April 28 - Moccasin Creek 11/47

I decided to go up to Moccasin Creek State Park having forgotten everything about it from last time. Got there and went, "Oh right, this place." It's the oddest park, being little more than an RV campground and fish hatchery on Lake Burton. Here's the thing, if you wanna go hiking at Moccasin Creek, you actually have to leave the park.

But Hemlock Falls is worth it.

The trail is across the highway on USFS land. The first 1/4 to 1/3 of the trail is... unfortunate. Garbage is everywhere. People camp where they like. And flies, at least when I went, were in abundance. Once you get past the yuck part, the trail becomes a real gem.

 This snake was so still, I feared he was dead! But he was more afraid of me than I was of him.

 Not sure on the type of snake here. I didn't hang around to find out and neither did he.

 The CCC ruins are barely there. I can only guess where the buildings were placed in the clearings.

April 25 - Tallulah Gorge 10/47

Wasn't feeling so spectacular today, but I still wanted to take advantage of the nice weather so I headed up to Tallulah Gorge State Park, one of my favorite spots in Georgia. I quickly realized I wasn't up for doing the stairs so instead ventured down the road to the south side of the gorge, an area I haven't spent much time at. It's definitely a different perspective on the place!

 I walked under the old bridge and looked at the graffiti and kind of abandoned atmosphere the area had. It was a bit surreal.

January 5 - Amicalola Falls 2/47

Since I work for a university, I get a large swath of time off during the winter holidays. The weather was decent and I didn't feel like death, so I used this time to head out to a couple parks.

It was a bit chillier on the 5th than the 1st and I certainly felt it once I got out of the car at Amicalola Falls SP. I quickly got back in the car and rooted around for extra clothes. A second pair of jeans, gloves, and hat later and I felt I could brave the woods.

I really like circling the stone archway that leads to the AT approach trail. It feels magical and full of the hopes of everyone starting their through hike.

After I got that outta my system, I wandered up to the top of the falls via the "back way", the lesser used trail that takes you up with (imo ofc) less effort than the bajillion stairs that are the obvious route. I did take the stairs back down though.

I puttered around a few of the trails and did a wee bit of the approach trail before heading back home.

Someday I'll actually do the approach trail. I'd like to stay at Len Foote Hike Inn too. Of course... during off season. lol.