Fri, Mar 16 2018 - Coopers Furnace and Pine Mountain Summit (Secret Trail Down) (View Original Event Details)
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What fantastic weather we had for our hike at Pine Mountain and Coopers Furnace. After visiting the Allatoona Dam overlook we headed out the Laurel Ridge and Coopers Furnace Connector to reach the base of Pine Mountain. We headed up the East Loop, stopping briefly at Whiskey Hollow where many decades ago, whiskey stills were active. Ultimately we reached the peak of Pine Mountain at the David Archer Overlook. We took a snack and water break and enjoyed the long range views of the mountains in the Allatoona Mountain range as well as others out in a distance including Kennesaw Mountain.
After our break, we found the promised "Secret" trail off the back of the Pine Mountain summit which was new to everyone on the hike other than me. It was a nice walk down the long ridge line however along the way we has some STEEP descents before the trail leveled out once we reached Hurricane Hollow. We had two creek crossings while we passed through the hollow and viewed from a distance some of the remnents of the Iron Ore and Maganese mining operations that were active in the 1800s and 1900s. After a walk along the Etowah river, we reached the Cooper Furnace which was active prior to the Civil War. Finally we finished our hike with a nasty steep climb back up to the Visitors Center and the end of our hike. Final mileage was about 6.5 miles and 1200 feet of elevation gain.
We welcomed Bobby who was on his second AOC event and a special welcome to Jennifer who is brand new to the AOC and on her very first AOC event. ~ Holt
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