I hate dealing with kudzu on my property, but everywhere else, it does have an iconic look of the American South. The Michelle Obama Trail has a long stretch through a Kudzu forest on the South River. It’s not particularly biodiverse…and it’s very much invasive. But it’s weirdly part of The American South now.
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The Southern Appalachians are known for their waterfalls. There are tall, famous ones like Duke’s Creek, Amicalola, Ruby, Jack’s, etc but I also love finding smaller ones along an off-trail creek.
Sometimes hiking in the southern Appalachians can get brambly and overgrown, but I love spots where several forest communities are living close together. At this spot, there is dry, upland pine in the background and shaded, wet fernbank in the foreground.
The Conasauga River Trail is wholly within Georgia’s Cohutta Wilderness. Even though it’s mostly along the river, it also goes up onto saddles between ridgetops, especially at the end.
I never notice Redbuds until the Spring, when they really show out.
