The Christmas Party was a great success with almost 30 members and guests participating. I, unfortunately, cannot gauge this party to those in the past, but from the emails I’ve received…it was one of the best! I want to thank everyone who came and enjoyed the party.

The Chinese gift exchange got quite feisty, especially when we rounded the corner to the 20 and above numbers. Certain gifts were taken, given back and taken again….the bell, coffee cups, chip and dip set and the boot vases were hot commodities, not to mention all the other great gifts: horse slippers, horse shoe pick, dartboard with cheese – favorite between Brett and Devon, a craft horse sign, a chocolate moose; just to mention a few.

Many thanks to the set up crew, Joe, Larry, Devon and Jayne Stevenson, and the breakdown crew, Susan and Billy! (I know many others helped for which I’m so grateful). Family Traditions did a great job with the food and there sure was plenty of it! Can’t wait to see the pictures. Susan had a great idea with photos taken throughout the year; we put them in Christmas card holders and set them on the table. They will now go into a scrapbook that will be brought to our meetings for viewing.

If you are active in the outdoors you need to know about the Georgia Pinhoti Trail (GPT). It is a multi-use trail for all types of non-motorized recreation. This includes hiking, mountain biking, hunting, bird watching, and horseback riding. Most of the natural trail is on National Forest land in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.

The GPT is the longest foot trail in Georgia. It stretches from the Alabama line in Polk County just outside of Cave Spring to the Benton Mackaye Trail deep in the Cohutta area between Ellijay, Blue Ridge, and Chatsworth. The GPT has significant recreational opportunities for those living close to its path but it also has national and international impacts. It links to the Alabama Pinhoti Trail, which extends for another 100 miles across the Talladega National Forest. To the north it connects with the Appalachian Trail (AT) via the Benton Mackaye. The AT ties to the International AT in Canada. With some road walks interspersed it is now possible to walk from South Florida on the Florida Trail System across the USA and Canada. This network of trails is being called the Eastern Continental Trail (ECT).

The southwestern portion of the trail west of I-75 that lies on National Forest land runs from High Point on Georgia Highway 100 north for 72 miles to Dalton. This is the ridge and valley section. There are eight different mountains in this section and most of the trail is single track within the National Forest. The ridge tops are usually about 600-700 feet above the valley floor. The trail runs right along the razor back edge of many of these ridges offering views off both sides. The natural features of this section are subtle but beautiful. The GPT runs just up the ridge from Sloppy Floyd State Park and there is a connecting trail. It also goes by Keown Falls on John’s Mountain.

There are about twenty miles of road walk between the Armuchee section and the Cohuttas. The trail gets back on National Forest land on Peeples Lake Road at Ramhurst just south of Chatsworth. From there it climbs up Fort Mountain crossing Rock Creek several times and coming very close to Fort Mountain State Park and the Cohutta Lodge. It then drops down the northeast side of Fort Mountain into the Barnes Creek and Bear Creek watersheds. Then the trail goes up to Potato Patch and the Benton Mackaye trail. The Benton Mackaye takes you to the AT or you can proceed to Amicalola Falls State Park.

Because the GPT is a multi-use trail it receives strong support from many user groups. Our workdays usually include mountain bikers, equestrians, hikers, and other outdoor enthusiasts working side by side. We have found that these folks have far more in common with their love of the outdoors than even they imagined.

The GPT pays these user groups back with some unique recreational activities. It offers point-to-point excursions on foot, bike or horse. You can travel from camp to camp, state park to state park, or bed and breakfast to bed and breakfast. This trail is very close to several communities in North Georgia including Cave Spring, Rome, Summerville, Lyerly, Calhoun, Lafayette, Dalton, Chatsworth, Ellijay and Blue Ridge.