Thu, Dec 18 2008 - Thursday - Kennesaw Mountain Fitness Hike (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Tony C, Kevin Crowe Participants: Tony C, Kevin Crowe, Sunnie, Robert Shea, Scott Sanders, Rafiq, Jeannine, Gary Babiarz, Yuling, Marshall

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Write Up:
Well rain was forecast at 10% today, but I guess 10% is not 0% and we did get a good bit of light drizzle throughout the day. However it wasn't even bad enough for most of us to put on our raingear and the unseasonably warm temps (near 70) made the sprinkling much more agreeable. This was billed as a "fitness" hike and we definitely improved our level of fitness today. We kept up a vigorous pace...averaging about 3.6 mph while moving (not figuring in breaks).

We started out at the KM visitors center and looped out around the southeastern side of the mtn. It was a great way to start with a long gradual uphill that helped to get us warmed up. We crossed the road, then the creek, then another road, and then soon came upon Cheatham Hill and the monument there where we stopped for lunch. After some snacks and conversation, we headed back onto the trail...taking a different loop back that was surprisingly pretty for this time of year and on a somewhat dreary day..

We hiked back over the creek..some of us taking the bridge and a couple of others doing some "rock hopping" to take a shortcut. We reached Burnt Hickory Road and then made our valiant charge up the mtn...speed hiking it for the most part and really pushing ourselves hard. We hiked up into the low hanging clouds and there was an eerie beauty at the top of little KM and big KM mtns (see pics). It was fogged in, but what it lacked in views, it made up for in atmosphere. We made it down the last stretch of trail, glad that we made it out on a slightly rainy day...good old reliable KM never seems to disappoint and this day was no different.

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