A.G.E's Joint

The sky was milky with streaks of silver. The weather said the storm risk at 60% with high humidity and temps in the low 90’s. The bacon is frying and coffee is made. Yeah, I still want to do this. My idea of summertime fun and play involves sweat and sights. I quickly eat breakfast and head out. It’s not every day I go to the southside without the wife. Cochran Mill Park is an 800 acre plot of creeks and waterfalls 20 miles southwest of Atlanta. It has been praised for it’s beauty by the Atlanta hiking community. This past weekend, I got the chance to enjoy it. Inside the park is a forest that is fairly old, consisting of 75 to 100 year old beech and sweet-gum trees, with a few larger oaks scattered here and there. The understory is mostly wild azaleas, and fast growing vines, with lots of poison ivy. So going off-trail is not recommended. Main Falls There are 18 miles of well maintained trails scattered over four loops. For my first trip, I chose the two shorter...

I like to hike. Let me rephrase that: I like to hike the unusual places. To find the little pockets of heaven stuck in the pits of hell. They are out there. All you have to do is look. A good example is the  South Peachtree Creek Trail . Tucked between two busy roads near Emory University, it runs in a old growth oak forest that makes you forget the world. I recently did another trail fitting this description:  Doll's Head Trail . It is located in Constitution Lakes Park, created from some abandoned industrial land in a somewhat desolate area of Southeast Atlanta. The park itself is a mix of low wetlands and fairly new growth forest tucked along 1/4 mile of railroad. The Doll's Head Loop is part of a longer trail called Rail Ridge. It is an art project begun in 2011, using discarded toys and building materials to make you stop and think. As the sign says, there is poison ivy and other nasty invasive plants here, so bushwhack at your peril. Most of the display...