Amicalola River Trail to The Edge of the World

Class IV Rapids

March 8, 2015 - This is a fairly easy "hike", the majority of which is a wooden boardwalk that runs from the parking area on Hwy 53 west of Dawsonville, GA. From the parking area, there is a stairway that leads down to the walkway that runs parallel to the Amicalola River for .5 miles until you reach the rapids. It is handicap accessible so all levels of mobility can take advantage of the beautiful scenery.

This trip was made a few weeks after a major ice storm hit the area, so there were quire a few downed limbs, and a large tree that was still blocking the boardwalk. 

At the end of the boardwalk, you can scramble down through some laurel, rhododendron, and a few small boulders to walk out onto the granite slabs that immerse you in the sounds of the rapids. Like all river rocks, tread carefully as they can be quite slippery in spots.

The trail continues on up into the higher elevations of the forest to the southeast of the river. Though not taken on this day, I will return soon to complete the entire loop and will describe it in a separate post.

For a quick trip with small kids or older folks, this is a definite walk to take. You won't be disappointed.

  

Aches, pains, trails, and me.

When I hike, my knees hurt. My lungs can't seem to suck in as much oxygen as it takes to keep my muscles fed. My heart feels as though it may explode behind my ribcage. The room needed for my heart to expand and contract enough to feed my 300lbs+ body is stifled by the space my lungs need to reach full capacity. It feels like they overlap, as if they are fighting each other to the detriment of both. Even on a cold day such as this one, the surface of my brow is wet with sweat, or soaking my hatband.

Even with all of those seemingly unpleasant descriptions mentioned above, I have an intense passion for hiking that goes back to my youth (when I was spry, fit and healthy). For this reason, I moved to the mountains of North Georgia in November of 2006, and I have been exploring this region and its trails.

This blog has been created so that I can share with you my adventures on and off the trail and my efforts at reclaiming my good health. Along with trail talk, I have interests in a variety of subjects which I may hit on from time to time...politics, sports, music...etc. If I don't see you on a trail somewhere, I hope to see you here.