Everyone needs a little adventure and since spring is right around the corner, we decided to have one more family adventure before the garden center’s busy season starts. We headed up to North Georgia, with the intention of finding some snow for the girls to play in. However, the week we went was quite mild and so we missed out on seeing snow. So we turned to another outdoor activity: hiking. Kim and I love to hike, but with two young kids we haven’t done as much lately. Before kids came along, we spent most of our time off hiking the Appalachian Trail or backpacking in the Rocky Mountains. We were even planning a trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and travel in Kenya, but ended up having to cancel just before Abby was born. So, we figured a nice simple hike in the Georgia mountains would be perfect for starting the girls on what we hope is the first of many outdoor adventures.
The great thing is, they loved it! We went to Fort Mountain State Park which is not far from Ellijay, GA on an absolutely gorgeous day. We had it all planned out. Plenty of water and snacks, and even though the girls are getting bigger, we brought our kid-toting hiking backpack. We had a great time and the girls walked (almost) the entire way. Granted, it was just over a mile, but for little legs and tiny feet the girls hiked really well. Of course what we expected was that Maddy would want a ride at some point, and then I would get a little workout hefting the extra weight. But in the end, Abby was the one who ended up wanting a ride. So we squeezed her into the backpack and I carried her for the last bit of the hike.
Along the hike, we saw a fire tower that was reconstructed just a few years ago. We hunted for animal tracks (didn’t find too many of those). But, the coolest thing was the mystery of Fort Mountain. Toward the top of the mountain there is a prehistoric stone wall possibly built around 500AD. It was discovered 150 years ago, and to this day, no one knows why it is there. It’s not a particularly impressive wall, and looks a lot more like piles of rock, but it is the source of many legends. Some archaeologists think it was built by Native Americans. Others propose that it was built by wandering bands of Welsh explorers. It zig-zags across the peak for 855 feet with a height ranging from 2 to 6 feet. It was really cool to discover such a mystery, just hidden in the mountains. All in all, it was a great hike and a great day outdoors.
