Note: This column was published in the Barrow Journal on August 13, 2014. Our anniversary was in July. Yep, I’m that far behind.

Somehow, my 10th wedding anniversary snuck up on me. My husband and I are both looking at each other and saying, “10 years?” It’s gone so fast, yet in other ways, it seems like it’s been much longer. Though we’ve had our ups and downs, I’m thankful I married him, and I feel lucky to say that.

My husband says our boys are getting older, and it’s time to make some memories. So at the last minute, we decided to go on a short trip to the mountains to celebrate our 10^th year.

We found a sweet cabin near Blairsville, which is only two hours away, but neither of us had been to that town before. It’s small but big enough to have everything you need, and it’s a great central location for exploring the sites and trails of the mountains.

Our first stop was Brasstown Bald. If you have never been there, you have to go. It’s the highest mountain in Georgia at 4,784 feet above sea level. From the observation deck, you have a 360-degree stunning view of four states: Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina. You can see part of the Smoky Mountains from there.

view from observation deck and Brasstown Bald

There’s a short .06 mile paved trail from the parking lot, but it feels much longer going up because it’s very steep. If you can do it, it’s a beautiful trail with lovely foliage. For those who can’t handle the trail, there’s a shuttle that will take people to the top, and there are elevators to the top of the observation deck. There’s also a very nice museum at the top. It’s a federal site, and the cost to enter is $5 per person 16 years and older.

Vogel State Park

We all wanted to see some waterfalls, so our first stop was at Vogel State Park to see Trahlyta Falls. While the park is located in a gorgeous setting with a small, pretty lake, we were not impressed with it. It was too crowded, and the infrastructure needs to be updated. It’s one of Georgia’s oldest and smallest state parks. It is a good base for those going on some of the longer hikes though.

Trahlyta Falls

I read online about a longer but easy trail I wanted to take with the boys, but once we got to the park, there were no signs pointing us to the trailhead, and the map didn’t help – at least for this impatient family. So we took a short trail around the lake and down a path to the falls. Trahlyta Falls, which you can actually see from the highway, was not a disappointment. Really, how could any waterfall be disappointing?

Helton Creek Falls

We also went hunting for Helton Creek Falls, and we finally found it, although we got a little worried along the way. There is one sign on Highway 129 directing you to turn onto Helton Creek Road, which will take you to the falls. This is a narrow road through a heavily wooded, residential area, and once the neighborhood ends, it becomes a windy dirt road that seems to have no end in sight. At one point, it forks, and there’s no sign, but if you go, stay on your right, and you’ll finally find a sign and parking area for the falls.

The first falls you come to at Helton Creek.

Counting tree rings.

There’s a short, easy trail down to the falls, and you’ll actually find two falls. Keep going after the first one because the second one is bigger – about a fifty-foot vertical drop. The trail and both falls are stunning and worth the hassle of finding the place. We found lots of salamanders here! This was my favorite place we went during our brief stay in the mountains.

Can you find the salamander?

Since we were so close to Track Rock Gap Petroglyph Site, we thought it would be fun checking it out too. Creek and Cherokee people from at least 1,000 years ago but possibly as far back as 3,600 years ago carved art and symbols into these boulders that you can view a short distance from the road.

There are over a 100 carvings in these rocks, but most of it was very difficult for us to see. Still, it was worth going because according to the Forest Service’s website, “It’s one of the most significant rock art sites in the Southeastern United States and the only such site located on public land in Georgia.” If you go, I suggest reading about it online first so that you’ll understand what you are looking at.

I thought we would do more hiking while we were in the mountains, but I learned quickly that the steep trails are much more difficult for my boys’ little legs than the flat trails at Ft. Yargo. Since it’s so close to home, however, we know we’ll be able to take many more trips back there and collect even more good memories.

We found this luna moth at Vogel State Park. A nice bonus.