Cochran Mill Park

Located in South Fulton County in an area known as the Chattahoochee Hill Country I went for a hike last Friday in Cochran Mill Park. While most Americans were celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks, hot dogs, parades or whatever else I thought the most freeing activity I could do was walk in the woods. I spent the day doing just as I wanted and that is the greatest freedom of all.

A hiding wild deer. Photo by me, July 2014.

Wild deer were running and hiding in the trees during my walk. I encountered them three times that day and they darted away as fast as they could, except the one in the photo above that hid like a child  in a game of hide and seek behind a downed tree. 

 

Lush ground cover on the forest floor. Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

The trail map I had was inaccurate once I looked at the landscape in front of my eyes. I abandoned the trail and strolled through what had been a farming field many years ago. Now the old field was filled with trees and wild grasses and it was as lush as it could be. I could have been happy to sit in take in the greenery for hours, but I had a destination in mind and knew roughly where it was.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

I came to the banks of Bear Creek. I waded downstream for a long while. I knew it would eventually lead me where I wanted to be. My waterproof hiking boots kept me dry until the water became too deep and they filled up. 'Not a problem,' I thought as a few miles in soggy socks was not going to ruin my fun.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Some time later I could see a clearing in the tree canopy to my left so that must have meant there was a field or open area. I climbed the bank from the creek and confirmed my suspicions. Getting to it meant clawing through dense underbrush and wiggling my way through tangles of briars and privet.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

A few cuts and scrapes later I sat in the wonderful field and pulled water from my backpack. I had the field to myself and thought it would be a good place to fly a kite on a windy March day. I made that mental note and filed it away for future reference. I knew from this field I could rejoin the trail system and ultimately decided I would give the poorly marked system another go.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

An abandoned bridge. Photo by me, July 2014.

I walked along an old road. I knew from the history of the area there were old mills, dams, a house foundation or two and a cemetery around these parts before it became public land. So walking the old road had me thinking of people traveling through here in cars or wagons maybe. I thought of how isolated and quiet it must have been back then. Not all that different from today in that it was quiet, but not nearly as isolated. Though no houses were around for a few miles, omnipresent technology such as cell phones and the like have limited what isolation we can truly experience. My phone thankfully stayed silent from texts, calls or emails and I never listen to music when I hike. I walk or hike because I want the full first-hand experience of nature in surround sound.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

A few poorly marked trail junctions later and some guessing on my part and I veered off the road onto a trail heading deeper into the woods. The trail was flat through this portion and I made good time through the green woods. It was a pretty walk in the summer and I would imagine in the peak of fall it is even prettier.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Then it came time to cross Bear Creek again as it meandered through the woods, at least this time there were stepping stones to avoid the water.

Just follow the "H" I suppose. Photo by me, July 2014.

I passed a few people dotting the trail like mushrooms and forged onward on a twisty trail along a ridge line with rock outcroppings. My spirits were high as if the lush forest was feeding me some kind of natural energy.

A white mushroom hiding in the moss. Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Ominous looking little tiny red mushrooms. Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Speaking of mushrooms, there were plenty to be admired. The forests of Georgia, with ample rainfall, are good places for mushroom hunting. Seeing all these mushrooms was a reminder I have been wanting to buy a reference book on mushrooms so that I can identify them. I do not have a desire to consume them in any fashion, but it would be nice to know what I am looking at. It was fun crawling around the ground getting photos of the many types I saw. I kept waiting for someone to walk up on me and wonder what I was doing but it didn't happen.

Photo by me, July 2014.

A few hours and miles into my walk I reached my destination. As with any decent waterfall, I heard it before I saw Henry Mill waterfall. The trail came up behind and I walked out on the algae and moss covered rocks at the top. I took my photos, enjoyed the sound of the water, walked down from the falls and sat on a rock ledge to take in the scene of nature's work. I was alone with the falls. I was there for only a few minutes when technology pierced my isolation. I should have just turned the thing off. I had walked all those miles and hours to enjoy the scenery only to have it interrupted by the nuisances I had wanted to leave behind. Thirty minutes of alone time at the falls was all I could get before other hikers with children came and decided to set up chairs and a mini-camp right the middle of the rocks of the falls. I left and started my hike back to civilization as the day was getting long.

 

To borrow from that lovely and famous poem by Robert Frost:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

This wildflower is a spurred butterfly pea. Photo by me, July 2014.

Photo by me, July 2014.

A variety of wildflowers were blooming in the more sunny spots along the creeks and the trails.

I was stopped and had a conversation with another person out enjoying the trails. He asked if I had seen the deer. I said yeah I had seen three so far and we talked about predators in the wild. A few moments of conversation and we parted going opposite directions. This is one of the aspects of hiking that I like, meeting strangers on the trail and sharing experiences.

Photo by me, July 2014.

Beside a trail marker sign was this surprise. A rat snake about four to five feet in length that was stretched out on the ground. I crouched down and took a closer look at it and it was certainly alive and watching me, I had for a brief second thought it might be dead since it was directly adjacent to the trail. I watched it for a couple minutes and decided I had seen enough before moving on.

Rat snakes are a common sight when out hiking in Georgia in the warmer months. Please do not kill these snakes as they are harmless and considered good for the environment. There are plenty of other snakes you might encounter in the Georgia woods and the one I have seen the most is the copperhead - they are not friendly, cuddly snakes.

Photo by me, July 2014.

On my way out of the woods I navigated the trails slightly better to the trailhead. It was pure luck combined with my lifelong experience in the woods that led me out. Before hiking this area I read about an entire family getting lost here and needing a search and rescue team to find them. After wandering around on these trails I could see exactly how that happened. The trail maps were wrong and the trail markers were inadequate or wrong too. Like life, I do not mind getting lost all that much, when I have the time, because you can make some of your best self discoveries trying to find your direction.

My misadventures on and off the trail tallied seven miles of walking in the end. I got home tired, muddy, bloody, and most importantly satisfied.




Updated March 2, 2017: Since the was written in 2014, improvements have been made to the trail system and the signage at Cochran Mill Park.