Organizing to the nines: Blood Mountain, Slaughter Creek Trail

It all started at nine am, January fourteenth, when nine people and three dogs left for Lake Winfield Scott recreation center to hike Slaughter Creek up to the top of Blood Mountain, the second tallest mountain in Georgia. Don't worry, only 2 people came down bleeding, and it was only on their knees.  The total hike was 8.2 miles and it took about 4 hours to go up and down. We booked it down, and it only took us about 1 hour to descend. We had a nice picnic at the top. Overall, we averaged about a 30 minute mile, and with nine people and three dogs I think that's pretty good time.

While this hike was a complete and utter success, let me start with a few of the hiccups. First of all, I woke up and realized my kitchen rug was completely soaking wet. There was no leak from the ceiling and the dishwasher didn't appear to be expelling the water either, so I chalked it up to something I would figure out later. About a mile and a half into the hike, I did. My 3Liter camel back, that I had filled the evening before, was completely empty. I had only taken a few sips from it, and I knew that I hadn't drank the whole reserve, so I used my wonderful powers of deduction to determine the cause. My roommate, Melissa, said that the rug looked like someone had poured 3 pitchers of water onto it. Which is essentially what had happened, just the vessel was a camel back instead of pitchers. 

Moving on to the other hiccups. Please notice the ice patch in the picture above. I took this photo, then immediately stepped on the ice patch and fell on my bum and slid into a rock. My knee ran into the rock, and it stung a little. I knew the ice was there, you'd think I'd walk around it. Then, about 3 minutes later I twisted my ankle a few times, and the third time I fell on my bum, again. This time someone was able to witness and laugh at me, which was more appropriate. All of these incidences were on the way down, and I began to realize that my legs were tired and I probably needed to pay more attention to where I put my feet.  Some of us had to be back in Atlanta by five pm, so on the way up I was determined to keep a pace that allowed us all to summit. Perhaps I should have listened to my body a little more and taken more rests along the way.

Difficulty

Stairs up to the top

Even though at least two of the people on the hike were hung over, it was not a hike I would like to do hung over. The first mile and half was a nice, pretty flat, hike near the creek. Then, it started to be a steady incline up to the end of the Slaughter Creek Trail, 2.7 miles. At that point, you can turn right to take the Appalachian Trail to Jarred Gap or climb up some stone stairs to continue up the mountain. This last section is 1.4 miles. The stone stairs made me think, not only are you heading uphill for miles, you have to climb stairs along the way?? A few of us talked about how difficult it would be to craft stone stairs on the side of the mountain.

The trail was well maintained, easy to follow, and well trodden. However, the incline required a decent amount of physical exertion. The last .25 of a mile wasn't too terrible, and when we reached the top, it was super rewarding. The top is marked by a large cabin, so you can't miss it. It was physically difficult, but it was pretty easy to follow the trail, and we all definitely went out that night.

Natural Beauty

I know that the bangs sticking up under my kerchief are a good look for me.

The hike was beautiful. It started in, what some people call, a "lauredendron" forest. Throughout the slaughter creek trail, you can hear the roar of the creek below you. You can't really see the creek except when you cross over it a time or two. The ground was frozen, and sometimes it would crunch beneath our feet. We even saw a few icicles along the way. The part near the creek was a very wide trail, and it was beautiful to wind around the creek. Once we got higher, the views through the trees were delightful. The back lighting from the sun through the trees, made the view seem even more secluded. The summit was beautiful. There is a big rock at the very top that brings you high enough to look out over the trees and you can really see how high you've gotten. There were a few people on the hike that we ran into along the way. It wasn't annoying, but it did prevent me from completely forgetting about the rest of the world. So it doesn't get a perfect score, but it was worth the 4.1 miles. 


Dog Friendliness

Javier, a poodle/giant terrier mix, enjoying the hike.

Brandy was off leash almost the entire time. We did come across one couple that had their dog on the leash, so I put Brandy on hers. However, that was only a short while, and she seemed to really enjoy running around when she was off leash. The openness of the area surrounding the trail was conducive to keeping an eye on her. I believe that because of the other dogs with us, she didn't venture out as much as normal. However, it was a great hike for a dog. There was water during the first two miles that they could drink, and we brought water for them at the summit. It was well shaded, so if it had been summer I think the dogs wouldn't have gotten too hot. Brandy seemed to have an enjoyable time.

Picnic-ability

  




We laid out a picnic on the summit of the mountain. There were lots of great locations to set up along the way. The wind was too fierce to set up on the top of the highest point, but we found a great spot out of the wind. We were cold during the picnic, but everyone said the sandwiches were good. We made friends with the other people snacking at the summit, and we signed the book in the cabin.

Most of the crew eating lunch.

The sandwiches, this time, were oven roasted deli chicken, roasted red pepper hummus on each piece of bread, muenster cheese, spinach, pepper, and rosemary. I've posted the recipe here. The key is to not have too much hummus on the bread. The bread was whole grain that had been baked at the Kroger. I used dry rosemary instead of fresh. It was a nice little surprise in your bite, every once in a while.

Another good spot for a picnic would have been where the slaughter creek trail ends, before we took the stone staircase up. Also, right before the summit, there was a big open rock that could have been a nice spot. The rocks make it a little difficult to take a nap, but still a big enough space to enjoy a break for a little while. So, there were a few good places to have a 4 course picnic, if you'd like. We wined down at the picnic, and down the mountain.

The overall hike was difficult enough to feel like an exercising style hike. The view was beautiful. The company came in a large number, so it felt like a group effort and accomplishment. We made it down to the base and took a celebratory group photo. It was difficult to get everyone and all of the dogs in there at the same time. This is the best one we got. Again, it was great to get out into nature, and to do some physical activity. I know I keep mentioning how great it is to go out doors, but skipping out on doing anything wild and fun so that I could get up early to go on this hike was totally worth it.


Mental Enrichment I should pay more attention to my body instead of always putting my head down and powering through.