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 .