Atlanta Bike Culture

The first time I met my friend Frank, he had about 30 stitches in his forehead. He had been riding his bike back home from the grocery store, when a driver that failed to use his bliker, hit him and Frank went straight through the windshield. Because he was wearing a helmet, all he suffered was a huge cut on his forehead. The majority of the times I see him, he is bandaged in some way.

Bike culture is becoming in vogue in Atlanta. A cycling event called Critical Mass, calls cyclists to come together to bike the streets of Atlanta, usually on Halloween, without any streets being blocked off, bravely (or stupidly) defying natural traffic laws, there are numerous injuries, but that is a risk these devoted cyclists will make to have themselves heard.

Atlanta is infamous for traffic and parking problems.So, cycling is seen as a solution and many companies are willing to support it. For example, at a Falcons game the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC) provided a bike valet, where fans could ride their bikes to the dome and park for free. ABC advocates for a Bike-Friendly Atlanta, they plan to set goals for investments in bicycle infrastructure and adpot a "Complete Streets" policy to make the streets safer and more accepting of all modes of transportation. ABC also hopes to serve as a resource for future cyclists offering classes in navigation and bicycle issues, tools for selecting the best bike route and keeping the public abreast of various cycling events. The coalition seems to be having a lot of success these days, as the city of Atlanta endorses NACTO's urban bikeway design guide, and shared bike ways where built in Marietta on Wylie and Marietta street.

A majority of the public is still hesitant (understandably) to intermingle with other traffic, but continued efforts will be made to promote a bike-safe city.

Pigeon Hill

Near Kennesaw Mountain, past some old farming plantations, we find the leisurely Pigeon Hill Trail. Pigeon Hill is one of the many trails that sprinkles the area, extending onto Pigeon Mountain. On my trek, we were only able to go as far as the bridge, that has been newly restored from a rickety wooden bridge to a sturdy cement bridge:

Which was approximately 2 miles into the hike. My friend, Carusi, told me an eerie story about one of his past hikes on the trail, where he had, again, gone off the beaten path. Where he was met by a random man in the woods, whom he did not hear coming. They chatted for a minute about the weather, and then the man vanished into the autumn woods without a noise, no crackle of leaves or broken stick beneath him. Carusi could not remember how the man was dressed, but he said it was nothing extremely memorable (I was hoping he would recall a confederate uniform or something.) Perhaps, this incident is proof that that ghost stories of Kennesaw Mountain are more than just stories.

Kennesaw Mountain

Kennesaw Mountain is one of my favorite places to go hiking. With networks of trails and historical resonance, it offers a new discovery every time. This time I went with my buddy Carusi, who is an uncontrollable trail blazer. No amount of “stay on the trails” or “beware of bears” signs can keep him confined, and this sign we crossed left him unphased;

So of course, we veered off the path after locating a mark (a knife mark, in true trailblazer fashion) he had left on a tree and started trekking over fallen logs and mounds which I felt certain housed entire families of ravenous rattle snakes. Trenches had been dug into the mountain side during the civil war to shelter confederate soldiers, and the altered landscape remains. It looked like giant stairs had been carved into the mountain. In these uncharted territories, I was certain we were going to find some old bones or civil war relics, but all we stumbled upon were old Gatorade bottles and mason jars which had been thrown off the road, which was rather disappointing. This was not the first time I had hiked Kennesaw Mountain, so I was not expecting anything out of the ordinary this time, but Carusi led me a ravine surrounded by vertical stone walls,that was truly off the beaten path;

In this picture, he is attempting to climb, but THANKFULLY a spring in the rock made it too slippery. Carusi has never been afraid of breaking a limb, and I, certainly, was not going carry his mangled body back to civilization.

We also saw a family of dear, which I unfortunately was unable to capture on my camera, but this is a common occurrence on this mountain, as I see them almost every time I am here.

My favorite part of Kennesaw Mountain is the view. Once you have reached the top, (by driving or hiking) one can see clear to Atlanta and even stone mountain on a good day.

And from the other side,

Kennesaw Mountain is not only a network of well-maintained paths, but, also, a wild life preserve and historic treasure. It has a free museum down at the bottom, which depicts the battle that took place on that land, as well as all the civil war artifacts that were found. Here is a good website for more information on Kennesaw Mountain trails .