Urban Hiking Atlanta

12/17 Peachtree Creek Watershed Hike- STRENUOUS!

2011-12-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Hello Urban Hikers. See below for details on the Saturday's hike down the Peachtree Creek Watershed. This is a STRENUOUS hike and should not be attempted unless you are up for a challenge. Off trail, creek crossing, exploring, railroads, etc... it's gonna be 10 miles of adventure!

Mark Watkins will be hosting another Peachtree Creek Watershed hike this Saturday Dec. 17 (inclement weather date Dec. 18). We will meet at Medlock Park (Decatur) at 9:45 am. The leaves and annual plants have died back and the creek should be way more visible on this hike. I am adding a visit to a pre-Civil War Cemetery that holds a few of the early Europeans of Dekalb County.

The full hike will be ~10 miles and will end at Bobby Jones Golf Course/B.G. Tennis Center. There could be an early out point when we cross Cheshire Bridge Rd. (~6.5 miles) for the folks not up for the full hike. The route I have chosen doesn't require us to walk in the creek. Therefore, we will have to veer from the creek a few times, but we will try to follow the creek as much as possible and keep major roads to a minimum. We will also be utilizing an active railroad line for a portion of the hike. The route will pass through 8 public parks, we will cross the creek 8 times and only 2 crossings will utilize road bridges. Some of the trails may be a little more primitive than others. If you are interested in the longer 10 mile hike, please send me an email at hikepeachtreecreek@gmail.com. If there is no interest in the full hike I may stop the hike at Cheshire Bridge Rd. There is an environmentally sensitive area we will walk through and therefore pets should stay at home.

Transportation info: For those stopping at Cheshire Bridge Rd., park on or near Faulkner Rd. For the full hike, park at Bitsy Grant Tennis center off of Northside Dr. I can shuttle 4 people back to Medlock Park or the Lindbergh Marta Station. Send me email at hikepeachtreecreek@gmail.com if you need a shuttle to MP or Marta. For those dedicated to Marta, buses 19,123,125 will get you ~1.2 miles from Medlock Park. Bus 12 runs about 1/2 mile from the Golf/Tennis facility. Bus 27 services Cheshire Bridge Rd.

Best,
Eli
eli_dickerson@yahoo.com

10/23 Beltline "King of Pops Field Day Hike"

2011-10-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Beltline Walk this Sunday! All are invited!
Time: Sunday, October 23 · 10:00am - 1:00pmhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Location: MARTA-Lindbergh Center Stationhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
2424 Piedmont Ave NE
Led By: Angel Luis Poventud
More Info: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/King-Of-Pops-Field-Day-BeltLine-walk

Event is also on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=302349593113140

~Eli

10/15/11 Peachtree Creek Hike

2011-10-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Urbanhikers,
Long time, no speak. I'm busy with a new job and grad school, but a
friend is hosting a fantastic hike through the Peachtree Creek watershed
and YOU are invited:

Mark Watkins will be hosting a Peachtree Creek Watershed hike this
Saturday Oct. 15. We will meet at Medlock Park (Decatur) at 10:00 am.
The full hike will be ~10 miles and will end at Bobby Jones Golf
Course/B.G. Tennis Center. There could be an early out point when we
cross Cheshire Bridge Rd. (~6.5 miles) for the folks not up for the full
hike. The route I have chosen doesn't require us to walk in the creek.
Therefore, we will have to veer from the creek a few times, but we will
try to follow the creek as much as possible and keep major road to a
minimum. We will also be utilizing an active rail line for a portion of
the hike. The route will pass through 8 public parks, we will cross the
creek 8 times and only 2 crossings will utilize road bridges. Some of the
trails may be a little more primitive than others. If you are interested
in the longer 10 mile hike, please send me an email at
hikepeachtreecreek@gmail.com. If there is no interest in the full hike I
may stop the hike at Cheshire Bridge Rd.

Transportation info: For those stopping at Cheshire Bridge Rd., park on
or near Faulkner Rd. For the full hike, park at Bitsy Grant Tennis center
off of Northside Dr. I can shuttle 4 people back to Medlock Park or the
Lindbergh Marta Station. Send me email at hikepeachtreecreek@gmail.com if
you need a shuttle to MP or Marta. For those dedicated to Marta, buses
19,123,125 will get you ~1.2 miles from Medlock Park. Bus 12 runs about
1/2 mile from the Golf/Tennis facility. Bus 27 service Cheshire Bridge
Rd.

**Note- at Bitsy Grant Park there are 2 Atlanta Champion Trees- Tulip
Poplar (tallest in metro at 165') and White Oak. Well worth seeing. Just
look down in the ravine beside Northside Drive- can't miss them.

~Eli
UrbanHiking Atlanta

NE Beltline hike on Sunday, June 19th

2011-06-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hello BeltLine walkers.

Art on the BeltLine is coming back for a second round this Fall and tomorrow, Sunday the 19th of June at 9am, we'll be walking with this years round of artist siting locations for their work. Everyone is invited to come out and see the BeltLine.

As most of you know the East Side Trail is currently under construction from 10th and Monroe south 2 and 1/2 miles to Dekalb Ave. We'll be walking this section at a later date to check up on construction but tomorrow we'll be walking from the corner of 10th and Monroe at 9am heading north to Montgomery Ferry Drive and back. It's going to be a total of 3 miles round trip and should only take about an hour and a half. We'll get some great views of the Piedmont Park expansion of which phase one was completed back in early Spring of this year.

After the walk I encourage all of your to walk down to the Sugar Coated Radical at 680 Drewry St. You can get there from the BeltLine as there will not be any construction equipment in the corridor on the weekend. The Sugar Coated Radical does a Bakery Sunday with amazing pastries/chocolates and Rattle Trap coffee truck will be in the parking lot to serve out some of Atlanta's best coffee from a truck.

That's your Sunday morning all planned out for you.

Have a great day.

Angel

5/14- Cascade Springs Nature Preserve Champion Tree Walk

2011-05-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hello urbanhiker friends,
This saturday is a rare opportunity to see one of Atlanta's best "hidden"
greenspaces through a guided walk with Trees Atlanta and the West Atlanta
Watershed Alliance. The spot is Cascade Springs Nature Preserve- over 200
acres of diverse piedmont forest, civil war trenches, champion trees,
cascading creeks, a quarry, and boulder outcrops. In many ways it's like
being transported to North Georgia!

Details:

When? Saturday, May 14th, 1-3pm

Where? Cascade Springs Nature Preserve- 2852 Cascade Rd, Atlanta, 30311

Directions? Google Cascade Springs Nature Preserve
to find directions on Google maps.

Who? All or welcome, though trails are not stroller or wheelchair accessible.

Why? To explore the champion trees of this amazing greenspace

**Note there are no restroom facilities within the preserve**
RSVP:
http://www.treesatlanta.org/EventRegistration.aspx?ID=175

See you saturday,
Eli

Beltline Hike #3, this SUNDAY, 2.6.11

2011-02-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. The BeltLine walk will be this Sunday from the West End Marta station at 10am, 5 1/2 miles to the Bankhead Marta station. Angel will be leading per usual. Weather will be better by then!!

map of route:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/BeltLine-route-of-the-South-West

Best,
Eli

Beltline Hike #2 this Saturday, 1.29.11

2011-01-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,
Angel will be leading the 2nd installment of the 4 segment hike of the entirety of the Beltline this Saturday AM. Details are as follows:

The BeltLine walk this Saturday:

This walk will be from the Inman Park to the West End Marta station, 6 1/2 miles starting at 10am. January 29, 2011.

Map: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/South-Side-Beltline-Walk

The weather forecast for Saturday is 59 and Sunny. There is one bathroom stop at the Drip coffee shop at Glenwood Park. Feel free to send me (Angel) a message here, email anotherloudperson@yahoo.com or call 404-892-8306 if you have any question.

1/22/11 Beltline Walk

2011-01-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hello Urban Hikers!!! Happy new year! It's (mostly) ice-free and time to
go on the first Beltline Hike of 2011. There is also an event for the
hike on facebook (see Angel), but I'll repost it here:

Time: Saturday, January 22 · 10:00am - 2:00pm

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Start Location: MARTA-Lindbergh Center Station, Atlanta, GA

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fearless leader: Angel Luis Poventud
(Eli may also be present...)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

More Info:

It's 2011 and time to walk the BeltLine.

A couple of different forces are coming together to pull off an amazing
month of walking. The Georgia Tech department of Architecture is making
the BeltLine the project for this years incoming freshman class and they
(and we) are going to walk the full BeltLine over the next 4 weeks.

To make it easy for everyone, the walks are starting at 10AM on Saturday
morning this week, 1/22/11, and ...will all be from Marta to Marta meaning
you won't have to stage your car or walk back to your car. The walks will
be 6 to 7 miles long and will take about 3 1/2 hours.

This Saturday we will be meeting at the Lindbergh Marta station at 10AM
and we'll head south down Piedmont beginning the BeltLine portion of the
walk where Peachtree Creek/Norfolk Southern/CSX and Marta all come
togeher. See the map.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/North-East-BeltLine-walk-from-Lindbergh-Marta-Station-to-Inman-P

From there we'll walk south in the BeltLine Corridor all the way to Dekalb
Ave passing along the brand new Piedmont Park expansion, the construction
of the Historic 4th Ward Park, the construction of the Foundation Skate
Park, ending the walk at the Inman Park Marta station.

There will be 2 bathroom stops along the way, one in Piedmont Park and the
other at Parish. The forecast for Saturday is 47 and partly sunny so bring
a sweater and some good walking shoes you don't mind getting some mud on.

Have a great day and see you on the BeltLine.

-email me back for any more info or details... all hikes are FREE as
always and family friendly. Dogs are welcome too!!

~Eli

Fundraising hike on the AT

2011-01-12T09:22:00.001-08:00

I'm passing this along at the request of the coordinator of this event:

This Ultimate Hike event on May 14, 2011 to the Atlanta area. The event will be a one day, 27.5 mile trek on the Appalachian trail, starting in TN and ending near Banner Elk, NC. It will be the ultimate challenge not just for people that love the outdoors but for anyone willing to take on the challenge to help raise awareness and funds to support pediatric cancer research through the Children’s Oncology Group.

Those who participate will receive coaching and training that includes group hikes around the Atlanta area to help them train for this extreme endeavor.

I wanted to reach out and see if this is something you would be interested in sharing with your UrbanHikers?. We need all the help we can get in getting the word out about this ultimate challenge that benefits children’s cancer research. Whether it is through a FB post or an email to all members.

We are holding information meetings Jan 26-Feb 3 at local stores throughout the Atlanta where those interested can ask questions, meet coaches & staff, get all the details and register for the hike. Those interested can view dates and RSVP for information meetings on our website: www.ultimatehike.com.

...if you're interested, then feel free to contact them via the address above
~Eli

Great hike on eastside Beltline trail

2010-11-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Angel and thanks to all of our wonderful hikers today!

Beltline Art

Skate Park:

We hope to plan hikes on all segments (22 miles total) within the next few months. Also there will be a full 22 mile hike of the entire Beltline loop in early Spring!

~Eli

11/20/10 Beltline Hike planned

2010-11-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and hikers,
It's been far too long and the Beltline has seen many drastic
improvements, so join me this Saturday as we hike the stretch from
Amsterdam Walk south to DeKalb Ave. Also it's supposed to be 64 and
sunny!
Details...

What: FREE 5-6 mile walk on the eastside Beltline trail
When: 10am-1pm (can be cut short)
Where: meet at Amsterdam Walk (550 Amsterdam Ave, ATL)
Who: EVERYONE is invited including kids, adults, and leashed dogs
Why: great weather calls for a great walk to see some great changes

Check out this PBA video from last year to see what this section of the
Beltline USED to look like: (and to see what Angel and I looked like too)

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/tia.mediaplayer?STATION_NAME=wabe&MEDIA_ID=894218&MEDIA_EXTENSION=asf&MODULE=tia

Map of route:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/North-East-BeltLine-walk-from-Amsterdam-Walk-to-Dekalb-Ave

Feel free to stage cars at DeKalb and Airline St if you like, but be at
Amsterdam by 10am to walk with the group.

Hidden Forests hike July 10th

2010-07-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Urban Hiking family- long time, no see!

I know the heat is quickly returning, but we are going to attempt our
first summer urban hike this Saturday at 10am, so put a reminder in your
iPhone/Blackberry/calendar!

This one will be a tour of hidden forests in Atlanta. We'll meet at the North side of the Candler Park Marta station at 10AM this Saturday, July 10th.

Bring water and a snack if you like. Plan on hot and humid as we will be
back in that typical summer routine by this weekend.

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday.
Should you need to contact me call my cell at 404-403-0822.

Best,
Eli
Urban Hike Planner

May 1st Ponce de Leon History Hike

2010-04-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hi UrbanHikers!
It's been awhile since we did a hike other than Beltline or forest hikes,
so on May 1st we're going to walk from west to east down the Ponce de Leon
corridor and learn all about the history of this part of Atlanta from our
group leader Tom Zarrilli.

Details:

Where? Meet at the MARTA Station entrance @ Ponce and W. Peachtree.
(Across from the FOX, AT& T bldg)

When? 10AM start, finish around lunch time

Who? ANYONE and EVERYONE is invited. This is FREE as always.

Distance? 2.5 miles +/-

Stops? countless historical points and a stop at Krispy Kreme for coffee
and doughnuts and Whole Foods for restrooms

Other info? This is a 1-way hike, so either plan to stage a car with
friends at the Plaza on the east end (Ponce and Highland area) or take the
#2 Marta bus back to where we started.

We did this last year and got RAVE reviews. Don't miss out this time!!

RSVP to me if you're interested so we have an idea of how many to expect.
Thanks and see you in May!

~Eli
urbanhikingatlanta.blogspot.com

Urban Hiking makes the big time

2010-04-12T08:41:00.001-07:00

check yourselves out!

next hike will likely be a tour down Ponce de Leon on Sat, May 1st- stay tuned....
~Eli

April 3rd tour of Old Growth in Fernbank Forest

2010-03-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Urban Hikers!!
This upcoming Saturday I'm hosting a "Champion Tree Tour" in Fernbank Forest in collaboration with Robby Astrove from Trees Atlanta. The event is free and open to the public. If you have not explored this amazing green space, Saturday would be ideal time- perfect weather and wildflowers everywhere!

Event: 2 mile Champion Tree Tour and workshop in Fernbank Forest
Date: Saturday, April 3rd
Time: meet at 9:45, tour is from 10am-noon
Location: Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton rd NE, Atlanta GA; meet at the dinosaurs out front

Contact: Eli Dickerson, 404-403-0822, eli_dickerson@yahoo.com -or- urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

2/13/10 Beltline walk and Tree Tour

2010-02-11T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hi UrbanHikers and friends,
There's snow possible tomorrow, but saturday looks warmer and sunny.
Let's go for a walk!

Option #1- 12 noon Urban Hike on the Beltline with Angel Poventud:
We will be meeting at 12:00 PM on Saturday, February 13 at the end of Lena
St near the Washington Park Tennis Center and Natatorium (1077 Lena St NW,
Atlanta GA, 30314). The walk will take place mostly in the BeltLine
corridor in the section cleared for the temporary hiking trail. The entire
route is 5 miles and will take three hours to complete. It will start at
Washington Park and go south to Allene Ave. From there it will go to the
West End Marta Station, where we will ride MARTA to the Ashby station, and
walk from there to the beginning of the route. We will be taking and
answering questions about the temporary art project and the BeltLine on
the walk.

This is a rain or shine event. Please bring water, a snack, comfortable
shoes that can contend with kudzu and mud, $2 for the fare for MARTA, and
be ready to enjoy a beautiful walk through the Westside and Southwest of
Atlanta. See you on the BeltLine.

Option #2- Champion tree tour and workshop in Fernbank Forest:
Join Trees Atlanta and Fernbank Museum of Natural History on February 13th
from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. to view and practice measuring giant trees in
the Fernbank Forest. We'll meet at 1:30 pm SHARP at the dinosaurs in
front of the museum- 767 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA. Wear comfortable
warm clothes! Plan to walk about 1-2 miles. More info:
eli_dickerson@yahoo.com

Get out and explore the city this weekend! Get rid of that cabin fever!!
Best,
~Eli

Beltline video from recent West End hike

2010-01-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

NE Beltline hike on 12/19

2009-12-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

We had a great turnout (22 folks!) for our East/Northeast Beltline hike from Amsterdam Walk to DeKalb Ave and back- roughly 6 miles roundtrip. Jack Walsh from Georgia PBA was out filming (should be out in early Spring). The corridor is mostly cleared of rails and weeds. It's wide open folks! Go explore it for yourself!

Angel was kind enough to lead the group once again

behind Midtown Arts Cinema area

City Hall East (formerly the Sears building)

TONS of old rails

crossing the rickety bridge over Ponce de Leon

Noxious weed alert! This is Arundo donax, aka- "Giant Reed"- very invasive out west especially.

The plan

I think Angel called this rail device a "frog"

Great new mural alongside the beltline in Cabbagetown/Reynoldstown area

for my fellow botanical nerds- I believe this is a Sugar Pine cone on the table at Parish (the largest cone from the tallest pine in the world)... or is it from a longleaf??

nature wins! (don't be fooled though- these oak species grow REALLY FAST, so this could have only taken a few dozen years...still really cool though)

That wraps up another great urban hike! There's talk of a southwest Beltline hike the saturday after Christmas- see Angel for more details!

Looking forward to more exciting urban hiking exploration in 2010. Keep the ideas coming too! Where do we want to hike? What do we want to see? More history? More art? More nature? Lemme know!

~Eli
urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

SUNNY Beltline hike this Saturday- 12/19/09

2009-12-16T07:27:00.001-08:00

I would like to invite everyone to come out and join Eli Dickerson and I for a walk in the BeltLine Corridor. You may have heard that the clearing of the rails has begun so that a temporary hiking trail could be installed until the permanent trail is in place. Construction on the permanent trail is planned to start l...ate in 2010.

Here's the plan.

We will meet behind Amsterdam Walk, parking behind all the buildings which push up right against the BeltLine and the Piedmont Park expansion at 10AM this Saturday morning, 12/19/09.

We'll check out the 53 acres of Piedmont Park expansion from the BeltLine and then head south in the BeltLine Corridor from the Piedmont Park area down 3 miles to Dekalb Ave. We'll then walk back up to the our starting point which will be a total of 6 miles of walking, 3 hours total. The weather for Saturday is forecast to be Sunny with a high of 46 degrees. It's going to be a beautiful day for a walk.

If you have ever walked this section before last month before the trail work started, your not going to recognize it now. No weeds, no kudzu and no rails. It looks great. Come check out the BeltLine and see how easy it is to use and exactly where it goes in the Northeast.

I'm including a link to a map that will show the area that we're walking and there are a few places in the walk that we can stop to use the bathroom or get some water and such. See you Saturday morning.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/North-East-BeltLine-walk-from-Amsterdam-Walk-to-Dekalb-Ave

~Eli
urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

West End Hike Synopsis in Photos

2009-12-15T05:49:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 12th, 2009- West End Beltline Trail, 37 degrees and drizzly!

This is where we started with a Beltline film crew taping us walking back and forth along this trail section. I'll post a link to the video when it's finished.

Beltline Trail looking north

Tunnel shots

Ground breaking ceremony at the end of our hike- Kasim was there!

Beltline signage

We were invited to a delicious warm holiday meal at the fire station with the whole neighborhood- delicious!

This trail is completely cleared and open for walkers and hikers. I highly recommend visiting when you have a chance. You can even ride MARTA to get there- it's just 2 blocks from the Ashby MARTA station!

~Eli

West End Beltline Hike on Sat. 12/12 RAIN or SHINE

2009-12-10T11:55:00.001-08:00

Hey folks,
It's getting way too hard to plan these walks with the crazy weather as of late, so Angel and I made the executive decision to host a walk on the West End of the Beltline this Saturday RAIN, SHINE, SLEET, SNOW, or HAIL! Join us!

Where? Meet at the Ashby MARTA station: http://www.itsmarta.com/ew-ash-overview.aspx

When? 10am SHARP @ Ashby this Saturday, 12/12/09

What to bring? WARM clothes, rain gear, water, camera, MARTA card

Who? EVERYONE is invited, it's FREE

Why? We haven't walked this section yet and we've got a great leader (Angel) to show us.

We plan to walk to the "Go West" festival for the Beltine trail groundbreaking. Check it:
http://www.westviewatlanta.com/go-west/

Afterwards, it's off to Artichoke Bliss for a workday or to the coffee shop if we need a warm up.

Don't fear the forecast! Come out Saturday and hike the unexplored portion of the Beltline with us!!

~Eli

The Beltline is happening. When? NOW!

2009-12-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

listen here:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1586042/Atlanta/Work.Quietly.Begins.on.Beltline.Corridor

12/5 Hike CANCELLED due to weather

2009-12-04T06:08:00.001-08:00

I don't really mind hiking in cold and I'd LOVE to hike in snow, but the potential for mid-30's and rain is just miserable. Due to the forecast for inclement weather we will be rescheduling this hike for a later date. Possibly next weekend. Stay posted...

Artichoke Bliss workday is still on for 2pm Saturday. Meet in the vacant lot beside Dynamic Dish on Edgewood in the Old Fourth Ward. Easy to bike, walk, or MARTA to this spot.

Stay warm,
Eli

Saturday, 12/5/09- Hike to ATL's hidden forests

2009-11-30T07:28:00.000-08:00

Hello UrbanHikers,
Join us this Saturday for an urban hike to some of Atlanta's hidden
forests. Here are the details:
What? hiking exploration of urban forest on the city's east side
When? meet Saturday @ 10am- Dr. Bombay's coffee shop in Candler Park
Where? Dr. Bombay's, 1645 McLendon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA
http://www.drbombays.com/

Also note- there is an opportunity to help beautify the brand new green
space called "Artichoke Bliss" in the Old Fourth Ward following our hike.
This will start around 2pm.

I encourage you all to bike or ride MARTA to both the urban hike (Dr.
Bombay's is just 3 blocks from the CP Marta station) and to Artichoke
Bliss (just north of the MLK Marta station).

rough map of our route on Saturday

map of Artichoke Bliss

I hope to see you all on Saturday!

~Eli
Urban Hiking Guru and Native Tree Enthusiast
www.urbanhikingatlanta.blogspot.com

2 newly beautified green spaces in ATL

2009-11-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

The past two weekend have afforded me the opportunity to help beautify 2 urban green spaces that until recently I didn't even know existed. I invite you all to visit these spaces and explore them on your own!

Reynolds Park- Kirkwood:

View "Reynolds" Park in Kirkwood, Atlanta, GA in a larger map
This park is owned by city of Atlanta and thanks to the efforts of KNO volunteers and a large group of Emory volunteers we have reclaimed this forgotten green space as a usable park! To access it, you can park in the back of the lot across from the DeKalb Health Center or the adjacent senior center.

removing invasive species from Reynolds Park

creating a new trail

Reynolds Park Plan (from the Kirkwood Neighborhood Organization website):

Artichoke Bliss- Old Fourth Ward:

View Artichoke Bliss in a larger map
This space was "discovered" by one of our urban hikers (Hayley). With the help of facebook we have pulled together over 30 community volunteers on 2 work days and converted this empty lot into a welcoming green space with a bench, 3 trails, and a swing! It's right beside Dynamic Dish on Edgewood between Boulevard and Jackson.

pictures from Artichoke Bliss:

If the weather cooperates we're looking at having our last urban hike of 2009 on Saturday, December 5th. I'd like to hike some of the newly renovated (and accessible) trails along the Beltline and also visit Artichoke Bliss!

Final urban hike of 2009?

2009-11-21T15:07:00.000-08:00

Looking at having a hike that highlights some of the recent work on the Beltline trail system the first Saturday in December. We'll probably end up in the Old Fourth Ward to highlight a recent renegade garden project next to Dynamic Dish off Edgewood. We're calling the greenspace "Artichoke Bliss" and it's pretty sweet!

Thoughts?

~Eli

Our 1st Urban Bike Ride

2009-11-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

Hello UrbanHikers!
We WILL be having an urban bike tour this Saturday (tomorrow), 11/14/09.

Meet up location: Park Grounds- 142 Flat Shoals Ave SE, Atlanta 30316
Time: 9:30am
Destination: Piedmont Park Green Market... and beyond- bring cash for food
or drinks at the market
Who's invited: YOU and everyone else

This is a change from our normal walking routine, but let's see how it
goes... I know many of you don't have bikes, so fear not- we will be
continue more explorations on foot as well!

~Eli
Urban Hiking Web Monkey
www.urbanhikingatlanta.blogspot.com
urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

Brainstorming Session Tomorrow (9/15) @ WonderRoot!

2009-09-14T06:05:00.000-07:00

Got an Urban Hike Idea? We want to know what you like/dislike/would like
to see in the future regarding our hikes.

Any new themes will be considered and all ideas are welcome- art
themes, science themes, entertainment/history themes, whatever!

Join us in sharing your ideas for future hike opportunities
on September 15 at 7pm at the WonderRoot Community Arts Center- 982
Memorial Drive, ATL 30316. Vegan cookies will be served!!

Email with any questions or call Eli at 404-403-0822

Have a splendid day and I hope to see you tomorrow!
~Eli/Urban Hiking Web Monkey

September Dragon*Con hike synopsis

2009-09-05T12:17:00.001-07:00

Here's a map of the 6 mile loop we did today from Park Ground to the Dragon*Con parade downtown and back via the PATH, Freedom Parkway, and Inman Park.

photo's:

Angel was with us again to help drop some knowledge about the in-town neighborhoods and the Beltline project

About a dozen of us left Park Grounds, wound our way through Cabbagetown and the Old Fourth Ward in route to downtown and the Dragon*Con parade

I wonder who gets this money? maybe the Taskforce for the Homeless??

The parade was absolutley NUTS and completely fun! Such an interested social event. Very family-friendly too. Storm troopers high-fiving little kids and such.

Cardboard Star Wars characters!

Bananaphone!!!!

View near Highland and Freedom Parkway. We walked along a very new section of the PATH at this point. A very nice urban bikeway with dedication paved paths- I highly recommend checking it out!

All-in-all we did a nice 6 mile loop with great weather along the way. Next month's hike will likely be mid to late October due to some schedule conflicts... stay posted!

As always, you can get on our email list by sending a message to urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

Urban Hiking Web Monkey,
Eli

UPDATE hike starts @ 9am (not 10am) on Saturday

2009-09-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

Updates were sent via email as well. We'll be meeting at ParkGrounds at 9am in hopes of getting downtown by the 10am start of the Dragon*Con parade!!

FREE urban hike this saturday, 9/5/09

2009-08-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

Long time, no see!

After taking a break for the month of August I made the executive decision
to get our FREE urban hikes started again. Details are as follows:

What? September Urban Hike- exploring on foot from Reynoldstown to
Oakland Cemetery, on to 5 Points to (hopefully) see some of DragonCon!

When? Meet at 9am this Saturday, September 5th

Where? Park Grounds Coffee Shop- 142 Flat Shoals Ave SE, atlanta, ga 30316

Who? Everyone is invited- no age limits/restrictions! Dogs too!

Why? Why not? It's a Saturday and starting to feel like fall, so let's
go explore on foot around the city!

Here's a link to the proposed route: http://www.favoriterun.com/288647

I hope to see you Saturday morning at Park Grounds,
~Eli
UrbanHiking Web Monkey

If you want to know more about the beltline...

2009-07-23T14:27:00.001-07:00

Beltline hike synopsis with pix!

2009-07-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

Our most recent urban hiking outing was a 7-mile jaunt on mostly active rails in the west and northwest beltline corridor. It was warm, but not really as hot or humid as it could be in mid-July. All in all it was a great hike and many thanks are due to our fearless leader Angel.

Some of the rails we walked were active and we actually saw numerous trains- some a little too close for comfort.

Eli- Urban Hike Leader

tunnel near start of hike

peachtree creek

Norfolk Southern Rail

blooming native trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)

nearing the end- that's Piedmont above all that kudzu (this is a section we cleared with machetes a week earlier to make it passable for the group)

The End... with Slimer

Beltline hike this Saturday, July 11th

2009-07-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

*Please note that we will be meeting at the Bankhead Marta Station (NOT the West End Station and NOT Park Grounds).

Meet us at 9:45 and we'll start hiking the tracks at 10am. Plan on a solid 5 miles of walking in the heat and humidity! Be sure to bring water, snacks, sunscreen, and a hat. It's gonna be a blast as Angel leads us along the northwest section of the Beltline loop!

Questions? Email me at: urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

~Eli

Great hike on the 'Hooch- Beltline hike planned for July 11th

2009-06-11T07:39:00.001-07:00

We had about a dozen people exploring the trails at the Whitewater Creek trailhead in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation area last Saturday. It was steamy, but nice under the shade of all those big leaf magnolias.

Up next- Saturday, July 11th (note: this is the 2nd saturday b/c of July 4th) we'll hike a section of the Beltine from the WestEnd Marta station to Piedmont Hospital. Once again Angel Poventud (Beltline volunteer and former train conductor) will be our fearless leader. It will be HOT, so bring lots of water and a hat... maybe even an umbrella for shade if you want.

Pix from our last hike:

view from the top of the trail

fading blooms of a native azalea

on the "Devil's Race Course" shoals

heading back up the trail

cool shady stream

Gus- our fearless leader

Urban Hiking NPR interview w/John Lemle

2009-06-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Take a listen here:
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-841277.mp3

June 6th- (Sub)Urban hike along the Chattahoochee River

2009-05-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

The oppressive heat and humidity of summer is fast approaching and due to overwhelming demand from our urban hikers we will NOT be hiking around the hardscapes of the city, but instead venturing out to the trails of our closest national park- Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area- for a moderate 5-6 mile hike with a stop halfway to dip our toes in the river.

On Saturday, June 6th meet us at Park Grounds in Reynoldstown at 10am as we drink coffee and set up carpools to venture to the WhiteWater Creek trailhead in the East Palisades park unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

We'll meet at 10am and head out by 10:30/10:45 for the river with our carpool caravan. Head to the connector and go north, then directions are as follows:

-Stay on I-75 North
-Take exit 256, Mt. Paran Road.
-Right on Mt. Paran Road to first traffic light (Harris Trail)
-Left on Harris Trail to Whitewater Creek Road
-Right about .4 miles to the unit which is on the left.

If you plan to just meet us at the trailhead, then you can find alternate directions here.

Here's a map of the trail system we'll be exploring:

**Note that there is a $3 fee per car at this site. Also note that dogs are welcome but must stay on leash!

for more info, shoot me an email at urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

See you in June!
~Eli

May historic hike on Ponce de Leon

2009-05-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 2nd local librarian, artist, historian, and yard sale enthusiast Tom Zarilli led a group of 11 urban hikers on a wonderful historic tour highlighting Ponce de Leon and surrounding neighborhoods. This was another intallment of our themed hikes with guest speakers and was thoroughly enjoyed by all attendants!

Photo-journal of our walk:

Tom, PBA interview, and the crew

steps to nowhere- surviving pieces of a former house along the PATH in Inman Park

Majestic diner

Sculpture honoring Sen. John Lewis's march to Selma

Map of Freedom Parkway at sculpture

Clermont hotel and lounge- G.G. Allin stayed here

Former Sears Building (now City Hall East) where Ponce's natural springs were piped to a waterfountain years ago!

famous Magnolia of center field in the old Crackers/Black Crackers ball field??

large urban Tulip Poplar facing Ponce

streetside bling for sale

End of the hike: Georgian Terrace and Fox Theatre

We all caught Marta back to the Inman/Reynoldstown station and walked the neighborhood streets back to Park Ground for a total time of about 3 hours. It was warm and muggy, but overall a wonderful tour- stay posted for information on June's themed hike- possibly a "Suburban Hike" on the Chattahoochee River!!

~Eli
UrbanHiking web monkey
urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

Urban Hiking Podcast on "Mostly ITP"

2009-04-27T07:53:00.001-07:00

Amber and Rusty from the Mostly ITP podcast (GA podcast network) were so interested in our urban hiking adventures that they interviewed me for more info. Check it out here.

Enjoy!
~Eli

5/2 hike- history tour down Ponce!

2009-04-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

Our next hike is this Saturday, May 2nd. Local historian and artist Tom
Zarilli will take us on a historical tour down Ponce de Leon with many
interpretive stops along the way.

As usual we will meet at Park Grounds (142 Flat Shoals Ave SE) at 10am for
coffee/breakfast and start hiking by 10:45ish. We will again cross over
the Inman/Reynoldstown Marta, then venture through Freedom Parkway to
Ponce. Plan on bringing water for the hike and saving some room for
doughnuts at Krispy Kreme as well.

As always these hikes are 100% FREE, community inspired, and community led!

www.urbanhikingatlanta.blogspot.com
www.wonderroot.org
urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

April Graffiti Hike

2009-04-16T05:58:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, April 11th we embarked on the 4th installment of our urban hikes around Atlanta. Huge thanks to local artists Dosa Kim and Michi for making this one happen.

Once again, this happening seems to be getting more and more popular- we had record attendance with a total of 31 hikers (of course we stole 3 from the planned Beltline tour that was meeting at Park Grounds as well that morning).

I really feel that these tours have filled an important niche in the community as of late. I came up with the idea of "urban hiking" out of necessity. In fall 2008 we were in a gas crisis and I was not able to justify driving to north georgia for my normal monthly hikes on the Appalachian Trail. As a cheap alternative I decided to explore the city more by just putting on a daypack with food and water and trekking across Atlanta. With the help of a few friends and the good people at WonderRoot we were able to expand my initial idea into a community building "happening" that continues to grow.

I continue to be shocked at the positive response from the community. Little or no advertising is necessary on my part- just a few emails, a posting on the WonderRoot website and then a lot of word of mouth amongst friends. We continue to get members of the community to offer their expertise in leading themed hikes as well. If you or anyone you know has an idea or destination for a hike, then please contact me as well- urbanhiking@wonderroot.org.

Here's a brief account of April's Graffiti themed hike:

Local artist Dosa Kim- our leader for the day

Chris from WonderRoot describing the process of organizing dozens of artists to paint the wall along the tracks on Wylie St.

corner of Krog and Wylie

Krog tunnel

lunch at Parish in Inman Park

In total we did around 4 miles in 2 hours. Some folks continued further, but most people rounded out the hike by walking through Inman Park and crossing the tracks at the Inman/Reynoldstown Marta station.

Next month: Historic Tour down Ponce de Leon on Saturday, May 2nd!
Email me with any questions/comments or to get on the email list: urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

"Feet on Atlanta" project

2009-04-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

This project came to my attention from the PEDS organization in Atlanta that aims to "Make metro Atlanta safe and accessible for all pedestrians" and I thought the Urban Hiking group may be interested.

Through this project Atlantans can survey the conditions of city sidewalks via a tally sheet that can be filled out and either mailed or input online. The link to the sheet can be found here.

I'll try to bring a few hard copies to saturday's hike as well if anyone is interested.
~Eli

Graffite hike this Saturday!

2009-04-09T05:47:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,
It's super late notice, but please join us this Saturday, April 11th at 10am over at Park Grounds in Reynoldstown for our April Urban Hike- a graffiti tour with local artist Dosa Kim!

For more info or to be put on the mailing list, contact us here:
urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

Thanks!
~Eli

Urban Hike #3- Beltline tour

2009-03-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

We just finished a wonderful urban hike (the best yet in my opinion) with our guest leaders Angel and Betsy. They took us on a route that began at Stanton park in the Peoplestown/Grant Park area and hike a 6 mile section of the beltline tracks counter-clockwise all the way to Piedmont Park. The weather was amazing- 70 and sunny. I have a good feeling that this won't be the only installment of Beltline hiking that we do this year...

A link to a map of our hike starting at Stanton Park and finishing at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens can be found here:
MAP!

sad, but true

Our fearless leader and former train conductor- Angel

Urban Tree House?

Tracks near Glenwood Park retail area

crossing I-20 on Bill Kennedy Way

Willie- one of 5 canine companions on the hike

we saw a lot of neat graffiti on this hike

Kudzu is dormant this time of year, but you can still see how it can dominate certain areas by growing nearly 1 foot/day in summer

Krog tunnel

MARTA above us- this was an on-street connection where the planned beltline rails don't quite match up

more kudzu

social commentary

shanty house or art project?... not really sure, but it looked inviting

ramp

vampire lips

bridge over Ponce de Leon at City Hall East. What a cook (and entirely different) way to see the city. I must have passed under this bridge 100 times at least, but never got to see this view.

This rail line along the eastern border in Piedmont Park was installed in 1924 apparently

new parking deck at Piedmont Park

urban creek along NE border of Piedmont Park

Amazing old growth section of Storza Woods (Botanical Gardens) and the North Woods of Piedmont Park- some of the largest trees in the city are located here including this monster Tulip Poplar

This was a truly amazing hike and I hope to have a whole Beltline series, though many areas are harder to traverse even in the winter/spring and totally overgrown in the summer. Stay tuned for future hikes and feel free to contact me with any trip ideas you may have as well. As always, these hikes are for the community and by the community!

Contact email: urbanhiking@wonderroot.org

Beltline Hike this Saturday- 3/7/09!!

2009-03-04T05:56:00.000-08:00

The weather is looking fantastic for Urban Hike #3 this Saturday as we explore the BeltLine on foot with guest hike leader and local artist Elizabeth Medvedovsky.

We're going to start at Park Grounds (coffee at 10am, hike by 10:30ish), drive to our starting point as car pools and walk towards Piedmont Park. Those who have had enough can drop out at their leisure and those who want more can keep on going to Piedmont Park, after which we'll loop around to ParkGrounds and those who left their cars can drop off the others.

A link to all of the maps of the Beltline can be found here.

See you there!

Urban Hike #2, Piedmont Park

2009-02-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

On a bright sunny saturday in February we met once again at Park Grounds to plan our second hike of the year. We were joined by Chris Appleton (one of the founders of WonderRoot) along with many other urban hikers, totalling about 10 people total. Our destination (aka- halfway point) was Piedmont Park. All in all we were out and about for nearly 7 hours and about 8 miles. What a great day too with temperatures near 70 degrees and beautiful sunshine the entire time!

Here's a link to the map of our route (7.94 miles!):
http://www.favoriterun.com/259818

Martin Luther King Historic District en route to the park:

Shotgun homes across from MLK's home site

Happy hikers on Freedom Parkway- nice city view

Trees cannot be contained!

Futuristic (free) toilets at Piedmont Park

Nice rest at the watering hole (Park Tavern)

What a beautiful day to be in the park

Park artwork at Ponce and Freedom Parkway

more artwork- concrete towers at Highland and Freedom Parkway- the towers mimic the Atlanta skyline

nice graffiti work as we return to Park Grounds

All-in-all this was a terrific hike. There's talk of starting themed hikes very soon with the next Hike likely being a "Photography Hike" on Saturday, March 7th. To get on the UrbanHiking email list, drop me a line at eli_dickerson@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Urban Hike #1, Frazier Forest

2009-01-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

On a cool misty saturday in January the WonderRoot Urban Hiking club in Atlanta, GA got it's start for the new year. We met at Park Grounds at 10am and after coffee, conversation, and food we embarked on our inaugural trek across the city. The hike totaled roughly 6-7 miles and took about 2.5 hours.

Link to a map of our route:
(coming soon)

our meeting place- Park Grounds: 142 Flat Shoals Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316

crossing the tracks via the Inman Park/Little 5 Points MARTA station

This is a large oak in the Shadyside section of the Olmstead Parks on Ponce De Leon just east of Moreland Ave. Olmstead is the same landscape architect who designed Central Park in NY and the Biltmore Estate in NC.

Mid-point destination: Frazer Center Forest. This is a nice patch of likely second growth or old growth forest on the south side of Ponce de Leon at the intersection of S. Ponce De Leon.

The large leaning tree in the background is a Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) that is just over 15 feet in circumference. This is a very common species in Atlanta with a few giants like this one spread across the city.

This is a large willow oak near Fellini's on McLendon Drive in Candler Park

This tree has two large limbs that have fused together

This was a nice sight on our hike

The next hike is set for Saturday, February 7th. Meet at Park Grounds at 10am for coffee, hike starts by 11am. See you there!

~Urban Hiking WebMonkey