Tumbling Waters

Photo by me, September 2014.

Amid the mountain laurel that makes up part of the dense green forest and next to a small pond I started the hike up to Amicalola Falls. It was the second day of September so it was going to be a hot and humid hike that climbs straight up this mountain to the waterfall. Hiking in Georgia in the summer is like hiking in a jungle with the thick forests, thick humidity and high temperatures. So as always bring plenty of water and watch for the snakes.

Amicalola State Park is located in far northern Dawson County near the Gilmer County line. The state park offers a lodge, restaurant, camping, hiking some steep terrain and the highest waterfall in Georgia, Amicalola. It also offers an approach trail to the Appalachian Trail that has convenient parking and a trail to the secluded Len Foote Hike Inn.

Like much of northern Georgia this area was once home to the Cherokee tribe of North American Indians. That's why so many places have been given Cherokee names or at least English translations of the Cherokee words. Amicalola is one of those places with a Cherokee name and is translated to mean "tumbling waters." Cherokees were in control of this land until the 1830s when the U.S. government forcibly removed them from their ancestral lands in the 1830s in the Trail Of Tears.

Photo by me, September 2014.

So onward I went up the approach trail to the Appalachian Trail and this is how it went.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Photo by me, September 2014.
 
Photo by me, September 2014.

Photo by me, September 2014.

The trail begins at 1,800 feet above sea level in elevation and rapidly climbs to 2,500 feet in a very short distance. Though this is a very challenging hike with the elevation climb if you go the entire way to the the top of the waterfall I thought this was a beautiful trail. The understory in late summer was filled with wildflowers and the trail takes you alongside the boulder filled Amicalola Creek part of the way.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Photo by me, September 2014.


To me hiking isn't about the destination whether it is getting to the top of the mountain or the waterfall but what you see and experience along the way to that destination. Hiking isn't a goal oriented activity where the outcome has to be a reward like a great view or so many miles at the end of the journey but is about appreciating the beauty all around you in nature with every step you take.

"Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding for leisure, lonely for contemplation, it beckons you not merely north and south, but upward to the body, mind and soul of man." Harold Allen.

I was reminded of that quote by long time Appalachian Trail volunteer Harold Allen when thinking about what I enjoy about hiking and taking every step and the discoveries we make in nature and about our own human nature. A good way to find yourself is just be yourself alone in the woods and hopefully you will return a better person for the journey. I know that for myself I am most at peace and most alive in the woods.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Once you begin nearing the waterfall the trail turns into stairs. These stairs will take you up to a bridge directly in front of and over a portion of the falls. Standing there you can feel the cold water and get sprayed with mist which is a great way to cool off after all that climbing.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Amicalola Falls is a 729 foot drop (the highest in Georgia) of white water off the face of the mountain. It is an incredibly beautiful sight and worth every bit of effort to get up and close to. With some of the waterfalls in Georgia you can stand under or climb on them but not this one. The risk of serious injury or death would be too great venturing off the trails and playing in this waterfall.

Photo by me, September 2014.
Photo by me, September 2014.

Now after admiring the power of the waterfall you can head back down to the parking lot or you can continue your hike to the very top of the waterfall. Once at the top you can peer right over the edge of the falls. Also at the top is another parking area and the lodge and trails continuing on to other destinations. If you have the energy and want to see a view from the top then be prepared for lots more climbing. In cool weather such as late autumn or winter the climb is easer but, in the heat and humidity the rest of the year this climb is more arduous than one might think.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Photo by me, September 2014.

The stairs go so far up that mountain that in the summer you cannot even see the top of the stairs. In total there are 425 steps to climb to get the rest of the way up the mountain. No matter how good of a shape you are in this is a serious climb in high heat and humidity so consider that before attempting this. For perspective there are 1,576 steps to the top of the Empire State Building in New York, this climb is slightly more than a quarter of the way to the top of that building.

Photo by me, September 2014.

As you start nearing the top of the mountain you begin to break free from the tree canopy and you can see views of the surrounding ridges.

The foliage nicely frames the view. Photo by me, September 2014.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Once at the top you can peer directly over the edge of the waterfall and the cliff. Through the opening of the trees you can see the valley below and other mountains in the distance. A more open view of the surrounding landscape can be found over the at the lodge and restaurant a short walk away.

Photo by me, September 2014.

Photo by me, September 2014,

If you want to keep hiking you certainly can, all the way to Maine or back down to Springer Mountain which replaced Mount Oglethorpe, Georgia as the beginning of the Appalachian Trail in 1958.