Fri, Apr 15 2011 - 2nd Annual Cloudland Canyon Group Lodge, Hiking & Adventure Weekend (View Original Event Details)
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Scott & Laura's Photo Link (added Apr 18 at 10:00 AM):
http://www.jauntsaroundtheworld.com/Atlanta-Outdoor-Club/2011-04-15-Cloudland-Canyon/
Jenny Hall's Photo Link (added Apr 18 at 10:00 PM):
http://s1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/skylark118/Cloudland%20Canyon/?albumview=slideshow&track=share_email_album_view_click
Mollie Taylor's Photo Album (Added April 19 at 10:00 pm):
https://picasaweb.google.com/107005773067489849238/AOCCloudlandCanyon?authkey=Gv1sRgCP-RzO2qp6LTkgE&feat=directlink
TRIP ARCHIVE WRITEUP:
Our friendly and adventurous group of 28 AOCers shared an unforgettable "2nd Annual" AOC spring weekend at beautiful Cloudland Canyon State Park on the edge of Lookout Mountain in northwest Georgia. The well-equipped Group Lodge worked out well not only as our "home away from home," but also as our base of operations for weekend-long optional activities—it was a convenient centralized trailhead for the Park's numerous hiking trails and other attractions. We had tons of fun & laughter all weekend, plenty of good food and refreshments,a big campfire Saturday night, and a nice variety of hikes, optional activities and games.
I was glad to have Courtney and Tom Harjung along as my friendly and expert AOC Co-leaders for this trip. Thanks to everyone for pitching in so admirably and cheerfully with us in our numerous cooking, cleaning and other duties, and to the many of you who brought your homemade goodies, refreshments, games, firewood, and/or special talents to share!
Friday night we enjoyed a hearty Lasagna dinner at the Lodge followed by boisterous games including the "Apples & Apples" (pick the aptest card) game that Minah brought. Card games and a dice/drinking game were part of the merriment on the rain-misted back porch, and the fun went on late into the night —to the chagrin of of a few early-to-bed light sleepers?!
The fast-moving storm front and heavy rains that swept through on Friday had moved on by early Saturday early morning. We felt fortunate not to have another drop of rain all weekend! On Saturday morning after a hearty breakfast we set off together down to the center of the Park where "Adventure Week" was beginning. We met briefly with our friend Christine, the Park Naturalist, who briefed us on all the interesting activities that were available including a nearby free Archery event, a Climbing Wall and Appalachian Trail Through-Hiking seminars.
After a stop at the Interpretive Center and its adjoining Daniel Creek Gorge Overlook, we continued down to the central overlook high above the spot where Daniel and Bear Creeks join to form the spectacular main Canyon. The torrential rains had produced the most amazing waterfalls that any of us had ever seen at the Park, and we captured nice photos of numerous "bonus cascades" plummeting over the Canyon's walls that normally have no flow at all! Postscript: We were shocked and saddened to learn upon our return to Atlanta Sunday that the same massive storm front that had brought such gorgeous waterfalls had also spawned dozens of tornadoes that killed more than 40 people.
After snapshots and group photos at the main overlook we continued our hike deep into the Canyon via the steep stairstep/boardwalk trail, and got lots of great photos of the craggy rock overhangs, spectacular waterfalls and colorful plants and wildflowers. Along the way Courtney amazed us with her knowledge of all the native plants, stopped frequently to shoot closeups of various trillium species, violets, etc. and the tiny critters upon them.
We visited a couple more lovely falls downstream of the two main falls that first became easily accessible to visitors in 2009 (thanks to a new high bridge that connects the stairs below Waterfall #2 to the canyon bottomland on the far side of the creeks). From there we continued by hiking back up the steep waterfalls stairway, then across the Daniel Creek bridge to the high west rim of the Canyon. At the first craggy overlook we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch and a little adventurous chasm-leaping and bouldering—then continued counterclockwise around the entire 5-mile yellow-blazed West Rim Trail and back to the Interpretive Center area. En route I was proud of our group for helping one another cross a 6-foot-wide swollen stream by "tightrope walking/ hopping" across a small half-rotten fallen log that spanned it. Amazingly none of us got wet!!
After a little fun with the Park's special Archery and "Corn Hole" (beanbag horseshoes) events, etc., most of us were back at the Lodge by about 4:00 PM, at which time many of us enjoyed well-deserved showers, naps, and/or mid-afternoon snacks. Others began preparing dinner and others playing more rowdy card games. Eight of us who enjoy Frisbee throwing (Chad, Jenny, Michelle, David, Angie, Brian, Gillian and I) walked together a few hundred yards up the hill from the Lodge where we got a kick out of playing all 18 holes of the park's nice Disc Golf Course—adding another couple more scenic miles to our Saturday hike in the process. Chad and Brian amazed us with their frequently long tee shots. I personally got a big thrill out of actually making par (three) on one of the holes and bogeying another!
Saturday Dinner was tasty and plentiful thanks to the many who contributed to the cause, and our big blazing campfire afterward was lots of fun, complete with "S'more Roasting," good conversation,singing, poetry, jokes, stories and games. Veronica came to my rescue by cueing me expertly on portions of Robert Service's "Cremation of Sam McGee" Klondike Gold Rush poem that I found myself stumbling over—then further amazed us with her dramatic over-the-fire recitation of Robert Burns' classic "Pied Piper of Hammelin" poem that she'd learned decades ago in a Jamaican convent school. Michelle entertained us by asking for "fill-in-the-blank category words" for her "Mad Lib" game, then reading the crazy prose creations back to us. Congrats to Lori and Alan who by popular acclaim were winners of our "YZARCiest" award (CRAZY backwards) for wearing the coolest wacko or retro outfit to the campfire party—Alan was wearing horned Norse warrior headgear and Lori a colorful head-attached beach parasol.
On Sunday we again had a big hearty breakfast, and after a second session of "make-your-own picnic bag lunches" our various parties went separate ways to enjoy more hiking and adventuring. Eight of us (Scott & Laura, Jimmy, Veronica, Joe, Mollie, John Caldwell and I) had a great time together Sunday morning hiking the entire orange-blazed 2-mile Backcountry Loop trail that is accessible from the Lodge via the "Observation Tower & Pond" connecting trail. In the process we discovered several beautiful backcountry campsites on the south end of the Park that would be highly suitable for future AOC "beginner backpacking" events.
Special thanks to Courtney and Tom and others in our group (Andrea, Jimmy, John Caldwell, John Weber... et al) who dedicated so much of their time Sunday morning and midday to diligently clean the Lodge, mop the floors, scrub the appliances, sinks & toilets, and put all of the kitchenware, tables, chairs, etc. back in their proper place. Your hard work is greatly appreciated by all! The Park Ranger gave us his thanks for a job well done when I met with him at the Lodge for final inspection. After a tiny amount of "touch-up" mopping at his request I returned the keys to the Visitor Center at about 2:30 and headed home, thankful for a happy weekend with so many nice AOC friends!
-Charlie Cottingham, initially posted Apr 18, 2011
ANECDOTE from JIMMY CHEN (Posted 4/20):
The term "geo-cache" is now AOC slang for going to go "make friends with a tree!" (my old term for this...) LMAO
Jimmy :>)
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