult hike up the Coosa Backcountry trail in Vogel State Park. It was more typical August weather then - upper 90s and 100% humidity. Your sweat was useless and overheating was a real problem for us. This past weekend was just incredible though. I got the chance to head up to Georgia's highest point - Brasstown Bald. Only a two hour drive from Atlanta the temps there were even cooler than in town. With great temps and low humidity it was very comfortable for hiking. In fact at times when we'd stop for a break I got chills especially if the breeze kicked up.

Most people drive up to the park where you can hike 6/10 up a steep trail or take a van ride up to the top. That sounded like cheating to me so I found a much better route up. We started at Track Rock gap which is an interesting place by itself. Think you need to go out west to see Petroglyphs? Think again. Georgia has numerous sites and this is one of the best and easiest to get to. We couldn't stay long though as we had a nice hike ahead of us. From Track Rock you get to Brasstown Bald via the Arkaquah Trail. This is probably one of the most strenuous hikes in Georgia. It starts out climbing fast to gain the ridge. 1400+ feet in a short 1.7 miles. Steep! Once at the top of the ridge you enjoy sweeping vistas into the valleys north and south. You can see the town of Blairsville and the mountains as far as North Carolina and Tennessee. We continued to follow the ridge. There are 4 separate dips of 400 feet which of course you must regain each time. Approaching one of the summits you pass through an amazing boulder field. Soon you'll see your ultimate goal - the tower on Brasstown Bald. You arrive at the Parking Lot - full of cheaters who have no idea what they missed. Just 6/10 of mile and you're there. From Brasstown you can see as far as the Smokies - or at least you once could. Each time I visit it seems the views are a little worse. Thankfully the recent rains cleared up the sky quite nicely for us. I could definitely see Standing Indian which is just inside North Carolina.

We backtracked to our trail head and boy was I worn out but happy with the hike! 12.6 miles and 2000+ feet of gain.

If this sounds like a good time to you please have a look at my new outdoor club - Outdoor Adventure Club of the South - at http://oacsouth.com. Put in promotion code ATLOUTSIDE for free membership.

Welcome to Atlanta Outdoors!

senordante — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:45:00 GMT

Welcome to Atlanta Outdoors! Here I hope to have regular highlights of the numerous outdoor recreation opportunities in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

I'm a Georgia native born in Warm Springs. My family moved around some but Georgia has always been home. We returned in 1993 to Rome GA. I spent some time in Americus GA before moving back to the Atlanta metro in 1998. I now live in Lilburn GA. I spend most of my weekends exploring the outdoors in Georgia. While my favorite activity is hiking I ocassionally go backpacking, canoeing, and more!

I hope to share my discoveries here with everyone and hope they inspire you to find your own outdoor adventure. Please feel free to share your discoveries with me as well.

If you're looking for adventure please check out the new club I'm starting - the Outdoor Adventure Club of the South. Our first events will begin in August and we'll feature a wide variety of outdoor adventure, travel, and fitness events. We'll also schedule regular social gatherings where you can make friends with outdoor recreation lovers.