April 19, 2011
| This week’s hike was on two trails in Lumpkin County, GA. The Sosebee Cove Trail and the nearby Coosa Backcountry Trail.
HIKERS – John Bellamy, June Bellamy, Phil Brownrigg, Greta Driggers, Jim Driggers, Beth Erickson, Bill Hunt, Jack Jacobi, Dick Metzgar, Wanda Miller, Wayne Miller, Lynne Porter-Whitmire, Rick Porter-Whitmire, Don Preece, Donna Presley, Tony Presley, Joe Raguckas, Vic Robson, Dan Ross, Dolly Tabor, Marvin Tabor and Carole Wintle. Trail Info: The Sosbee Cove Trail is short but spectacular in terms of botanical habitat. It is a great time of year to view a great variety of wildflowers in bloom. The old-growth trees are also amazing with huge Tulip Poplars, and Yellow Buckeyes among many others. This area has not been logged in 107 years. The portion of the Coosa Backcountry Trail that we hiked is the section between State Rd. 180 (Wolfpen Rd) and the Forest Service Road at Wolf Creek (out and back). It is a nice trail with lots of creeks through a beautiful hardwood forest. The trail is somewhat hilly but only moderately difficult. Total hiking distance today – 6.5 miles R.T. Directions: Take highway 129 N. out of Cleveland, GA and continue past Neels Gap and Vogel State Park . Just past the entrance to Vogel State Park, turn left (west) on GA Hwy. 180 and travel 4-5 miles. Look for the Sosebee Cove sign on the right. Next, we accessed the Coosa Backcountry trail back down the road about a quarter mile toward Vogel State Park. The trail crosses Hwy 180 here. Another great day for a hike! Sunny and warm with temperatures ranging from 68 to 76 F. WILDFLOWERS IN BLOOM: Bloodroot, Dogwood, Star Chickweed, Mouse-eared Chickweed, Yellow Violet, Sweet White Violet, Stemmed Violet, Purple Violet, Halberd-leafed Violet, Lobed Violet, Spurred Violet, Purple Toadshade Trillium, Yellow Toadshade Trillium, White Erect Trillium, Large-flowered Trillium Blue Cohosh, Foam Flower, Showy Orchis, Mandarin Flower, Solomon’s Seal, May Apple, Large Bellwort, Perfoliated Bellwort, Meadow Rue, Field Buttercup, Hooked Buttercup, Toothwort, Cut-leafed Toothwort, Yellow Buckeye, Trout Lily, Wild geranium, Dwarf crested Iris, White Baneberry, Oil Nut, Golden Alexander, Pussytoes, Robin’s Plantain, Cinquefoil, Huckleberry, Rue Anemone, Bedstraw, Yellowroot and Barren strawberry. BIRDS IDENTIFIED: Oven Bird, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Red-eyed Vireo, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Black-and-White Warbler, Pine Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Towhee, and American Crow. |
 Our first trail today. |
 We took a very slow walk through the lush Sosebee Cove natural area observing the amazing population of wildflowers. |
 The tree on the left is one of the largest Yellow Buckeye trees that you will ever see!. |
 We were surprised to see Trout Lilies still blooming. |
 We saw Trillium grandiflora by the hundreds! |
 After finishing Sosebee Cove, we moved down the road a short distance and hiked on the Coosa Backcountry Trail. |
 A beautiful feature of this trail is the nice waterfall that the trail crosses. |
 Our destination was beautiful Wolf Creek. |
 Lunchtime on the Coosa Backcountry Trail! |
 Honey and Merlin cool off in the creek! |
 Some of today’s wildflowers (top left then clockwise) Large-flowered Trillium, Showy Orchis, Dwarf Crested Iris and Long-spurred Violet. |
 Another great day for a hike! |
 The OFHC gang for today’s hike. (l-r seated)Wanda Russell, “Honey”, Rick Porter-Whitmire, Beth Erickson, Bill Hunt, Vic Robson and Tony Presley. (l-right back) Dick Metzgar, Wayne Miller, Phil Brownrigg, Dan Ross, Dolly Tabor, Marvin Tabor, June Bellamy, John Bellamy, Joe Raguckas, Don Preece, Donna Presley, Greta Driggers, “Merlin”, Lynne Porter-Whitmire, Jim Driggers, Carole Wintle and Jack Jacobi. |