Raven Cliff Trail

 

Blairsville, Georgia  (high 56, low 33)

 

Yesterday was another beautiful sunny day, though it was a little chilly for us.

We decided to go back to Raven Cliff Trail and do the 2.5 mile hike.  It’s about 12 miles from us on the beautiful Richard B. Russell Parkway.

The leaves are changing a little more every day.

We got to the park hoping it would be a little less crowded than the last time we were there.  It was, but not by much.  Evidently it’s a very popular trail.

The trail winds through the woods following Dukes Creek, and passes along 6 waterfalls, and ends up with a sheer rock cliff that used to be popular for repelling.  It’s not allowed anymore, but I would imagine you could still see it happening on occasion.

Toward the beginning of the trail there were a lot of places that were used for camping.  You could many campfire pits made by using river rocks.

There were even bathrooms.

Notice the white dot in the middle of the picture?

Can you see it better now?

This dirt pile was nearby.   I’m not sure what this is, but I have my guess.

I can only guess that these campers used the “facility” in the dark, because there was sure not any privacy during daylight hours!

We took our time along the trail, stopping often for photos.

There were a lot of bridges.  Al is pretending to be Nik Wallenda.

Lots of small streams and strategically places rocks to keep your feet dry, and lots of tree roots to trip you if you didn’t pay attention.

I am always amazed how some trees seem to live despite the rocky terrain.

Interesting rock formations.

 

Most of the trail was in dense woods, but occasionally the sun would peek through.

 

The 6 waterfalls were very nice, but with the dense forest, it was difficult getting good photos.

We followed alongside the creek the entire time.

The forest was full of rhododendron and would be beautiful when they are blooming in the spring and early summer.

Lots of rocks.

 

interesting trees too.

We could sure tell that we had been riding the golf cart too much, because we were getting really pooped by the time we got to the end of the trail.  With all our stops for photos and to admire the scenery, it ended up taking us 2 hours to get to the cliffs.

We suddenly realized that it was 4pm, and if we didn’t hurry and get back, it was going to start getting very chilly in the woods and maybe even dark. 

So….we took a quick look at the last waterfall, and the 80 foot rock cliffs.   I didn’t even try to take any pictures, because I knew I would be unable to capture what we saw.

Here are a few I borrowed from the web.

We turned around and headed back without making any stops, and got back to the trail head in about an hour and a half.  Along the way we stopped some young guys that we’d seen earlier.  They were swimming in the river.   burrrrr that water must have been 50 degrees.

By the time we got back to the car, we were both POOPED.  My neck and shoulders were hurting from looking down and trying to watch my step.  Our feet and legs were tired and we were sure glad to get back to the car.

We decided to reward ourselves and get a Mexican dinner, since I sure didn’t feel like cooking. 

The first thing we did when we got home was the hot tub.  It sure felt good on our tired bodies.

We are sure going to miss it when we leave here!  I can tell you, sitting in a warm hot tub is the best thing after a strenuous day of hiking!