Helton Creek Falls

October 2016. Photo by me.

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eep in the North Georgia mountains in Union County on the edge of the Blood Mountain Wilderness and inside the Chattahoochee National Forest surrounded by mountains over three and four thousand feet, runs Helton Creek. Helton Creek is one of many creeks that drain through this narrow passage between these mountain ridges. The water flows to create not one but two waterfalls that can been viewed at the same stop.

On the final day of October I took my annual fall foliage trip through the mountains to view the colors, buy apples, do some hiking and relaxing away from the city. This was my first visit to Helton Creek Falls. Autumn, in particular October, is the lowest month for rainfall in North Georgia and coupled with a severe drought I expected the water flow would be minimal.

Helton Creek Road. October 2016. Photo by me.

 

Fall foliage at the trailhead. October 2016. Photo by me.

 
Driving to Helton Creek Falls is a bit of a challenge and you can easily miss the turn onto Helton Creek Road from U.S. Highway 129. Helton Creek Road is a narrow and winding gravel road with several blind curves and the forest grows to the edge of it. It is possible for two cars to pass side by side, but it is close comfort and one car is going to have to give way and precariously pull off to the side which has no barriers. If you approach Helton Creek Road or exit that direction to Georgia Highway 348 north of Helen you will drive through two creeks so having a high clearance vehicle is suggested. Also for consideration, in this remote location do not expect to find much in the way of cell phone service for emergencies. Isolation comes at a price, but this is worth it.

From the trailhead you can see one waterfall in the distance. Photo by me, October 2016.

 

At the trailhead there is limited parking on the side of the road that might have a capacity for five to six vehicles. From the parking area you can see one of the two waterfalls when the tree cover is scarce in late fall and winter, but in the summer that would not seem possible.

The first of the two waterfalls. October 2016. Photo by me.

Mountain laurel frames both sides of the waterfall. Photo by me, October 2016.

The trail to the first waterfall is a little steep and there are plenty of roots making good shoes a necessity. In wet conditions for someone not in the best of shape this might be a perilous walk. However, the walk is brief, lasting five minutes at most.

The viewing platform. Photo by me, October 2016.

 

The view of the second waterfall from the platform. Photo by me, October 2016.

To get to the second waterfall you continue on the trail and this walk is more difficult. Even in a drought the trail was wet from water seeping out of the ground and from Helton Creek. There are also even more roots to create potential hazards going up the incline. Once beyond the incline the trail levels off and there is a wooden viewing platform to the second waterfall. This second waterfall is larger than the first one.

To get a sense of scale you can see the waterfall compared to the average size person. Photo by me, October 2016.

Photo by me, October 2016.

Photo by me, October 2016

At the second waterfall you can enjoy the view from a wooden platform. You can also walk around the platform onto the rocks and into the creek for a closer look when water flow is this minimal. The plunge pool is much larger and the drop is higher at this waterfall as compared to the first one.

I can only imagine how much more scenic these waterfalls would have been in a normal weather pattern without the severe drought that Georgia experienced in 2016. Even so, Helton Creek Falls is a beautiful and serene place off the beaten path from the more notable Georgia waterfalls.

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.

Dispatch From Abercorn Street

Abercorn Street, Savannah. April 2016. Photo by me.

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lightly after eleven in the morning in Savannah and I had come from breakfast a couple of blocks away on East Liberty Street. I stood waiting for someone outside the Cathedral of St. John The Baptist. I had been in the vast church before so I waited and watched people pass on the sidewalk. I studied the buildings on this particular block that I had never paid much mind to in my many visits to this city. 

 

For the historic district, this block was not all that noteworthy so I turned around and caught the light streaming through the gate of a locked courtyard. I liked most that the sunlight was caught in the English Ivy like a spider's web. I took this photo.

Nick Drake. Date and photographer unknown.

Many years ago I became a fan of the English singer/songwriter Nick Drake. I do not remember how or where I came to know his music, but I took an instant liking to it and him. His soft voice, his guitar strumming and the comforting melancholy of his music was so easy for me to relate. His music for me was like sitting next to a fire and watching the sparks drift upwards to the starry night sky or wading through the wet and green countryside on a cold, misty day. I am never more cozy than when I listen to his music.

Behind the music Drake’s life was brief, tragic and he never came to enjoy any measurable success in his twenty-six years. In 1974, when I was only a toddler, Nick swallowed thirty of his antidepressant pills that he had been prescribed and committed suicide at his parent’s estate in the English countryside. He had dealt with depression for much of his life and finally he gave into it. The legend of Nick Drake was partly built on his early death, but the posthumous fame and success is mostly due to the limited catalog of great music that he left us. He is most well known for his song Pink Moon which has been used in commercials, movies and television shows. My favorites songs of his are: Time Has Told Me, Man In A Shed, When The Day Is Done, Fruit Tree, Way To Blue and Riverman.

Photography has meant a lot to me since I was a child. I would not consider myself a great photographer, but sometimes I do get lucky and take something worthy of being considered art. I respect serious photography like I respect a painting. For some time now I have thought that photography as art was dead or on life support. I believe social media, cell phone cameras and everyone taking photos of everything all the time has made everyone think they are a master photographer. People take photos of food now and share them and we are obsessed with selfies (oh, how I hate that word) which means that really they are just self-obsessed. Photography has been devalued and has become a method to indulge our own narcissism. 

 

The famous photographer William Eggleston of whom I am a great admirer, had an exhibition and book called Democratic Camera. Now that film is no longer necessary and digital photography can be much more cheaply done I believe the camera is more democratic and thus so is photography. What was once a special hobby for enthusiasts or a meaningful way for people to record their family in snapshots for a photo album has become a thumb press away on a smart phone for every meaningless second to be recorded. The world is flooded with images and not photography. 

 

I was further convinced that photography was dead when I saw this recent ABC story.

Yes, photography died.

Nick Drake, Riverman 

The Land Of Laughing Water

The trail head to Minnehaha Falls. Yes, someone misspelled the name.

In reading up on some material before writing this I came across the Native American phrase "laughing water" from the Dakota tribe. Laughing water translates to waterfall and Minnehaha is the Dakota word for waterfall. I had never thought of waterfalls as laughing water but the imagery it creates is playful and beautiful. I can hear the water laughing as it tumbles over a cliff and down the rocks and I hope I can remember this phrase the next time I see a waterfall.

From a spring, water comes out of a mountain at around 2,800 feet above sea level along the Rabun and Habersham County line and moves north forming Falls Branch. Falls Branch comes off the mountain descending to 1,800 feet in elevation before spilling into Lake Rabun, which was built in 1915 by damming the Tallulah River. Falls Branch takes just over a mile and a half to come down off the mountain and one hundred feet of that descent is laughing water. That stretch of laughing water is called Minnehaha Falls in North Georgia.

Minnehaha Falls is located in the far northeastern corner of the state about two hours from Atlanta and near Tallulah Gorge. It is one of several waterfalls located in this portion of the Appalachian Mountains and the Chattahoochee National Forest that cover the far northern reaches of Georgia. The waterfall is named after the famous fictional character Minnehaha in Longfellow's The Song Of Hiawatha.

It was the peak of the fall foliage in late October of 2016 when I visited Minnehaha. The area was experiencing a severe drought and streams were running abnormally low even for what is normally the dry season in Georgia. This meant that the waterfalls weren't quite as beautiful as they should have been since the water flow was limited.

The trail to the waterfall is rather short by my hiking standards at only fourth tenths of a mile from the parking area on Bear Gap Road. The trail follows along the side of Falls Branch and has a gradual incline that is very easy to walk. That short walk into the woods among the mountain laurel is much cooler from the cold mountain water than what you will experience at the trail head.

Photo by me, October 2016.

Even with the lower than normal water flow Minnehaha is a beautiful sight. It might be my favorite so far that I have visited in Georgia. I would like to return one day in wetter conditions to see the water raging over the rocks. The fallen leaves scattered on the rocks and the late afternoon sun striking the trees higher up on the mountainside made for a peaceful scene that day.

Minnehaha Falls is a little off the beaten tourist path and for that reason it isn't as well known as the other falls in North Georgia. This lack of popularity makes it a nice getaway from the crowds that often flood the Georgia mountains during the peak of the fall foliage. In my visit I encountered only six other people and I managed to get some alone time to reflect on the beauty of nature.

Lake Rabun. Photo by me, October 2016.

The parking area on Bear Gap Road. Photo by me, October 2016.

 

Some of the pretty fall color. Fall is a great time to visit. Photo by me, October 2016.

On the drive out to the waterfall you will see beautiful scenery such as Lake Rabun. The roads are twisty and narrow and speed limits are very slow on these roads. Bear Gap Road where Minnehaha is located is a gravel road with blind curves but it is well maintained so even small cars will have no problems on it.

Rethinking Reeve

Street Smart 1987

In 1987 Christopher Reeve was looking to expand his movie career beyond the Superman franchise. New York was still suffering astronomical crime and decay. AIDS was the misunderstood plague and the closeted mayor Ed Koch was in his third term. Street Smart, a movie about a dishonest journalist, a murderous pimp and the colorful street life of New York when Times Square was still exciting and not in a Disney way was relevant for the time.

Street Smart 1987

Street Smart was a personal project for Reeve, he had purchased the rights to it four years earlier and struggled to get it produced. He only agreed to do the last Superman movie so that Cannon Films would bankroll Street Smart for him. The movie had a limited opening in March of ‘87 and was only shown in 207 theaters before closing. It was a minor film that only grossed just over $1.1 million. Just a few months later in July Superman IV would open also starring Reeve and Street Smart would be forgotten.

In the same year Three Men and a Baby, Fatal Attraction, Beverly Hills Cop II and Good Morning Vietnam would all gross over $100 million at the box office to illustrate how poorly Street Smart did by comparison. However, box office receipts are not the only indicator as to whether or not a film is any good.

Imagine Morgan Freeman as a killer pimp. He was incredible in the bad guy role.

Street Smart was a clever film that never found an audience despite positive reviews. The only recognition it ever achieved was the much deserved Oscar nomination of Morgan Freeman for best supporting actor. The weekend it opened audiences were more interested in watching Lethal Weapon, Platoon and Nightmare on Elm Street 3. Even Christopher Reeve, the heroic Superman, could not persuade audiences with his star power to see his thriller with him cast as a New York reporter.

Almost thirty years had passed and I had never heard of this movie until last week. Once I watched it, I realized I had missed out on this excellent movie and it was as if I had discovered a collectible camera or book in a thrift store at some ridiculously low price.

This movie captures an era of New York street life that's gone.

From the clothes to the setting this is a beautiful movie to watch.

Some of the appeal I will admit is my nostalgia for the clothing, my attachment to the pre-internet and cell phone world, my romanticism of the gritty Manhattan I never got to experience as a teenager in rural Georgia in ‘87 as a freshman in high school and the stunning beauty that was Christopher Reeve.

I had a wind breaker just like that.

The script is not perfect and there are a couple of plot holes, but  this is a well done movie that is entertaining and intelligent. It stands up better today than anything Mel Gibson ever made and Christopher Reeve though being a rather stiff person was actually a good actor that never got much respect. Perhaps it was because of the Superman success or from his paralyzing horse jumping accident eight years after this movie that cut his career short. He was Julliard trained, a veteran of Broadway, was surprisingly versatile and was the perfectly chiseled leading man, but even still he is not widely known for being a great actor. He is still known as Superman and the guy who was paralyzed by a horse.

Reeve was very lanky at 6'4.

You could wear that shirt again today and be in style.

It seems in three decades that this movie has been forgotten. You won’t find it running at midnight on a basic cable channel, streaming on Netflix (though it can be found on their DVD service) or ever mentioned anywhere when people discuss their favorite movies of the 1980s and it isn’t a cult classic either. For it to be such a good movie it is a shame that is goes unrecognized and unseen. Street Smart falls into the category of underrated movies that are very good and only film buffs seem to remember but if they were more widely known more people would enjoy them. Movies that are similarly underrated and forgotten from the 80s are Apartment Zero, Diva, Love Streams, Kiss Me Goodbye, Garbo Talks and Author! Author!

 

Reeve would write in his 1999 autobiography, Still Me, that he was “deeply depressed” leading up to this movie and changed his management company. He went on to say the Street Smart/Superman IV deal “turned out to be a disaster.” He said that no money was spent on advertising Street Smart despite the good reviews and that it quickly vanished. He described Superman IV as a catastrophe and that this period was a “huge blow” to his career.

 

He would go on to act in a few other films like Remains Of The Day before his near fatal accident in Virginia in 1995 but television and theatre would be his primary acting outlet as his film career never soared again.

Street Smart mentioned in the March 1987 issue of Jet Magazine. That's Anne Bancroft below in 84 Charing Cross Road which is another good movie.

Equally as good and maybe even better is Deathtrap starring Reeve in 1982. In this film Reeve plays a young playwright caught up in a murder mystery in the Hamptons. Reeve shows his acting range in this role and he’s a little too believable playing opposite Michael Caine. Deathtrap is directed by one of my favorite directors, Sidney Lumet, and the film keeps you guessing until the end as to whom did what and why.

 

If you happen to be looking for something to watch that you may not have seen before and you aren’t allergic to thirty year old movies that aren’t completely CGI or based on comic book characters then maybe go watch some of Reeve’s other movies.