After many days of clouds and rain, Tuesday, January 22nd dawned clear and bright, a "you can see forever" kind of day. Though very cold, 12 hearty souls met in East Ridge to travel down to Ft. Mountain State Park. This was a first visit for many of us and we began with a short hike out to the West Rim Overlook where we were greeted with an outstanding 280 degree view out to the west, south and north. This was followed by a short hike up to the fire tower and prehistoric wall. After this warm-up, we went down to the Cool Springs Overlook and the beginning of the Gahuti Loop Trail. The idea was that it would be an easy hike since we were hiking down the mountain the whole way. Somehow my mind blocked out the fact that we had to hike up and down multiple ridges in the process. Our intrepid flock took it all with good humor and we particularly enjoyed the Rhododendron Tunnel along the creek. We came out near the entrance gate and walked up to the visitors' center so we could wait in warmth for the drivers to go back up for the cars. Our lunch bunch ate in a small cafeteria in Chatsworth that was surprisingly excellent.
If you would like to see some very nice pictures, click here. If you are trying to view the pictures through the TTA site and having trouble please go directly to the blogsite. www.sdctta.blogspot.com.