Tallulah Gorge adventure
“Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time.” -Leo F. Buscaglia
Yesterday I found my favorite place in Georgia. Previously my favorite place would probably have been Georgia Tech or maybe my aunt and uncle's house. But now... my favorite place is most definitely Tallulah Gorge State Park.
After several less-than-satisfying hiking attempts close to home, at 10:00 on Saturday night, we spontaneously decided we would make the hike the next morning. I'm not so good at spontaneous, inducing much anxiety as we made a last minute Wal-Mart stop for supplies, packed the backpacks, and got to bed as early as possible (12:15 by the time we got everything ready).
But at 6:15 in the morning, we were out of bed, throwing our hiking clothes on, and loading up the car. See, the thing is... only 100 people are allowed permits to hike into the gorge... and you've got to get there early to get a permit. We were at the visitor's center when the doors opened at 8:00 sharp! [and they were sold out of permits a mere two hours later!]
The hike itself... 350 metal stairs and one suspension bridge down to the river, a mad scramble over rocks to cross the river (we recrossed our path several times until we found the best path to jump across--with the help of some met-on-the-trail friends), then a 1.5 mile of rock climbing and cliff scaling to find a final waterfall at the end that you could slide down into a pool. Then reverse your steps and finish up with a 3 mile cooldown around the rim of the gorge. In other words....awesome!
As we hiked along and took in the gorgeous scenery, Rob and I couldn't help but think of different friends and family members that we would love to share this experience with. We promised each other that we will be back again this summer [and we will bring our swimsuits next time!]--do you want to join us?
Yesterday I found my favorite place in Georgia. Previously my favorite place would probably have been Georgia Tech or maybe my aunt and uncle's house. But now... my favorite place is most definitely Tallulah Gorge State Park.
After several less-than-satisfying hiking attempts close to home, at 10:00 on Saturday night, we spontaneously decided we would make the hike the next morning. I'm not so good at spontaneous, inducing much anxiety as we made a last minute Wal-Mart stop for supplies, packed the backpacks, and got to bed as early as possible (12:15 by the time we got everything ready).
But at 6:15 in the morning, we were out of bed, throwing our hiking clothes on, and loading up the car. See, the thing is... only 100 people are allowed permits to hike into the gorge... and you've got to get there early to get a permit. We were at the visitor's center when the doors opened at 8:00 sharp! [and they were sold out of permits a mere two hours later!]
The hike itself... 350 metal stairs and one suspension bridge down to the river, a mad scramble over rocks to cross the river (we recrossed our path several times until we found the best path to jump across--with the help of some met-on-the-trail friends), then a 1.5 mile of rock climbing and cliff scaling to find a final waterfall at the end that you could slide down into a pool. Then reverse your steps and finish up with a 3 mile cooldown around the rim of the gorge. In other words....awesome!
As we hiked along and took in the gorgeous scenery, Rob and I couldn't help but think of different friends and family members that we would love to share this experience with. We promised each other that we will be back again this summer [and we will bring our swimsuits next time!]--do you want to join us?
Yes! We'll go!
ReplyDeleteY'all look like perfect adventurers :)
Trey and I made an improptu trip to Tallulah a few summers ago. We weren't able to get the permits because the dam was open.
ReplyDeleteumm this like the best place ever!!! Wow I am jealous!!!
ReplyDeletewww.jenloveskev.com
Oh my----I want to come!!
ReplyDelete