The weather could not have been better if Mother Nature herself had set up the afternoon for us. The sun was shining, the temperature was pushing mid 50's, and there was a very light breeze out of the north west.  There were a few scattered clouds.  Just enough to offset the deep blue skies, which, in total, made for the most picturesque day by far this winter, in my opinion.

I arrived about an hour before our scheduled start time, so I decided to follow a small trail downstream and to the left of the trail head.  This smaller trail is not part of the mapped East Palisades trail, but I am very glad that curiosity got the best of me.

As I walked down the short path along the river bank, I was caught off-guard by a Great Blue Heron basking in the sun.  What really surprised me was that he was a mere 50 feet from me.  My presence did not seem to startle him in any way.  I took a few photos with my camera phone (not very good quality beyond 25 feet) and posted them to my Facebook page.  They are publicly viewable at http://www.facebook.com/jmitchtx.  Feel free to tag any of them you like.

After our meet and greet and all of the waivers were signed, we headed out on the trail.  The pace was quick and we made good time getting up and over the first major hill.  Along the trail, we stopped only briefly to collect the group at intersecting trails.  We had 18 hikers with varying degrees of experience, but it was important to me that we all stay as close together as we could.

We arrived at a scenic spot along the river bank beside the remains of some kind of old stone house or cabin.  I have searched the web and asked around and no one seems to know the history or origins of this old structure.

The next notable stopping point is a scenic overlook perched high on the cliffs overshadowing the river bank.  From this vantage point, you can take some really amazing photographs.

As we were enjoying the view and getting a few sips of water while we prepared to push on to the next spot, a familiar shrill rang out from below us.  Someone yelled 'hawk' and a few of us pointed down the cliff face at the incredible sight.  It was the cry of a Red Tail Hawk as he leapt into the air, leaving the top of a pine tree swaying behind him. 

Everyone quickly scurried to the edges of the platform to try and get a glimpse of this majestic bird before he flew out of sight.  We watched, awestruck, as hey gently glided on the wind in a circular pattern.  It was then that we heard another shrill cry out nearby.  Our eyes scanned and we realized there were two hawks, not one.

Many reputable sources on the internet say that Hawks will make this shrill cry when defending their territory.  We were in store for a real-life, wildlife battle for the rights to hunt the Eastern bank of the Palisades.

As we continued watching them, it wasn't long before we realized they both were actually using the upward draft of the gentle winds against the rock face to gain altitude.  We watched them for several minutes as they circled around and around, climbing higher and higher.  They soon surpassed our elevation and as they continued to gain altitude, the sky became their background and someone yelled out "there's another one".  I could hardly believe it myself.  There was a third Red Tailed Hawk, at least 100 foot above the two we watched climbing with the wind.  We stood there watching the 3 of them circle and circle, climbing ever higher and higher, at times shrieking at each other.  Honestly, I have never seen something so amazing in person.

I'm not exactly sure what it is about the shrill cry of a Hawk, but that sound sends shivers up and down my spine.  Maybe I've seen too many movies with Hawk shrills in them?

I could have stood their and watched all afternoon, but it was time to move on to the next scenic location, the bamboo groves.  The bamboo groves are a special treat along the riverbank that seems to take you to another country.  You almost feel like if you look up, you might get a face full of panda poo.  I said 'almost'.

We then pushed on to the far end of the trail.  This is a somewhat steep climb up to a ridge overlooking a bend in the river.  As you climb up the last few rocks and look out over the river as it bends southward, the sights and sounds of this wonderful scenery takes your breath away.  It's either that or the smog and noise from Interstate 285.

All in all, we had a great trip and I would recommend anyone of almost any skill level visit and enjoy this rare treasure we have right here in Atlanta.

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James "AOC Leader wanna be" Mitchell

jmitchtx@gmail.com

404-585-1192