Sweetwater W-O-Y Ramble - Tue, Jul 23 2019

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Sweetwater W-O-Y Ramble

The Basics:

Event Type:

Hike

Event Location:

Sweetwater State Park

Date(s) & Time:

Tue, Jul 23 2019 9:00 am >> Tue, Jul 23 2019 1:00 pm

Registration Opens:

Sat, Jul 20 2019 11:05 am

Registration Cut Off:

Tue, Jul 23 2019 8:00 am

Event Duration:

4 Hours

Difficulty Rating:

D4: Moderate to Difficult

Distance:

10 Miles

Pace:

Moderate

Trip Leader(s):

Allen D

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Member Cost:

None

Participant Info:

Who's Invited:

Members Only, 21 And Older Only

Maximum Group Size:

Minimum Group Size:

Number Registered So Far:

3 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)

Are Dogs Permitted:

Itinerary:

This will be a D4 hike in distance, but with only about 1000' elevation change, (without the Blue Loop). Please only sign up for this hike if D3's are comfortable for you, and you seek D4's for the challenge. I will contact participants without obvious experience with AOC to make sure you are ready for a steady challenge.

We will shoot to complete in 4 hours or less, whatever the distance.

We'll start out at the Nature Center with a long warm-up on the White Loop, looking for the Bonus Beech Trees, (see NOTES) and a quick peek at the New Manchester Mill ruins with a little history of their rise and demise. Then we'll get a vigorous follow-up on the Yellow and Orange Loops. If the group has extra gas at the end of these 9.3 miles, we can add another 1.4 miles with the Blue Loop.

Map, terrain and vegetation reading will be encouraged, and instructed for those interested along the trail.

Required Items to Bring:

Water, 2 Liters may be appropriate.

A light snack

Hiking Shoes

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

Hiking Poles

First Aid Tape for blisters

How to Get There:

Event Directions:

Take I-20 west to exit 44 (Thornton Road). Make a left on Thornton Road (South) and then a right onto Blairs Bridge Road. Travel 2.1 miles to Mount Vernon Road and make a left. Drive about one mile to the park entrance (you'll go over two small spillways) and make a left on Factory Shoals Road.

$5 Entrance fee unless you have an annual pass. Drive about half a mile to the parking lot just before the visitor's center. The lot may be full, so you will need to park on the [pavillion loop ]. Give yourself time to walk to the Nature Center from parking ~1/3 mile away.

Sweetwater Creek State Park
1750 Mt. Vernon Road
Lithia Springs , GA 30122

Notes:

Will hike rain or shine, though not in severe weather. Cancellation by 8 pm the night before

There is a $5.00 parking fee at the park.

On the White Trail we will have a treasure hunt for a mature beech tree, greater than 6" in diameter. Why are they so uncommon in Georgia woodlands, while the understory is full of small diameter trees? Beeches stand out with their smooth grey bark, and the way they retain their dead leaves all winter.

We also will share a little bit of Geology, learned on the State Park Naturalist Series.

Trail Map, D escriptions

Atlanta Trails.com

* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance: Please review the AOC cancellation policy.