Back on Blood Mountain
When you hike Blood Mountain, it is really a beautiful place. The trails are steep and rocky, but the small streams and quiet beauty are just breathtaking. It is easy to forget that crime ever touched those pristine woods.
We came to North Georgia this weekend despite a winter weather advisory. With snow already accumulating on our yard, we jumped in the Jeep and drove toward the camper. Oh boy, we'll sure have a lot of snow up there! Well, it snowed most of the day, but the roads dried and most melted away. We worked around the camper for a little while, then headed to Ma Gooch's for supper. It really hit the spot, as usual! Afterward we went to the grocery store just in case we were iced in at the camper in the morning for a while.
The morning was crisp and cold, but the roads were clear. We again enjoyed Ma Gooch's fine cooking, then turned north toward Blood Mountain. I was so happy when we started seeing the magnificent icicles that I had seen two weeks ago. I had described them for the boys, and they were really impressed to see them for themselves. We parked at the Walasi-Yi Inn at Neel's Gap and wandered through the shop. The boys loved playing with the resident dogs that make their home in the store. Finally the boys settled into some chairs near the fireplace and read ghost stories while Barry and I looked at things that aren't that impressive when you're a kid. Back outside, we walked up behind the building and enjoyed the beautiful view, as well as having a great snowball fight!!! We finally went back to the Jeep and drove just under a mile to the parking area for the Byron Reece Trail. We bundled up and geared up and headed up the mountain in the snow. It was a winter wonderland. Not too far in we had to cross a stream. The rocks were pretty slippery, but with the aid of our hiking poles, all four of us made it safely across. There were a number of couples and families on the trail. You naturally talked to the people you passed, and petted their friendly dogs. It would have been easy for Meredith Emerson to relax on this trail and chat with the man who later took her life. We passed a mound of flowers dedicated to her, and found fresh flowers and colorful petals scattered all along the trail in contrast to the snow.
The trail had some steep spots, and the ice and snow made parts of it dangerously slick. It was really wonderful to see my boys happily hiking through the snowy woods, and Aaron told me he knew what it meant to be "high on life." They took the time to enjoy the play of the sunlight through the trees on the snow, to marvel at the natural ice sculptures along the edges of the streams, and to study the icicles that jutted up from the muddy ground and dangled from the rocky overhangs. Of course, boys simply cannot resist ambushing each other with a nice, big snowball either! They never complained about how far we'd gone or how cold it was, and only fussed when we told them we were heading back to the Jeep. I think they would have gladly stayed right there. It was a gorgeous day. Tomorrow we'd head home, but tonight we'd sleep again in our wintery mountain hideaway.
We came to North Georgia this weekend despite a winter weather advisory. With snow already accumulating on our yard, we jumped in the Jeep and drove toward the camper. Oh boy, we'll sure have a lot of snow up there! Well, it snowed most of the day, but the roads dried and most melted away. We worked around the camper for a little while, then headed to Ma Gooch's for supper. It really hit the spot, as usual! Afterward we went to the grocery store just in case we were iced in at the camper in the morning for a while.
The morning was crisp and cold, but the roads were clear. We again enjoyed Ma Gooch's fine cooking, then turned north toward Blood Mountain. I was so happy when we started seeing the magnificent icicles that I had seen two weeks ago. I had described them for the boys, and they were really impressed to see them for themselves. We parked at the Walasi-Yi Inn at Neel's Gap and wandered through the shop. The boys loved playing with the resident dogs that make their home in the store. Finally the boys settled into some chairs near the fireplace and read ghost stories while Barry and I looked at things that aren't that impressive when you're a kid. Back outside, we walked up behind the building and enjoyed the beautiful view, as well as having a great snowball fight!!! We finally went back to the Jeep and drove just under a mile to the parking area for the Byron Reece Trail. We bundled up and geared up and headed up the mountain in the snow. It was a winter wonderland. Not too far in we had to cross a stream. The rocks were pretty slippery, but with the aid of our hiking poles, all four of us made it safely across. There were a number of couples and families on the trail. You naturally talked to the people you passed, and petted their friendly dogs. It would have been easy for Meredith Emerson to relax on this trail and chat with the man who later took her life. We passed a mound of flowers dedicated to her, and found fresh flowers and colorful petals scattered all along the trail in contrast to the snow.
The trail had some steep spots, and the ice and snow made parts of it dangerously slick. It was really wonderful to see my boys happily hiking through the snowy woods, and Aaron told me he knew what it meant to be "high on life." They took the time to enjoy the play of the sunlight through the trees on the snow, to marvel at the natural ice sculptures along the edges of the streams, and to study the icicles that jutted up from the muddy ground and dangled from the rocky overhangs. Of course, boys simply cannot resist ambushing each other with a nice, big snowball either! They never complained about how far we'd gone or how cold it was, and only fussed when we told them we were heading back to the Jeep. I think they would have gladly stayed right there. It was a gorgeous day. Tomorrow we'd head home, but tonight we'd sleep again in our wintery mountain hideaway.
posted by Jennifer at 10:42 PM
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