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Saturday July 20th
Berry College Day Hike Today's hike at Berry College was to the House o' Dreams atop Lavender Mountain. Built in 1922 as a mountaintop retreat for the school's founder, Martha Berry, it is a popular hiking destination in northwest Georgia. We toured the interior of the board-and batten-style home and heard stories from Berry Alumnae who love to share their alma mater with others. The rain shortened our hike, but not our enthusiasm as we enjoyed a drive to the Old Mill, a popular spot for photographers. We also had a driving tour of the main college campus which included a stop at the beautiful Gothic-style Ford Buildings (financed by Henry Ford in 1928) and the College Chapel with a visit to the nearby grave of Martha Berry. |
Leading today's hike were two Daughters of Berry, Julie Trejo and Barbara McCollum, who shared much of Berry's colorful history. Also enjoying the hike and tour of the world's largest college campus (26,000 acres) were Paul Roubekas, Chris Bresson, Trish Franklin, Jo Jo Ciervo, Shelly Lewis, Novi Morales, Joyce Campbell, Terri Holcomb, and Noel Holcomb.
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Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Southern Adventist University's biology trails This morning's 5 mile hike with approx. 1000 ft elevation gain was on the Southern Adventist University's biology trails. Sky was overcast and temps in the 70's with high humidity but no rain! Nine club members with Bill Needham leading hiked up to White Oak Ridge. These are great in-town hiking trails spanning 25 miles from the lowest part of the valley to the top of the Ridge. |
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Wednesday, May 1, 2024
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Saturday, Apr 27th
North Chickamauga Gorge Trail This morning, April 27th, 17 intrepid hikers took on a 7 mile out and back hike in the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge, near Soddy-Daisy. The weather was near perfect, with a high overcast sky and temps in the low 70s. We were not the only ones who had the idea to hike this gorge, as the parking lot was jammed upon our return! Participants included club members Sarah Schlegel, Dan Garner (leader) Kristine Gum, Joyce Campbell, Bill Ragsdale, Mark and Ethan Rice, Bob Wood, Helen Layne, Debbie Lambert, William Daley, Susan Faidley, Rita Pendergast and we had four guests. The water flows in the gorge were down so the normally tricky creek crossings were not a problem, but there was only a small amount of water flowing through the waterfall, which normally is even prettier. Vegetation overgrowth was just starting to crowd a few trail segments, so hiking this trail in Mid-may to late summertime may be an issue. Foliage blocked many gorge views, but we were treated to delightful outcroppings of the "Pinxter Bloom" wild azaleas. This was an "out-and-back" hike, The full 12 mile hike of the full gorge trail from Barkers Camp Road (involving a shuttle) will be planned for late fall. |
Saturday, April 6
Collins Gulf / Stone Door We were so fortunate to have a beautiful day for this wonderful springtime hike. The wildflowers surpassed our expectations with hillsides full of purple phacelia and white trillium. There were also quite a few of the very beautiful larkspur with a few celandine poppies and bluebells. We counted 30 species of wildflowers. We were able to enjoy waterfalls, but luckily, we didn’t have so much water that we had to take off boots for two unbridged crossings. Three suspension bridges, 1600 feet of climbing, walking through the Great Stone Door, views from the bluff, and a great group of hikers made for a wonderful 10 mile hike! Hikers included: Jenny Hopkins, Rita Pendergast, Steve Barnes, Helen Layne, Debbie Lambert, Trish Franklin, Joyce Campbell, Deb Young, Mark Rice, and hike leader, Susan Faidley |
