Ten hikers enjoyed an absolutely beautiful day on the trails in Cloudland Canyon State Park. When we started the hike, skies were cloudy and conditions were cool..only 65-degrees! As we hiked the West Rim Loop Trail, the clouds dissipated and glorious sunshine moved in. This was the first sunshine we’d seen in about a week due to Hurricane Helene. The loop trail is beautiful with incredible views into the park’s rugged canyons. In Fact, Backpacker Magazine previously rated this trail as one of the top 10 hikes in the entire country!! The 4.7 mile lollipop-style trail is moderately challenging with 744 feet of elevation gain and offers a mix of woodland wonder and outstanding overlooks! Some of the group decided to venture down to Cherokee and Hemlock falls. The falls were freely flowing due to all the recent rain. It was a rare treat to see so much water flowing from these falls during this typically dry part of the year. While it’s relatively easy to make your way down to the falls, making your way back up out of the canyon is a whole different experience. In less than a mile, the trail ascends almost 500 feet, and in all, we hiked approximately 600stairs! Thankfully, the falls were so beautiful that it made up for that lung and leg-burning metal staircase!!
Hikers included: Jennifer Davis (hike leader), Tammy
Hendrick, Betsy Darken, Tim Booth, Batty Bradley, Sandra Wenden, Gerry Honeck,
Bob Anderson, Linda Keown, and Tom McElhone.
After the hike, several of us tried out a new
restaurant just up the road from Cloudland Canyon State Park. Thatcher’s BBQ on the square in Trenton, GA
was a great pick. The food was
incredible, the service was great, and the portions were HUGE!
I didn't mean to push all of your buttons. I was just trying to hit MUTE!
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