 |
Headwaters of the Chattahoochee River - 1 Old Growth Trees and Waterfalls Union Co., GA |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021) |
|
Headwaters of the Chattahoochee River - 1 Old Growth Trees and Waterfalls Union Co., GA |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021) |
| ~ March 2021 ~ With FSR-44 re-opened after a two year closure for repairs, my friend "Old Growth" Cliff and I made a trek to a spot where he had spotted some likely big trees via satellite imaging. This small valley in the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River was never easy to reach, but deadfall from wind/storm events in the area in recent years (the same events that damaged the road), on top of the usual rhododendron and dog hobble, made for a challenging bushwhack. Fortunately, the destination area itself was a fairly clean woods, and we found a number of large trees, including several poplars that measured over 16 feet in circumference. We passed a couple of nice waterfalls on the way up, although the sunny conditions made for terrible photos. We got some clouds on the way back, so I might have had an opportunity for better shots, but we took another route on our return, opting to climb up and over a ridge rather than fight the mess we traversed on our way up. |
|
 |
|
| Middle Chattahoochee Falls This shot was a placeholder, taken as we passed what was once considered the Upper Chattahoochee Falls. By the time we got back to it, I was too worn out to climb down and take more pics. I got better photos on a later visit. |
|
 |
|
| Upper Falls on the Chattahoochee River |
|
 |
|
| From another angle - Upper Falls on the Chattahoochee River |
|
 |
|
| Falls on a tributary of the upper Chattahoochee River, on the N side of Coon Den Ridge. |
|
 |
|
| Finally, some big trees! After working our way through a jungle of blowdown and other obstructions, we finally reached our destination valley. This double-trunked poplar measured over 16 feet in circumference. The hollow left side has snapped off, but the right side was still growing. |
|
 |
|
| Cliff starts measuring... 16 feet 3 inches circumference |
|
 |
|
| Inside the hollow trunk... |
|
 |
|
| I had to take my turn in the trunk. (Cliff Shaw photo) |
|
 |
|
| Cliff was already eyeing the next big tree... |
|
 |
|
| Lots of old growth trees here! This 13.5 foot circumference poplar wasn't a monster, but still a nice tree. (Cliff Shaw photo) |
|
 |
|
| Recording tree data... |
|
 |
|
| Approaching a couple of monsters... Look at that one at center rear! |
|
 |
|
| What a big beauty! The tree, not Cliff! |
|
 |
|
| Yup, another one over 16 foot circumference! (Cliff Shaw photo) |
|
 |
|
| From the side... 16 feet 5 inches circumference |
|
 |
|
| Top of the tree... |
|
 |
|
| From the uphill side, you can see that this huge tree is hollow, too. |
|
 |
|
| One more view of this beautiful old tree... (Cliff Shaw photo) |
|
 |
|
| A group of old growth oaks. The photo doesn't do this group justice... |
|
 |
|
| A nice old Walnut in a wildlife clearing. Here in the mountains, the FS often placed wildlife clearings at old homesites. Sadly the sites were usually bulldozed and little evidence remains of the old homestead. |
|
 |
|
| Horsetrough Falls Since we were so close, we walked up to the falls on our way out... |
|
 |
|
| Horsetrough Falls I have photographed this beautiful waterfall before, so didn't spend too much time here. |
|
 |
|
| Horsetrough Falls |
|
| A few days later, I returned to get some better photos of the Second (Middle) Falls on the Chattahoochee, which is pictured at the top of this page. It is sometimes referred to as Slot Falls or Chute Falls. This time I accessed the falls from the other side of the river. |
|
 |
|
 |
|
| The upper section of these falls drops through a slot, which is unusual in this area. |
|
 |
|
| A little closer... |
|
 |
|