Photograph by Mihtiander/Getty Pictures
At 5 within the morning, I stretch my legs and get out of the automobile and step into the rain. My pal Ethan and I headed to Unicoi State Park in Helen for a half marathon on Smith Mountain, a small forested peak in north Georgia. The morning remains to be darkish, and we fill our packs with snacks and water for our first path race. The rain is so loud that almost all of us fall silent. “You realize what could be sick?” Ethan says by way of the rain. “If we noticed a bear at this time.”
I nodded in settlement. It could be sick, however I am unable to assist however assume that this want shouldn’t be outstanding. The bear dialog is one I had numerous occasions in my teenage years and early 20s, perhaps twice earlier than with Ethan. Like many who’ve come earlier than me and those that will come after, I lengthy to see a bear within the wild. I’m wondering what I might do if I ever encountered a bear. Screaming appears the conventional response, however what can I say? “Bear!” Something higher than that, proper?
Bears are American in nature and tradition. They’re extra idolized than the bald eagle by way of comforting characters like Smokey Bear, Winnie the Pooh and your teddy bear. All through downtown Helen, statues, memento outlets and streets are devoted to them. However within the wild, bears are highly effective and unpredictable, which is usually a lethal one-two punch for people. Even black bears (of which about 5,100 reside in Georgia), that are small and simply need your lunch, can assault and kill in self-defense. They aren’t uncommon sufficient to ever seem, however they’re elusive sufficient for our awe-inspiring admiration
I am at first line of the race now, no transfer if I’ve to flee the bear. There are about 300 folks right here to run the path within the rain. Ethan scarfed down a banana subsequent to me. I signed up for path races with him as a approach to drive myself on nature. After I was rising up in St. Louis, my dad and mom labored loads and I performed numerous sports activities. Mountain climbing appeared like a interest to me when you would put within the time. I rode a few occasions in my childhood at a cousin’s home, flat land. After I moved to Atlanta for faculty, the woods beckoned me, however I by no means acted. I idealized it from afar, in books, in ecopoetry courses at Emory, and thru social media with upbeat background music. Immediately, I’ll climb my first mountain, soundtracked by drenching rain.
After the primary few flat miles, alongside Smith Creek, we start our climb. The dust path is all mud, and our toes sink deeper as we go. However spirits are excessive. Ethan and I sing a tune to proceed our sloshing, and we meet runners from Florida and the Carolinas. A man from Florida adopted our tune and joined us, forming a pack. The rain is now a wall, and after I look into the woods beside us, I am unable to see previous the circulation.
“Shoot,” says the person from Florida.
“Are you okay?” Ethan yelled.
“Yeah, I imply actual shit,” says the person from Florida. “It was bear poop on the path.”
Our tune stops, and although we proceed to climb, the significance of the race fades. All my senses alert to potential hazard; There’s something else with us on the path.
After a couple of minutes, Ethan stops working and appears to our proper. Within the distance, I see a black bear, excessive up in a tree, on a giant department. It is the ball of fur first, after which the bear stretches its entrance legs ahead. The bear’s eyes glare at me, and I really feel important trying again. I collapse at that second when the bottom under immediately begins to fall and I catch myself in opposition to a tree. As I used to be watching the bear, the muddy fringe of the path I used to be standing on moved and I nearly went down with it.
We’ve a race to run, so we push and climb Smith Mountain for seven miles. The path loops us across the different facet of the mountain. The tracks of the entrance runners are waterlogged, however our descent is fast by way of the rain Higher runners than us clap as we cross the end line. Helen’s race was essentially the most bodily demanding factor I might ever achieved on the time, however I walked away understanding I might come again to run with nature once more.
Three trails to hike at your individual tempo
East Palisades: North Loop and Bamboo Forest
Positioned at I-75 and 285, East Palisade meanders alongside the Chattahoochee River. Take the North Loop, a 5.6-mile winding path with an elevation achieve of 750 toes, which takes you thru a bamboo forest with many scenic views of the river.
Mount Jonah Path
For a steeper problem, North Georgia’s Mount Yonah has a 4.1-mile out-and-back path with 1,400 toes of elevation achieve. Hike it for excellent views of the Blue Ridge Mountains; Run it for that, too, and check laborious.
Amicalola Falls State Park
All the park is price mentioning right here. Appalachian Path hikers attempt the 16-mile out-and-back path to start out their journey at Springer Mountain, which takes you previous the 729-foot waterfall Amicalola Falls. There are different nice hikes within the park, such because the Lane Foot Hike In (9.4 miles out and again), which takes you to the ultimate stretch of the Georgia Dying Race, a 74-mile ultramarathon and some of the infamous annual end charges within the US.
Xavier Stevens Its Managing Editor atlanta journal
This text appeared in our August 2024 situation.
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