5/24/2011 The Yonah Mountain Trail – GA

HIKERS: Karen Brown, Greta Driggers, Jim Driggers, Jack Jacobi, Jeanne O’Connor, Saranjit Plaha, Lynne Porter-Whitmire, Rick Porter-Whitmire, Donna Presley, Tony Presley, Vic Robson, Dan Ross, Lynne Saporito, Marvin Tabor, David Whitaker, Geri Whitaker and Carole Wintle.

TRAIL INFO. – The Yonah Mountain Trail is a short but strenuous hike from the base to the summit of this beautiful rock-faced mountain. The rock cliffs are amazing and are frequently used for training by the U.S. Army Rangers. The side trails take you out to the edge of these cliffs where the you find numerous rapelling hooks anchored in the rocks with hundreds of feet of sheer drop below. The views are breath-taking! Distance hiked – 5.5 to 6 miles.

Directions: To reach the trailhead, take Hwy 75 north from Cleveland, GA towards Helen. Turn right on Tom Bell Rd at the West Family Restaurant. Then take an immediate left on Chambers Rd. looking for the second gravel road on your left. You will see the parking lot with kiosk and restrooms.

Another great day for a hike! Partly cloudy with temperatures ranging from 67 to 80 degrees F.

WILDFLOWERS IN BLOOM: Flame Azalea, Coreopsis, Ragwort, Bull Thistle, Oxeye Daisy, Daisy Fleabane, White Yarrow, Hawkweed, Rattlesnake Weed, Common Milkweed, Four-leaf Milkweed, Tall Bluet, Spiderwort, Fire Pink, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Whorled Loosetrife, Flowering Spurge, Mountain Laurel, Stachys, Yellow Wood Sorrell, Sundrop, Purple Violet, Blackberry, Deerberry and Micheaux’s Saxifrage.

BIRDS IDENTIFIED: Red Eyed Vireo, American Crow, Scarlet Tanager, Pileated Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Yellow Throated Vireo, Oven Bird, Red Bellied Woodpecker, Broad Wing Hawk, Towhee, Hooded Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow Billed Cuckoo, Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Turkey Vulture, Brown Thrasher, Summer Tanager.

OTHER FAUNA: Groundhog and Ring-necked Snake.