The first Wood Booger Top 5 of winter looks back at this
past autumn and the completed Fall Outdoor Series. I have documented it here,
but this edition of the Top 5 will be my favorite hikes of the Fall Outdoor
Series. It has been hard to pair them down, because there were a lot of great trips out at places like Mount Oglethorpe, Cowrock Mountain and Cane Creek Falls,
but here goes:
Honorable Mention: Sawnee Mountain. This mountain is in my backyard and because of that I hiked it seven
times this past fall. I did my first hike of the fall here and did a gear test
hike. Because I only live 15 minutes from it I also did a couple Sunday morning
Pre-NFL hikes. My two favorites were the first cold weather hike there in early
October and my annual Fall Foliage Hike, the second weekend in November. While
not the most difficult trail it is a great place to stretch the legs and log
some miles. I love going to Sawnee Mountain.
Number 5: Hike Georgia @ Anna Ruby Falls. I was on the fence about this one. I almost put my hike at Cowrock Mountain and Wolf Laurel Top in this spot,
because I love that hike on that ridge so much. But, because of the sheer beauty of the fall
day and the fact I like my Thursday Hike Georgia group I just placed this
slightly ahead of Cowrock. The fall colors on this day were great and let’s not
forget the double waterfall that is one of Georgia’s best it had all the ingredients
for a great hike and it was. It was also a challenging trail which was a bonus.
Number 4: September Big Cedar Hike. This one happened in mid-September, so the trail still had more of a summer look than autumn. Anytime
I can get out at Woody Gap and head north on the AT (Appalachian Trail) up Big
Cedar Mountain makes for a great day. What made this hike even better was I went out
with Deb. This is also one of her favorite spots, so I knew she is going to
enjoy it and Deb has gotten more trail "seasoned" so I think she enjoys these trips on the trail more. On this day the views were great and I even had a run in with a rattlesnake,
overall it was an excellent hike.
Number 3: Blood Mountain Loop. There is no spot in Georgia I
love more than Blood Mountain. This was my third trip to the summit of my
favorite Peach State Mountain, but the first time that I came up from Lake
Winfield Scott. This is an almost nine-mile loop that takes one on the Jarrard
Gap and Slaughter Creek Trails. I hiked up the Jarrard Gap Trail connected with
the AT at the gap with said name and went north to the summit. When I came back I went via
the Slaughter Creek Trail to the lake trailhead. While the view wasn’t near as good as last
October (I could see Atlanta on that day) the colors on top were beautiful. So,
for a Blood Mountain hike to be three the other two have to be special.
Number 2: Rabun Bald. This was a hike I looked at as unfinished business, but I was still surprised at the end of it. I had been to Rabun
Bald before, last October I hiked to the top, but it just wasn’t the best day.
I was on my way back from Tennessee and I had already hiked to the top of Max
Patch earlier in the day. When I got to Georgia clouds started to roll in and when I got
to the CCC Tower at the top the view was absurd by clouds. So, when I went back on Veterans
Day I didn’t know what type of hike to expect. Because it was my first outing of
the day I wasn’t as tried and enjoyed the challenging hike up the mountain much more. However, the biggest
surprise awaited me at the top. There are some great view in Georgia (like
Blood Mountain and Brasstown Bald), but Rabun Bald might be the best 360 degree
view in the state…bar none. It was just
a great day, and a great hike.
Number 1: Max Patch. I guess I saved the best for last…literally, because this was the last hike of the Fall Outdoor Series and was on the second
to last day in November. The hike was over the Thanksgiving weekend and has become
a kind of annual event for Glen and I. Last year we went to the Rich Mountain Fire Tower. I first should say this wasn’t my first trip to Max Patch as I have
already mentioned I went there in October of 2013. So, I already knew what kind
of view to expect there, and in my opinion it is the second best vista in the
southern Appalachian Mountains, only bested by the Roan Highlands. What this
day had that made it extra special was snow. Like last year’s hike at Rich Mountain
it had snowed over Thanksgiving, so that was one of the reasons we chose Max Patch. The other was Glen had heard me speak of the views here and wanted to experience
it for himself (and scout a spot for star gazing). I first should say the drive up was worth the trip. We came up
over the Tennessee side (last year I came up through North Carolina) and let
say that the road was icy in spots. When we got to the summit it was a winter
wonderland. The funny thing was that there were spots on the mountain with no snow and others
with knee deep drifts. There are not many places on the AT I like better. We
then finished the day in Hot Springs. I can’t wait to go back to Max Patch again.
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