BLOOD MOUNTAIN, Ga. – Two weeks ago, I’d never heard of of Blood Mountain.
Honestly, when I first saw the website for the Blood Mountain Cabins, my first thought was Friday the 13th movies. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.
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My husband and I needed a break — just a couple of days to unplug and rewind. We’d met in July many years ago on a camping trip when he was a lifeguard and I was a camp counselor. Somehow, a trek into the mountains to a cabin sounded fitting.
So, I booked this cabin directly with Blood Mountain Cabins, not on a travel-related website. I’d researched and found the cabins listed on several other websites, plus the location had some good reviews on Trip Advisor dating back many years. I decided to risk it.
Quaint, quiet, rustic, whatever adjectives you want to use. I wasn’t expecting a 5-star, all-inclusive resort. I’d seen the photos on the website and chose a cabin with a single bedroom and bath, a loft and living room plus a kitchen and dining area. It was exactly as photographed.
Tucked away under a canopy of towering trees on a hillside only yards from the Appalachian Trail was the Otter Cabin, our home for two days.
The aroma of the remains of many a fire in the cozy fireplace greeted my husband and me as we entered. The view off the back deck was worth the drive up the winding, mountain roads. The space overlooked a tangle of trees and a small stream.
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Misty, who worked at the front counter, and Shannon, who cleans the cabins, had lived in the area near the Chattahoochee National Forest for most of their lives and gave me info on where to see the best waterfalls and most beautiful views. To take in all of their suggestions, I would’ve needed a week or more.
A trail behind the cabins leads to the Mountain Crossings outdoor retailer located in a stone building constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Directly across the street from Mountain Crossings is a marker dedicated to the Appalachian Trail and access to the trail.
Most of the people who stay in the Blood Mountain Cabins are hikers. Blood Mountain is about 33 miles into the Appalachian Trail.
The busiest times for the through-hikers (those who plan to traverse the entire 2,100-plus miles of the Appalachian Trail) are February through April and October-November. Hikers taking the Georgia to Maine route stop in the winter and early spring while hikers from Maine to Georgia show up in the fall, according to Misty.
She said the first 33 miles are rough, and some hikers decide to hang it up by the time they reach Blood Mountain. They literally hang their hiking boots in the trees outside Mountain Crossings as a sign of surrender.
During last year’s lockdown, I started to appreciate being in nature more. In April 2020, when I couldn’t go to the gym, I started walking around my neighborhood and surrounding ones, drinking in the nature and taking multiple photographs along the way.
We decided to take a trip to Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia with an elevation of 4,784 feet. We reached the park and took the sixth-tenths of a mile hike to the summit. I walk every day, but this walk isn’t your ordinary walk around the neighborhoods in Augusta. Although it’s on a paved pathway, there’s a steep incline.
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Once at the top, we went into the visitors’ center where I met Frank, who was celebrating his one-week retirement anniversary at his new job. He’d spent many years in Florida. He and his wife had bought a cabin years ago and rented it for several years before they decided to settle in the area. She saw the job listing in the paper and encouraged him to apply.
He said he liked it because it got him outdoors and around people.
On a clear day, four states are visible from the summit. On this day, however, a blanket of fog obscured the view.
Frank showed me a popular spot for hikers behind a locked door. It’s the survey marker indicating the highest point. Some hikers try to reach the highest point in every state. One down, 49 to go. Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to happen for me.
After Brasstown Bald, we decided to find one of the many waterfalls in the area. We’d seen a sign for Helton Creek Falls on U.S. Highway 129 and made our way back. Once we turned off the highway, the sign said two miles.
It was a short walk to the site where there are two falls close together. We stayed on the wooden deck, but many people went around it, splashing in the water just below the falls and sitting on the rocks.
We also visited the farm of Byron Herbert Reece, also known as the farmer/poet. The site features several buildings including a barn with an upper loft featuring his office and an area to view a documentary on him.
A lot of dedication has gone into the preservation of the poet’s legacy. He suffered with tuberculosis and ended his life when he was 40.
That evening we drove down the mountain to the Riverside Tavern in Cleveland, Ga. The restaurant doesn’t lie with the name. The screened-in back porch overlooks the river. I’m not much of a foodie, but the seared trout was really good, and my husband enjoyed the rack of ribs.
Ernest Morris played his guitar and sang a mix of songs including country and rock.
The next morning was another day to explore.
Since we were so close to the Appalachian Trail, I knew I had to at least walk some of it.
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We started on the trail with the white marker. It was a relatively flat and easy one. At one point, the trail we were on intersect to the Byron Reese Trail. We ended up on the blue trail, and it was a little more involved. I told my husband I was taking climbing Mount Everest off my bucket list. It was never on my bucket list, but I’m not a rock climber. We did come to a small stream on this journey.
In all, we spent about two hours and 20 minutes on the Appalachian Trail.
Although the address of the cabins was Blairsville, the actual town was located about 14 miles from where we were. We ate most of our meals in the cabin. Blairsville has several chain restaurants, but the local restaurants serve Southern country cooking.
The goal of the trip was to unplug and relax, and we were able to do that in the peace of the mountains. Our cell phones didn’t even get reception in the cabin, and that was fine by us. We’re thinking about going back again, and next time, we’re taking more than just two days.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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