Visiting an ancient fort high on a mountain of Georgia

The fire tower of Fort Mountain surrounded by clouds - Photo: Still Gravity.
The fire tower covered by clouds on the summit of Fort Mountain - License our images here.

A winding road climbs to Fort Mountain State Park in northeast Georgia. Great that we were the only ones driving up with such a bad weather. 

We got a camping spot near the lake. Interesting experience when the ranger made us sign a disclaimer because of the presence of active bears in the park. This was a first for us. I guess it meant, be eaten at your own risk. 

The remains of the fort were a six-mile hike from our campsite. Foggy walk and nobody in the trails. All was wet. 

The wall of rocks of Fort Mountain - Photo: Still Gravity.
The wall of rocks of the ancient fort.

The "fort" is a enigma. The 800 feet wall of rocks was found two centuries ago. Nobody knows for sure who built this, but there are a few disconnected ideas: 

  • Native American ruins from 500 A.D.
  • Defensive position from Welsh explorers.
  • Leftovers from Spanish conquerors. 
  • Built by the "Moon Eyes" people - a Cherokee legend. 
The last one is the most interesting. The "Moon Eyes" people were described as pale skinned folks with light eyes that allowed them to see in the night. Captivating and magical stuff. Somehow reminds of vampires. 

Wall of stones in Fort Mountain, Georgia - Photo: Still Gravity.
Some minutes clear from the nasty clouds. 

The fire tower is close to the ruins. This is a construction from the 1930s done by the Civilian Conservation Corps. One of the builders left a heart-shaped stone for his love on one wall. Sweet memento that outlasted the man. 

We also hiked the Lake Trail and one named 303 that goes up to the main park road. The 303 is open to mountain bikers. It's not an easy ride, too many loose rocks. 

Lake in Fort Mountain State Park - Photo: Still Gravity.
The lake by the campground. 

One day, we got 15 hours of rain that raised the humidity to 99%. C's soups were a blessing. And no, these noisy hikers didn't see bears.

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