Secret Falls

 

Somewhere in the Georgia mountains. Photo by me, October 2024.

In typical fashion, the last week of October near Halloween is when I drive up to the mountains of Georgia or North Carolina to see the peak leaf color, go for a hike and buy locally grown Georgia apples and apple cider doughnuts. These are trips I have been making since the 1980s.

One of my destinations in October 2024 was a little known waterfall that I had found in a hiking book from the 1990s. There are many waterfalls in the Georgia mountains and in the fall, the mountain trails are crowded, especially on weekends. I call it the tourist circuit in which metro Atlanta residents drive up to the mountains, fill up the trailheads and huff and puff through the woods for a selfie in front of the water falling over the rocks. The peace I associate with the mountains is nonexistent during fall weekends and the last thing I want to do is listen to people drowning out the sounds of nature.

To help prevent this location from falling victim to the overcrowding of the tourist circuit, I am not going to name this waterfall or its specific location. There is very little information on the internet about this trail and waterfall and I do not want to contribute to it being overrun like most every other place.

The snaky road with sneaky curves. Photo by me, October 2024.

To hunt down this waterfall and lightly traveled trail which I feared might be overgrown, you drive a twisting and narrow two lane state road into the Chattahoochee National Forest. After passing over the tops of ridges for many miles there is another turn onto an even more narrow and curvy road that follows a gap between the ridges. Several miles down this road and following directions from thirty years ago we turned again down a gravel and mud Forest Service road. There were no signs indicating there was a trail or waterfall to be found. The road was in decent shape for an unpaved Forest Service road given that it was only a month since Hurricane Helene had barreled through the mountains and caused so much destruction. Also, you never know what conditions to expect on Forest Service roads as some are more treacherous than others.

Shall we drive this Forest Service road through a creek? Photo by me, October 2024.

The gravel road followed a creek upstream into a mountain cove for some time before we guessed we had located the trailhead by a small pullover as again there were no signs. 

Tempted by the unmarked path. Photo by me, October 2024.

A trail peeked at us through the brush and we decided to take it with no one else around to tell us that we could be making a mistake. Not that I cared, I was happy to be having an adventure in the woods just as I had since I was a boy. Up the cove we walked between the ridge tops that ranged between 3,200 and 3,400 feet in elevation.

A bigfoot. Nah, just me. Photo October 2024.

We walked for some time as the cove began to close in around us. It was around that time and after trudging through a long muddy stretch that I suspected we might be on the wrong trail or that the directions from a thirty year old book were wrong. I sensed that the person I was with began to question our direction and was hesitant about continuing. I assured him that it was not much further and to keep following the swift moving creek upstream, not that I had any real clue. We were going to find something even if it was a bear and we had earlier heard something crashing through the underbrush and leaves on a ridge above us. Though the thousands of wild black bears in Georgia are mostly afraid of human contact and will run away, I hoped not to test it.

It was the sound of the waterfall in the distance that we heard first and with that, our pace quickened. The boundary of two counties went unseen between our legs as we straddled it.

A place with history under the fallen leaves. Photo by me, October 2024.

The ground leveled out and we were standing in the spot of a former Civilian Conservation Corps camp from the 1930s. From looking around, there were signs that on rare occasion people still used the area to tent camp. Those people too were as lucky as us to know about this almost secret place that on this day we had completely to ourselves.

Some of the old mill ruins from over a hundred years ago. Photo by me, October 2024.

Prior to it becoming a C.C.C. camp almost a hundred years ago, there had been a family mill located just below the falls. A few ruins of the mill were scattered around.

The rooted and rocky trail to the ledge. Photo by me, October 2024.

The waterfall crashed through the foliage and remained hidden from view from the banks of the creek. There were two options to be able to view the falls: wade into the cold October mountain water on slippery rocks or crawl up a rooted, rocky ledge then on hands and knees inch out to the edge. It if had been July or August I would have stripped down and chosen the water route. Since it was almost November and from experience I know how cold mountain streams can be even at the height of summer, I forced my too-old-to-be-doing-this-self up onto the ledge.

Between the mountain laurel the secret waterfall runs. Photo by me, October 2024.

 The view was worth it and was made even more beautiful since we had it to ourselves with no other humans around for miles. There was no line of selfie takers, chatter about lives lived by the glow of a cell phone aimed at the face and no alerts or noise masquerading as music blaring from cheap speakers. This was not an experience to be checked off from a list and forgotten. There was nature as it should be enjoyed with a present mind and a satisfaction of finding its beautiful secrets that has driven me since I was a young boy in the 1970s.

The moon of the mountains nearing Halloween. Photo by me, October 2024.

On the way out of the cove to the gravel road, the weather turned as it does in the mountains like flipping through the pages of an old hiking book. Sunshine became cloudy and would become rain later. Clouds with small cracks between coagulated in the sky with my thoughts, the temperature cooled and the moon signaled from above the limbs that nightfall lurked. Ichabod Crane on a lonely country road entered my thoughts as I looked at the trees leaning over the road. The stories of The Headless Horseman and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow inflamed my imagination as a kid and still I remember the eeriness of that dirt road behind my childhood home as something sinister decades later. Not all of my childhood Halloweens were spent running with untied shoe laces from spooks and birds or hearing my grandmother relay news stories of razor blades hidden in the apples. I suppose there is a little of Washington Irving's characters in me, both Ichabod and Rip Van Winkle, and when in the silent woods on October evenings my imagination taps me on the shoulder.

Photo by me, October 2024.

Where the road meets the trail and forks into our imagination if we are lucky. 

 

Hiking Pine Log Creek

This might be the best view on this hike. Photo by me, May 2016

By late June I know that hiking in the south is more hard work than pleasure until the cooler weather in late September begins to return. It was Memorial Day weekend of 2016 and I knew it was already getting uncomfortable this year to be climbing hills and pushing on for more miles but I did it anyway. I had planned this hike near Rydal, Georgia for a couple of weeks so despite a weather forecast of temperatures near 90 and the humidity making it feel closer to 100 degrees I was determined to head out that morning.

Shall we go for a hike? A foot bridge over Pine Log Creek. Photo by me, May 2016.

Go high or go low? At some trail junctions you just have to guess which way to go. Photo by me, May 2016.

The entire trail system at Pine Log Creek consists of just over four miles spread out over the east and west loops, the approach trail and the quarry trail. Four miles isn't that much of a hike in my estimation but when the trails are in many places cut straight up hills with few switchbacks then those four miles are much more difficult than they should be.

C.C.C. quarry. Photo by me, May 2016.

C.C.C. quarry. Photo by me, May 2016.

C.C.C. quarry. Photo by me, May 2016.

The highlight of this hike is the C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corps) quarry. So if the works of the C.C.C. interest you then this makes this a worthy hike. The quarry now filled with water is a tranquil place and a good spot to take a rest and climb around on the large boulders. I would be careful of snakes here as I saw several slither into the water while I was exploring the quarry.

One of the few views on this trail. In the far distance to the southeast is Pine Log Mountain. Photo by me, May 2016.

You never truly break free from the tree canopy on this trail. Photo by me, May 2016.

The trail system here isn't much different than the woods you might find out behind any suburban Atlanta home. The highest elevation on the trails is just over 1,200 feet above sea level. The scenery aside from the quarry isn't remarkable. The trails as badly as they are cut are straight up and down hills with few switchbacks during the elevation gains and the views are only minimal as you never break free from the thick tree canopy. I would consider this trail system more of a fitness trail or a nature walk than a hiking trail for scenic views.

One of the copperhead snakes I saw that day. Photo by me, May 2016.

A gray rat snake that crossed the trail in front of me, Photo by me, May 2016.

Again watch for snakes here in warmer weather. I encountered two copperheads and a gray rat snake on the trails and on the rocks by the quarry.

This dead tree was directly over the trail just waiting to take out someone. Photo by me, May 2016.

Up near the top of the trail there are lots of short needle pines blocking any view. Photo by me, May 2016.

I did have a bit of bad luck on this hike. About thirty minutes in my hike I dropped my water and it all spilled out onto the forest floor. I was already too far into the climb to head back to the car, get the rest of my water and start the hike over. So I forged ahead without water the rest of the day and that made for one long hike in that weather. By the time I got back to the car I had a headache probably due to dehydration and couldn't drink the water quick enough. This was another reason for me to not enjoy this hike that day.

A tree with a disease. I thought the diseased growth looked like a human brain. Photo by me, May 2016.

Some color in the understory of the woods. Photo by me, May 2016.

Sometimes when the hike isn't giving you great views you have to look a little closer to the ground to find the beauty. Photo by me, May 2016.

Photo by me, May 2016.

Photo by me, May 2016.

Count the tree rings. Photo by me, May 2016.

The namesake of this trail system, Pine Log Creek. Photo by me, May 2016.

 Despite the weather, the lack of drinkable water and views it was still a day of appreciating nature and finding beauty in small doses. So I would never discourage anyone from taking a walk whether it is in the middle of the city or in the middle of nowhere as it is the best thing you can do for the mind.

The Pine Log Creek Trail system is located off Highway 140 near the town of Rydal on the Bartow and Cherokee County line. From Atlanta the drive is about an hour north depending on traffic and construction. There is no fee for parking.

Rock Eagle

Rock Eagle 4-H camp. Photo by me, November 2012.

As an elementary student in the 1980s I was a member of 4-H, an organization that dates back to the early 1900s with its origins in rural and agricultural life. I did live in a rural area, but we were not farmers and in terms of my agriculture exposure it was in the family vegetable and flower gardens and visits to my Tennessee relatives who were actual farmers. I remember little of my activities in 4H other than coloring books and a little metal pin, mostly I remember the logo which was a four leaf clover and their green color scheme that made me think of St. Patrick's Day. 

They had a motto too: the 4-H represented head, heart, hands and health and their motto was , "learn by doing." The motto stuck with me throughout life and I still find that experiential learning is best for me. The idea of experiential learning came into vogue again in the late 1960s and 70s and was employed as a part of the core methodology of the Foxfire program for students and was developed in Rabun County, Georgia.

 

I also remember reading and hearing about the mysterious sounding Rock Eagle. It seemed to be the center of the 4-H universe in Georgia as it was always mentioned in the newsletters. There was a figure of a cartoonish bird who appeared to have melted and was meant to represent Rock Eagle.

Photo by me, November 2012.

Photo by me, November 2012.

Photo by me, November 2012.

It is a beautiful place to visit in the fall.  Photo by me, November 2012.

Rock Eagle is a camp for kids near Eatonton in east central Georgia as part of 1,500 acre park. As a kid, I never visited the camp and over time I had forgotten about Rock Eagle until I was reminded of it when I heard about an arts and crafts festival being held there.

 

Photo by me, November 2012.

The park is much more interesting than a camp for kids as the main attraction is a part of Georgia history dating back to 1,000 to 3,000 years as estimated by archaeologists.  Built of white quartz is an effigy mound believed to have possibly been constructed by Woodland Indians. At least that is the latest opinion of archaeologists who have been studying the mysterious mound in the shape of a bird since the late 1800s and once thought it to be 5,000 years old. The bird shaped mound is called an eagle, but some scholars suggest that it may be a buzzard instead since buzzards represented death to some ancient people. I lean towards a buzzard based on the shape of the head, but I will leave that determination to the experts.

The rock eagle or possibly buzzard. Photo by me, November 2012.

Rock Eagle is impressive in size spanning 120 feet from head to tail and 102 feet from wingtip to wingtip. The thousands of rocks are piled as high as ten feet in the center. The ceremonial mound which has yielded artifacts is located a few miles another bird shaped mound known as Rock Hawk. There is perhaps another bird mound, the Pressley Mound, nearby, but that one has either been partially destroyed or is in dispute.

Photo by me, November 2012.

Photo by me, November 2012.

Photo by me, November 2012.

Photo by me, November 2012.

For the best of the view of Rock Eagle there is a stone viewing tower. The tower was one of many projects built by the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The tower was an interesting to me as the bird. 

 

I do not know if being a member of 4-H as a kid means a lifetime membership, but I finally made it to camp decades later. Rock Eagle is free and open to the public.