A dirt road is always an interesting start to a hiking trail, especially in the city. East Palisades is just inside the city limits of Atlanta, GA; located in an affluent neighbourhood, south of Sandy Springs and north-west of Brookhaven.
Despite being inside the city perimeter, however, there weren’t many hikers about when I showed up in the early afternoon. This was probably due in part to the weather.
The sky was overcast, and we had a bit of drizzle here and there, but I was not about to let a few sprinkles and a bit of mud stop me from a hiking trip I had looked forward to all week.
Early Spring?
My very first photo-find was just beyond that Jeep, and my second, was just a few steps onto the trail. In fact, with the rain and the warm temperatures in late February, you would almost think spring was just around the corner.
Of all my finds, however, my favourite were the water droplets I caught, trapped on spider webs throughout the park.
The Hiking Trail
Beautiful as these were, the true mark of a trail’s beauty is the trail itself. The woods were thicker than I imagined they would be, and deceivingly littered with fall colours; made all the more bright, by the dark, brooding sky overhead.
It became even more interesting when we chanced upon what may or may not have been a trail, that took us up a hill. The climb was a great break from the flat monotony, though there wasn’t much to see.
Frog Pond
While following the trail, I also came across a frog pond much larger than the one I had seen at Cascade Springs. And this one had no end of ribbits to be heard.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a very good spot to take a picture, and with the cloud cover overhead, lighting wasn’t on my side either. But… you get the general idea. Lots of greenery, and frogs ribbitty-ribbittying away!
The River
But the real reason I wanted to hike the East Palisades was the Chattahoochee River that roared by it. It wasn’t much of a roar when we first started; more like a large creek flowing by, and minding its business.
Further along the trail, however, that changed. That was also where people did their fishing, canoeing, and maybe a bit of swimming. With all the muck, I didn’t go into the water, but I got close enough.
I was beautiful in its own way, though I was told the river had no end of pollution poured into it — a not so pleasant reminder that we were still very much in the city.
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I would love to revisit this trail on a dry day in the spring, but I have no regrets about hiking in the muck. Have you ever hiked in the rain or mud? What trail was it? Did it ruin the hike for you? Share your stories in the comments below.
Wow, this is the exact reason why I enjoy hiking. There is so much to see. It gives you a chance to really stopped and smell the roses (so to speak).
Thank you! There really is so much to see.
Gorgeous photos
Thank you!
I was going to comment that you always post such pretty & artistic pictures from your hikes. Then I got to the Chatahoochie river and got slammed with a wave of nostalgia. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective on my hometown😙
Haha, I hope the nostalgia didn’t ruin the beauty for you. And you’re welcome! 🙂
It most certainly did not ruin the beauty. It enhanced it, so THANK YOU!
Then in that case, mission accomplished!
That yellow flower is beautiful! Love the water droplet photos too (: great frog pond haha
Thank you! I found the frog pond pretty interesting, as well. I’ve never heard one so active before. 🙂
I give you a gold star for the spider web/water drops photos 😉
Coming from you, it feels platinum! 🙂 I was so happy when I saw them.
You saw the beauty in what others may have overlooked… well done grasshopper 🙂 🙂
Thank you, Sensei!
That place looks like it holds many secrets and has many stories to tell. Nature is a great muse. I love the pic of the dew drops on the spider’s web creating beauty out of something sinister.
It does look like it holds a few secrets! I would love to know the story of what happened to the Indians who lived there first.
I’m really proud of those spiderweb photos. Always saw them online, but never got one myself until now 🙂
Also, I flew over Dallas Thursday evening. Spring has sprung! So much greenery. Georgia is still lagging behind.
I’ve been on my fair share of hikes, in the rain and in the sun! The weather doesn’t bother me as long as I have a friend and a camera in hand!
I love that! I think it’s really silly when people let less-than-perfect weather get in the way of adventure. It wouldn’t be an adventure if you could control all the elements! 🙂
This was just a light drizzle here and there, but mostly warm. I have hiked in the fall rain in Iowa before though. Quite the experience!
Seems like you had a great time, but the concept of hiking in spaghetti straps and shorts in such cold weather is making this desert rat shiver.
Haha, it was a bathing suit in case I could get in the water. It was supposed to be sunny and clear skies that day, but the weather people lied. It was still fairly warm though — late 60s to early 70s if memory serves.