At Large in the Blue Ridge - A Trip Repo rt

“TJ's Bar and Grill could have been in St. Martinville, LA, or St. Johns, AZ; Houghton, MI, or Gorham, NH. Despite the starched creases of the Karaoke DJ's "radio voice", the accents of the patrons indicated the locale was Southern Appalachia.

Eight hot hot hot wings and three Coronas in, I was roused to applause and gut bustin' laughter by a certain female's rendition of Clareance Carter's "Strokin'". I generally dislike "scary-oke", but this lady brought down the house, and I enjoyed every second of the ride.

I left the jobsite straightaway Friday afternoon to track North on GA 81, Then hwy 20. This route skirted the Eastern fringes of the Atlanta solar system, yet signs of the cities gravitational pull were constant. Spanking new Eckerds and Auto Zones stood alongside feed-and-seeds and beauti-ramas. Huge swaths of earth shined red in the afternoon sunlight; some groomed flat and high, some gashed and debried. Fine masonry and wroughtiron-wrapped communities sprung up beside delapidated trailerparks. Hundred acre stands of ancient hardwoods ended abrubtly to accomodate parking lots and streets; cookie cutter homes and cake cutter apartments.

Where highway 20 is wide and divided - cutting deep into the hillsides, it disects Downtown Mall of Georgia - one of Atlanta's new Jupiters. On the fringes of this planet is a certain strip mall that is anchored on one end by the metro's newest REI. I was in and out losing less than an hour, and more than one-and-a-half bills. I gained new pants, shirt, Thorlos, spork, fuel, and some insight on a new destination from the sales guy.

The guy answered every detail of my inquiry about Panther Creek Falls and it's trail. I decided that I would indeed earmark it for the weekend's hike. After cruising the trailhead to get a fix on it's location, I continued on to Helen and the little bar and grill on her outskirts.

By 1 a.m. the dogs and I were sacked-out at a fog shrouded overlook pulloff along the Richard Russel Parkway. A quick stop at a supermarket or WalMart here in Cleveland, and we'll be on the trail in a couple more hours - one-ish. It's 5.5 mile to the falls. It'll be a nice afternoon jaunt today, and a cool morning hike tomorrow.

More to come...
last edited: 6/09/07 10:20:30 AM”

“bring it GOJO!!!!!!!!!”

“

"Helen and the little bar and grill on her outskirts."
gojo

On which route? And which outskirts of town(N,S,E or W)?
Thank you.”

“TJ's Bar and Grill
North of town, on the banks of the 'Hooch.

We were on the trail about 1:45. The roadside trailhead was full of a half dozen vehicles. I pulled into the Recreation Area parking lot across the road. It was full of a couple dozen vehicles - I sensed that the trail would be loaded with dayhikers, which it was. I paid six bucks for the privilege of parking overnight behind a gate.

The PL is right beside Panther Creek. We crossed "Historic" US 441 and found the trail, then began our first overnight hike in 26 months. The trail soon crossed below the bridges of the new 441, then dipped into the lush forest - trading the sounds of the highway for the babbling of the creek - and people... and dogs.

We soon met a couple with two large, unruly canines. I had stopped to filter water just before they arrived on the scene. I had Belle and Giz climb up a couple tiers to the little pool I was using in order to get a distance of about 20 feet between them and the Bark Rangers. We sat and watched the unfolding of a struggle of mammoth proportions between idiot, leash, and dog. I deliberately pulled the knife from my pack belt and laid it deside me while commanding my dogs to "sit" and "stay". I looked up only once to make sure that the beasts were being controlled. The Mrs. was having some difficulty with her charge, so I slid the knife a little closer to my side. They saw this. They understood. I wanted to say a thousand things, but I remained silent. Seeing the behavioral differences between my dogs and theirs was 'nuff said.

Panther Creek Trail can be quite gnarly. Scrambling is the name of the game at numerous locations. But I gotta scramble for now - lunch break is over.

More to come, k?
last edited: 6/11/07 11:18:45 AM”

“gojo needs longer lunch breaks, or too eat less”

“We continued meeting people on the trail. I courteously stepped aside with the dogs so's to allow the Atlantans to pass by unGizzed. This got old. We were making poor time. I'm no hurrier, but I was anxious to see the falls as well as the ceiling of my Eureka! Aurora. I had worked hard in the heat all week, and I had slept restlessly the previous night in the drivers seat of the Mighty Mighty Tacoma. I was quite exhausted, but getting into the woodsy groove nevertheless.

So we set out apace - daysers be darned. I stepped right to oncomers, and the pups fell single file behind. We would occasionally meet people with dogs (who seemed to have adopted the same "be darned" philosophy). I would give Belle and Giz two or three seconds for a quick sniff, then give the "ennnk!" command (eventually without looking) for them to c'mon. I never missed a beat, and they were quick to reheel. Within the first mile or so, we were in our familiar backcountry stride - the pack was back!

From the trailhead, the hike is downstream, but does not seem to lose or gain overall elevation. Each up is accompanied by a down. At one point, the trail "teed" at a rock outcrop. Left was straight up, right straight down. Gravity tipped the scales toward the right. We scrambled down, then down some more. The trail was narrow and teetery. It finally flattened only to turn up. And up some more. Then upper still. I was grabbing rocks and roots and hand/foot holes dug into the clay. Twice I had to assist Sarabelle - she would never have been able to climb the hillside unaided. Gizmeaux, in his goaty manner, awaited our arrival at the top.

In two hours total we were standing above the falls. I asked a passerby if this was "it".
"It's better from below, beside the pond." he tells me.
In a couple hundred more yards and a hundred feet of handrail cables, we were standing beside an acre sized pool at the base of an awesome waterfall. I dropped my pack and boots and plunged into the dark, cool depths just as a nearby fisherman pulled up a four inch brooky. Sarabelle was swimming before I dropped my pack, and Gizmeaux was "out deep" with me in a matter of seconds. We were wet and happy. I swam "laps" for several minutes, the dogs watched and waited from the shallows.

Within 15 minutes we were back on the trail - still headed downstream - in search of privacy and campage. I finally settled for a tiny sandbar. I flattened out a spot for the tent, pitched it, then fell in. I rummaged through my pack from inside the tent - the pack was still on the sand. I fetched Lizs' Insul-Mat mattress, my 3/4 Thermarest, and Slumberjack bag. It was 4:45. I was asleep before five.

With my pack wide open awaiting the dew, tent wide open awaiting the mosquitos, food bag lying on the ground, and dogs lying... somewhere out there - I visited Mr. Sandman on his home turf. I awoke some time after dark and called Sarabelle into the tent (Gizmeaux was snugly at my side) then zipped the tent's mesh closed. We three slept like puppies until first light, at which time we began to stir.

I had coffee, hot cocoa, Mountain House, oatmeal, a Snow Peak titanium stove, and a brand spanking new cannister of fuel. I had not a pot. Or mug. I mispacked - no biggy. No problemo. No coffee.

I devised a plan. There was no time to lose.

By 7:15 I strolled into the camp of three tents pitched beside the "pond". Someone was awake in his flyless tent. It was a guy I had a "hey, how y'all doin'?" with the day before. I unleashed my plan.
"I'll filter all the water y'all'll need to hike out today if you let me borrow a pot." I told him.
"Not pots." he says.
Geez. And there were no other campers around. I was going to have to go coffeeless (with cocoa and marshmallows!) for the next 5.5 miles and two hours. Drat.

Off we sleepily go.

Just as I had become aware that I was walking in the silence of the forest instead of the roar of the falls, Ward Cleaver, Jr. (Lizs and I had met the Cleavers before [See Cumberland Island threads], so this Ward gets a "Jr.") comes bee-bopping up the trail towards us. It was convienient to get the dogs off trail, so we stepped aside.
"How much farther?" he panted.
"Bout a mile." I drawled.
"Huh? Really?". His reddened face slumped.
"No. That's just the universal answer to distance inquiries." I answered smilingly.
"Well, how much farther?" He pressed.
"I don't want to ruin the element of surprise. Just keep pushing, you'll get there."
He smiled and nodded.
"Safe travels" I said over my shoulder as the back got back on track.

It was then I saw another figure ahead. The dogs and I were pacing fair, and the way was wide, so we kept on the trail. The person then opted to step up on a low rock beside the trail in order to allow us a wide berth, and to watch the parade of pooches.

She stood silhouetted with her hands propped on her hips as she breathed hard. She smiled at the dogs - may have said something or other, I'm not sure. She was wearing a tiny tee and cheer shorts. She was hot. Drop dead gorgeous. I instantly crowned her Miss June.

"You're almost there," I said in passing "but I didn't tell him."

God bless you guys that have your hottie wives fresh and five miles into the backcountry at eight o'clock in the morning. Ward Cleaver Jr. was directly responsible for me to then and there forget about Juan Valdez...”

“Damn fine TR, I enjoy reading these and it inspires me to take more time with them like I used to. Seems these days, I just skim the surface with my reports.

Thanks, gojo.”

“are you sure you're not a writer? great read first thing in the morning.”

“He's a writer.................

Good doggies!!”

“Great report.I know the coffeeless feeling to, I forgot my pot on my last trip and kind of melted my lexan french press that I placed near the fire in hopes of trying to make at lest lukewarm coffee.”

“The Sunday hike out was the Yang to Saturday's Yen. Saturday afternoon was hot and dusty and crowded, Sunday morning was easy like Lionel Richie.

We somehow ended up on a dud trail atop a ridge. I opted to stay high and bushwhack. The way was virtually free of undergrowth, with the exception of a foot-tall canopy of ferns that stretched for as far as the 49 year-old eye could see. The bushwhack turned out to be more of a Sunday crosscountry. In about a mile we regained the trail, and, as it turned out, bypassed the Cliffs of Rover. Easy.

I pulled into Reba's parking lot anticipating a gorilla-bar breakfast buffet. Turns out, it's exclusively
a Sunday Dinner buffet on Sunday. Meatloaf, fried chicken, roast beef, fried okra, steamed cabbage, fried green tomatoes, and a bottomless vat of sweet tea - but "dinner" was still an hour and 15 minutes away. Suffice the Waffle House.
last edited: 6/13/07 6:19:54 PM”

“We celebrated my step-moms birthday last Saturday at the Smith House in Dahlonaga. I was aloose in my treasured mountains again by 4 p.m. I raced toward Helen, anticipating watching the Georgia/Auburn game on the screens of TJ's Bar and Grill.

I was shocked to find TJ's in a week-old pile of charred beams and fire-rusted airducts. TJs was burnt to the ground. I stopped. I climbed the flight of stairs that once took me to the deck. They would now better serve as a diving platform due to their location above the Chattahoochee, and the absence of the deck.
last edited: 11/13/07 2:38:08 PM”

“My stay at Ashtrays Bar and Grill was brief - I had a game to catch. Within ten minutes I was bellied-up to the bar at Big Daddys Tavern and American Music Facility or some such-named place. The big screen was in place, and the fans were abuzz. By the time I finished my first Corona, Auburn had taken the lead. Oy vey! Didn't last long, though. Final score: UGA 45-ish, War Eagles 20-ish.

Around the third quarter I finally cracked the menu. Escargot, fried chicken, sushi - you know, traditional Deep South fare. I was tempted by the Georgia Roll, but opted for the spicy tuna roll instead. Mmmm.
last edited: 11/16/07 2:22:40 PM”