A blog for adventure junkies or adventure wanna-bes, outdoor enthusiasts or animal lovers. Live adventurously through my blog or get tips to live your very own adventure.
Sometimes when I tell folks my wife and I are going “geocaching,” I get a blank stare in return or they say, “geo-huh?”
My wife has a t-shirt which describes it best – “I use multi-billion dollar military technology to look for tupperware hidden in the woods.” Essentially that’s it. A “cacher” will hide a container (hopefully watertight) and then post the GPS coordinates on the geocaching web site. Usually a theme or a story goes along with the cache and many are placed in beautiful or interesting places you may not otherwise visit. Once published, other cachers proceed to look for it, posting their “finds” online.
The only tools you need are a handheld GPS device, which can locate caches based on latitude and longitude, maybe some hiking boots and bug spray depending on when and where you “hunt.”
Caches are rated on difficulty and terrain using a scale of 1 to 5. Generally, 1 ratings are handicap accessible and 5 ratings require some extraordinary means or effort to reach. We have had to canoe after some, solve puzzles to get coordinates, etc.
If you want to rack up numbers, there are “park and grabs” in just about every town, from 35 mm film canisters in the base of lamp posts to small metal tubes hanging in trees in city parks. If you are more adventuresome, you can hike over a mile to get to one ammo can or lock-n-lock box (these are our favorites). We have cached from the coast to the mountains and many places along the way.
The containers range in size from a micro, which is just a little larger than the eraser on the end of a pencil to an ammo can the size of a suitcase. (There may even be larger ones, but that’s the biggest we’ve found.)
Our favorite so far was one called “Bradley’s Rock Collection.” It was placed by a stream in the Bent Creek Recreational Area of the Pisgah National Forest in the mountains of North Carolina where we camped, hiked and hunted for caches last summer. The container was full of various rocks, minerals and fossils – each with a description.
Kids love the hobby because it is a real life treasure hunt. You want to keep the locations “secret” so they remain hidden and the kids get to be “sneaky” along the way. Geocaching is a great way to have fun, get out there and enjoy the adventure along the way.
Bob is a bi-vocational pastor serving New Hope Baptist Church, Beulaville, NC. He also is the coordinator for the NC Justice Academy’s Management Development Program. Among the topics he teaches are leadership, critical incident management and communication. He and his wife, Eileen, have been married for over 27 years. They enjoy camping, hiking, canoeing, geocaching, running and other outdoor activities where they are able to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. They have one son, Jared, who is a rising senior at Campbell University. Check out his blog.
Here’s a short clip from last weekend’s hike along Panther Creek Trail. Springtime can be one of the best times of years to hike. A coolness still lingers in the breeze, the flowers are in full bloom, and the smell of their blossoms fill the air.
What better source to find adventures than National Geographic. I recently posted my Top 1o Georgia Adventures but here’s something for everyone. National Geographic lists the following Top 10 Best American Adventures:
1. Biking the Continental Divide Trail: Multistate
2. Kayaking Lake Yellowstone: Wyoming
3. Rowing Down the Grand Canyon: Arizona
4. Climbing Mount Rainier: Washington
5. Canoeing the Adirondacks: New York
6. Exploring ANWR: Alaska
7. Biking RAGBRAI: Iowa
8. Surfing the Lost Coast: California
9. Hiking the Sierra High Route: California10. Wreck Diving Lake Superior: Minnesota For more info on each adventure, read the entire article on the Top 50 Best American Adventures.
Finding adventure doesn’t have to send you traveling across the world or even across the country. Georgia residents are fortunate enough to have many adventures waiting just around the corner. Here are my top 10 adventure spots in Georgia (in no particular order). Some are free and others cost a chunk of change. No matter what type of adventure you’re interested in, you’ll find something on this list.
Rocktown: Located at the top of Pigeon Mountain on the border of Georgia and Tennessee, this is a playground for kids and adults alike. Whether a serious rock climber or just like playin’ around, Rocktown is a great place to spend a day or weekend adventure. Read more about Rocktown. Cost: free!
Skydive the Farm: In Rockmart, Georgia, there isn’t much going on … except for your run of the mill jumping out of an airplane! Choose tandem or the Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) program. Both offer a huge thrill and an unforgettable experience. The jump masters at The Farm are professional, personable, and a hoot! You’ll have a blast! My fav jump master is Edvaldo, the Brazilian. Cost: Tandem $159 on special and AFF $269. If you have a group of friends interested in jumping, ask about their group discounts. You can even camp out at the farm.
Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding: Head to Lookout Mountain and get a great view from the air. Take hang gliding lessons and start the day on the baby slope (if you are physically active and can tote a glider on your shoulders) or just hang on for the ride and do the tandem flight. If you’ve never hang glided, it is a serene and peaceful experience (the tandem flight, that is). The Introductory Experience is much more labor intensive but an awesome time. Flying on your own, even only a foot off the ground, is an exilerating experience! Camping is also available near this area. If you’d rather, plenty of cabins are available for rent in the nearby town. Cost: Introductory Experience $199 (which includes the tandem) and tandem only $149. Also ask about group rates. Read more about hang gliding at Lookout Mountain.
Petty John’s Cave: Great cave for new or non-cavers, this cave is located on Pigeon Mountain. In fact, if you’ve been to Rocktown, you will pass by the sign for Petty John’s. Be sure you know SOMETHING about caving before heading here and at the very least bring three sources of light, food, and water. This cave goes about 6 miles in, so there is a potential to get lost in the cave. And if you enjoy yourself, consider doing more caving. The Dogwood City Grotto is a local cavers organization that hosts trips each month. Cost: free.
Tallulah Gorge: Take a hike, literally! Head to north Georgia and hike the Hurricane Falls staircase trail to the bottom of the gorge. It’s a strenuous hike so be sure you are up for it. Obtain a permit (free) before hiking to the bottom of the gorge. Rock climbing and repelling are also allowed, with a permit. Leave the pups at home for this hike. Pets are not allowed down to the gorge (but are permitted on the rim trails). Cost: $4 for parking. Camping, biking and fishing are also available. Also check out the suspension bridge (check out the monthly full moon hikes over the bridge).
“Little Grand Canyon”: Providence Canyon, known as the “Little Grand Canyon,” is located near Lumpkin, Georgia. The views are spectacular and although the name implies small, it is not (it is little compared to the Grand Canyon). Take a hike on the trails or reserve a backcountry backpacking site. Either way, be sure to bring your camera! Cost: $3 for parking and $6 for backcountry camping sites.
Brasstown Bald: At 4, 784 feet above sea level, this is the highest peak in Georgia. From the top, you can see four states. To make this an adventure, don’t drive to the top, hike it. Better yet, plan a backpacking trip to include Jack’s Knob. Cost: $3 if you drive to the parking lot and free if you take a longer hike to get there.
Sea Kayaking: Head to Tybee Island area and take a trip on the water. For a laid back adventure, choose the Salt Marsh Paddle. For more excitement, surf the Triangle and choose the rough water kayaking package. Cost: $55 for Salt Marsh Paddle (half day) and rough water kayaking starts at $135.
Raft the Chattooga: Sections III and IV of this river offer adventurous white water rafting. Rapids are rated from class IIs to IVs. Section IV is more intense and requires experienced guides. Check out overnight trips. This is a great way to cool off and get adventurous on those hot Georgia summer days. Cost: Varies during season and outfitter but ranges from $80 to $130 for day trips.
Wilderness Canoeing: Head south to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge for canoeing and camping. Paddle through the “Land of the Trembling Earth” and witness the alligators and herrings firsthand. The swampland touts 120 miles of canoe trails with seven designated camping areas along the trail. Cost: To camp along trail is $10 a night.
While these adventures made my top 10 list, many came in close. Georgia is full of adventure, if you take the time to look for it. Have recommendations for other top 10 adventures in Georgia? Leave a comment and let me know!
David and I have been trying to plan a weekend backpacking trip since Valentine’s Day. But work and weather always seemed to get in the way, until this weekend, that is. So, we decided to head north to the Cahutta Wilderness … a favorite area of both of ours. My friend from the Atlanta Outdoor Club (AOC) joined us and of course, Monte was there too. From Kennesaw, the drive to the trailhead took just over an hour. We reached the trailhead around 11:30 am and started getting our trekking poles and packs ready. We paused just long enough to get a group photo at the trailhead, and then we were off.
Rice Camp Trail in the Cahutta Wilderness is a relatively short trail, only 3.9 miles, and dead ends into Jacks River Trail. The trail is rated easy to moderate by most trail books and Web sites, which we found to be an accurate account. The first couple miles follows streams (first a tributary of Rice Camp Branch and then Rice Camp Branch itself).
We tried to count the water crossings …
but weren’t sure which ones were truly stream/river crossings and which spots just happened to be really wet. Needless to say, be prepared for wet crossings. We all brought water shoes but never used them. Waterproof or Gortex boots seemed the best fit for the trail. Most water crossing were shallow or easily traversed by hopping rocks.
After the almost 2 miles along the streams, the trail takes a sharp turn to the left and starts uphill. The incline was not steep enough or long enough to up the difficulty rating from the easy to moderate level. The trail is also wide and flat, making for easy footing with a backpack. (These characteristics also made the trail enticing for horseback riders, like the ones we encountered on the trail.) The hike was pleasant although I found myself missing the sounds of running water and the cool breeze coming from the streams.
After the gradual incline, this trail heads back downhill towards Jack’s River. Just as the trail started the descent, we noticed smoke and ash in the air. We couldn’t see fire and I didn’t know of any prescribed burns scheduled for the area (then again, I hadn’t called to find out). We all tried to get a cell phone signal to contact the Ranger station and ask about the smoke, but no one had a signal (even with three different cell phone carriers being represented). So, we decided to take the safe route and head back toward less smoky ground.
Once back at the stream, we chose a nice campsite just on the other side of the stream from the trail.
You can’t miss it on the hike it but it relatively private for being so close to the trail. We set up tents, cleaned up a bit, and settled in for a nice evening by the stream. I filtered water and wrote a bit in my hiking journal while Charina rested and David prepared a place to hang the bear bag for the evening.
We ate dinner soon after. David and I had red beans and rice with summer sausage, Charina dined on gourmet Ramen noodles, and Monte enjoyed a “meaty bone” brought in from home. After we ate and cleaned up, we relaxed, chatted, and watched the sun go down. The temperature dropped with the sun, and while cool enough for a fire, we adhered to policy and didn’t start one (despite the fact that there was an established campfire ring at our camp site).
We all retired early, which was probably smart since it was daylight savings time and we lost an hour of sleep that night. In the morning, we took our time making breakfast and packing up camp. We only had a short hike back to the car, so there was no rush. It was an easy and enjoyable hike out of the woods, but we were all a little sad to leave the peaceful campsite. Once home, we all had chores waiting for us and busy Mondays looming ahead.
This trail was very pretty with the water crossings and a few small waterfalls in areas. Had we followed the trail to the end, we could have enjoyed Jack’s River Falls, which is a great place to cool off after a hot summer’s hike. This trail seemed less traveled than Jack’s River Trail, and is easy enough for beginner hikers to take on. Overall, we greatly enjoyed this trip and the trail. We hope to return to it soon, and this time we plan to complete the entire trail!
Tips for Rice Camp Trail:
Prepare to encounter horseback riders on the trail. And remember that the trail might be a bit torn up by the hooves!
Campfires are not allowed in the Cahutta Wilderness Area.
Call the Ranger station before your hike or backpacking trip. We discovered that the Ranger station wasn’t open on the weekend and there was no cell service either. Had we called ahead of time, we would have known there was a scheduled burn that weekend, and would not have been alarmed by the smoke and ash we saw on our hike.
Last weekend my boyfriend, David, and I planned to go backpacking. Unfortunately, we ended up working the whole weekend instead. So this weekend, we were determined to get outside and enjoy the fresh air, trees, and no work! While we spent Saturday working on the house (he regrouted the shower while I put together a new desk and did some cleaning), we did get outside for a nice hike on Sunday. We chose Cloudland Canyon as our destination and took along our dog, Monte, and a coworker, Christina. After grabbing a few sandwiches at Publix we headed up 75 toward Cloudland Canyon. The drive time was just over an hour.
While Sunday was sunny, it was a bit chilly, which seemed to deter many fair-weathered hikers from enjoying the park. When we parked at the main picnic ground area, the temperature on the car’s thermometer read 39 degrees Fahrenheit. And it was windy too. We took a quick glance at the canyon from the picnic overlook area, but didn’t linger long as the wind was whipping up the canyon. On a warmer and calmer day, we would have stayed longer to enjoy the views and take pictures. The West Rim Trail begins off this viewing spot (on your left as you are facing the canyon). The trail, according to Cloudland Canyon’s Web site is 4.8 miles. The terrain is a bit rough, with rocks and tree routes covering much of the trail, but it is well traveled and maintained. Yellow blazes mark the trail, which is fairly easy to stay on even without the blazes.
We haven’t had Monte on the trail in a while and he seems inclined more to colder weather, so he took off, pulling David along the whole time. Christina and I opted for a slower pace.
Along the trail are great places to stop off for pictures,
a lunch on the rocks, or just enjoying a quiet place (reading, writing, or just sitting). We stopped briefly at these spots to catch a few pics, drink some water, and then kept moving. We never completed the West Rim Trail, although we plan to do so one day.
We decided instead, to turn around and check out the waterfalls trail. So, we headed back the way we came and took the split off to the waterfalls. The trip down to the falls goes easily, as long as you don’t have knee trouble that makes walking downstairs painful. And the views there were great. The waterfalls empty into a shallow pool of water, but the park prohibits wading, swimming or playing on the rocks.
Instead, take pictures,
enjoy the sound of the water crashing against the limestone, and have fun climbing the 600 stairs back up to the top.
Located in Rising Fawn, Georgia, Cloudland Canyon offers great views, hiking, backpacking, camping, and much more. You could easily spend a long weekend camping out at one of their campsites or in on one their 16 cottages (some are even dog friendly, with an additional charge).
Bob is a bi-vocational pastor serving New Hope Baptist Church, Beulaville, NC. He also is the coordinator for the NC Justice Academy’s Management Development Program. Among the topics he teaches are leadership, critical incident management and communication. He and his wife, Eileen, have been married for over 27 years. They enjoy camping, hiking, canoeing, geocaching, running and other outdoor activities where they are able to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. They have one son, Jared, who is a rising senior at Campbell University. Check out his blog. 
