Second-tallest peak in Georgia? Bagged it!
Wild and scenic river in South Carolina where they filmed Deliverance? Bagged it!
Early summer seemed like a good time to do some peak bagging, that is, visiting some of the highest points in the state. So the household piled into a Rav4 and headed up to Rabun County in northeast Georgia. Rabun County is home to the second highest peak in Georgia, Rabun Bald (second only to Brasstown Bald). So we enjoyed a nice hike up the mountain passing through groves of laurels, rhododendrons, and azaleas.
The mountain laurel was particularly stunning, with its pale pink highlights and popcorn-style buds opening up.
Similar in coloration were the Piedmont azaleas.
We reached the peak after a few short hours of casual hiking and strolling through rhodi tunnels. The final challenge is climbing the steps of an observation tower, from whence you can see views to the mountains of North Carolina and down to the piedmont of Georgia.
We took a detour for our hike back down, walking down an old logging road. We were hoping to catch views of the multi-million dollar vacation homes on the side of the hills, but to no avail. However, we did see tons of flame azaleas in bloom, which made for some nice color contrast, as well as ferns, lichens, and salamanders.
After finishing our hike, we still had plenty of daylight left, so we decided to head across the border to South Carolina and experience the wild Chattooga. There's a sweet rapid called Bull's Sluice that's quite the hangout spot for kayakers, so we hung out on the rocks and watched paddlers and boats full of raft guides-in-training shoot the rapid. All in all, a pretty successful day.
