brasstown bald.

during our little vacation, daddy took us on a day trip to brasstown bald.

it's the highest point in georgia and is very close to our border with north carolina. 

the drive isn't actually very far, just a few hours north. it was fun to be in the mountain country on the winding roads - almost like being back for a visit in the rockies. 

it was a perfect day for hiking. even though it was hot, it was breezy and a little overcast and the sun didn't bother us much. there is a .6 mile trail from the parking lot to the summit. we were a little bit worried about getting ellie and my wide load up the trail, seeing as it is described as "very steep" and there is a shuttle available. also... i was wearing flip-flops, because i didn't know where we were going when i got in the car.

we wanted to give it a try and it ended up being no sweat - okay, maybe a lot of sweat but not a tough hike. we only had to rest twice and, although the trail was steep, it was nothing compared to timp cave - if you've been there you know what i'm talking about. in fact, it really wasn't a big deal compared to almost any trail i've been on in utah. i think they warn people about the steepness because they don't want to be rescuing retirees off the mountain all day (and because they get to charge $3 a pop for the shuttle). 

(disclaimer: after carrying that girl all the way up on his shoulders, his sweaty hair makes it look like he has bald spot. :) that is just what happens when a baby musses up sweaty hair. both of us ended up with such sweaty, gross hair that most of our pictures aren't very glamorous.)

("it's not the heat, it's the humidity!" - except the heat index has been like, 110 degrees lately.)

ellie was a wonderful little shoulder-rider and we explored when we got to the top. i think she thought it was a playground and she didn't want to stop running from one end of the deck to the other. the view is pretty incredible, especially considering that the woods in georgia keep you from seeing very far in any direction when you're anywhere else. you can see south carolina, north carolina, tennessee and (of course) georgia from the lookout.

  

both smiling at the same time. miracle?! too bad my hair is a joke!

 

in the visitors center, there was even a two-man saw display! we thought grampa brad would be happy to see it. ellie liked playing with it, but it was hard to get pictures in there with the way that the sun was coming in the windows. she also liked crossing the little bridge and looking at the "stuffed" animals. 

on the way home, we stopped at burger king because ellie's tummy was making her grumpy. she got a little ahead of herself - this girl is getting too big for her britches. i was feeding her pieces of a burger when she decided to grab the entire thing and eat it herself. i tried to pry it out of her hands because the toppings were all about to slide out onto her lap and in the chaos she threw the burger at the window and we all watched in horror as it slid down the glass. what an attitude! luckily we were in a booth - i don't know what would have happened if she had thrown it into the crowded dining room. she hadn't ever done anything like that before, but she was extremely hungry and tired at the time. i'm hoping that the terrible twos aren't starting already. i'm also glad that we most likely won't ever be eating there again. not only did we make a beautiful scene, but there were no high chairs and they didn't even have a changing station in the bathroom! (maybe it's their fault that ellie had a fit - she felt like she wasn't wanted.)

it was nice to get out and see the mountains here in georgia. it made me want to hike the appalachian trail even more than i did before we went. maybe in a long time, when we're empty nesters and have free time again. that gives me a few years to get in shape, too.