Kicking Back At The Movies...Literally

That's Godzilla!

Movie poster.

As Monty Python would say, "and now for something completely different." Well, Thursday I broke my two-year hiatus from the movie theater, by going to see the latest American attempt to do Godzilla right.
First, let get this out of the way and say I was thoroughly satisfied with this 2014 outing. I know my Godzilla movies, to date I had seen everyone. Anyone who knows me knows that I was more than disappointed with the 1998 attempt to bring the King of Monsters to American theaters (pissed off would be a better word). Just let me say to do a good Godzilla movie doesn't take a lot. He needs to be big, really big, lumbering and breathe radioactive fire. Not be an overgrown cross between Jurassic Park and an iguana that can be killed by conventional weapons. Just have Godzilla be big and bad with monster fighter and that is about it. I describe good Godzilla as "monster porn." It really is low hanging fruit. If I had a complaint about the 2014 movie would be there was too much talking and not enough monster bashing, but I have had the same complaint about Toho Godzilla movies in the past.
The other thing I wanted to touch on was the fairly new (well to me it is) AMC North Point Mall 12. The first thing I noticed it just seems to me that movies get more expensive I decided to just see the regular because

Outside the theater.

McGuffins bar.

the 3D, AMC Prime and IMAX 3D were between $14-to-$16. I paid $9.50 for the regular show and this was in the afternoon. Anyway, the next thing I noticed was the concessions. They had the regular drinks, popcorn and candy. Then they had the Coca/Cola Freestyle section, which offers over 100 different drink choices. There is also a bar called McGuffins. Having a beer at a movie is nothing new I did it in Orlando in the late 80's, but the price of one beer, let's just say Phillips Arena says they are high (almost $10). Oh, they even have hot food with pizza and sandwich at the marketplace. Add to that there are even dine-in theaters.
As for the theater itself, first I should mention that we had reserved seats, that was a first but it was stadium seating which I love. The seats were roomy, but the coolest feature was the seats reclined, like mine at home. I will say I did like that...a lot. Overall, it was a fun day at the movies, pricy, but fun.

Passports Without The Porno Scanner

Spanish hiking passport.

A lot of people have a passport, I have one but did you know there are other kinds of passports that are fun and you don’t have to send in a birth certificate or go through a TSA porno scanner at the airport. The two fun passports I am going to talk are the one I have.

First, passports like these are nothing new they have an old tradition. For hundreds of years hikers of the Camino de Santiago in Spain acquired a “passport” to document their journey. They would get them stamped at places, mostly hostels, on their way. Anyway, I will start with the first one we (Deb & I) got and that is the National Parks Passport.  With this passport one can get stamps at any of the many U.S. National Parks or Historic places. We bought this one last summer on the Blue Ridge Parkway. They can be purchased at many national parks and from this site.

National Parks Passport

Some of the stamps.

The second of these is one that came out around Christmas (2013) and in plenty of time before the 2014 Thru-Hiking season, the Appalachian Trail (AT) Passport. This little green passport is much smaller than the National Park one.  Like those old Spanish ones the stamps for the AT Passport can be obtained at participating hostels, and other places that have stamps. I got mine at Christmas.

AT Passport: Front...

...back.

My four stamps to date.

So, far I have four stamps on mine. The first two I received back in late February one from Mountain Crossing Outfitters (which has a hostel) in Neel Gap and the Hiker Hostel near Dahlonega. The third was from the Amicalola Falls Visitors Center in early May. The final one, so far, I got last week at the Top of Georgia Hostel and Hiking Center in Hiawassee. On the AT Passport website one can find a list of stamp locations. You can also purchase the passport on their website and some places that have stamps also sell the passports.

These passports are fun and there are no strip searches involved.

AT Day Hikes: Last Stop; Dicks Creek Gap

The rock at Dicks Creek Gap.

In Georgia, the Appalachian Trail (AT) has six major road crossings. One of the most famous happens to be the last, if headed north on the AT, it is Dicks Creek Gap.

The reason for its fame is part like I said the AT crosses GA 76 here making it the final spot before it heads into North Carolina. It is also near the town of Hiawassee, GA (11 miles to the west) making it a popular resupply point. One of the reasons for this is that the next town the AT passes near is 40 miles away at Franklin, NC. Add to that most thru-hikers have already spent over a week on the trail, so a lot of people just want to get to civilization, especially after the rugged hike from Unicoi Gap to Dicks Creek Gap. It is also a spot, second to Neel Gap, where people quit the trail in Georgia.

 Like I said above it is one of the six major road crossings the AT makes. I had been to the other five, Woody Gap which crosses GA 60 and Neel Gap, where the AT cuts through Mountain Crossing, is off US 19. Three and four are right together as GA 138 passes through both Tesnatee Gap and Hog Pen Gap and finally there is the fifth, Unicoi Gap, which is off GA 75 and nine miles east of Helen, GA.

Woody Gap off GA 60.

Elevation - 3,173 feet.

Neel Gap features Mountain Crossing.

At an elevation of 3,108 feet.

Tesnatee Gap off GA 138...

...Elevation of 3,138 feet.

Pete's favorite Hog Pen Gap...

...elevation 3,485 feet.

Unicoi Gap off of GA 75 at an...

...elevation of 2,949.

So, I really never thought I would get to Dicks Creek Gap, unless I did a thru or section hike. By looking at the AT Guide, there didn’t seem to be a real day hike there and from most things I seemed to see or read about the spot, most were just racing to get to the gap so they could hitch a ride to Hiawassee. I did learn that there was a carved rock like one finds at Woody and Hog Pen Gaps, so I did want to see it, but it is another half-hour to here from Helen.

With the Woody Gap Rock...

...the second at Hog Pen Gap...

...& the third at Dicks Creek Gap.

However, I bought the book, that I have mentioned before, Day Hiking the North Georgia Mountains by Jim Parham and in it he describes a day hike to a vista over Whiteoak Stomp. The hike is a five miler that goes south from Dicks Creek Gap. I thought about that this would be a good hike, but first I wanted to hike to Tray Mountain, because as I chronicled here, it was the number one spot on the Georgia AT that I had yet to visit.

Andrews Cove.

Tray Mountain.

So in April I finally made the trek to Tray Mountain and while I didn’t start the hike from Unicoi Gap (I came up from Andrews Cove Campground), I did make a point to go to the gap so I can see the third George Noble plaque, which rest on a big boulder. Then, on my way back I thought to myself that I had been to five of the major road crossing, maybe it was about time to hit the sixth.

I will say that this hike didn’t come off as planned. I had first planned to do the hike on May 8^th. If I remember correctly the weather was going to be spotty, so I moved it back to the next week. I planned to go at the end of the week and the weather, which original looked promising went south, so I had to move it again. The day I scheduled was Monday of this past week (May 19), while it rained on-and-off all weekend, however the day I picked looked good. So, I packed my day pack had everything ready, but just before I went to bed I checked the weather and there was one of the weather alert icons. Anyway, I clicked on it and there was a fog warning for the North Georgia Mountains and the forecast had gone from sunny to cloudy.
Well, I thought maybe it won’t be too bad and went to bed. When I woke up Monday morning it turned out to be thicker than I thought and would not improve until afternoon. When I looked at the weather it looked like I would catch a break Wednesday, so I decided to move the hike to that day. Wednesday came and the weather turned out nice, so on to Dicks Creek Gap. As I approached my destination I wonder if I would find the parking area with maybe one or two other cars, but the lot almost full, so I swung in a grabbed one of the last spots.
Dicks Creek Gap itself is a nice area, like a cross between Woody Gap and Hog Pen Gap. As I said Dicks Creek Gap is one of the three places that have carved AT rocks, but like Woody Gap it has picnic tables. What it shares with Hog Pen Gap is no vault toilet like one will find at Woody. Because of its position as the last road crossing in Georgia (and last resupply spot for 40 miles) there were a couple of shuttle vans there.

Dicks Creek Gap.

One of two information signs...

...welcomes you to Dicks Creek Gap.

Second information kiosk & the AT as it heads north.

Busy morning.

Some of the picnic tables.

Panorama of Dicks Creek Gap.

One was from the new hostel a half-mile down the road, Top of Georgia Hiking & Hostel Center, which if you stay there overnight will provide hikers a free shuttle to Hiawassee and back to Dicks Creek Gap. They also offer shuttle service to other locations. This was what they were doing waiting to take two section hikers back to Amicalola Falls, but another group wanted to stay at the hostel and go to Hiawassee, so I was asked if I was going south, and I was, to look out for these other hikers and tell them to wait at the gap and I obliged. One of the things I love about the trail is the people I meet.

Headed south.

So, I headed south on the AT I guess this is probable the time to mention what I had read about the hike. In Parham book he described this hike as moderate, but it was little tougher than a moderate trail. Most of it was pretty steep and it had very few switchbacks. I have been on trails rated strenuous that were a bit easier. However, one of the things I found surprising about the trail was unlike most of the North Georgia AT it was not very rocky. As I have documented before a rocky trail and North Georgia go hand-in-hand. I mean even Sawnee Mountain is rocky, but this section of the AT while not free of rocks was less than other spots I have traversed.

What the trail did have was a lot of those Mountain Laurel tunnels I love. To this point the section from Indian Grave Gap to Tray Mountain had the most I had seen, but this section of the AT had more. Moving through these and hitting the first steep uphill section one comes to an interesting spot. Off to the left was a bench with the view of a mini-waterfall, which had a name Carnes Cascade. It was a nice spot and I would guess a lot of thru-hikers might miss it in their charge to get to Dicks Creek Gap.

Mini-waterfall...

....called Carnes Cascade.

When the trail finally flattens out one comes to a junction with the trail left leading to a piped spring. From time-to-time on the trail one will passes a spring and a number of these will have a pipe sticking out so to make it easier to fill a water bottle. Is it safe to drink?  I spent summers as a kid and still do drinking spring water, but that is for the individual hiker to decide. This area is also the site of an old AT shelter, Snake Mountain, which was abandoned in the 1950’s and is no longer visible.

Junction for water at site of the old Snake Mtn. Shelter.

The short trail heads to...

...a piped spring.

In another half-mile one comes to Moreland Gap, which marks the half-way spot to the vista. Also here to the right of the AT is a very good camping spot. I have to say that there are a number of good spots on this part of the trail to pitch-a-tent. It is here that the trail once again turns and heads uphill. Like a lot of this section, there are not a lot of switchbacks. One interesting thing I found was some little pink markers that were mostly at steep spots. When I looked at one it said steps, which I think means that the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club plan to put in steps into these areas.

Junction at Moreland Gap, camping spot is to the right.

The camping spot one of many on this section.

Fire ring.

Moreland Gap.

Very large...

...& three fire rings.

Trail to camping area at Dicks Creek Gap.

Spot where a pink ribbon was placed...

...& it says steps.

I think it is a good time to mention the plethora of wildflowers on the AT this day. I have seen a lot of these on the trail this spring and today is no exception. Some were on their last legs like the Daisy Fleabane, Rattlesnake Weed, Sweet Betsy and the Flaming Azalea. Others were coming into bloom like the Virginia Dayflower, Venus' Looking Glass, Appalachian Bluet, Common Blue Violet, Woodland Phlox and my favorite Mountain Laurel. Also, there was a lot of Southern Blackberry blooming, which is now at its peak.

Daisy Fleabane

Sweet Betsy

RattlesnakeWeed

Flaming Azalea

Virginia Dayflower

Venus' Looking Glass

Common Blue Violet

Appalachian Bluet

Mountain Laurel

Southern Blackberry

As the trail headed up Powell Mountain it passed through maybe the coolest Laurel Tunnel I have hiked. 

Here are some of the cool tunnels...

...here...

...here...

...here...

...& here.

After about 0.2 of a mile I reached the summit of Powell Mountain. However, the vista was still another half-mile. I descend down to McClure Gap before heading one more time uphill and finally to the junction of the trail to the vista. The first thing you notice is the sign saying “vista.” Like all approach and side trails it is marked by a blue blaze. A couple hundred yards down the trail one comes to an open camping spot. 

Summit of Powell Mtn.

McClure Gap.

Headed up from McClure Gap.

The trail leads to...

...here, it says vista.

Camping spot.

It is here that I ran, again, into an Asian couple and older woman who I assume was the mother to one of them. They had blown passed me on the uphill on Powell Mountain. They had a picnic of sushi and gave me an energy bar. I think the reason they did was because they loved Pete, my pink hiking rabbit that Deb gave me last year, who goes on all my hikes. They just thought he was so cute.

Asian family I met, they loved....

...Pete, the Hiking Rabbit.

Pete hates the Easter Bunny!

Pete at his favorite place...Hog Pen!

Anyway, I followed the blue blaze and finally came to the outcrop…and let me say it was nicer than I expected. On the AT Parking Site the photo showed a fogged in vista, so you couldn’t see anything. So I was pleasantly surprised by the vista. It gave good views of Glassy Mountain, Lake Burton, Black Rock Mountain and up in the left corner Georgia’s second highest mountain, Rabun Bald. 

The vista.

Glassy Mtn. & Lake Burton.

Closer look at Glassy Mtn.

Black Rock Mtn.

Rabun Bald.

After sitting, eating a Cliff Bar and enjoying the view I headed back. As always the trip back, because it was mostly downhill, was easier and it took me 30 minutes less time.

Tunnel & white blaze.

 

Back through the tunnel.

Nice shot on the way back.

Steps head back to...

...to...

...Dicks Creek Gap, elevation 2,675.

The view that thru-hikers can't wait to see.

I finally got back to Dicks Creek Gap and after a few minutes of hanging out at the gap it was on to the Popcorn Overlook. This spot I found out about from another book I have the North Georgia Mountains Pocket Companion. The overlook is four miles east on GA 76 in Rabun County. While I will go in a little more detail when I do a review of overlooks in Georgia, I will say it was nice. It had picnic tables, information displays and a nice view of the southern Nantahala Mountains.

 

Popcorn Overlook.

The overlook vista.

Nantahala Mountains.

Rabun Bald.

More blackberry.

It was well worth the side trip. Anyway, I headed back west which brought me back through Dicks Creek Gap. I then made a quick stop to get my AT Passport stamped at the Top of the Georgia Hiking & Hostel Center, which is pretty nice. 

Quick stop...

...at the hostel.

I then traveled on to Hiawassee and made a stop at Lake Chatuge Recreation Area, took a picture of the lake and Brasstown Bald.

Lake Chatuge

Brasstown Bald

I had another stop and it was Unicoi Gap. It gave me the chance to take another look at the third George Noble plaque while I decided if I would hike-up to Rocky Mountain and back, which is just over three miles.

The rock with...

...the 3rd George Noble plaque.

Trail up to Rock Mountain.

The combination of a steep hike, it was 4 o’clock, I had to cook dinner, the Blackhawks were playing (after the game they played I don’t think I would have counted it), and I had Deb’s car so I decided not to head-up and instead headed back to the Apartment. Before I started back I made one more stop at Spoil Cane Creek and took in the flowing water. So, that was my day of finishing the sixth major road crossing and another day hike on the Georgia AT.

Spoil Cane Creek...

...as it flows downstream.