Sunday, May 19, 2013

Summit # 140 - Rabun Bald, Georgia (elev - 4,696 ft.)



I thought I was in really good shape. After all, I've been hiking on a daily basis for months now. I've even taken to jogging some portions of Kennesaw Mountain here at home or carrying a backpack loaded with bricks (sorry for the humblebrag). I figured that I could cruise up just about any mountain I wanted. I was wrong. On Friday I hit the Rabun Bald Trail in the Northeast corner of the state and made the challenging 3 mile, 2200 foot climb up Georgia's second highest peak. The final mile or so of this hike is particularly difficult but the reward is well worth the effort - An old stone fire tower at the summit has been outfitted with a viewing platform with 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains. And the fact that the three miles back to the car is all downhill is pretty nice too. I shot some video with my new GoPro so here's a short clip at the summit. Now maybe its time to add another brick or two to that backpack....




Edit - Now with full video


trailhead off FS7. Thanks to whoever left the hiking stick - It came in handy on the way down.













I even managed to fool a few trout in the nearby Chattooga River later that day