Hikes

I went hiking this weekend. On Sunday, between the rain, I went on a group hike with Golden Retriever Rescue (GRRA) to Red Top Mountain State Park. On Monday I went on a hike with a friend and our dogs (I only took Buddy because Allie can't make anything over 2 miles anymore) to Sweetwater Creek State Park.

I often refer to myself as a cyclist (a big fat cyclist( Mountain Bikers have a great term for a cyclist like me, they call us Clydesdale)), and I know I've talked about TrailRunning alot in this blog, but I really enjoy hiking. It is one of those activities you can do with a group or alone. You can take your dog along (dogs love hiking - lots of new smells and alot of things they have never peed on before). You can take your family along (families love hiking - lots of bonding and alot of things they have never peed on before). It is a great activity.

Red Top Mountain - Homestead Trail

I love the Red Top Mountain Homestead Trail for group dog hikes. It is a 5 mile easy to moderate hike though the State Park located on Lake Alatoona. What makes this a great hike for groups is that the trail is wide enough for two people to walk next to each other and hold a conversation (unless you were my sister, she was too busy sucking air to hold a conversation). What makes it a great hike for dogs is that it has little alcoves on the lake that the dogs can swim, without bothering any other patrons. It took us 2hour and 45 minutes to complete and that was with stopping for 30 minutes for the dogs to swim.

(Note - Buddy started to revert back to being a bad swimmer, I think he got nervous(the Labs that came to the hike might have been mocking him), I thought I was going to have to jump in to rescue him (then the Labs would have really mocked him).)

Sweetwater Creek - Yellow Trail

Sweetwater Creek State Park is one of my favorite parks in Georgia. It is close to home (1/2 hour drive), has multiple trails and some great scenery (like the New Manchester Mill, a Civil War era mill).

The Yellow Trail is across the creek and is less used. The trail is a 3 mile loop that either starts off or ends with a gut busting hill (it's not for the faint of heart or heart condition patient). Once you have climbed the hill, you feel like you have accomplished something. The trail is a single file type of trail, so it's not great for large groups and the creek can be fast moving at times, so its not good for dogs that aren't good swimmers (like Buddy sometimes). But, If you are looking for a good workout, I highly recommend it.