Raven Cliff Falls

On Saturday I want hiking with my daughter Rebecca at Raven Cliff Falls (in the Mark Trail Wilderness).  It's a little bit north of Cleveland Georgia, fairly easy to get to.  It is one of my favorite hikes and we usually do it at least once a year.

The trail is about 2.5 miles to get to the main falls.  There are several moderate sized falls and peaceful shoals as you hike along the creek.  The trail is in good shape, with a few small water crossings, roots and rocks.  There are a few short steep sections, but you get a good stretch of flat path after them to recover.

You can access the creek and it's falls easily all along the hike, which can be rare anymore.

 The main falls flow through a split down a 60 foot granite cliff.  It is an impressive sight that itself is worth the trip.

But there is more there if you are feeling a little adventurous.  Running along the cliff is a rock field you can climb up.  (These next pictures are all looking up at a 45 degree angle.)



If you climb up the rock field you will find a path through another crack in the cliff face.

The top half of the path changes from stone to exposed roots.

It is an easier climb that it looks, and any active hiker should not be afraid to try it.  (I am not a trainer or an expert.  Please use your own best judgment if choosing to do this.)  If you do go up you will get somewhere that not everybody does.

I only look moderately grumpy in that last pic.

Bonus Track:

Today's bonus track is a sad one.  There is a lot of upheaval in the world right now.  Syria is still a shambles, Venezuela is collapsing under popular protests, Egypt is still not quite right.  Finally, Kiev in the Ukraine is literally on fire.  Here is a picture someone put together showing a before and after.

Image from Imagur/Reddit

There is so much going on in the world.  If you don't know about these things then please, please, please go look them up.  I think that everyone should at least be informed about them.

Jon.