Autumn Vacation Part 3: Benton MacKaye Trail to Deadennen Mountain Summit

Our 3.4 mile there-and-back hike begins from Wilscot Gap, where the Benton MacKaye Trail crosses Highway 60 near Morganton, Georgia (Fannin County).

 The Benton MacKaye Trail , which travels more than 300 miles through the forest, was named after the forester who first developed the idea of creating the Appalachian Trail. Getting our first taste of thet BMT on the way to Deadennen Mountain left us craving more.


Though the trail is pretty well manicured, there weren't many other signs of humans ever having walked it. Barbara and Lily and I had the ENTIRE trail to ourselves, which to us, is perfect. When we hike, the therapy lies partially in distancing ourselves from the loud, obnoxious distractions* of everyday life, so solitude is key.  
(*Note: One cannot distance themselves from the sound of gunshots echoing through the woods, no matter how "alone" one feels in the wilderness... especially during deer season).

.



The first leg of the trail ascends to Lula Head Gap. Any guesses on what a Lula Head might be?

Ending the downhill run from Lula Head Gap. Onward and upward to Deadennen Mountain summit!

Mush, Lily, Mush!




The summit of Deadennen Mountain was unlike any other I have conquered. From my experience, mountain summits in North Georgia generically are laid out over flat rock outcrops, which offer  views for miles and miles, unobscured by trees. Deadenenn's summit is not so pronounced; in fact, the best clue that signified we were at the top, was the steep decline immediately after. Don't get it twisted, though -- the lack of crowds at the top, and the hauntingly beautiful trees giving way to mountain summit views inbetween them makes this kind of trek preferable.

I should start calling him Annie, because he "fills my senses like a walk through the forest" <3 - John Denver
We found this creepy old stove with bullet holes dumped out on the trail, which was really the only sign of pollution we witnessed. A little mouse lives inside.
We ended our vacation having walked over 10 mountain miles, and it was beyond awesome; it was everything we daydream about on yucky, rainy Mondays like today where the only summits to climb are made of paperwork.  The peace those hills supply is so very worth the next day's aches and pains. As always, I am left feeling  enamored with nature. 


Until next time, we will keep daydreamin'.

Stay adventurous, folks!

- G



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lula & the Cyst

Image
 12/28: Ben & I woke up at 3:00am.... something I've not done since I was an audio transcriptionist working midnight shifts for extra pay. Coffee was brewing & we had just enough time to sit and drink a cup before we got moving. We'd have to be quick, as we needed to wake up Lula and be out the door by 4am. The day before, we packed out bags and laid out pillows and blankets by the door. Maggie was at her grandparents' house for the week, so there was no dog to walk. We had a cup of coffee, got dressed & with anxious stomachs, woke up Lula for our early morning ride to Atlanta. We thought "Oh, she'll sleep the whole way", but she was excited for our road trip and babbled the whole way there, pointing at the big trucks on the road and all the lights once we got close to the city. The sun hadn't even considered coming up yet; neither had the Atlanta commuters, so we reached our destination with little traffic or scurry. My nerves were unusually c
Read more

Lockdown Thoughts, May 2020

March 16th, 2020 - The first day of the best season of my life. The last 8 or so weeks have been so blissfully amazing & the timing could not be more perfect. Becoming a mother has highlighted what's truly important in my life. Since Lu was born (since I returned to work, anyway), I've felt this depressing nagging feeling that I wasn't living the life I wanted. It's so fucked up, when the lines between "work to live" and "live to work" are blurred. I felt cheated when finally, I had something great to put my time into -- my daughter & our family's story that we write everyday -- but as a responsible bill-paying adult, my time had to be spent mostly on paying the bills. Working 40 hours week at a job that doesn't take 40 hours a week to complete. Time spent sitting on a computer, trying to look busy in order to keep my job. Time that I could have been at home, raising my daughter. I felt deep sadness week after week. The hours and t
Read more

Labor Day Camping Trip to Black Rock Mountain SP & 20 Week Check-Up

Image
On the Friday before Labor Day, we packed up the Tundra & headed to Black Rock Mountain State Park for our last "long" camping trip before little Tallulah makes her entrance into the world. Maternity leave will take a big chunk out of my paid time off, so I have to use my leave days wisely. On this day, I learned that not only am I sharing a belly with our new tiny resident, but I am also apparently sharing a brain with her. We arrived early to the park so that we could get first pick of our campsite, since you can't book particular campsites in advance -- it's first come, first serve. We checked into the Visitor's Center to get our parking pass & were informed by the ranger that we had the handicapped campsite booked.... which is the least private site in the whole campground. It sits right beside the bath house & at the bottom of the hill, which all campers must walk past to maneuver between the restroom, their car, & their campsite. I was a
Read more