Thursday 4/6/00 24 miles/1617 total 102 Trail Days. Cave Springs, GA. to Rome, GA.
We moved the RV ahead to a state run Lock and Dam on Coosa River a few miles southwest of Rome, Georgia. Betty took me back to Cave Springs. I checked with Helen who runs the Coastal Station in the middle of town to see if anyone had turned in my hiking stick. No luck, she said she would ask around and phone us if she found it.
I hiked north out of Cave Springs on a small county road then east on Black’s Bluff Road into Rome. As I entered Rome, I passed through the beautiful Darlington School campus. The grounds were alive with trees and shrubs blooming and students hustling to afternoon sports practice on the extensive athletic fields. Hundreds of youngsters were busy with lacrosse drills.
Rome was allegedly named because it is nestled on seven hills just as its Italian namesake. A key Confederate manufacturing center, making rail equipment and heavy cannon, Rome was a target for General Sherman. In the style of Paul Revere, John Wisdom rode 67 miles from Alabama to Rome to warn of the advancing Union forces. Local lore says he wore out five horses and a mule in the eleven hour ride.
Rome is also the childhood home of Ellen Axson Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson. She is buried in Myrtle Hill Cemetery with 377 Confederate soldiers; where’s Woodrow?
In talking with local folks and reading about points of interest in the area, I have not seen nor heard any mention of Rome’s real claim to fame. Twenty-five years ago my old, army, hiking buddy, Rodger Warren told me the Rome Plow was so named because it was made in Rome, Georgia. This “plow” is a simple, but very effective large ripper blade mounted on the back of a bulldozer. It easily slices through large roots and parts rocks making other blade work possible. Don’t know if they still make the “plow” here, but I’ll keep asking.
Betty: Today was the day designated to find maps for the upcoming trails in the Chattahoochee National Forest. I had identified three National Forest offices that might have the maps Chuck would need. One was in Lafayette, which was the nearest (about 45 miles), Chatsworth (about 60 miles), and Blue Ridge (120 miles). As I called the offices, the only one that had the maps we needed was Blue Ridge. So, I told the lady that I was driving up from Rome and would be there in a few hours. After dropping Chuck off, I headed up the road. A couple hours later I walked into the National Forest Headquarters in Blue Ridge. It was a beautiful drive. I looked around at the books and maps on display and didn’t see the maps I was looking for. I asked the woman behind the desk and she said, “Oh, yes we have those, they’re right over here.” And, you guessed it – she couldn’t find them. So she said – “Oh, I guess we’re out of them.” Now, you know that’s not what I want to hear. I explained that I had called and was told that they were here, and also the woman I talked to knew I was coming up from Rome and I just refused to believe that she would send me on a wild goose chase. The response, “Well, I’m sorry you drove all the way up here, but she’s not here now and if she put them someplace, I don’t know where they are.” I asked if she could call her. “No”. I have to tell you – by this time I was not a happy camper. Anyway, I went back to the bookshelf and started trying to piece together information from the sources they did have. Meanwhile, she realized they weren’t going to get rid of me easily – so she decided to start looking around a little. I got several maps out and opened them up and took some books to try to reinvent the wheel. I finally decided that with about four other sources, we could make do. Just as I got to the counter with my purchases – she found the maps I needed. Glad I didn’t turn around and leave!!! Now the maps didn’t have a price on them, so she didn’t know what to charge for them. Then, she called the woman who had left. Anyway, the 240 mile trip was fruitful in the end.
Friday 4/7/00 24 miles/1641 total. 103 Trail Days. Rome, GA. to Oostanula River on SR 156.
Betty dropped me in front of the Martha Berry Museum and I hiked north on US 27. The grounds of the museum and the Berry College campus are “picture perfect”. Dogwood, azaleas, fruit trees and all types of ornamental shrubs are in full colorful bloom. It is no wonder that the Masters Golf Tournament is so popular. Not only is it a sporting classic, but the state is spectacular at this time of the year. Thirty-six years ago today, as I arrived in Augusta by train, the “Masters” was not in my conscious thought. I reported to nearby Fort Gordon to start Army basic training. Now, here I am still having fun in Georgia.
It was a long “roadwalk”, I’ve had “forced marches” that were at least as enjoyable. Betty retrieved me at the Oostanula River and we picked up a sackful of Krystal hamburgers on the way back through Rome. I had eight; they were small, but good.
Betty: I made up some posters regarding Chuck’s lost hiking stick and drove back to Cave Springs to place them around town. Talked with Helen in the Coastal station. She has been asking folks who come in if they’ve seen it. No results yet. We offered a reward and someone may want the money instead of the stick. We’ll see. We will move the RV to Calhoun tomorrow (Saturday), and then on Monday will drive back to Naples for about 10 days. I think the break will be good.
Saturday: Thanks to the Jacobsen’s at KOA in Calhoun, Georgia, I am sending this out.
Saturday 4/8/00 17 miles/1658 total. 104 Trail Days. Oostanula River on SR 156 to about 2 miles east of Redbud on SR 156.
We moved the RV ahead to a KOA Campground near I-75 just east of Calhoun, GA. As we pulled in the entrance, we realized that we had stayed here last summer on our way back from Iowa.
The nice weather we have had for the past few days is gone. It is cool, overcast and windy. Even though I did not start hiking until after lunch, I still got in 17 miles. Seems to be a lot of procrastination about getting on with a roadwalk. The good news is that we may only have two or three days of roadwalking left between here and Canada. We left the Pinhoti Trail in the Talladega National Forest three days ago and should be on the Benton MacKaye (rhymes with eye) Trail in the Chattahoochee National Forest in about three more hiking days.
While having a late afternoon snack, at a little store in Redbud, some of the local folks were telling me the temperature would drop to the low 30’s tonight. As I put on my little day pack the lady who worked as the short order cook took pity on me and said she had a spare room I could use for the night. I tried to explain that I had this all worked out, wife, RV, campsite, but she didn’t believe me and darn near insisted that I not spend the night out in the cold.
Betty picked me up about two miles down the road.
Betty: I’ve made arrangements to store the RV here in Calhoun. We will head for Naples on Monday morning and be back on the trail later in the month.
Sunday 4/9/00 21 miles/1679 total. 105 Trail Days. 2 miles east of Redbud on SR 156 to #4421 on SR 382 about MM 5.5 (about 3 miles west of Ella Gap)
Back on the by-ways in rural north Georgia, it is a frosty Sunday morning and the sun is just coming over the low mountains to the East. The peaceful quiet of the morning is repeatedly interrupted by roosters crowing from nearly every homesite I pass. The air is fresh and brisk and has the smell of woodsmoke. Every quarter mile or so a house is tucked back in a valley, some probably close to a hundred years old, others are modern “log cabins”; most have smoke rising from a brick chimney or stove pipe. Even though it is a “roadwalk”, I’m on a high and the miles pass quickly. The route is slowly crawling up into the Appalachian foothills. As I approach Carters Lake, a roadside stand with an outdoor fire heating a large pot, lures me aside. Dean Fowler and her husband, Ed, are boiling peanuts. We immediately hit it off. Dean and Ed hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail in 1983, and Ed grew up in Rolston, Georgia near the Benton MacKaye Trail. After chatting, I tried to pay for one of “Dean’s Famous Fried Pies” (per the sign). She told me that she and Ed like people who are “doing the Trail” and there was no charge for the peach fried pie.
As we get closer to the “real mountains”, there are more and more real estate developments selling mountain home getaways. Interspersed among these upscale houses are older homes and some doublewides, some neat and well cared for, and some hidden by a hillside full of junk.
The sun has warmed the day to about 50 degrees; just right for hiking in hill country. Betty is picking me up early today so we can prepare for our return to Naples tomorrow. We will be off the trail for about twelve days. Betty’s sister Nancy and her husband, Terry, will meet us in Naples as will friends, Jerry and Linda Johnson; all from Lime Springs, Iowa. We always have a good time when we are with these hard working, but fun loving folks.
Betty: While Chuck was out communing with nature, I went to the First Presbyterian Church in Calhoun, GA. Many of the churches we have attended in the Florida Panhandle, in Alabama and now in Georgia start their services with several songs. This beautiful and friendly little church began its service with many “Songs of Praise”. On a chilly morning, it warmed everyone up.
We had an e-mail from Nina, who was caught in the storm 4/4/00. She’s doing well and her cuts and scratches are healing. Nina ended up with scratches and cuts all over her hands, arms, legs, feet, etc. from the brambles she had to pull her way through to get away from the flood waters. She said she cleaned out her gear, dried it out and was getting ready to set out on the trail again. She will be dropped off near where Chuck found her, and resume her hike. Hope the weather is going to give her a break.
When we arrived home, we had a message from Kathy Dougan, a feature writer from the Anniston Star. She said the article she wrote on Chuck was on the front page of the Anniston Star on Sunday, 4/9/00. She also said they had it on their website. We checked into the web and there it was. It’s at www.annistonstar.com in the archives. She did a great job on the article and we appreciate it.
We’ll be back on the trail toward the end of the month and will continue with the trail journal at that time.
Monday 4/17/00 Georgia’s on our mind. We will be heading up to Georgia soon, and looking forward to getting back on the trail. We’ve lived in Georgia a few times, twice during Chuck’s career in the military and I lived there once when my father was in the Army. So we feel it’s another of our homes. We’re enjoying our little break and our company. We’ve had a few people who wrote asking about the hiking stick. We just talked to Helen, from the Coastal station in Cave Springs, GA. She has the hiking stick – Yaa!! We’ll pick it up on our way to north Georgia. As it turns out, if it hadn’t been for two wonderful people, Helen and another lady, we may never have seen the hiking stick again
Remember the “very pleasant” lady who Chuck was talking to while trying to call me? Well, she did pick up the hiking stick. Reportedly, the next day she drove past Chuck, hiking without his stick, and told the lady who was riding with her that she had Chuck’s hiking stick there, in the car, and that he had accidently left it at the pay phone. The other woman said “Why don’t we stop and give it to him?” The “very pleasant” lady said, “Why?” The story goes, that on another occasion they drove past the Coastal station, but again the lady didn’t want to turn it in. Once she realized there was a reward, she decided to ransom it for even more. However, the woman who was with her finally persuaded her to turn it in, Helen paid the reward we had offered and we are ever so grateful! When we go back to Cave Springs, we hope to meet the woman who finally was able to rescue it and, of course, she and Helen are our heros. So the story has a great ending, we hope.
Sunday 4/23/00 Easter Sunday We just got back from Easter Sunrise Services on the beach. I know it would also have been beautiful in the mountains, but this was great. The weather was beautiful. The Community Congregational Church has a sunrise service each year at the beach, a few miles from our home. There are a number of services at beaches in the area. This one had a couple thousand people in attendance. Awesome!
While we’ve been home, we’ve been keeping busy. Nancy (my sister), Terry (our brother-in-law), Linda and Jerry (our friends) all came down from Lime Springs, Iowa. They were here from the 13th through the 20th. We really enjoyed their visit. We also had a chance to join Chuck’s mom in the celebration of her 84th birthday, on April 15th.
We have a friend, Jan Curran, who lives in town and has written several books about his experiences on the Appalachian Trail including, The Appalachian Trail: A Journey of Discovery, The Appalachian Trail: Onward to Katahdin, and The Appalachian Trail: How to Prepare for and Hike It. We’ve been looking forward to having a chance to get together with him and his wife, Anna. We decided this would be a great opportunity and we could include some of the other folks who have been out hiking on the first sections of our trek, and plan to join us again on the Appalachian Trail. So, on the 18th, in addition to Jan, whose trail name is “Old Soldier”, and Anna, we also invited Roger and Carol Rose, Frank “Natty Bumpo” and Judy Mazza, Mae “Crabby Trails”, and our houseguests, to hear and share tails of the trail. Some of the folks brought their books for Jan to sign. It was an evening we’ll cherish and think back on while we’re back on the trail, which, by the way, is quickly approaching.
Friday 4/28/00 17 miles/1696 total. 106 trail days. SR 383 ~mm 5.5 to US 76 at White Path (2 miles south of Cherry Log). After a couple of weeks of “soft living” we are back on the trail at the same point where we ended earlier this month. Yesterday, we spent entirely on I-75; 700 miles from our home in Florida to Calhoun, GA where we had left the RV. This morning we drove back west to Cave Spring, GA which we had passed through three weeks ago. We were on an important mission; to pick up the missing hiking stick. The flyers Betty posted at various places in Cave Spring had resulted in an “informant” and the recovery of the wayward stick. The manager/owner of the Coastal Station in Cave Spring, Helen Nixon, was contacted by a lady who knew the woman who had the stick. We had offered a $20 reward and the woman was attempting to ransom it for $50, but Helen would not budge and insisted that it be returned. Helen gave them the $20 reward out of her own pocket. We repaid Helen and gave her a basket of fruit for helping us. She told us that the woman who took the stick had later seen me hiking along the road and boasted to the “informant” that she had my hiking stick in the truck with her. However, after the recovery of the stick and payment of the reward, that woman is now in jail due to an unrelated shoplifting incident and the “informant” has left town with no forwarding address. Betty and I thanked Helen for her persistence in recovering our treasured old stick. We took several pictures and promised to send her copies.
So now I am back on a roadwalk with hiking stick. It is good to be hiking again after a break of almost three weeks. I suspect I will pay a small price in muscle soreness for the time off. While home, I weighed in and found that I had lost 12 pounds during the past several months of hiking. I tried hard to regain it all the past few days during our spring break.
Our route now is through the town of Ellijay, then north on US76 to Cherry Log where I will intersect the Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT). We will follow the BMT about 65 miles to Springer Mountain and the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (AT).
Our side trip to Cave Spring consumed the morning and I did not get on the trail (road) until 2:30 in the afternoon. Consequently, we planned for Betty to pick me up at 7:30pm. She was right on schedule. We then drove ahead to find the point where I would intersect the BMT.
Betty: I have about four campsite books at my fingertips when we are searching for our next site, however, today as we were approaching Cherry Log and my books didn’t have any campsite listed, we saw a campsite sign on the road. Drove back to check it out and what a find!! We are nestled in the Appalachian hills, with a small stream running along behind us. Levi (the schnauzer) and I have taken several walks. One of the best things about this site is that upon checking in, the lady asked if we belonged to “Passport America”, I said “No”. She told me that our campsite would be $20 if we aren’t members and $10 if we are. The membership is $39. I asked to see a list of campgrounds that are members, and found that we had stayed in four member campgrounds already, and had spent a total of nine nights. I also could see from the list that there were numerous sites along our path. Needless to say, we are now members. By the way, the four campsites we stayed in, not knowing about this deal, were my favorites, and everyone of them had a computer hook-up. Another neat thing about this is – you don’t have to “buy in” at huge prices – like some programs, although they do give you extra brochures with your member number on them and if others join, you get a $10 credit. Anyway, I’ll report more on it later.
Saturday: I am about to go post this and then have some scouting to do. We plan to move the RV tomorrow to Amicalola Falls State Park. I understand they have a great visitor’s center. After Amicalola we may move to Unicoi State Park, just outside of Helen, GA. Helen is renowned for its Alpine Village appearance and shops. This probably translates to good shopping, nice atmosphere, and good food and drink. Chuck’s hike today will take him closer to the AT. Roger Rose will join us on Sunday evening. Monday, Chuck will hike to Three Forks where the Benton MacKaye intersects the Appalachian Trail, and where Roger and I will join him at noon. We will all hike down to Springer Mountain and back. It is incredibly beautiful here. More later! It was fun being home, but it’s great to be back in the mountains.
Saturday 4/29/00 19 miles/1715 total. 107 trail days. White Path on US 76 to Wilscot Gap on the Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) and SR 60.
It was a cool morning as Betty dropped me off on US 76 for the last two miles of hiway walking. The air was crisp, and knowing that there were no more busy hiways to hike for, maybe ever, kept me moving quickly. Soon, I turned east on Rock Creek Road, then hiked past the lane to Camp Cherry Log, our RV site, and on alongside Rock Creek. The valley is about a half mile wide with a few houses scattered on each side and, in some places, small fields or gardens are on the valley floor. Rock Creek road soon turns to gravel and steadily climbs. The trees at this lower elevation, about 1600 feet, are nearly all covered with tender little leaves about one-half their full size. On the ridges above the valley, about 3000 feet above sea level, the trees have a hint of pale green as leaf buds are just starting to unfold. The valley narrows as Rock Creek climbs into the Rich Mountain Wildlife Management Area. There are no more cabins tucked to the sides and only the sound of water rushing down the hill alongside the little road. Across Stanley Gap at 2317 feet and down on the Toccoa River is the quaint little community of Shallowford. The Toccoa Riverside Restaurant and General Store drew me in like a magnet picking up metal filings. Allison approached me as I entered and asked if I was hiking to Canada. She had heard from a local guy who had offered me a ride that I was headed in their direction. My waitress, Heather, and Allison asked me a lot of questions about the hike. As I departed they gave me their address and wanted me to keep them informed of our progress. I gave them little cards with our website address and promised to bring Betty back to this great place. On the east side of the Toccoa River, the Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) climbs sharply up Garland Mountain then down through Garland Gap. Because most of the trees do not yet have leaves, the views are great. Blue Ridge Lake is in clear view to the northwest. The trail climbs and descends several hundred feet as it twists around Brawley Mountain, through Ledford Gap, over Bald Top, around Tipton Mountain and down to Wilscot Gap where Betty and I planned to meet.
As I waited at the trailhead, Tom Keene drove up. He is a BMT board member and Section Leader. We talked about the BMT until Betty arrived. Tom said his wife, Jane, would be interested in our method of hiking with RV support. He invited us to follow him to their cabin near Cherry Log. Tom and Jane have a really nice log cabin high on a hillside overlooking Cherrylog Creek. We had a wonderful visit with this interesting couple. They live and work in Atlanta and “get away” on weekends to this little paradise in the mountains.
Betty: Wow, we did have a great visit with Tom and Jane and hope our paths will cross again one day. Jane is a semi-retired Social Worker/Administrator, who said she didn’t enjoy the administration as much as the working with people. She has recently been talked into writing a grant proposal for, I think she said, a shelter. Tom is a History Professor at Kennesaw State University. We found that we had many similar interests, with all of us telling about experiences in hiking and traveling.
Our plans have changed a little. I checked at Amicalola Falls State Park and found that they have a 16′ limit for RV’s. Since ours is longer than that, we will have to go elsewhere. In checking around Dahlonega and Helen, I decided our best approach would be to go on a northerly route. So we will move today to Morganton instead and then on to Hiawassee and then into North Carolina, probably Franklin.
Sunday 4/30/00 11 miles/1726 total 108 trail days. Wilscot Gap on BMT at SR 60 to SR 60 at Toomi Mtn. We moved the RV to Whispering Pines Campground near Morganton, GA. Betty drove me to my start point at Wilscot Gap on SR 60. The sun was shining, the weather was cool and the trail well marked; great day for a ;hike. It was a long and mostly straight climb up Deadennen Mountain at 3041 feet. After going down to Skeenah Gap it was back up to Rhodes Mountain, then on up to Licklog Mountain, the highest point yet on my trek, at 3472 feet. The descent from both Licklog and Wallalah Mountains was steep but made for faster hiking; my ears popped twice on each descent. Betty met me at the Trailhead. When we arrived back at the RV site, Roger Rose was waiting for us. He had driven up from Naples, Florida to join us on the AT portion. I think this is the sixth time Roger has hiked with us. He was there when we started at Key West last November. He made Betty’s day when he told me to shower and he would take us to dinner. We had a great meal back at the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant. Allison met us and said she knew we would be back.
Betty: As we were leaving Cherry Log Campground this morning, Larry Forget saw me carrying my computer from the community center. He asked about our computer and also if I was a writer. I told him no, I was just posting our website. He told Chuck and I that he and his wife just started “full timing”.
He wanted to take some time off of work (a few months), they told him no, so he decided to retire. He retired and his wife thought that looked so good that she retired too. They decided to go look at some RV’s and said they were determined they weren’t ready to buy one. However, they bought an RV, sold their home and are on the road. They will be campground hosts at a RV site in PA. They are excited about their new life. They introduced us to Jan Tucker from Atlanta, who is a writer.
It is now Tuesday, Chuck didn’t get his journal entry written last night, but he is now on the AT. He, Roger and I hiked to Springer Mtn. The view from Springer is incredible. Roger and I hiked in, while Chuck was finishing up the last of the Benton MacKaye. We met 18 hikers on our way to the top of Springer and then another 11 while we were up there waiting for Chuck.
We are now in Whispering Pines, a neat little campground just off of Hwy 76 and east of Blue Ridge. I asked the campground owner, Marty, if they had a computer hook-up. He said “No, not yet. But if you have an 800 number you can use the phone line in my house.” I will post it, because I don’t ever know when my next opportunity will come. So this comes to you compliments of Marty and Kay at Whispering Pines Campground in Morganton.