MOVING AMID HISTORY IN NORTH GEORGIA Walking Fort Mountain State Park The expertise and work of the Civilian Conservation Corps is abundantly evident in walking this 4,058-acre park. TEXT BY LEONARD M. ADKINS I t has been more than eight decades since President Franklin tionwide Great Depressionera Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program came to an end. Although the corps lasted just a little more than nine years (19331942), you and I are still reaping the rewards of the hard work that the young men enrolled in this program performed. I was vividly reminded of this when Laurie and I visited 4,058-acre Fort Mountain State Park in the mountains of northern Georgia. Just about everything we did that day had the corps' mark on it. We wouldn't have even been Roosevelt's naTHE WALKS: A 1.6-mile moderate loop that includes a historic fire tower, a mysterious stone wall and a sweeping vista, along with an easy 1.2-mile circumambulation of a scenic lake. GETTING THERE: Follow GA 52 eastward for 7.2 miles from the intersection of US 411 and GA 52 in Chatsworth. Turn left onto Fort Mountain Park Road and continue to the Stone Tower Trailhead parking area. There is a $5 parking fee. able to enter the park or take a walk if not for the corps. The road that we drove to the trailhead on was originally constructed by the CCC and, even though the treadway has now become somewhat rocky and bisected with roots from the thousands of feet that have worn away the soil since it was constructed, the trail system that winds around and to the summit of Fort Mountain bears the unmistakable characteristics of the corps' excellent trail-building expertise: The pathways gradually ascend along the contours of the land or incor14 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM MORE INFORMATION: Information about the park and its approximately 60 miles of trails may be found on gastateparks. org/FortMountain. CLOCKWISE: The Cool Springs Overlook looks onto the Holly Creek Valley. The stone fire tower is part of the extensive CCC work. Fort Mountain Lake was also constructed by the CCC. porate stone steps to negotiate spots with a slightly steeper terrain. The sweeping vista of the Cohutta Mountains and a wide expansive valley that is visible from the West Overlook was well worth the very few minutes of easy walking it took to reach it, but Laurie and I were just as impressed by the fire tower that capped the mountain's peak. Led by local stone mason Arnold Bailey, the four-story structure was built by the CCC in the 1930s (look for the hearthttp://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM