To Find My Soul

Bluff views at the Lula Lake Land Trust

 

In the fall, I crave mountains. I want hiking and turning leaves and bourbon. 

Because I know this about myself, I often plan hiking trips in the fall. This year was no different. I bundled up Mara, a wonderful work friend (who also paddled the Mississippi River with me a few years ago), and off we went.

We'd initially booked a lovely AirBnb in Rising Fawn, Georgia, in order to be as close as possible to Cloudland Canyon State Park. (I'd never hiked it before, and I was jonesing to try some of those trails!) However, about two weeks before our check-in date, our AirBnb host called to say they'd had water damage at the property. We scrambled to find a substitute at such a late date, and we ended up with this winner in Chattanooga. It wasn't surrounded by the mountains, but it was roomy, clean, stylish, and affordable. (Frankly, we were lucky to get it. Situation officially saved!) 

Day 1

The ribs are dreamy at Dreamland!

We left the Jackson area in the morning and had comfy (if a bit rainy) driving steadily until Tuscaloosa. By then, we were getting hungry for lunch. Mara had never been to Dreamland Bar-B-Que, so I knew I had to take her! We settled into a booth and noshed on ribs and pulled pork sandwiches, washed down by their famous sweet tea. Delish! 

We'd originally planned to stop along the way and hike to Noccalula Falls in Alabama, but rainy skies thwarted those plans. (Next time!) No worries. We made it to our rental right around check-in time, unpacked, and rested a bit. Then, we made a quick grocery run to the nearby Publix (maybe half a mile from the rental) to stock up for the week - mainly breakfast, lunch, and snack options. 

A little charcuterie, a little wine, a little dark chocolate, and we were ready for bed!

Day 2

We had a hearty breakfast at the cabin. As we planned to work remotely about half time on this trip, Sunday was one of our only full days to explore. When planning the jaunt, we'd discovered Lula Lake Land Trust was nearby. One weekend per month, this park is open to hikers by reservation only. Since we can't resist a limited-time offer, we'd made reservations to hike this park. 

What a treasure! The site was formerly decimated by mining, timber harvest and garbage dumping, but persistent restoration efforts have reclaimed its beauty. The conservancy started small in the 1950s, but now it comprises some 12,000 acres of land that has been cleaned up and opened to limited public use. 

Waterfalls at Lula Lake!

We hiked the Classic Loop Trail, which is almost five miles and takes you by the park's headliners - waterfalls, Lula Lake, and expansive bluff views. The leaves were turning, the waters were rushing, and views of the Chattanooga Valley were gorgeous. Though peak leaf season hit Georgia and Tennessee early this year, we were in the area just in time to catch the tail end of fall, and the trees were beautiful. We took our time at both the waterfall and the bluff, enjoying the burnt colors of the season. 

Walking Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge

After a great morning on the trail, we trundled back in the SUV. We'd packed our lunch, and we tooled through Fairyland, Georgia (which is as beautiful as it sounds), to find a picnic table at which to eat. We found it at Fairyland Elementary School, and the setting was gorgeous. While in the area, we explored the neighborhoods around the golf course, and it was a fall wonderland. Stately homes bedecked with pumpkins. Vibrant foliage, with leaves gracefully fluttering to the ground. Scampering chipmunks. It really was like something out of a storybook!   

Afterwards, we drove the 15 minutes or so back to the rental and freshened up a bit, then popped back out to Urban Stack for dinner. What a find! After hikes, I find I often crave beef. The Philly Cheese Steak Burger, loaded with peppers, onions, and mushrooms, hit the spot! I washed it down with a Strawberry Blonde cocktail - a mix of bourbon, strawberry, basil and bitters. 

After dinner, we still had some juice left in us, and it was a beautiful night, so we headed for the Walnut Street Bridge. We walked the length of it, admiring the bright moon reflected in the waters of the Tennessee River, then strolled over to the arts district to admire some of the public art, which is lit dramatically at night. A perfect ending to a great day!

Fall color on the Sitton's Gulch Trail at Cloudland Canyon State Park

Day 3

On Monday, we enjoyed breakfast at the rental and worked a few hours in the morning. Then, we packed up and headed to Cloudland Canyon State Park. As the day was a bit overcast, we decided to hike Sitton's Gulch, a five mile forest trek that ends at Hemlock Falls. 

I loved the way the light hit these mushrooms.
Beautiful.

It. Was. Gorgeous. So much fall color. As the hike begins, the route is mostly flat. The trail runs along the gulch, which starts out dry at the trailhead, but has progressively more water in it as you close in on the falls. Yellow leaves drifting lazily down from above, bright flags of color still clinging in the canopy, cool rock outcroppings, and trickling (then later, rushing) waters. Because the area had seen some rain recently, we found mushrooms along the trail, too! 

The trail ended at Hemlock Falls, where there is a small lower and a larger upper falls. This spot was just magical, and we sat here for a while, taking it all in. The trail is out-and-back, so after hiking back, we picked up a little lunch at a local eatery and then headed back to the rental. 

We worked a bit more that afternoon, after which we gussied up for a nice dinner at Public House. What a find! I had a succulent small plate of quail with a delightful Old Fashioned to drink. Mara chose the scallops. Everything was delicious here, and the service was great. We finished off by splitting a very generous serving of carrot cake. Perfection. 

More to come . . . 

The lower falls of Hemlock Falls