Chattahoochee WMA - Coon Den Ridge

I'm back from my trip to Coon Den Ridge. It was a very ambitious hike, that ended up getting very thick and hairy about halfway down the ridge. I was rewarded with a hog encounter, finding numerous game trails as well as hog tracks, roto-tilled soil, and a nice sunset at the top of Trail Ridge Road. I took pictures as I hiked to give you an idea of the conditions.

The approach trail was 44C. It's in the lower right hand corner of the map where it says "Gate". 44C is one of the two gated roads, on your right, down the road from Upper Chattahoochee River Campground. I followed 44C to the berm, continued hiking as it narrowed into a small path, and eventually made it to the AT. Found some hog tracks on this trail.

On the intersection to the AT, I stopped and rested. I took this picture shortly afterwards.
http://imgur.com/a/36sel

Conditions were cool and clear, but also windy at times. By the time I hit the AT I took off my jacket and started working up a sweat. I was going at a good fast pace. I saw a group of hikers by Horsetrough Mountain, just after I found it and was figuring out how to climb it. It's on the Peakbagger's website as one of Georgia's highest elevation mountains. Eventually I hiked far enough to find Coon Den Ridge. As it showed on CalTopo, there was a trail that goes to it. It appeared that this old trail went around the mountain. There was a set of foodprints, as well as lots of hog tracks.

http://imgur.com/a/xOuhy

I followed this trail to where it aligns with the ridge, however it keeps going. Started bushwhacking. This is unquestionably the hardest part and the idea was to gain elevation first so the entire thing was downhill. The first half of the ridge was easy, and I followed a well worn game trail. But then it started getting very thick halfway down.

http://imgur.com/a/pef5E

I was ducking, crouching, crawling, crab walking, sliding, tree-pole vaulting, and knocking countless tree branches out of the way. I got hit in the face many times, scratched on my arms and legs, and kept trying to navigate/search for openings as I went down.

At the foot of the ridge, I found a significant water crossing.

http://imgur.com/a/sit7f
http://imgur.com/a/pl1fl

The idea was to follow this back to the WMA opening from 44F, but it was too deep, steep and dangerous to walk in. I found 4 foot holes in some places by the waterfalls. So I tried skipping along rocks by the shore, using the laurel as rope, until I hit solid barriers of mountain laurel that halted my progress. I couldn't go around because the water was too deep, so the only other option was to go back up into the impenetrable terrain. It was also around this time I heard a baby hog crying out from some thick vegetation on the opposite bank. I couldn't see it, but it sounded like it was calling for its mama over and over again as I passed nearby.

http://imgur.com/a/lWBL7
http://imgur.com/a/TSP7J

Following a small game trail that looked like it was made by a possum, I skirted the sides of hills, crawled up on all fours, kept going to the top, stopped to rest, and kept pushing on. In total I crossed 3 streams, climbed up 3 medium sized mountains, and finally reached the last of the terrain deformations on the topo. At this point there should be no more falls.

Again I tried walking along the rocky shore, but accidentally fell in. So I tried using the trash bag that KillerKyle gave me as an improvised set of waders. They quickly began to leak, and both my feet were now wet. Weighing the cost/benefit ratio, I decided I'd rather wade through the water than do more uphill mountain climbing. For about .4 miles, I waded the knee deep water until I ended up back at the wildlife opening that 44F goes to. Along the way, I found a very old paralleling trail that was unusable because so much fallen vegetation/mountain laurel was covering it in some sections. On one side was the creek, the other side the mountain. Also started seeing signs of civilization. Found a spent shotgun shell and food wrapper on the shore.

Baptized and born again by the unforgiving mountains, I rejoiced at completing my hazardous and rigorous adventure. I trudged my numbed and blistered feet for another mile down 44F, down Chattahoochee River Road, then back to the car, completing a big loop 5 miles long. That night I camped out at Trail Ridge Road. Cold, very very windy, but the sunset and stars were free.

That is one tough hike. Congrats on getting in on some pigs. They will be back in season next weekend. Be careful out there by yourself. It would be very easy to have a mechanical injury to a knee on those steep, slippery slopes. As far as you were off the beaten path that would have been a rough crawl out.

This is some hardcore scouting! You ventured into "the back of beyond"!!

Tallchris, I hike some of that same area every year but I go a lot slower than you and i'm so short i don't have to bend over or crawl as much as you. but it is some beautiful country.

Sounds like a fun day you should have brought your fishing rod! I hunt just across the Tennessee Divide (due North) from there its a lot closer to me. Wild country isnt it.