by rmajor
The third stop on my Canyon Climbers Club tour was Providence Canyon. This is often referred to as “The Little Grand Canyon.” The canyon is actually a big erosion gully caused by poor farming practices.
One of the most baffling things I ran into upon my descent into the canyon was figuring out where the trail was. The trail led to the creek bed and was visible continuing on the other side, but there was no hint of a footbridge or any other way to cross. The creek bed looked like something I would instantly mire up in if I stepped in it. That turned out not to be the case. The creek bed is hard packed sand and easily held my weight. For much of the hike into the 9 branches of canyons, the creek bed itself is the trail.
One of the remarkable features of Providence Canyon is the braided pattern in the creek bed.
To fulfill the requirements of the Canyon Climbers Club, I only needed to hike into Canyon #5. I chose to wander into all 9 of them, and each has its own special beauty.
As I climbed out of the canyon and followed the loop trail on around, I came upon an area where there are some abandoned vehicles in the woods.
These have obviously been there for a while.
Following the trail back around to the parking lot, I was rewarded with some very nice views from the rim. The location of the rim keeps changing. I heard the park ranger tell a lady they lose 4 or 5 feet off the rim to erosion every year. She asked if there was anything they could do to stop it. He said, “No, we just have to let nature take its course.”
Filed under: Canyon Climbs
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by rmajor
The second stop on my Canyon Climbers Club Challenge was Cloudland Canyon. I had actually been here a few days before climbing Amicalola Falls, but chose not to attempt the descent into the canyon due to threatening weather conditions. Knowing I had been there and hadn’t made the climb left me feeling like I had unfinished business there. So, a month later I went back and took care of it.
This was my favorite one of the canyon climbs, and the one I most look forward to doing again. The floor of Cloudland Canyon is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
This is Daniels Creek. It is the waterway responsible for carving out the canyon.
There are two waterfalls visible from the floor of the canyon. This is Waterfall #1. It is 300 feet down and cannot be seen from the rim.
This Waterfall #2. It is 900 feet down and is partially visible from the rim. This is as far down into the canyon as the trail currently goes. They are working on a new section which will allow one to go farther down the creek. From this point, there is not much more altitude to lose, maybe another 100 feet.
This a view of the creek below Waterfall #2. You can see what I mean about how beautiful the place is. The sound of the waterfalls reverberates all through the canyon. The sound adds a lot to the awesomeness of the natural beauty this canyon displays.
These pictures were made from a landing on the stairway about halfway down. I took great pleasure in looking back up at the rim after spending so much time on the rim looking down. There are signs on the railing on the East Rim Overlook saying, “Do not cross fence.” You can see why. That first step is a doozy.
Filed under: Canyon Climbs, Waterfalls
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by rmajor
This is Amicalola Falls. It’s one of my favorite places to go hiking. At 729 feet, Amicalola Falls is the tallest waterfall east of the Rockies. Climbing to the top of this waterfall involves hiking a 1 mile trail from the Visitors Center to the base of the falls and then climbing a 604 step staircase.
This is a section of the staircase. I was inspired to climb this waterfall by a program the Georgia State Park System has called the Canyon Climbers Club. Climbing certain designated canyons in the park system earns one a T-shirt and some serious bragging rights.
Another view of the falls.
One of the joys of hiking is seeing beautiful wildflowers, such as these flaming azaleas.
And after successfully climbing the stairs, I was rewarded with this view from the top of the falls.
Filed under: Canyon Climbs, Waterfalls
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