Kevin Bae: So it's November 28 2023 I'm on a birthday hike 57
Today I'm hiking to Montgomery falls near Dahlonega Georgia and
apparently this is near an army base because there was a Humvee
that just went roaring by on the Forest Service road
and let it all kinds of stuff over here I gotta make sure I'm
on the right path because this was like not very clear now I
think this is correct we'll see some back out here with my dog
Godfrey and it's late fall so this trail is absolutely covered
with leaves and you got to be careful with leaves because it's
very slippery
and since it's been dry not a whole lot of rain these leaves
are super dry
nice crisp morning to about 38 degrees when I got out of the
car so I'm prepared to get gloves I got a jacket but i like
i i missed the cold weather from Chicago and I promised myself I
wouldn't get soft we're living in Georgia okay and we
definitely on the right trail so we are good
it's not a super long trail from what I understand two and a half
miles out and back so smile and a quarter there and I guess army
trains here so there's things here with numbers I don't know
what these are
five and six
tiny waterfalls down there
right so to record these hikes I decided to ditch the video the
video just is too much hard to take pictures with my phone I
take some video with my phone but having a 360 camera and
trying to take video with that and and do all the editing later
was just making this entire thing a chore and not not very
enjoyable. So I decided to ditch that I just gonna take photos
and videos from my with my phone and I'll put that together
later. I'm
just going to record this on my little field recorder. See how
that turns out. And just look, I thought it captured the sounds
of walking in the woods, walking on the trails and with The sound
of the creeks and the streams and the waterfalls my dog I
thought it captured it well enough but we'll see
going to be a little bit of a hike up because the initial walk
here we're heading downhill most of the way it looks like
nope My dog is a creek
wondering if this is where I'm supposed to cross is gonna get a
little wet
hold on Godfrey
Yep, this is the stream crossing so I gotta find a way to get
across without getting myself soaked let's see
I can go this way
kind of ruining this wonderful babbling brook no you're gonna
go digging in the stream
all right I gotta find a way across Godfrey
this looks like this might be the way I can get down without
falling in
Yeah Give me a chance buddy
my god That wasn't too bad I had to hop across some rocks a
little bit upstream because we're the actual trail is too
deep for my boots
wind is starting to pick up so I may have to get my jacket out if
I can't get my body temperature up by hiking we'll see those
ages where you're kind of in between you're not quite super
old. You're definitely not young
and to be honest, I never thought I'd I'd be this old
maybe that's the way it is way most people think.
Given the way I spent my youth I didn't think I'd make it to 30
but I got married at 20 and that seemed to slow me down a bit
had to behave because I had to raise kids. So in order to keep
them alive. I have to stay out of trouble.
Whenever you whenever you talk to somebody who's older than you
they never feel as old as they are which is the same for me I
suppose hey I'm 57 you should you know should feel old back
when you know when you're in your 20s it it looks like it's a
million miles away like you'd be ancient
yeah I'm grayer that's for sure but that process started when I
was 18
but I am in better shape than I was when I was in my 20s
and that's just due to a concerted effort starting in my
40s basically to not an outline lined up like like my parents
which you know they while they're both older and still
moving around they are not this fleet of foot as as I would like
to be when I'm their age
this way Godfrey got her first incline here which is good
because kind of need to get that heart rate up and get the blood
pumping a little bit more
it's pretty good steep incline here
up into this point it was pretty easy so this part here would
definitely make it a moderate hike because the incline is
steep it's not hard you don't have to scramble but it's pretty
steep
you can hear I'm finally really huffing and puffing
Tuesday's supposed to be my cardio day for exercise so this
is the cardio workout
going down that incline with all these leaves is gonna be a treat
it's gonna make a slippery
was a healthy healthy homeless up to the top here
let's see Ben Klein Devon definitely got the chill out of
my phone's got the blood pumping
there's still more to come but at least from his vantage point
it doesn't look as steep
a couple of routes to take I think we stay and Bruce was to
go to the left this way. Godfrey
You know God's gonna take a picture of that fork three prong
fork in the trail
don't think I can care for all but
okay let's go this way
I'm really starting to love living here because we're not
really that far away from any civilization these trails just
everywhere I'm not too far from some other trails I previously
hiked but yet there's there's like 1000 Over a million of them
so even though I'm in similar areas I was before totally new
trail totally new things to see different waterfalls different
creeks
if you can hear that creek down there
maybe I wonder if I got a cell signal out here I do must be
because the army bases nearby
because normally out here once I get this deep into the woods
there's really no cell coverage at all
just kind of stopping taking a break I can see the creek way
down seeing where my dog is in the fear returns at some point
kind of get ahead of me here he comes. So funny when he doesn't
see me or see I'm behind him good boy. Good boy Godfrey. Hey
you feel like taking a selfie Godfrey Are you going to bark
again
hey wouldn't you rather just take a nice quiet selfie
just blew up my eardrums I'm sure yours if you're listening
to this
we've been heading down steadily mild incline
I'm sure to get to the bottom of whatever falls
of Montgomery falls through try to remember the name. We've met
up with the stream Creek, whatever you want to call it
we're almost false. It's not a not very long hike at all.
Simon's getting a little bit higher in the sky. It's a
beautiful, sunny day. Really nice blue skies tall pines. I
don't think I could ask for a better day to get a picture of
that.
got free All right good boy
He's pretty good at recall not the best
he does pay attention to where I am when I don't show up he comes
right back down the trail if he gets too far ahead and goes
around the bend and then doesn't hear me coming he'll turn around
and come back he doesn't go chasing after wildlife too much
out here there are times when we run across deer in squirrel he's
kind of sprinted about but a stern call and he'll come right
back up there's the false
so we have to get down there take a picture on the bottom
see the Falls young man all the way down there somewhere you're
trying to pass down What do you think all right well let's go
this way first
can you not You're not a lumberjack oh
we're gonna have to do a little scrambling to get down there
course he's totally unimpressed with the false and instead turn
to rip up a log
Unknown: right
Kevin Bae: close
he's gonna swim by my dog so he's he swam to the other side
where there's like a waterfall and he can't get up because it's
too slippery. Hey Godfrey come this way
alright let's try to make it down the bottom what do you say
got a scramble back up this hill. So we were at the top of
the falls just now
there's no great vantage point from the top. Now we got to find
our way down to the bottom. I should pause this
I think we can go down the side trail, sort of back where we
were but off to the left
so that when you get to the falls and you see it there's a
steep hill that you have to scramble down and there's a
trail off to the left your feet if you look for it I didn't
notice it right off so busy looking at the falls and
honestly trying to make sure Godfrey doesn't try to go down
over the falls
you got to be a little bit careful to the wet little
slippery down here but you can make it
if I can get across might be too deep for my boots
there is a path across
you know Lassie bark for a purpose he barks for nothing
you gotta like rip up every log
What the hell are you doing
if we're not walking down the trail he's working at stuff are
ripping up logs of rhododendrons here who I just got water right
over the top of my shoe you know I can go here but God you can't
you won't be able to make it there and back so flip an area
I'd like to get to this a snap a picture but he won't be able to
go now aside from aside from Panther creek falls this is one
of the nicest waterfalls I've been to it's a very easily
accessible
so if you like waterfalls this is definitely a trail to take
it's not that difficult. Other than that incline but honestly
if you're able to hike just take your time up that incline and
he'll do just fine well then you got to scramble down the hill
here but I don't know anybody that's determined enough I think
can do this you're sliding around you're sliding around so
there's a lot of wet moss and then the leaves on top of the
wet moss make for a wonderful experience careful
alright, we'll go back across How did I get here? Isn't that
what the talking heads saying about all right now for the
scramble back up. Oh, let's go. Go up up. And he's got Godfrey
dirt Am I
ever had that happen where it's slow motion. You can see the
Second flying for dry and there's nothing you can do your
agents doesn't close in time all right
scramble up is easier than the scramble down
keep walking a bit
one second Godfrey
you gotta resume my hiking tracker because we're gonna go a
little bit further up because the hike a little bit short
so I think we're gonna go further up to where the Forest
Service road is and then turn back around
does a fantastic waterfall worth the trek you know fall hiking
even though you know the trees all the leaves are falling off
the trees and it's cold I like a cold I think it's much more
comfortable to hike when it's 40 degrees outside so when it's at
I don't have to carry as much water I'm not sweating you know
hardly at all. Yeah, I mean, you start to sweat when you can't
take those big inclines but
other than that, you know like cruising along it feels nice
fewer people on the trails for Godfrey and I usually pick
trails anyway that are pretty pretty quiet mostly because he
doesn't like other dogs and I'd like to give him space to run so
we pick these trails that not a lot of people go on so he can
have a good day
mean I suppose he would enjoy it if he's on leash anyway but
because we're from you know this this stuff didn't exist so he
got to play a lot of fish because I'll flatland and we had
parks near the house. So we would take daily walks and go
there so we might not take daily walks here but we do go on these
hikes often. Now that I bought my state park pass we plan on
going into some of the state parks more often my parking pass
going to try to try to do it weekly
there's so many places to go and while he does fetch in the yard
which way is the trail supposed to go follow the creek he does
play such in the yard. It's not as much activity as he used to
get so these hikes are the pinnacle for me he's kind of in
his element
except more in your waterfalls and stuff because then you just
barked at them
now we're on part of the trail is not really a trail
at least most people think stop at the falls and head back. But
it's really kind of short so I just want to extend it a little
bit. You know there's a Forest Service road up at the top of
this
but it's clear that many people have walked the rest of this
trail people have it's it's worn down but not not like the other
side J tree that fell down over the trail I don't know if I can
continue theaters away over around
yeah just walked through the towards the base of the tree but
now I can't tell I'm supposed to be think I'm supposed to be this
way. Still sort of following the creek now we're sort of off
really into a trailer left at all we're not bushwhacking but
definitely not on a well worn trail anymore
I supposed to be another stream crossing so I think I'm just
gonna go to that point maybe an angle back because the trail
definitely over here is pretty rugged and
not much else to see it looks like but I want to see the other
water crashing just for my own curiosity
gotta continue this way following the creek guide pretty
there's definitely no semblance of a trail the only way the only
reason I know where I'm going is because I'm following the creek
on the map to where a trail is sort of supposed to be
sticking out is not pleasant fix in the I don't recommend it
just scratch my contact lens
well there's definitely nowhere else to go I'm not gonna see
that water crossing I don't think
because there is no trail away maybe I can go back this way
me I would steer myself into a voluntary steep incline on the
bright side I have rediscovered the trail it's obvious people
come on the site
because they actually have some signs and maintenance where
there are cut logs really did a number on my eyeball I think
it's just a scratch on my accomplishments. So that would
have hurt my eye in a serious way if I didn't have lenses.
This is the stream crossing which is not exciting at all
you bushwhack for this sort of
all right, Godfrey. We made it to where I wanted to make it so
now we will return. Like it's really starting to warm up now.
Let's see No no I'm without internet connection for sure
I went far enough into the woods
it seems to me the trail where are we We're now following the
creek we definitely missed some turn off because now I'm on a
pretty well worn trail heading back and I haven't been on the
section so I missed something up there
so I'm thinking if you want to continue on this trail after the
fall it's gotta pay close attention to that Miss whatever
I missed this part of the trail is actually that bad I just
missed it somehow. I blame it on Godfrey on the other bonus for
hiking in the fall with everything being dormant and all
the vegetation gone is that God eat fewer stupid things that dog
sometimes we get back home and that night or the next day cough
up some big ball or something God reset speaking of eating bad
things
let me see where are we okay we're definitely back on track
heading back to the car
he got free
were you eating dumb things Hey, hey Godfrey Godfrey come here
right here Wait wait wait wait Hey, Godfrey look here look here
look here no no complain let's go
go drink go drink
not get the stick go drink
once you want to drink Drink go drink coffee go drink gonna take
my first drink of the hike
getting closer to the falls again just the truck back. I can
see him from here. It's funny how the cliff on the fall
blacked out all the sound so you can hear the stream as it picks
up speed but the roar of the falls can't really hear it that
well from here at all
back to having a connection to the internet. So connection and
just trying to find my temperature here. Or at least as
close as whatever station has reading because it feels pretty
warm now and part of it from the hiking but part of it's the sun
is up in the sky now. Not a single cloud either. Not a good
enough connection to get some data to see with a lot of local
temporary yours definitely feels like about 50 degrees now going
the wrong way yep you go this way drills over here usually He
spots the trail today
we're working up a gentle incline now which firm remember
culminates in that steep incline which on the way back to a
decline as part of it's not hard at all just get your heart rate
up a little bit blood pumping you know how I know we've had a
good hike My dog is tired all that up and down and all the
excitement by the Falls has slowed down dramatically right
now
it's almost like he's citing which is funny. He is calmly
walking in the past looking here looking there which is kind of
how I wish he was all the time but you get what you get. He is
what he is a high energy excitable guy. He's going to be
nine years old in a month and he still hasn't slowed down really
a little bit but you should have seen how high energy he wasn't
he was two or three and I don't know to whoever's listening to
this if you're like me you take a lot fewer pictures on the way
back than you do on the way out
don't know why it is because you feel like it's over. And the
hike is done
but they're definitely different perspectives on the way back and
I'm looking at it from a different angle 180 degrees
every once in a while I don't come upon a scene that just kind
of looks kind of cool. Please stop and take a pic my dog
whines could I stop moving
even in his tired state he doesn't want to stop
when he stops that's when I know something's wrong
there have been a couple times while on hikes and back to the
triple fork in the road in the trail. Then a couple times on
hikes we're going this way this way where he's had some problem
stepped on something hurt himself somehow in a minor way
because he's he's kind of a crybaby and he just he stops or
her walk really slowly end up behind me which he's never
walking behind me on the trail. He's always a little bit out in
front and then if I go to check them out, and he's very fearful
so he doesn't he won't allow me to check them out. He doesn't
trust that way. You know, he'll snap you know, for most
everything, he's fine, but when he's hurt, he's just such a
baby. That he gets really fearful about it and he he'll
snap and and bite and he's never actually done it. It's just
threatened pretty pretty well. So what I what I bought from
from Ruffwear I got this it's like a packout kit. For dogs,
like if he gets injured because there's he's 75 pounds, there is
no way I'm going to really pick him up in my arms and carry him
you know when I'm two three miles into the woods. So they
have this pack comes with like a harness type thing that you put
around the dog. And then it becomes like a front pack or a
backpack where you carry the dog that I can, I can probably it'll
take me time but it'll work and it comes with a muzzle. So your
dog doesn't bite you. Almost went down, tripping on the
leaves, very slippery. But um, so it comes with a muzzle, she
could put it on your fearful dog and I get bitten while you try
to pick them up. It's kind of a silly thing. I tried it on him
at home, just so I can figure out how it works. So
uncomfortable. But for anybody else who hates for the dog, a
big dog come out myself. So we're going down that steep
incline now. That's why I slipped a little bit on these
leaves because there's a really thick mat of leaves on a trail
and they're all dry. Sorry for the swear word. So it's
slippery, they all slip it's like walking on marbles in leaf
form. So I don't have any phones out all I have is Godfreys leash
in my hand and the microphone I used to talk on is clipped to my
backpack so hands are free so I try to keep my balance and not
murder myself and my 57th birthday it is really pretty
slippery. So I'm like going down sideways little steps at a time
cuz that will hurt it's another reason for staying active is
that I don't end up busting hips and stuff and I'm at what's
happened to my mother recently because she's never done
anything physical fitness wise. And she's a smoker gave her some
brittle bones. She just fell well. Babysitting somebody and
playing in the parking lot of her apartment complex and fell
down. broke her hip
that's not for me. At least that's what I don't want to
happen. So we will stay active. Hiking I love I can do this all
the time. The daily workout I don't like I work out six days a
week, but a half an hour a day. Some cardio, two days of cardio.
Three days of strength weightlifting and stuff nothing
super heavy just more than lifting heavier than I would
normally lift on a normal day then one day of stretching or
yoga or whatever. Just to keep the joints limber so that in
addition to this hiking that's my plan and not end up to
decrepit when I get older or less decrepit than I already am.
Okay, we finished that steep decline without killing
ourselves. It's an accomplishment get some wispy
clouds coming in
Godfrey Godfrey
Here he comes.
Good boy. Good boy. A good conversation we have every day
I've come to the conclusion he's bad up
here's the major water crossing let's see if I can get myself
getting across this thing what I should do is get fancy bring a
tripod and put this up on a tripod to Cesar to see how I
tried to get across this but I generally don't have that kind
of patience alright here we go
plenty of rocks here to get across
and that's how you get across that now I need both my hands to
get up
success
we're in the homestretch now
this is the final incline of the hike
Well it's pretty good incline on this last bit it's not not like
the the other one this is a wide trail and fairly easy to walk
the other one that was a whole it's funny is after I get up
here it's at least five degrees colder which is fine because I
feel a little bit warm down in the valley there
but I mean you notice that as soon as you get up to the top of
this hill
there is another waterfall down there do you want to take that
risk of going down there just check it out a bit and see how
hard it is to get down there
wait Godfrey Wait wait wait wait don't go Godfrey wait she that's
where his recall is pretty good
all right little slippery getting down here like
everywhere else
it's not that hard to get out here which is good. Like he was
worse than it was almost where he is I'm almost gonna
grab a hold of this Rhododendron.
got free movie here why? Why? This way? Okay. Oh, look here.
Look here. Look this way. Hey, You're terrible nobody wants to
see your hind end
right is a bit of a scramble down to I think they call it the
lower black falls it's early in the trail going to Montgomery
falls so hence the reason why I'm doing it last I wanted to
get down to the main event first and this one was a bit of a
climb down
but we made
are we doing all the way down there let's go
he decided he wanted to go visit the creek
you staring at me because he thought I was gonna go down
there with him
okay, I heard something but it was nothing I guess maybe it's
coming from the military base I just want to make sure there
weren't somebody would be surprised by Godfrey being off
leash great Godfrey Godfrey this way
we have to go up this way. I think this is the last incline
Yes, this is the last one. We almost went down to where some
area the basis just like bleachers I can see down there.
Net that's the wrong way to go.
I forgot how steep because this was at the very beginning. So I
forgot how steep it was. It's not that it's bad part of the
trail. It's easy to walk. This is a pretty decent incline on
the way back but it's right near the end
I can see the road from the car
and my jeep
that's gonna be standing right by the jeep and now he just
wants to get in. Well then you got to be wiped off your wet
Wait
Wait That will conclude the hike. We're back at the car.
Until next time