hunting for bears

that's dog taking in the scenery at flat rock gap, where a peach tree was blooming! we crawled a little way up the side of blood mountain, which was our destination, but fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, i left our water in the car and we gave out half way up the mountain, which is really quite tragic when you think about it --- very very quiet up there, which is one reason to go --- the parking lot was nearly full today, i can't imagine what it would be like in june ---

that's a view of blood mountain from flat rock gap --- the mountain was considered a sacred place by the cherokee and in the late seventeenth century they fought an epic battle with the creek just to the northwest at slaughter gap --- after that, the creek withdrew to the southeast side of the chattahoochee

parking for day trips is at point a on the map with a nice hike with a creek on the left for about half the distance --- that trail intersects the appalachian trail at flat rock gap (point b) which continues up and across blood mountain --- we quit at point c and went back down the appalachian trail to neel's gap (point d) and then down the road to the car --- a nice long walk ---