Our Green Atlanta

Camping and hiking in north Georgia

In my quest for the most active, outdoorsy summer possible, a group of ten of our close friends headed up to the north Georgia mountains for our annual camping trip to Three Forks. This is one of my most favorite camping spots (and a hotspot for day hiking) and one that we trekked to a few times during high school and that I’ve been to once a year for three years since moving back to Atlanta. The hike is only about a mile and quarter in, but the last quarter of a mile is a steep decent into a valley. But it’s well worth the clamber down the hill, because the valley is centered about three rivers (Big Creek, Holcomb Creek, and Overflow Creek) that come together to form the West Fork of the Chattooga. It is a gorgeous site full of water falls and wading pools and majestic rock faces.

Saturday afternoon, four of us set out on a 4-5 mile hike with the intention of looping around to meet our six friends arriving to the trailhead in the early afternoon. The hike through the woods was great, even though the temperature above the trees probably reached triple digits. Being in the north Georgia mountains and foothills of the Appalachians makes for a very hilly hike, but a rewarding one. I recognized the path we were on as one I had hiked in previous years to get to Three Forks, but couldn’t remember exactly where it came out. We found out about an hour and a half later that it came out due west – not east – of where we had intended to be. Thanks to technology, we scrambled to use what little cell phone reception we had to summon google maps to figure out where we were, which just told us we had to go back the way we came. Once we got back, we spent the afternoon playing in the falls and building our huge campfire, a lovely way to round out the day.

On the way home the next day, Zack & I made a pit-stop by Jaemor Farms on highway 365 (which turns into 985 going south into Atlanta), which is a Georgia Certified Farm Market. I’ve probably passed by this place a dozen times – it’s on the right as you’re heading north and the market is in a big, long shed with “Jaemor Farm Market” painted on the roof. We picked up some fresh Georgia peaches, tomatoes, Vidalia onions, and garlic. I steered clear of the squash and peas for now since they’re starting to come ripen in my garden (more on that to come). Anyway, just an update for those of you interested in the outdoors and in local Georgia farms not too far from Atlanta! They have a number of happenings that go on year-round and their barn and shed are available for rental (and I’ll try not to hold it against them that they spelled “ya’ll” wrong on the back of their brochure… ).