I have a work trip to Atlanta this week, and given how hot the Southeast has been lately, I didn’t anticipate I’d do any hiking — I’m planning to go back to the area in late October to finish the Six-Pack. Then I realized I’d be landing mid-afternoon and could take the short (less than two miles round trip) paved trail to the summit of Brasstown Bald and be done before dark. I wouldn’t have time to do any of the longer trails, and I’m a little wary of long hikes in the Southeast this time of year because of how prolific the thunderstorms are. So I grabbed a rental car at the airport and headed north right after my flight landed.

I’ve hiked Brasstown Bald before, but only in winter, and this part of Georgia is truly breathtaking in the summer. Greenery, fog over the mountains, winding roads through cow pastures… it was a very calming, grounding drive to the trailhead. The trail is wooded, with tangly rhododendrons along the whole way, and surprisingly dark even though the sun hadn’t set yet. It’s fairly steep but it’s short enough that I was able to really haul ass and get a good workout in.

The summit is a lot like other East Coast summits in that there’s a road to the top (you can’t drive your car up there, though — you have to take a shuttle if you don’t want to hike) and there’s a sizable building with an observation deck. By the time I got there, the building was locked for the night (including the restrooms). So it’s a little bit underwhelming at first, but then when you climb up to the deck and breathe in that view of the Appalachians — there are signs that point out different peaks, including many over the state borders in NC and SC — it’s still all worth it.

And now, off to manage a sponsorship at a sports marketing conference in Atlanta. Glad I packed my workout gear! That’s all for me on the Appalachian Six-Pack until October. Can’t wait for Mt. Mitchell, which will be my 17th U.S. state high point!

PSA: If you want to hike this shorter trail, the parking lot has a $5 fee. You can pay it online.