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.