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Alright, finally back out on the trail.
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We are at the Montgomery Falls Trail.
And I've had to start picking just easy trails because Godfrey now has hip problems.
So we're taking trails that have inclines but nothing that where he's going to have to do any kind of scrambling.
That is his future.
So last time we scrambled all the way down there.
There's another, there's a river down there, there's another set of falls.
But we are going to forego that kind of scrambling. It's a little bit too steep I think.
Maybe if I could find a different way down we'll go that way.
So we're still, we're in mid-April.
It's a perfect spring day, it's like 60 degrees outside. It's about 10 o'clock in the morning right now.
And the vet assures me that I can still take Godfrey hiking.
He said inclines are fine, just not a whole lot of scrambling so we're going to see how that goes.
Because he does enjoy hiking out in the woods.
Okay we're coming up to the first, I think if I remember right this is the only water crossing.
But it's a big one because it's hard to get across when the water is deep.
So I'm not even sure how we're going to do this.
So let me go take a look and see what we got here.
It's easy for him to get across.
Not me.
If I go a little bit further up there, let me see.
So I found a log that goes across the stream. I'm going to see if I can cross there.
This.
This could be some fun, we'll see.
I didn't tape it, but I did it.
Okay so taking the big log across means we're kind of stuck on a little island but it's much easier to get across here as you can see.
So we're going to keep going.
Alright back on track.
That wasn't too bad.
On the all trails I have to repeat what's saying that they couldn't get across at all but...
I think if you've got any kind of balance you can make that one. If not you can always scooch across on your ass.
So I made a wrong turn and found what looked like a trail.
But that was definitely not the trail according to the all trails map.
So I'm coming up this way. This side's been washed out pretty badly.
Maybe it was from the hurricane that came by last year.
I don't know. This is a pretty good washout here. That's why I didn't think this was part of the trail.
What's funny is...
On these steep inclines...
While it's still terrible for me even with his arthritic hips...
He's still able to traverse them much easier than I am.
The advantage of four wheel drive.
Hey!
We're now beginning our descent down to where the falls are I believe.
That incline was one heck of a climb. I know this is the way back.
It's a gradual incline to get back up to the top.
At least that's what I remember.
But it's not so bad as the steep incline.
There's so much that I don't remember when I come back to a trail.
Of course we've only been here once. But still, I don't remember there being multiple water crossings.
Multiple is better than one or none.
I'll take it.
So we've reached the falls.
Sadly though we can't go down at the bottom anymore.
It's just too much of a scramble.
But we'll stay up here at the top.
Check it out and hang for a bit.
We've gone about another...
About a half an hour.
And we're back at the top.
Check it out and hang for a bit. We've gone about another quarter mile or so.
And here's a place I think Godfreak can easily get down to and take a water break.
It's fun to think that this leads to that large falls.
That was sort of the end of the big part of the trail.
I think I came this way the last time too because the hike to the falls is pretty short.
And there really doesn't seem to be too many people that continue on past the falls.
Because maybe there's not much to see back here.
And you can tell because the trail is really tiny.
Well this is the end of the known trail.
Because this is just a bunch of downed trees.
And I don't know if it continues further but I can't be...
I can't take the chance of bushwhacking it through the forest with my Arthritic dog.
So we will turn back and head back to the Jeep.
He's actually taking a break.
And it's hard to believe he has never taken a break willingly on a hike.
I guess there's some advantages to the arthritis.
Not much but maybe this is it.
This really is such a beautiful morning.
There are more picture perfect days in north Georgia than there are in Chicago.
That much I will say.
I do miss the snow in the winters.
But you know a perfect day where it's 60's and 70's low relatively low humidity.
And you know beautiful crystal clear skies. Those are kind of rare in Chicago.
You get them.
But you know maybe a few times a year really.
And you're really fortunate if you can string a couple days together.
Here it happens.
During the spring and the fall.
Sometimes you get solid weeks that are just perfect.
Alright we've made it back to the falls.
Now we're just going to head back to the Jeep.
So this trail is near a military base. Camp Merrill I think it's called.
I don't know what kind of military base it is.
I never bothered to look it up.
But they apparently do some munitions something or other because I heard a couple of explosions earlier.
Godfrey know. This way.
You got to stay on the trail pal. Come on.
Alright my memory is starting to kick in.
This water crossing right after this is the long and steady incline back to the top.
You know Godfrey is getting old and tired when his footsteps and my footsteps are in the same frame.
Never used to be this way.
Age comes for us all.
Didn't start this video in time.
Because I just heard another little explosion.
Now we're done with the top. We're heading on the steep incline down.
The part that was sort of washed out.
Curious to see how Godfrey is going to do on the way down.
Because it's kind of steep but at least they're not stairs.
It's just a steeper incline or decline now.
He used to be doing okay with it.
He's just taking his sweet time and taking the parts that are on a decline rather than things that look like a step.
He's making do.
Alright we're coming to the end of that challenge. He did pretty well.
And he gets to take a water break at the bottom.
Okay we're coming back to the big water crossing. So I've got to bushwhack it through the woods just a bit.
To find my giant log.
Come on Godfrey let's go this way.
Alright I found my big fat log.
Now we must traverse it again.
Pray we don't end up in the drink. Last time I said that I ended up in the drink.
I ended up in the drink.
I made it now I've got to get Godfrey across.
So we found a safe place for him to get in. Now we just got to walk upstream.
Come on Godfrey keep going.
Come on.
Well he got up another 20 yards and it would have been easy but he decided to scramble which I really didn't want him to do but he did it anyway.
Down there is the lower Black Falls.
Which of course you can't see through the trees much.
But we were down there before.
I think a lot of these hikes are going to be me lamenting I can't get to the falls because my dog is too old.
You know he's old when he rests.
Alright this is the final ascent to get to the Jeep. One last incline.
I'll give you my wisdom for life right now that for every decline meaning easy times going downhill you're going to have an equal and opposite incline on the way back or the way forward.
I guess if you're going uphill and you got the decline on the way back that's the glass half full.
If you've got the incline on the way back that's the glass half empty.
I look at it both ways which means I'm optimistic and pessimistic at the same time.
That was always a shocker is the last incline.
But we did it. We're done. We're back to the Jeep.
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