Brasstown Bald via Arkaquah Trail 8/29/2010

TIME LINE

3:45 PM start, 2200' elevation
3:55 small spring (10mins)
4:54 Buzzards Roost Ridge overlook, 3640' elevation (1hr 9mins)
5:10 begin ascent from Cove Gap up to Locust Log Ridge (1hr 25mins)
5:25 begin descent from Locust Log Ridge (1hr 40mins)
5:33 rock seat at Low Gap, then ascent (1hr 48mins)
5:50 spring at rock formation on the north side of Blue Bluff (2hrs 5mins)
6:03 ridge with east view (2hrs 18mins)
6:30 rock pass through (2hrs 45mins)
6:35 slab on Chimneytop (2hrs 50 mins)
7:15PM arrive at parking area, 4,320; elevation (3hrs 30 mins)

This is one of my favorite trails in North Georgia. It may be the combination of the tough ascent up to Buzzards Roost Ridge mixed with the ancient Native American history of the Trackrock Gap petroglyphs. Also, the fact that the trail head is a mere 3 1/2  miles from my front door doesn't hurt.  The dogs and I have used it many times as a short workout hike, usually trudging up the hour or so that it takes to get to a fine view of the Plott Town and Jacksonville communities.

I first completed this hike to the top of Brasstown Bald on Easter in 2007. This is the first time since then that I have completed the trip all the way to the parking area, which lies .6 miles below the summit. So, if you're looking to make this your trail of choice for ascending Brasstown Bald, add in another 20mins to reach the summit. The Easter hike was an in and out hike that took eight and a half hours to complete. This time again, I had Jennifer pick me up at the parking area so I could enjoy the ride back down, not to mention that darkness would have swallowed me about halfway back.

Like so many of my hikes in this area, the number of people that you pass on the trail is minimal. This day was no exception as I passed a couple and their dog a mere 30 minutes into the hike. From that point on, it was just me and the dogs.

The first hour and nine minutes involved a climb of 1,440' to get up onto the Buzzard Roost Ridge where there is a vantage point from a cluster of boulders where I always like to take a short break. From here, the trail continues along a narrow ridge where you can spy the tower on Brasstown Bald through the treetops. It looks closer than the two hours and a bit that it will take to travel across the ridges and up and down the peaks on the way to the parking area.


In the winter, the views are certainly better than the curtain of green that covers the trees in the summer. Views to the west overlook the Track Rock, Town Creek, and Choestoe Valley areas of the county. I wish there were some bluffs, much like the one on top of Blood Mountain, that would provide a more open view.

Leaving Buzzard Roost Ridge, the trail drops down into Cove Gap, thus beginning a series of ascents and descents until you break out into the open on the rocky top of Chimneytop Mountain (another of the Georgia 4000' peaks). This is also a nice spot to sit and give your legs a rest. From here, the trail is fairly level, taking you through the lush rhododendron and laurel tunnel all the way to the parking area.

The sweat on my body becomes a cold dampness as I break into the open at 4,320' elevation, where even on a late August evening in Georgia the wind makes it cool enough that I'm glad for the fleece stowed away in my pack. I stroll to the far end of the lot near where Jacks Knob Trail comes in from the south. There is a nice view from the picnic area back to the north, where a family is enjoying a late picnic all the while fighting the battle to keep their plates and napkins from blowing away.

As the sun begins to drop behind the ridges to the west, my ride arrives, ending yet another great day of hiking in North Georgia.

Arkaquah Trail at Trackrock Gap

Taking advantage of one of the few dry days as of late, I decided to rush home after work yesterday and take the dogs on a workout hike. Our workout hikes consist of 1 to 1 1/2 hours on a trail, usually without a day pack unless it's summertime when water is needed. These small hikes give me a chance to get off of the pavement and into the woods, mostly for a change of scenery, but also to really work those hamstrings and calves on the ascents and the front of the thigh on the descents.

Of the three trails located conveniently close to the home, two of them involve tough uphill approaches that last about two miles before any relief is offered. The third trail is the one where I was nearly disemboweled last time out (see previous post), so I figured I better wait until ALL of the downed trees have been removed from the path before I go that route again.

I didn't feel like fighting the students of Young Harris College for a parking space and it had been a while since I tackled the uphill meat grinder of the Arkaquah Trail at Trackrock Gap. So, I loaded up the dogs and made it over to the trailhead parking area and we were on the trail by 5:05PM. I love this time of year because the days are progressively getting longer and the light in the early evening is fantastic as it illuminates the bare naked forest of tree shafts and rock formations.

Trackrock Gap is a well known (well, mostly in archaeologic circles) site of the only petroglyphs in Georgia that remain in their original location. These rocks contain the carvings of pre-European people that are estimated to have existed as far back as 9000 B.C., or as recently as the Cherokee Tribe in 1500 A.D. (read the historical marker is the photo for more on this site)

Whichever group did these carvings, I like to imagine their presence as I look around the area that I am hiking, wishing I could go back in a time machine to the days of the virgin, unspoiled forest, a woodland teeming with animals, clean water and native people. I get the same feeling when I find an arrowhead. It blows my mind to think that I am holding something that may pre-date the voyages of the Vikings or Christopher Columbus.

As we snake our way around the lower portions of Buzzards Roost Ridge, we top a hill that gives a commanding view of a small cove that runs east to west and contains a small spring branch in the bottom. Across the cove, the dogs notice a trio of white tailed deer scrambling up the far side of the cove. They get about half-way up then freeze, literally blending into the surrounding woods. Rocket begins to bay and they take off again, white tails flashing as they pass over the ridge and out of sight. This will be the only wildlife we see today.

After climbing for about 40 minutes, the trail begins to get a lot steeper, with a light snow cover left over from Friday night. That combined with the rain from this weekend began causing me to slip periodically. This and the setting sun made me decide it was time to turn back. On the way back down I decided to leave the trail and cross over a couple of ridges and bushwhack our way down the opposite side of the cove. Once we reached the southern overlook of the ridge, I could see through the naked forest, Coosa Bald, Slaughter Mountain, and Blood Mountain, with their tops partially shrouded with clouds. I wish we had time to just sit and watch as the clouds formed and rolled over the mountain tops, but darkness was chasing us.

We continued down the ridge until we again met the trail on the south side of the cove. The dogs really like going off trail and I don't mind as long as the underbrush is not too thick. It allows me to keep a trail that I have traveled several times from being ordinary.

Back at the car by 6:10PM it was time to head home to collect our rewards of dog treats for them, and a Blackberry smoothie for me. A great workout hike in one of my favorite places, with no serious injuries, for which I am grateful.