Sampling the trails (and the water) at Indian Springs

 

Why do people go to Indian Springs?

Some folks go to camp, to enjoy a picnic, or to enjoy fishing and boating on the park’s lake. Some go to visit the museum or to play miniature golf or to track down the site’s geocache.

Seen  along the trail one evening

Others go to hike. The park is the site of an exceptionally enjoyable loop trail, and it's one that you can enjoy with your whole family. 

I hiked the trail the other day (yes, in this heat!) and despite temperatures in the high 90 the shaded trail was cool enough to be just bearable. Still, by the end of the hike, I was hot. No, that's an understatement. I was what one would be if one had just walked for a long, long time in a sauna, in the desert, in the summer, during a heatwave.

Did I say it was hot?

After I finished the hike (it's a great one, by the way)  I was standing by my car, trying to cool off. A dusty pick-up truck pulled in beside me. A well-seasoned elderly fellow got out of the truck, looked at me, and said, "Sure is hot, eh?"

I mumbled something about how it was way past that and how I wanted nothing more than the biggest glass of iced tea that I could find.

Exploring the loop trail at Indian Springs

"Tea's not bad," he said. "But have you tried the water?"

That's when I remembered the other reason folks go to Indian Springs.

Ahh, the water.. the reputedly miraculously curative water of Indian Springs. It was waiting for me in the spring house just over the hill.

"Get going," he said.

And so I went.

The spring house at Indian Springs State Park.

 A bit of history
     For centuries before the Europeans came, the Creek Indians visited the park’s mineral springs. For those who were ill, a draught of the water promised a cure. And for those who were in good health, the water reputedly brought renewed vigor and vitality.  

In 1825 the area was acquired by the State of Georgia. William McIntosh, a Creek Indian chief, signed an illegal treaty which deeded the land to the state; alas, for that bit of treason, he was soon assassinated by his own people. 

Filling a jug with water from the Indian Springs spring

But the citizens of early Georgia didn’t worry too much about how they’d come to have this tract and its supposedly magical spring. Instead, they just flocked to it. Indian Springs became a thriving resort during the 1800s, drawing hopeful folks from all around who wanted to sample the spring’s rejuvenatingly curative waters. 

During the Great Depression, members of FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps constructed a number of buildings at the site, among them the spring house that you see there today. Later still, in 1927, the site became an official “State Forest Park.” It’s thought to be the oldest state park in the country, and it still draws people for the strongly (how to put it) aromatic water that flows in a steady stream from the site’s namesake spring.

Speaking of that water...
     And what can you say about that water?

“It stinks,” said a child I saw there one recent afternoon. He arrived with his family in a tan minivan, and I watched as they looked around, spotted the stone spring house, and descended the steps that led to the spring itself.

As they approached, the mom wrinkled her nose.

“What’s that smell?” she said.

Her husband sat down on one of the stone steps and began to explain about mineral springs and dissolved gasses and all that kind of thing. But she herself seemed to be only half listening. Instead, she walked away, toward the water, apparently to see (and smell) for herself.

“Look here, child,” she said to the little one. “See the water coming from the rock?”

“It stinks!” the child said again.

“That’s just ‘cuz it’s strong,” offered a voice from the other side of the spring basin. The voice belonged to woman of significant age but unmistakable vigor. She was hunkered down beside the spring’s outflow, filling plastic jugs with the water. In fact, she had an orange tub full of jugs, and she was loading them with water one by one.

“It’s strong and good for what ails you,” that matron of the spring continued, speaking in the general direction of the child. Then she turned and spoke over her other shoulder to someone else. “Ain’t that right, hon?”

“Right-o,” said a second voice, this one belonging to her companion. He was, in the half light of the spring house, a distinguished looking fellow wearing sharply creased blue coveralls, a red plaid shirt (long-sleeved despite the heat), and a straw hat.

I watched him down two rounds of the water. He’d hold an old chipped cup under the outflow, let it fill, and then drink it slowly, a sip at a time, apparently savoring every drop.

Now he was reaching toward the spring to refill that cup for a third time. The slow, steady trickle filled the cup with exquisite slowness. When it was a half inch from the brim, the old gentleman straightened up (with surprising vigor, I noticed) and downed the cup’s contents – this time in a single long drink.

Finished, he wiped his lips on the sleeve of his shirt.

“Well, that’s it for me,” he said. “That’ll hold me till next time. You ready?”

“I’m ready,” she said.

“I’m ready too,” he said, a faint twinkle flashing briefly across his face.

He tossed the cup into the orange bucket, grabbed the bucket with one hand and two of the gallon jugs with the other, and bounded (yes, he did) up the steps and out of the spring house, up the next set of steps to the parking lot, and across the lot to the car. His companion bundled up the remaining three jugs and followed, pausing not at all and missing not a beat as she climbed the steps behind him.

After they left, it was quiet in the springhouse for a little while, the only sound the gentle bubbling of the water from the rock. The mom looked thoughtful, as if some possibility was occurring to her.

“Maybe just a little sip,” she said, half to herself, half to her husband who still sat on the stone step a few yards behind her.

But the child hadn’t changed his mind.

“It still stinks,” he said.

“Yes. But you know,” his momma said, “I do wonder how it tastes…”

If you'd like to sample the water of Indian Springs yourself, you'll find Indian Springs State Park just off Georgia 42 about 15 miles from I-75 near Jackson, Ga., south of Atlanta. Find out more about the part at www.GeorgiaStateParks.org/IndianSprings. 

Copyright 2011 Steve Hudson. All rights reserved. 

Hiking at Chattahoochee Bend, Georgia's newest state park!

Yes, I know I said that this entry was going to focus on Kolomoki Mounds and the great hiking opportunities at the state park there.

But I changed my mind.

The Chattahoochee Bend State Park visitor center...

Why the change of topic? The answer is that Georgia now has a new state park – Chattahoochee Bend State Park just southwest of Atlanta – and this park is going to be a great one for hiking!

The new park, located on 2,910 acres in Coweta County, is one of the state’s largest state parks and protects seven miles of frontage on the Chattahoochee River.  The park offers a variety of camping options (including walk-in and platform tent camping as well as a dedicated RV section), and a group camping area with screened sleeping shelters. Day-use visitors will find plenty of picnic tables, and covered picnic shelters can be reserved for special gatherings. River users will appreciate the paved boat ramp, which offers easy access to the river for paddling and fishing.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has described this new park as “a haven for paddlers, campers and anglers,” and they’re right – but I’d add the word “hikers” too. More than six miles of trails (with more being planned for the future) are sure to make it a destination park for those who enjoy putting on the hiking boots.

I had the opportunity to sample some of the hiking at Chattahoochee Bend this past weekend, and let me say that this is one you’ll want to be sure to put on your “to-hike” list. I explored portions of two trails at the park – the Riverside trail, which begins near the boat ramp at the end of the main park access road, and the East-West trail, which begins behind the park visitor center.

Riverside Trail

The Riverside Trail trail head.

To stretch my legs (and to break in those new hiking shoes we talked about last time!) I walked a portion of the Riverside Trail first. Preliminary trail construction and clearing work on this trail have been completed, and sections of the trail are being opened to hikers as crews complete blazing. The Riverside Trail is marked by white blazes.
The Riverside Trail begins near the boat ramp, though you may have to look to find the trail head. Look for two roadside signs (one reads “RESTROOMS” and the other tells you that pets are allowed on a 6-foot leash) located near a metal bike stand. The trail head is just to the right (as you face the woods) of the “pets” sign.

The Riverside Trail is seldom very far from the Chattahoochee River.

Start your hike by following the trail from the trail head for about 25 paces to a double-blazed tree. At that point, if you’re not paying attention, it might appear that the trail continues straight ahead (toward some large erosion-control rocks). Just before the rocks, the trail makes a right-angled turn to the left, dropping off a slightly elevated walkway onto the continuation of the trail. This is the only even mildly confusing intersection on this portion of the trail.

After just a short distance you’ll come to the first of the three creek crossings. As you do, the trail will drop off the floodplain and descend sharply to the level of the creek. At this time each of the Riverside Trail’s creek crossings is made on a simple temporary plank bridge, but permanent crossings (including an elaborate wood foot bridge being constructed as a Boy Scout project) are in the works.

You'll want to be sure to climb the observation tower.

I followed this newly blazed portion of the trail for just over a mile to its temporary end at the park’s wooden observation tower. The walk took me along the river, paralleling the water (sometimes closely, sometimes farther back in the woods) for the entire way and crossing two more small creeks along the way.  The shade of overhanging branches made it a pleasant hike, even in the heat of an early afternoon. I made it a leisurely hike, walking slowly and stopping frequently to enjoy views of the river, to watch wildlife, or to wonder at that sound I heard out in the trees or at that splash I heard from the nearby river.

Eventually I saw the observation tower taking shape through the trees. Climbing 26 steps (more or less) took me to the top of the tower. From the top, I could look out from the top toward the river (the view will be great in late fall when the leaves are off the trees) or back through the nearby woods. Several rustic wood benches provided a good place to rest a moment, and then it was time to descend the tower and begin the hike back, returning the way I had come.

From the trail head to the tower is just over a mile, making this a great hike for park visitors who want to sample the park’s trails.

The East-West Trail

The second Chattahoochee Bend trail that I sampled on my visit was the park’s East-West trail. Also a work in progress, this blue-blazed trail begins behind and to the left of the park’s visitor center. You'll spot the trail head waiting for you just over 50 yards from the rain barrel at the corner of the visitor center building, and it’s identified by a tree with two blue blazes.

This stone-lined section of trail follows a small branch.

Beyond the trail head, the pathway begins a fairly steady descent – and it isn’t too long until you’re sure you hear the sound of flowing water. 

Hmmm. Did you take a wrong turn and end up somewhere up in north Georgia alongside a mountain stream? No, you’re still at Chattahoochee Bend – and the sound you hear is coming from a small brook that splashes and flows over a series of rocks and ledges as it makes it way to the river. It's a brook that's made to have a trail alongside it, and the trail planners at Chattahoochee Bend have obliged in style.

Hiking alongside the branch near the East-West Trail trail head.

The trail soon turns to closely follow the little creek, and I must say that the section of trail here is one of the prettiest trails I’ve seen. Bordered by carefully-placed stones as it follows the creek, it is as picturesque a trail as you’ll find. The amount of work that went into preparing this portion of this trail is great, I’m sure, but it was definitely worth it. A tip of the hat to the trail builders who worked here – you’ve created a foot path that visiting hikers won’t soon forget!

The trail eventually crosses the creek, then follows the far side of the creek for a ways before transitioning (via a series of switchbacks) into more hilly terrain. Parts of this portion of the trail, like many trails in steeper terrain, have a fairly significant cross-slope. Be careful not to take a careless step and turn an ankle.

After climbing for a while, the trail again becomes relatively level. Double blazes mark several sharp changes of direction as the trail moves through wooded areas and relatively open stretches. Eventually I came to the temporary end of the blazed section, marked by another red ribbon across the pathway.

I’m looking forward to the completion of this trail, too, so I can see what comes next.

Along the way…

My guess is that the trails of Chattahoochee Bend are sure to become known as great ones for viewing and photographing wildlife. The generally sandy soil makes it easy to move quietly on these pathways, and quiet passage means that there’s a chance of seeing wildlife along the way. I kept an informal tally on my two hikes, and the list ended up including deer, turkeys, and innumerable smaller critters and birds.

There’s no doubt that wildlife added to the experience of these hikes – but so did a couple of resonant trees!

What’s a resonant tree? I’d first encountered a formally-designated resonant tree while hiking at Kolomoki Mounds in southwest Georgia, where one of the park’s trails takes you to a hollow three that booms like a drum when you thump its side.

At Chattahoochee Bend, I encountered several such trees along the Riverside Trail. My favorite is one you’ll find as you approach the observation tower from the trailhead end of the trail. You’ll find this particular tree just a bit more than 200 yards before you reach the tower.

But be warned: the urge to test resonant trees is just about irresistible! After looking around to be sure that no one was looking, I gave the tree a tentative thump and got a satisfying little boom in return. A more definite thump yielded a bigger sound.

I gave the resonant tree one more thump, getting a really good ringing boom in return…and then (feeling just a little bit silly) I listened for a moment just in case someone at some other resonant tree happened to hear my signal. Any response? No, only the wind in the trees and distant sound of something big splashing in the river.

But if you heard something booming from the woods of Coweta County last week, you now know what it was!

And watch out for…

Besides deer and turkey and resonant trees, there is one other thing that you’re almost certain to encounter along these trails: ticks.

If they weren’t such a pain, ticks would be pretty interesting creatures.  They seem to be adaptable, and they’re certainly efficient.

There appear to be several different types of ticks at Chattahoochee Bend. After studying them up close, and being the finely tuned observer that I am, I have classified them into three types: big ones, middle-sized ones and little ones. I know my naturalist friends are cringing at that, but you get the general idea.

Personally, I am (how to put it in a family-oriented blog) not particularly fond of ticks. Thus, I have begun a program to re-order those three categories into one all-encompassing category, which I am going to call "squashed ones." In fact, I grab every opportunity to pursue that goal and take great glee in reducing every tick I encounter down to two dimensions. 
Ahh, the joys of the natural world! But ticks are just part of the landscape in the summertime outdoors in much of the southeast, and Chattahoochee Bend is no exception. Remember to check for ‘em when your hiking is done.

Speaking of which, what do you do to deal with ticks on the trail? If you’ve got any good ideas, let me know!

What’s ahead for hiking at the Bend?

The trails at Chattahoochee Bend State Park are a “work in progress,” notes park manager Trint Wicklund. How will that work shape up in the future?

Steve St. Laurent is trail and communications chair for the Friends of Chattahoochee Bend State Park, an organization which (among other things) fields an eager cadre of trail-building volunteers on regularly scheduled work days. He observes that the potential for trail development at the park is very great over the next few years, with well over 20 miles of trail development (including loop and interpretive trails) in the park’s long-range plan.

Dave Smith, another of the many volunteers who has worked on the park’s trails, is equally enthusiastic.

“There’s not been a time I’ve been on the trails in this park that I haven’t seen something unique,” he says.

If you’d like to be a part of the trail-building program at Chattahoochee Bend State Park, you can find out how to get involved at the Friends of Chattahoochee Bend State Park website at www.bendfriend.org.

And plan to visit the park soon, too, to be among the first to explore the trails of Georgia’s newest state park.

How to get there: From I-85 near Newnan, take Exit 47 (Hwy. 34) Go west 0.8 miles and turn right onto Hwy. 34 Bypass (M Farmer Industrial Blvd.). Then go 6 miles and turn right onto Hwy. 34 (Franklin Road) at a four-way stop. Continue another  8.2 miles, then turn right onto Thomas Powers Road and go 2.7 miles to another four-way stop. The road name changes to Hewlett South Road. Continue straight for 0.9 miles. Bear left onto Bud Davis Road and go 1.9 miles. Turn right onto Flat Rock Road. The road name changes to Bobwhite Way. Continue straight to the park entrance.

The hiker's new shoes!

The list of hiking shoe candidates finally narrowed down to these three. Which would be the winner?

If there's one inescapable reality about hiking it's the fact that it involves a lot of walking.

Now how's that for a profound statement?

But it's true -- and hiking in the wrong shoes can be a real killer of feet.

Looking at the trail miles total for Georgia's state parks, it occurred to me the other day that I was going to have to upgrade my footwear. New hiking shoes were clearly on the horizon, and this week's Job One has been to find 'em.

Buying hiking shoes, I quickly discovered, can be a complex undertaking. There are dozens of manufacturers, and most manufacturers have dozens of models. Then you've got all those sizes thrown in, with "regular" and "wide" versions just to make it even more interesting. You've got to think about your heels. You've got to consider your toes. You've got to find your way through the various materials the shoes are made of, the different lacing systems, the varying stiffness of the soles, the high-top vs. low-top debate, and all the rest.

Wow. What's a regular guy to do?

This regular guy started at one of the big-box sporting goods retailers. I know, I know...big-box stores may not be the best place to go for specialized technical outdoor gear. But it was convenient, so in I went.

They had shoes, all right, but I never got the help I needed. So...

I finally did what I tell my fly fishing students to do: I went to a specialty store.

A visit with the hiking shoe expert

The store I chose was Alpharetta Outfitters on North Main Street in Alpharetta. The business cards from this shop say that they're "passionately dedicated to furnishing fine outdoor gear as well as information and education." Passion for shoes? Well, that's what I needed, so in I went.

At the counter, I took a deep breath and admitted my ignorance in all things shoe-ish.

"I guess I need to talk to the resident hiking shoe expert," I said, and none other than Chuck Virgo, manager of the store, stepped up the plate.

Chuck Virgo, manager of Alpharetta Outfitters

To myself, I wondered if anybody could be passionately dedicated to something as mundane and potentially aromatic as helping people purchase shoes, but Chuck was up to the task. He was even enthusiastic about it -- surprise number one!

(And yes, I had washed feet and put on clean socks before going to the store!)

Chuck and I started by talking about what I wanted my new hiking shoes to do. We talked about the kind of hiking I was going to be doing. I told him I was in the process of hiking all the state park trails in Georgia for an upcoming book, and he surprised me again by actually being familiar with some of the trail challenges I was likely to encounter along the way.

Narrowing it down

As we talked, Chuck paused now and then to pull a shoe off the wall display and set it on the counter, commenting on various aspects of each model's design. We talked about the plusses and minuses of high-top vs. low-top. We discussed breatheability, tread pattern and the stiffness of the soles.

Later on it occurred to me that as we stood there talking about things shoe-ish, Chuck was getting the information he needed to make some specific recommendations. As we chatted, he would put one back and then another. Finally we were down to just a trio of different shoes.

"I think either one of these would be good for what you want to do," he said then. "Now it's just a matter of which one feels best on your feet."

Ahh -- time to try on shoes!

The first pair I tried, while nice in many ways, just didn't feel quite right. In particular they felt too tight across the top. So out came another pair.

I tried those on next -- and if it's possible to fall in love with a shoe, I did it then then and there. They felt, well, right.  I was ready to call it a deal.

But not so fast!

To the incline!

Down the incline!

Chuck now pulled out a small inclined board and invited me to try walking down it with the new shoes. There were, it seems, things yet to confirm about the behavior of toes and heels. So, feeling only a little bit self-conscious, that's exactly what I did. In fact, I walked down the little ramp several times, each time checking that the toes and heels were doing what toes and heels are supposed to do. And they were.

Check out time yet? No, not quite.

"Why don't you hike around the store a few times and be sure that they feel good?" Chuck said, and so I did. And they did feel good.

A bit later, Chuck asked, "So how are they?"

"They're great!" I said.

"Well, then," he said, "I think you've found your new hiking shoes."

Lessons learned about buying hiking shoes

So what did I learn from my adventure in the complex world of buying new hiking shoes?

I learned that there are lot of good hiking shoes out there.

I learned that it's not a one-size-fits-all affair and that it's great to have someone help you through the complexities of selecting the best ones for you.

I learned, again, how refreshing it is when the "buying" process is one that's service-driven and not just one where you are being "sold."

I got home from Alpharetta Outfitters about four hours ago, and I'm still wearing those new hiking shoes even as I sit here typing. They really are that comfortable.

In case you're interested, the shoes I got are Keen Targhee IIs, and I can't wait to get some trail mud on them. Of course, having the new shoes means that I'll retire their predecessors. But the old shoes understand, and they'll be looking on enthusiastically next week as my nice new shoes take me out on the next phase of discovering the hiking trails of Georgia's state parks.

Next time: History and resonance at Kolomoki Mounds

That's a lot of hiking!

"It looks like a good day for hiking!"

Those are words that folks who enjoys the out-of-doors loves to hear -- and one of those folks is me! I've always enjoyed a good walk in the woods, and some of the very best places to find that walking are waiting for you in Georgia's many and varied state parks.

What kind of hiking opportunities do Georgia's state parks offer?

That's the question that's at the heart of a new book I'm writing. The book, entitled Hiking Georgia's State Parks, will be a comprehensive and extremely detailed guide to every hiking trail in every state part in the state. The book will include detailed trail guides and exceptionally accurate trail maps, with practical, useful and to-the-point info on what you can expect along each and every trail.

It's the kind of book that I've often wished I'd had access to, but since I couldn't find exactly what I wanted I decided to research and write one myself!

This blog will let you go along with me as I work on that book, bringing it toward publication sometime this fall. Through this blog, you'll be able to follow the book's progress and get a look at some of the exciting hiking that awaits discovery along the way.

In the course of writing and preparing Hiking Georgia's State Parks,  I'll be walking every yard of every state park trail in the state. Along the way I'll be chronicling every step of the experience, reporting on what I find and giving you the info that you will need to enjoy hiking Georgia's state parks too.

And now the big question: Just how much hiking is that going to involve?

"A lot," observed by ever-helpful bride. "That's a lot of hiking. Are you up to it? You're not as young as you used to be, you know."

Oh, they can be so helpful.

But she's right. It is a lot of hiking, so step one is gonna be to get a brand new set of hiking shoes to make it all as comfortable and secure as we can make it. My trusty old trail clompers are getting kind of up in years, so this seems like as good a time as any to do a little upgrading in the recreational footwear department. In fact, that's the big item on the agenda this week -- getting those new hiking shoes -- and in the next few days I'll let you know how the experience goes.

Meanwhile, I'm glad to have you walking along with me on this great adventure, and I hope I'll be seeing you on one of the great Georgia state park trails!