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Gennett Poplar

Today we rode out into Gilmer County and took some forest service roads out to Bear Creek Trail.  Chase and I first walked this trail back around 2003 for work, and was astounded by the Gennett Poplar tree that is about a mile into the trail.  We’ve been wanting to go back out here for the sole purpose of seeing the tree again, and this time get some pictures of it.  Back when we were doing all of the hiking for work, we never really thought to take a camera along with us, but this time cameras were definitely taken.

Virgin forest is rare in the north Georgia mountains. The Bear Creek Trail contains what appears to be a never harvested section of land with trees so immense that they literally astound even the casual observer. Deep in this section of forest is the so-called Gennett poplar standing some 100 feet high and nearly twenty feet around. The tree is massive, and it alone is reason enough to try this hike. Source

Since it had been a few years since we’ve been, we couldn’t really remember that there were streams to cross along the way.  Which was really no big deal, we just all wore tennis shoes and didn’t really think to wear boots.  The third one, which was was right before the tree, was the widest and deepest, but we all managed to make it past it.  Chase and I followed the stream a little bit until we found a large limb that had fallen over it that we could balance across on.  Billy and Alicia took the different route and just ditched their shoes and socks and walked through the ice cold water.

My parents were planning on going with us, but something came up and they weren’t able to go.  But I’d like to take them up there maybe in the spring or summer and let them see it in person.