Field Trip: Amicalola Falls

Well friends, lately we've been having a more interior tour of my surroundings and today we need to rise up off our hind ends and get out of the house! All you ever hear about Georgia in the summer is how hot and humid it is. Am I going to try to deny this? No, that would be like trying to deny the elephant sitting on your head. What doesn't get as much airtime is how breathtakingly beautiful and green it is.

I give you the Amicalola Falls Trail! This beautiful hike is the gateway to the Appalachian Trail. The southern most part of the AT (as official hikers like to call it) ends just seven miles from Amicalola Falls. To make this hike in the summer we got up early and drove to the trail head. As you can see, the falls were lovely the whole way. The first climb is something like 175 steps to get to the observation deck where you see the top of the falls.

At the observation deck you can watch the falls below your feet,

and their continued course down the mountain:

At this point some people would think that they had made it, and that was faster than they thought it would be. And maybe they could go get a coffee now. Oh poor people! Nope, there are 602 steps total before you can really say you've been to Amicalola Falls.

You may have noticed that our heroine has been spotted at the dinner table a lot lately. Dining out, cooking in, eating pudding during difficult artistic moments. Alas! Is it any wonder then, that she wore this expression when facing a climb of 602 steps?

And yet! Did she hesitate? (kind of) Did she think about going back to the car? (maybe) Did she do it anyway!?! YES! Meanwhile, Sam couldn't wait to get started.

So did they make it to the top?

Was there ever any doubt!

Sam looks like he pretty much conquered this valley twice. This is the view from just beyond the rail where Sam's elbow rests so powerfully:

For the safety and welfare of my self and others, I spent my up the stairs energy focused solely on the task at hand. I used the return trip to document a portion of the stairs:

Sam took a break to change shirts (that darn humidity!), but none of you are allowed to look...

Some of you may wonder if my husband willingly takes crazy pictures of himself or if I somehow coerce him. I give you exhibit A: the pictures Sam takes when his wife is collapsed on the picnic table after 602 steps up and back again...

I think he is working on our album cover. Personally, I think I may look a little too edgy for our sound, but Sam pretty much nailed it.