Brasstown Bald

Saturday we drove up to Brasstown Bald. It is the highest peak in Georgia, at 4784 feet above sea level. You cannot drive all the way to the peak. You park in the parking lot below and take a shuttle up to the summit or hike the six tenths of a mile trail. The day was beautiful and cool so we decided to hike.

Because it was ONLY 6/10 of a mile.

(You see where this is going, right?)

A view of the parking lot from the summit.

It was ONLY 6/10 of a mile down below.

See my van?

Gracious. The trail was STRAIGHT up. A sign at the beginning of the trail asks that hikers please stay on the path because shortcuts through the switchbacks damage the flora. I don't know, that sign implied multiple switchbacks to me. Multiple as in more than two.

Did I mention that the trail was straight up? And that it only had TWO switchbacks? It climbs 500 feet in that 6/10 of a mile! I was sucking wind by the time we reached the summit. Jim tried to act like he wasn't affected at all but he was huffing it pretty hard, also. The kids? Jogging past us laughing and cutting up as if they had all the air in the world.

I hate them.

We earned this view. And what a view it is!

On a clear day you can see four states.

There is a great museum at the top with a movie about the climate of Brasstown Bald. The weather at the top is more similar to Massachusetts than to Georgia!

Jim and Coleman sawed some logs.

So did Christian.

Carolyn participated in the land lottery of 1832.

Unfortunately, her land was too rocky to sustain her family and she had to abandon it and move west.

The highest point in Georgia.

The trail down was much easier!

Look! All five of us! Together! In one picture!

This was a beautiful place. Maybe if we wait long enough to go back I won't remember how out of shape I am and we will climb it again!