On the Bookshelf - 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles - Atlanta

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Atlanta

Written by husband and wife Randy & Pam Golden with the American Hiking Society.

This is a great book for getting out of the house for an inexpensive, fun outing. My wife bought this for me for my birthday last year just after moving back to Atlanta from Charlotte. Our goal is to hike all of the trails in the book over the course of the next two years. That puts us at about one trail every two weeks. We've done about 8 hikes in 3 months which is behind schedule but the weekend weather has been chilly and we had to throw in some slack time during the holidays.

The book is divided into regions and hiking types at the beginning. The region is divided into Atlanta (hikes near downtown), Northwest, Northeast and South. Each region has about an equal number of hikes which makes this useful no matter what part of town you live in. They also classify the hikes by type; Busy Hikes, Hikes Featuring Waterfalls, Hikes Featuring Wildflowers, Hikes Good for Children, Hikes Good for Solitude, Hikes Good for Wildlife Viewing, Hikes With Steep Sections, Historic Trails, Lake Hikes, Scenic Hikes, Trails Good for Mountain Bikes, Trails Good for Runners, Urban Hikes, Hikes Less than 3 Miles, 3 to 6 Miles and Longer than 6 Miles. The one thing I wish they had added is a category of Hikes Good for Dogs. Dog lovers will have to check ahead.

Each hike has a map with an elevation chart. The writers provided directions as well as a section for At-a-Glance Information. The book also takes each hike and gives an 'In Brief' overview of the hike. This is followed by a couple page description of the hike with landmarks, points of interest, clarification of areas that may cause confusion as well as historical information. Each hike ends with a brief section of nearby attractions.

Our next planned hike is Kennesaw Mountain: Burnt Hickory Loop. The "In Brief" on this hike is that it "is the most challenging trail in the book and one of the most rewarding in the Atlanta area." We're looking forward to this one and you'll probably see a post on it in the near future.

The GreenPeaches rating on this one is a 4 out of 5 peaches. Buy it from Amazon if you are interested or try your local library to see if it is available there.



mdh

Green Peaches - Weekend Edition

Things To Do

Check Out a Local Farmers' Market - We're winding down the season and most of the local farmers' markets will be open through the end of Oct.  Then, it's slim pickings until next spring.  We're heading over to the Alpharetta Farmers' Market this weekend but there are many others to check out.  Try: The Green Market @ Piedmont Park, Riverside Farmers' Market in Roswell, Morningside Farmers' Market @ Highlands Ave, Peachtree Road Farmers' Market in Atlanta.  You can find other farmers' markets all over the US at LocalHarvest.org

Conserve Your Gas - With news that the gas shortage may last another week, you may want to just stay at home.  Even if you can find gas, you'll probably be sitting in a long, frustrating line.  Instead, why not hang out at the house and enjoy your weekend reading, relaxing or spending time with your family? Oh yeah, there's some good football on too.

The Fall Atlanta Home Show - The Cobb Galleria plays host to the 25th annual Atlanta Home Show.  You can expect a number of exhibitors and demonstrations.  I always enjoy seeing the increasing number of green products and ideas at these shows.  The area of the show that I'm most interested in is "Atlanta's Secret Places" presented by the Home Depot.  This section is dedicated to educating attendees on the benefits of in-town living.  Here's what their website says about the section:

"During the show, 11 neighborhoods will engage Home Show participants in conversations about the assets in their communities including parks, non-profit work, recreational activities, museums, local businesses, healthcare, local arts, schools and available housing stock. With gas prices soaring, families looking for more time to spend together and the availability of home inventory in the city, this is an opportunity for families to get to know the benefits of in-town living first hand."

The show is open all weekend.  Check out their site for hours.


Weekend Reading

Atlantic Station Need Not Worry About Owner AIG's Financial Woes - Don't fret about the future of one of Atlanta's models of New Urbanisim.  It appears as though progress will continue unimpeded regardless of whether AIG sells the development.  We sure do hope so.  from AJC.com

Energy-Star Sales Tax Holiday in GA Now Includes WaterSense Label - The Energy-Star sales tax holiday from 10/02 through 10/05 now includes products with the WaterSense label.  I think I'll go get those CFLs for the new place.

Suburban Nation - If you are interested in picking up a book and are even remotely interested in the issues surrounding suburban sprawl, I would highly recommend this book.  I have read it several times over the past 5 years and it never seems to get dull.