20 December 2017
Probably no hiking today. I awoke to a downpour. I probably need a day of rest anyway after the 7.8 miles I hiked yesterday, half of which was uphill. I went to bed last night at 8 pm and did not stir until 5:30 this morning.
Against better sense, I ate breakfast in the lodge restaurant. Every breakfast on the menu includes 3 eggs, bacon and sausage in addition to whatever else comes with it. I settled for the smallest option which simply included French toast. The total was $11.50 including the tip. You can’t complain about the prices.
I reported a slow drain in the shower and now plan to do a little driving in the area to see the sites. The rain shows no sign of letting up, so any additional hiking will probably be tomorrow.
Later in the Day
I headed down highway 129 to view Cleveland and Gainesville, Georgia. It poured the whole way. Cleveland is the smaller of the two communities and both have town squares and both are very attractive. I’ve contemplated moving into northeast Georgia to get nearer mountain hiking and these are two possibilities. Even better, Cleveland has an outfitter store on the square. Also in its favor is I used to live in a town called Cleveland in Mississippi-shades of nostalgia!
The rain took its toll on travelers. A section of 129 was blocked both ways due to a traffic accident further up the road.
I figured I would be too sore to hike today, but I felt surprisingly spry for my 69 years. Since the rain began to let up, I decided to see Anna Ruby Falls, located next to the park but part of the US Forest Service. The entire 0.4 miles to the fall is paved, uphill, and extremely steep in places. I had to chug harder on this paved section today than on any trail yesterday. The falls are worth it. The two separate falls cascade over Tray Mountain. The one fed by Curtis Creek plunges 150 feet. The York Creek one cascades 50 feet and both creeks unite below the falls to form Smith Creek.
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With all the rain from last night and this morning, the falls were roaring. The falls were owned by John H. Nichols and named for his daughter, Anna Ruby. Both Falls have the same name.
Feeling feisty, I decided to finish the 6 falls in the area by hiking Horse Trough Falls and High Shoals Falls.
The directions to Horse Trough say “Turn right onto GA 17/75 & go past Flea Market for approx. 9.4 miles. Close to the top of the mountain turn left onto Wills Rd & proceed 4.8 bumpy miles to FS [Forest Service Road] 44F.” It was bumpy and of dirt and rocks. I got to use the 4 wheel drive a little. When I reached FS44F, it was blocked by downed trees and an earthen berm, so no Horse Trough.
Perservering, I pressed ahead to High Shoals, another FS road that was not marked as I headed towards it. After a good distance, I turned around and headed back. Off to the left was another dirt/rocky road that had a ford. A sign said the depth of the ford in high water was 12 feet. After the days rain, I assumed it was all of 12 feet. I figured my Jeep was good but not that good. No High Shoals.
Of the water falls on this trip, Anna Ruby was the most spectacular, even taking into account the extra water flow from the rains.
Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, I intend to tackle Mount Yonah. The hike is 2 miles one way bit it gains 1500 feet in those two miles. It is considered as a “hard” hike. At least it will tell me if I can hope to ascend Guadalupe Peak in March.
