Stepping Out: Paper Mill Trail

Pensive Brandy, "Where's the Squirrel?"

Friday night I decided to do a hot yoga class. I thought yoga in conjunction with the detox I've been doing would be a good idea. I hear that hot yoga is a great way to detoxify your system because of the sweat and stretching and all. So,  I show up early enough to get a good spot in the front by the mirror. Usually the lights aren't very bright, but the instructor decided to put the lights on brighter in the front this particular morning, so I can look at and judge myself the whole time. Then begins, one of the most intense yoga experiences of my life, Hot Vinyasa. I did not account for the fact that I have been taking in considerably less calories lately, and about 2/3rds of the way in, I started to feel light headed, nauseated and like an idiot. Going into childs pose was not a sufficient rest and so I began to drink water, and sit cross-legged for most of the rest of the class. Needless to say, I woke up very sore on Saturday morning. However, with the new energy I am getting from my detox diet, I was still ready to step out on a hike.

frolicking in the paper mill

Recently, I got an IPod Nano for its music listening and pedometer capabilities. Since then, I have been counting my steps at work. I had the Nano the weekend of the Blood Mountain hike, but left it in my car as we ascended the mountain. I guess I would have gotten more steps in my day if I had gone back to the car to retrieve it. This time, I was determined to remember it, so I put it on as soon as I got up and dressed. I stepped about 500 times before we left the house Saturday morning (there was a lot of going from the front door back to my room because I kept forgetting things). On Saturday, we did a total of 3.7 miles. The hike was supposed to be 3.5 miles, but the route I was hoping to follow was closed for ecological reasons. This is the second time I've seen a park making conscious efforts to restore the ecosystems. We arrived at the Sope Creek Unit trail head and did the Paper Mill Trail. I am not really sure if we did that exact trail because of the closed sections, but we did see the remnants of what seemed to be a paper mill, so I say we probably did one that was close enough.

Difficulty
 





First of all, there are, what feels like, a thousand million trails at this park. They are all interconnected, and you can reach the Cochran Shoals trail system as well. We wanted to do a loop, so we stayed in the Sope Creek trail system (this link has a map!). I found this hike in the book 60 hikes in 60 miles of Atlanta, so I wanted to follow their recommendation, which was to start to the right and end at the paper mill. So, we started down the main trail, and took the first right.

There was a map at the beginning, and we followed what seemed to be the outer most trail. After that, there were no maps until we re-connected with the main biking trail. We had no idea what we were doing, and felt like we were wandering aimlessly. Once we reconnected with the biking trail, there were many maps strategically placed at each fork in the road, and we tried to take the ones less travelled by, but they are all pretty evenly worn, har har. Ok, there was a lot of down hill, and a little bit of up hill. Overall, it was not too strenuous. I think the steepest part of the hike was blocked for those ecological reasons. There was a section at the very end just before you reached the paper mill that was difficult to follow. It was near the creek and the trail was not very well marked. We Lewis and Clarked our way through the rocks and brush and came across the paper mill. I could do this one hung over if needed, but it did have one steep section where I had to take a break so I was happy I was mainly toxin free.

Natural Beauty

 When we were wandering around aimlessly, we felt pretty secluded. That faded when we arrived on the biking trail and ran into a few hikers and bikers. Eventually we got back onto a hiking trail and came across some houses and an apartment complex. They were nestled in the trees, and not a complete eye sore. However, not the most beautiful part of the hike. After about a mile and a half in, a feeling of seclusion began to set in. We were winding around the side of a hill, and we could finally hear Sope creek flowing below us.

This is not the trail entrance, unless that's where you live.

Eventually we wound ourselves down to the creek where we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the sounds of running water. Nick, my roommate's boyfriend, rates the creek high in rock skipping ability. After lunch we hugged the creek and made our way under tree branches to the paper mill. The mill was really cool to climb around in and we spent some time taking pictures in the windows and doorways. I, of course, climbed to the tallest point I safely could and perched there for a photo. The end of the hike follows a road for a little while, and finishes with a stretch in the trees coming to a parking lot. At one point on the hike I said how happy I was to be outside taking in the sounds and smells of nature, later realizing that I am also only thirty minutes from home. Its nice to be able to get away, and not actually be too far away from your own backyard.

Dog Friendliness

Brandy was able to run free for most of the hike. There was also a lot of water along the way that she was able to lap up. The very beginning of the hike was a biking trail, which was fine, until we saw some bikers. I suddenly became very nervous that Brandy would dart in front of one and cause people and dog to tumble together in a massive collision. My fear may have been a little over exaggerated, but it was still unsettling. My fears left when we found another hiking trail. Some sections had very steep inclines down the side of the mountain, which forced Brandy to exert a lot of energy while climbing them back up to us hikers on the trail. It did not slow her down, but I knew that she was at least getting a lot of exercise. There were only a few instances where I was afraid she might hurt herself. I always think, she's got instincts, and she doesn't want to hurt herself anymore than I do, and she has the higher incentive to stay out of harms way. As mentioned above, the last section of the hike was next to a road, so Brandy had to stay on leash for that portion of the hike. She slept on the way home, so I think she had a good time.

Picnicability

Our view at lunch

Nick and I differ on when is a good spot for a picnic. I prefer a good picnic spot at the halfway point. He, however, prefers a good picnic towards the end. I don't believe Melissa expressed her preference. On this hike, there was not a very good picnic spot at the halfway point, but there was a great picnic spot towards the end. As Melissa pointed out, that is only true if you go right when you get in the park. If you go left, it'll be an early picnic, and no one wants an early picnic.

We plopped down on a rock next to the creek and had a lovely meal. Melissa and I are doing the detox, so we had an avocado salad. It was delicious.  Nick had a sandwich from Kroger, I don't think it was particularly good. No wine down this hike due to the detox, but it was still very relaxing. We sat on a nice big flat rock, and Brandy ran around going in and out of the water. She didn't even do a water shimmy next to us, which we appreciated.

The hike took about 6,000 steps and 2 hours to complete, and after a very hectic week of school, homework and cooking for the detox, it was a welcomed break from my hundred mile per hour life. Watching the pure happiness that pours out of Brandy when she's running around in the woods reminds me to embrace the opportunity to forget about the stresses of my "to do" list and appreciate the place I'm in and the people I'm with.

Mental Enrichment: 
Biking trails are not a good place to take your dog.