Georgia - Day 29 - in Fort Mountain campground

Fort Mountain State Park, Chatsworth

Wednesday, 26 April 2023

Fort Mountain was named for an old rock wall, 855' in length, that ranges from 2' to 6' in height, built at the top of the mountain.  Nobody knows where the wall came from or why it was built, and here are some of the theories:

   * It was built about 500 AD by Native Americans for ceremonies or religious activities.

   * It was built during the 1300s by Welsh explorers as defense against Native Americans.  (Did you know there were Welsh explorers here at all, let alone in the 1300s?)

   * Cherokee legend says it was built by the "Moon Eyes" (light-skinned people) who could see in the dark because of their larger or paler eyes.

   * It was built by Spanish conquistadors - even Hernando de Soto - to defend against attacks by Native Americans.

I came to this park intending to see this wall, because anything that can survive that long deserves some respect.  I had hoped it would be fairly accessible - even visible on the way to the campground.  But no such luck.  It was actually several miles away from the campground and I'm guessing not just miles distant but also miles climbing, if it sits at the top of the mountain.  I was so completely tired when we got in yesterday, that I was nearly ready to cry, so I just couldn't bring myself to keep driving any longer than I absolutely had to.  And Dext and I sure weren't going to walk that distance today on campground roads.

Then when I read an extra handout from the campground I saw that even if we drove up to the parking area at the top, we'd still need to go on a hike: a .9-mile trail with an average grade of 14% that they say would take about an hour.  My knee was hurting and I was running out of energy, and I just couldn't imagine that I wanted to see it that bad, so I reluctantly gave up the idea.

The campground had several very steep hills, and it was almost impossible for us to take a walk without also doing some climbing - just not enough level ground.  We managed, but neither Dext nor I was enthusiastic about those climbs.

There were signs around warning of bears, and on our first walk this morning, in the pitch dark, we'd barely left the RV when Dext sensed something.  And at one point we both heard a sort of snuffling.  The direction of that sound was downwind so after a minute, Dext stopped worrying about it.  I didn't, because one of my fears throughout this trip is that Dext will attack a bear if we meet one.  Luckily, nothing happened.

Then, about a half hour after getting back to the RV, the rain started.  The forecast was for a 60% chance - and we got plenty for that half-hearted chance.  We had heavy rain until nearly noon.

This is apparently great territory for Nuthatches because I saw lots of them climbing the trees.  And some Bluebirds.  Nice.

It was odd that at about a quarter to 5:00 in the afternoon very heavy fog rolled in suddenly and sat for about an hour, then disappeared.

There's zero connectivity in the park, so although I wrote several posts, I couldn't publish them.  Instead I edited all the photos I still have pending.

So though the walks were strenuous and the wildlife a little active, it was a peaceful and pleasant visit.