Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi

Mountain Crossings is a unique and special place.  Located on US19 near Blairsville, Georgia in Neels Gap it sits atop the Appalachian Trail.  The building has two sections separated by a breezeway.  This breezeway is unique in that the Appalachian Trail passes right through.

This historic stone building was built by the CCC in the mid-1930s and opened in 1937 as the Vogel Lodge.  For the past several years it has been an outfitter for hikers, especially the AT thru hikers.  Besides being an outfitter selling all manner of hiking equipment, it is also a small grocery stocking a variety of trail appropriate foods (noodle side dishes, instant oatmeal, snack crackers etc), a limited selection of fresh fruits, and a wide selection of candy bars.  Mountain Crossings is also a fast food restaurant offering hot dogs, microwave pizza, and ice cream by the pint.  About a third of the store is dedicated to a gift shop with a real focus on AT merchandise, but also a very nice collection of handmade pottery.  There is, of course, the T-shirt and baseball cap sections, as well as books.

Little hard to see the AT blaze on the brick by the downspout,
but the AT passes through this breezeway and up the mountain behind.

On the lower level of the residential side is the hiker hostel.  Mountain Crossings is 30 miles by trail from Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT.  It takes the average hiker 4-5 days to reach Neels Gap and they are more than ready for a hot shower and a bed to sleep in.

Mountain Crossings is turning into somewhat of a museum of sorts, displaying well worn gear from some famous and some not so famous thru-hikers.  Two things in particular they seem to be collecting are boots and backpacks.  These items are displayed from the rafters and walls or just sitting on the floor around the store.  Hanging from a large tree on the front lawn is a mighty collection of old boots.

Not all hikers who begin their AT journey at Springer Mountain are seasoned backpackers.  Many limp into Mountain Crossings with feet covered in blisters, wearing jeans that have rub their skin raw, and carry 50 or 60 pound loads on their backs.  The staff at Mountain Crossings are famous for their hiker “shakedowns”.  Some hikers come begging for assistance in lightening their loads and tips on being more efficient in the wilderness.  Others get it whether they want it or not.  When the staff sees someone putting themselves in danger with what they’re carrying, they don’t hesitate to offer a few suggestions.

For the past 10 years or so Winton Porter has been the proprietor of Mountain Crossings and he and his staff have seen every type of hiker imaginable over the years.  Winton has written fantastic book called Just Passin’ Thru in which he relates some of the things he’s seen and heard as hikers, hundreds of them, have passed through his breezeway.  It’s an enjoyable read even if you’re not a backpacker.

So, there you have it--all I know about Mountain Crossings, but you really have to go there to appreciate the feel of the place.  Just sit on the porch and take it all in.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Appalachian Trail Up Blood Mountain

Our hike today was awesome.  Perhaps part of that feeling of awe was due to our eagerness to get back to some mountain hiking after a couple months in Florida.  Other factors contributed to a great hike--the weather was just about perfect, we had fabulous views from the top, and we saw dozens of young hikers bubbling over with enthusiasm as they get started on their quest to hike the entire Appalachian Trail.

We were also very pleased with how well we did for a first mountain hike in a very long time.  The trail from Neels Gap to the summit of Blood Mountain is 2.4 miles with 1336 feet of elevation gain.  We made the summit in an hour and forty-five minutes. We really didn’t take a break.  We stopped once and sat on a rock to rest for about 5 minutes.  However, we stopped often to talk to the hikers coming down the mountain to Neels Gap.

There are numerous legends about how this mountain got its name.  One of the more popular tales involves the Creek and Cherokee Indians.  Before this area was inhabited by the white man, these two Indian nations engaged in a battle so fierce that the creeks coming down the mountain side ran red with blood.

We began our hike southbound on the AT at Mountain Crossings.  The outfitter was kind enough to let us leave our car in his parking lot.  Their parking lot isn’t very large and they get a lot of business so they ask that day hikers park at a parking lot a quarter mile down the road.  I’m sure they wouldn’t have been so accommodating later in the season.  We were grateful for their kindness today and probably spent more in the store than we otherwise would have.

From Mountain Crossings we crossed to the other side of US19 and started up the hill.  Almost immediately we came to a sign welcoming us to Blood Mountain Wilderness Area and Chattahoochee National Forest.  Being the AT, the trail is blazed in white.  Being the beginning of thru hiker season, it was very evident that the Georgia AT Club had been hard at work to get their section of trail in topnotch condition for the hikers coming through.

The first mile of the hike was on primarily dirt through eastern hardwoods and laurel thickets.  After about a mile we came to Flatrock Gap and the trail junction with the Byron Reece Trail.  We continued up hill.

The second mile was considerably steeper than the first gaining most of that 1300 feet.  The trail also changed from dirt to rock.  As we approached the summit we were walking across large slabs of granite.  It was in this section that we had the best views.

At the summit, we stopped for a few minutes at the Blood Mountain Shelter.  This old stone building has the reputation for being the coldest shelter on the AT.  The building dates back to the 1930s.  We think it was built by the CCC as a trail shelter.  It has concrete floors and stone walls.  The fireplace has been bricked up.  It looks like the roof has been recently replaced.  There were lots of hikers hanging around so we only stayed a few minutes.

Out in the sunshine and a much more enjoyable place for our lunch break was back to one of those granite slabs.  We found a spot not too close to the edge to take in the view while we ate.  Gene even made us a cup of hot chocolate.  We had our dessert at Mountain Crossings after the hike--an ice cream bar.  They had a freezer full of pints of Ben and Jerry’s, but we hadn’t hiked nearly enough miles for that.

Our descent was a little faster than the ascent.  We both put on knee braces to come down that steep section at the top.

Mountain Crossings deserves a whole story for itself.  It is a special place.  I’ll save that for another day.

I think that about does it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Vogel State Park

As you can tell by the title, we got away from Perry this morning.  We had a good travel day even if it was long and tedious.  We took I-75 north until we got almost to Atlanta where we veered off to the east first on I-675 then I-285.  We exited the interstate system when we got to US19 and followed that north all the way to Vogel State Park.  The traffic was heavy on the interstate, but we expected that.  The farther along we got on US19 the less traffic there was.  The drive through the mountains was very slow over the hills and around the curves.  Gene says the drive was hard, but nothing compared to Top of the World Highway in Alaska. At least the road was paved.

Trahlyta Lake

We have never been to Vogel State Park before and we’re very pleased with the facility.  Vogel is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The park covers 233 acres including a small lake.  The park has a nice campground with many sites large enough to accommodate 40 foot RVs.  All the RV sites have water and electric and there is a dump station near the campground entrance.  There are also several rental cabins of various sizes.  The park is open year round, but most of the lake activities are only available during the summer months.

Beach and swimming area

We came to north Georgia to hike.  We had hoped to have three days here, now we only have two.  There are 17 miles of trail within the park, but we probably will concentrate our efforts elsewhere.  If we have some time tomorrow afternoon we may hike the short trail around the lake.

A small CCC Museum

Tomorrow we plan to hike to the top of Blood Mountain.  It’s only two and a half miles, but we haven’t done any mountain hiking in a long time.  I expect that climb will get our attention.

One of the 35 rental cabins

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Family Fun

Just like we expected, we had a blast last night with my family.  We gathered at Ben and Amber’s home in Perry.  Ben is the older of my brother’s two sons. They have two sons--Brayden will be four years old in a couple weeks and his little brother, Cole, will be two in April.

Chef Mike

Normally, Ben does the cooking when we’re at his house, but last night he assigned that task to his father.  Mike is an excellent cook.  He prefers the down home cooking of the south, so that’s what he prepared for us last night--meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and collard greens.  Everything was delicious, but oh my gosh, the greens were to die for.  For dessert, he crumbled some shortbread cookies and mixed them with a little butter to make a crust which he baked for a few minutes until it was firm.  Then he layered banana pudding and fresh bananas over the curst with a generous dollop of real whipped cream on top.

I took the poppers, but Ben just couldn’t stay out of the kitchen.  I was a little confused when he put a pork tenderloin on the grill since Mike had meatloaf in the oven.  That tenderloin turned into an appetizer.  He spread rounds of French baguette with melted butter and horseradish then ran them under the broiler until the bread was a golden brown.  Well, he actually left it a minute too long, but that’s what he intended to do.  On the hot bread he put a drop of spicy mustard, a tablespoon of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, a slice of tenderloin, and topped the whole thing with sauteed onions.  Ben’s the gourmet cook in the family and he’s very good at what he does.

We didn’t just eat and drink while we were there.  We played with Brayden and Cole outside for a while.  Brayden had been to a birthday party earlier in the day.  I guess kids have theme parties these days and the theme for this party was cowboys and cowgirls.  The kids all worn their western outfits.  At the party they got hats with plenty of stickers for decorating and of course there were ponies to ride.

Brayden’s birthday party is in a couple of weeks and he made it a point to tell us that his party was going to be at the Fire Station.  All the kids will get a tour of the station, get to shoot the water hose (I’m hoping they’ll be getting a whole lot of help from the fireman), and they get to crawl under the smoke from the smoke machine.  Brayden’s all excited about it and Amber says it’s part of the fire department public service activities and doesn’t cost anything.

Cole loves to play outside

Ben’s younger brother, Eric, was also there for dinner.  He had to work yesterday so wasn’t able to get there early.  His wife and daughter weren’t able to come because of a previous commitment.  Sorry we missed them, but we had a good visit with Eric.

We made the egg stand on end.

We’re gonna be doing it all again this evening, but tonight Ben is our chef.  He wouldn’t tell us what’s on the menu.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Perry Georgia for the Weekend

We are now in Perry and all about fun with family.  We arrived Friday about mid-day after a relatively short and uneventful drive from Hahira.  We got into a little rain and a little road construction, but neither lasted very long.

Our campground for the weekend is Fair Harbor RV Park.  This is a huge park on the west side of I-75 from the Georgia Fairgrounds where so many RV rallies are held.  The Passport America rate is $22 per night which is about the same as their regular weekly rate.

After a quick lunch we were off to the local grocery to pick up items for dinner.  My brother came over to share that with us and we had a great visit.  Along with catching up on tales of our lives and family gossip, Mike shared an equinox experiment with us that he had seen demonstrated recently.

I’ve heard of standing eggs on end on the vernal equinox.  Something to do with gravity and the spin axis of the Earth supposedly makes it easier to balance any object, not just eggs.  Even though it is still more than a week until the first day of spring, our experiment seemed to prove this theory.  Mike stood the broom out in the floor and it reminded standing without any means of support.  Even with the sway of the motorhome we could move around a little bit without the broom falling over.  It remained standing all on its own for about 30 minutes until we got tired of looking at it.  Too weird or too cool.

This evening, we’re all gathering at Ben and Amber’s home for dinner.  Mike is the chef for tonight.  I volunteered to bring along Jalapeno poppers for our appetizer.  They’re not difficult to make, but are a little time consuming when making enough for a crowd.  They’re pretty popular in our family, so I bought 15 peppers.

When working with jalapenos, it’s best to wear disposable gloves to protect you hands from the oils which can really burn, especially if you have sensitive skin.  Remove the stems and slice each pepper in half lengthwise.  Remove the seeds and cut away that white, fleshy membrane inside.  There are many different stuffings, most with a cream cheese base, but I like to keep it simple.  For a little crunch, I put some toasted slivered almonds in the pepper then fill it with cream cheese, wrap in bacon, and secure with a toothpick.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  The toothpick might not be necessary, but I think it keeps the bacon in place while it cooks. I take the toothpicks out before serving; I don’t know why.

All ready to take to Ben's for baking.

We want to welcome a couple new readers.  The latest is Cool Judy and her husband, Luke.  They are very involved with Escapees Birds of a Feather Boomers group.  We ran into Judy and Luke at Denali National Park last summer.  Also tagging along is the author of the blog, Encourage One Another.  I couldn’t find a name associated with that blog, but he/she is doing a great job of encouraging their readers with short inspirational stories.  Keep up that good work.  Welcome, y’all.  We’re glad to have you tagging along.

Posting this early today so we can scoot on over to my nephew’s.  Will probably be posting early tomorrow, as well.

So, that’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Thomasville, Georgia

We left Perry this morning after a leisurely hitch-up which also involved considerable conversation with a couple of other travelers on their way to Florida.  Both of the gentlemen currently live in Kentucky and are on their annual pilgrimage to Florida for the winter.  One of these gentlemen is retired from Nashville Electric and actually knows one of our RV friends.  It is a small world.

We arrived at our destination for tonight just after 1 PM.  Thomasville is proclaimed as the “city of roses”, but with the very limited amount of research I have had time to do this afternoon, I cannot discover the reason why.  However, driving into town we saw several businesses as well as residences that had much of their landscaping done in roses.  We wanted to go for a walk to stretch our legs this afternoon and we found the Thomasville Rose Garden listed in a visitor brochure we picked up in the campground office.

The rose garden was very nice.  Of course, this isn’t the time for roses to bloom, even in southern Georgia, so most of the bushes were in a dormant stage.  We did find a few open blooms, but not many.  Adjacent to the rose garden was Cherokee Lake.  It was a small lake for fishing with a paved walking path around the perimeter.  We estimated the length around to be about a mile so we did a couple laps.  It was far too warm for a brisk walk in my blue jeans and heavy, waffle knit shirt.

We are parked for tonight at City of Roses RV Park.  It is a Passport America campground so the half price rate of $12 is great.  I keep a list of the campgrounds where we stay and have a very simple rating system.  Basically, there are only three levels—good for a long term stay, good for a short term stay, and good for a one night stand.  We’re giving City of Roses RV Park a one night stand rating.  We have a full-hookup, pull-thru site and it is very level.  However, most of the people here are permanent residents in very old RVs.  Many have a lot of junk cluttering the area around their RV.  Folks seem to be friendly enough and there is one thing we have not seen in any other campground—chickens.  The train tracks are very close, also.  It is yet to be determined if the train will disturb my beauty rest.

This evening we are relaxing after dinner and tomorrow we have a short drive to De Funiak Springs, Florida.