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| Typical scenery along the trail up to Brasstown Bald. |
If you are ever in the Atlanta area and you want to get away from the heat
and craziness inside the I-275 Beltway, you can head north on US-19 up through
Dahlonega to the Southern Appalachian Mountains near Blairsville. Its about
116 miles and two hours to Blairsville but the cool green mountains are worth
the trek. One time when I was on business in Atlanta, Norcross to be exact, I
found myself with a long weekend and as I had explored the metro area pretty
well on previous trips, I decided to head north to Brasstown Bald which at
4,784 feet is the tallest mountain in the State of Georgia. Brasstown Bald is located in a wilderness area of the same name and it is
part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As I made my way up US HWY 19 and then State
Highway 180, I was struck by how green the vegetation was! There were vines
covering everything on the sides of the road and climbing up the trunks of the
trees. It was a rainy, steamy, hazy day in Georgia and the clouds were swirling
around the higher peaks as I gained elevation. Now to someone from the Western
United States, these are not peaks at all but rather hills compared to the
Rocky Mountains. However, when you go from sea level to over 4,000 feet you do pass
through several distinct climate zones and when you arrive at the summit you
have quite the vista. I followed a spur road off of Highway 180 about 3 miles up to the Brasstown
Bald trail and visitor’s center parking lot. During business hours, a van will
drive you to the summit of the mountain or you can take the ¼ mile nature trail
up to the top.
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| Path from parking area to summit is an easy paved grade. |
The mountain was practically deserted when I visited on account
of the overcast condition. I parked my car, looked around a bit in the visitor’s
center and then headed up the trail to the top of the mountain. Brasstown Bald is located on the Chattahoochee National Forest and a portion
of the Appalachian Trail runs by it. All told there are a variety of trails on
the mountain ranging from the 1/2 mile route I am describing to a much longer
9.3 mile trek that can be started lower down which gains over 2,700 feet on its
way to the summit. According to information I obtained from trail signs and the visitors center, this mountain is known to the native Cherokee people as
“Enotah” which means “New green place” – or “Fresh Green place”. This is a
totally fitting name as everything looked as if it received moisture regularly
up in the “cloud forest” around the bald peaks. The rocks, primarily mica schist, that were not covered in bright green moss
and lichens were wet, dark and slippery. The path was grassy and the trunks of
the trees were covered with lichens and green furry moss. There were sedges,
and ferns on the forest floor with mtn ash, maple, birch and oak being the
principle trees. There were also blue berry, service berry, rhododendron and
mountain laurel. As I followed the path up and gained several hundred feet in
elevation I could see Blood Mountain to the south west rising above the clouds. The trail I was on was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the
1930’s and about halfway up I crossed what is known as the “Wagon train road”.
This old path reminded me of the road less traveled from the Robert Frost poem
as it was a grassy two track that disappeared about 50 yards down the way as it rounded
the mountain in the forest. The Wagon train road was built by convict labor in
the 1950’s and for many years families from Young Harris township used to
travel up it to have picnics on the bald.
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| Copious amounts of precipitation cause ferns and mosses to proliferate. |
Interesting little tid bits of history and information that can be picked up
from brochures, trail signs and visitor centers as you travel along. Anyway,
many of the peaks in the area are called “Shrub Balds” according to the
information in the visitor’s center. Shrub Balds are located primarily in the
Southern Appalachians and are usually anywhere from 4,000-6,000 feet in
elevation. Heath shrubs such as the rhododendron are the main plants growing on
the balds. I found Brasstown Bald to be interesting in the fact that its summit climate
was similar to those found over 1,000 miles north. The highest recorded
temperature on the Bald was 84 degrees while the lowest was minus 27. The
Mountain receives around 65-75 inches of rain a year and is generally 10
degrees cooler than surrounding areas. There are several theories for the
strange occurrence of these bald peaks in an otherwise totally vegetated area.
One is that due to the high winds and harsh environment, timber is stunted and
discouraged by the elements from attaining great height. Another is that the
Cherokee cleared their summits long ago for camps and signaling. As I do when
I’m out west, I stopped to wonder about the indigenous peoples who once
inhabited “Enotah”. It made me sad to think that they all traveled the trail of tears west where
many of them perished as they were forced to leave their lands. I thought about
how the Cherokee must have loved and even worshipped this beautiful mountain.
They are all gone now. Things I think about as I hike through the forest. The
trail only climbs 500 feet in .5 miles but once you emerge from the forest you
see the tower / observation deck on the summit of “Wolf pen Ridge” and from
it’s steps and lookout, you have a fine 360 degree view of the Southern
Appalachians and the 13,000 acre Brasstown Bald Wilderness. Inside the Observation deck there are numerous interesting displays on the
geology of the mountain, flora & fauna, and one that I found interesting in
particular was a great tree that had its rings exposed where you could see the
landing of the mayflower, the American Civil War, WWII and other significant
events in the tree rings. The area was apparently very important to the lumber
industry and a bunch of exhibits talk about the logging history. If you do some hiking in this part of the Chattahoochee National Forest you
could possibly see wild turkey, black bear, fox, bobcat, deer, raccoon or other
various varmints. There are also 31 different species of salamander slithering
and slinking about in the forest. You will undoubtedly hear songbirds singing
and the forest itself is refreshing when you think back on the gridlock of
I-275 and the concrete jungle that is downtown Atlanta. In the springtime they
say the wildflowers are best from February through July. In fall the trees
explode with a colorful show that usually peaks around the 3
rd week
of October. This easily accessible summit is a great destination for people of all ages
and abilities. Take the shuttle or the paved .5 mile trail to the summit.
Browse the gift shop and visitors center and just stop and sit for awhile and
observe the greenery and rounded humps of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the mist.
For more information call the Visitors information center at (706) 745-6928 or
visit their
website.
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| Northern Georgia Mountains - sometimes referred to as "Shrub Balds" |
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| Brasstown Bald Summit Museum |
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| Brasstown Bald Trail - North Georgia Mountains |
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