Winter is Dying: Testnatee Gap to Cowrock Mountain via the AT
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Our adventures began on the Appalachian Trail at Testnatee Gap off Highway 348, a few miles northwest of Helen, Georgia. Gadget & I, along with our friends Paul, Alissa and their pup Cachi, got to see the last remnants of this harsh winter fading away into spring in the bare wilderness. We navigated through slushy snow in the parts of the trail covered in shadows, and watched each step for rocks covered in layers of ice. This 2.25 mile out-and-back hike is a good climb to the top of Cowrock Mountain any time of year, but the ice and snow certainly adds to the difficulty in winter.
Cowrock Level Up: Ice & Snow
Gadget smiles (?) for the camera. I love this beardo weirdo!
I'm not sure where the 'Cow' part of the name comes from, but there's no doubt about 'Rock'. The summit is one giant rock, which makes for a wonderful spot to rest, and of course CARB UP! You don't want to do all that hiking on anything less than a full stomach, do you? #HealthyAtEverySize
Amazing view from the Cowrock summit - not a cloud in the sky.
It was our buddies' first time on the Appalachian Trail, and they loved it! Cachi enjoyed stretching out his legs, too, and was a fun hiking partner for our Lily.
A quick "Where Are They Now?" update on Alissa & Paul: Since this hike, these lovebirds have gotten engaged! Congrats, guys.
Goose, Gadget & Lily
Chilling, like we do.
Lily would give anything for us to let her off the leash so she could explore.
Walking sticks were mandatory for the steep hike down the mountain.
Estimated time reaching the summit: 1 Hour Estimated time reaching the bottom: 20 Minutes
Another beautiful day in the North Georgia Mountains comes to an end.
Around 9:00 in the morning, my hiking companions Barbara and Lily and I set out to find a hidden falls tucked away off the path of an AT approach trail that starts at the campground we were camping at, appropriately named Dockery Lake Trail. It starts off here, right by the lake. And just by the way, I could live here forever. I regress back to myself as a kid, who admiringly called the woods behind my great-grandmother's house "The Magical Forest", when I have the opportunity to abosrb mystical places like Dockery Lake. At the first creek crossing -- there ended up being about 5 in total. Another stream crossing = fun! We rested at this log and had breakfast: Bel-Vita crackers, fruit, and coffee. So much water on this trail. Kudos to Barbara for his photography talent! After some steep uphill switchbacking on the trail, we had to stop mindlessly following the trail and pay careful attention to our surrounding...
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WARNING : Very little hiking (or much of anything, really) went into the making of this vacation. But for the sake of documenting our adventures, I decided to go ahead and write about this wonderful trip anyway. After weeks of fidgeting in anticipation of our summer vacation, on a Wednesday morning, the time had finally arrived. The Camry was loaded the night before, and the alarm was set for 5:30am, like any normal week day. In the early morning fog, Gadget, Lily & I set forth on a 4 and 1/2 hour drive to Edisto Beach, South Carolina. When Gadget and I first met almost eight years ago, I was practically a part-time mermaid, and on the other hand, he was neither a fan of swimming, nor sandy, hot, sunny, crowded beaches. But, give the boy a stunning, untouched, lonely beach like this, and he'll never want to leave. There are two camping areas at Edisto Beach State Park, both of which accommadate tent camping & R...
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