Martin Luther wrote, “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” I love hiking in the mountains and stopping long enough to look up at the hardwoods which tower overhead.

Theme for yesterday was a rainy heart, but today it’s nothing but blue sky even if a cloud or two lingers! (smile)

Whoever wrote the words, “Into every life a little rain must fall,” surely knew what he was talking about. Here’s to a rainy day at Smithgall Woods.

The falls at Warwoman Dell lies at the end of a short loop trail in a small gorge. The dell (or valley) is beautiful and has a lot to offer. The forest is fairly dense and the hardwoods tower overhead. The waterfalls, which is located on a major geological fault that runs through northeast Georgia, bears the same name as the dell. In the 1770′s America’s first botanist, William Bartram, explored this area. He also documented native plants, the climate of the area, the geology and the culture of the people of this period.

Cocoa couldn’t wait to get into the spring. The area got its name from a Cherokee Indian woman who was named Warwoman. History markers at the picnic shelter tell visitors that “in the early 1800′s the Cherokee would gather in this valley in the spring for the new moon ceremony. Legend says an old Cherokee prophetess, known as the Warwoman, would venture out of the mountains to forecast the tribe’s future.”

In the late 1800′s and early 1900′s unmanaged logging took a toil on this area. In the 1930′s the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began restoring the land by replanting trees and vegetation to control soil erosion. This group was also responsible for the construction of picnic shelters, fish holding tanks, latrines, and stonework drains in the dell. Cocoa gives this hike three paws. It was a shorter walk than what she really enjoys but the area is gorgeous and the spring that flows into a fresh mountain stream is worth a thirsty gulp.

Late in the evening near the lake, you can hear the Whippoorwill’s song, the fish jumping, and people talking in deep conversation. Below is the old bridge that once spanned Lake Harwell at the Georgia and South Carolina border.

It is a favorite spot in Stephens County. People call this “Broken Bridges” because long ago, the DOT decommissioned this bridge by taking the center section out. Therefore, it is broken but this did little to discourage people from visiting the area, especially at sunset.