16 October, 2008

Fall in North Georgia

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Autumn has finally arrived (though it was in the mid-80's here in Atlanta yesterday). The days are warm and dry and the night are cooling off. Yesterday I had the great experience of exploring the highest mountain in Georgia- Brasstown Bald- and the surrounding area. It stands 4,784 ft above sea level- 500 ft shy of a mile. The fall color was stupendous up high as you can see in the pictures below. Maples, Tulip Poplars, Sassafras, Birch and Sourwood were just some of the highlights. Soon the leaves will all be gone though and great views will abound from my winter ridgeline hikes on the AT...

Fall color from Brasstown
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colorful canopy
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more color
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those red sourwood leaves just POP!
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Sassafras up high
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Sassafras down low
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those hearts are bustin!
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silver maple
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fraser fir- this guy only grows above 4500', which in Georgia is a very small range.
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Tulip Poplar in Sosebee Cove- this tree is 6' or more in diameter and probably around 150' tall! These giants are relics of 2nd growth in an area that was logged extensively in 1903.
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