David

Usually state highpoints seem to attract relatively few people at a time. However, I was surprised by the overwhelming number of visitors to Georgia's highpoint. A ranger explained that the popularity was definitely a seasonal phenomenon--that I had unknowingly chosen the best weekend of the year to come, when the leaves on the mountain sides throughout the area were displaying their fall colors. It was truly beautiful. Living in Texas, I don't have much opportunity to see such a vast array of fall colors. The sight reminded me of past times in New England when visiting relatives. The visitors center at the top describes how the climate in this specific area is unlike the rest of the state of Georgia, but instead is most similar to Massachusetts' seasonal climates.

Fortunately I did my research before arriving. I had read that an elevation marker was located at the top, but that it was behind a locked door requiring a ranger to provide access. Although this seemed strange, it turns out the locked door limits access down a flight of stairs to the rangers' living quarters. I'd lock my doors too if I had thousands of visitors always wandering around my home. (OK, I always lock my doors even though I don't have thousands of strangers daily walking around my house.) This ranger station is special in that it is still an active fire tower from which the rangers seasonally watch the surrounding region for signs of fire. Most other fire towers in the U.S. have been replaced by satellite imaging systems.

Also interesting was the fact that the elevation marker was not placed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as I had expected. Instead it was placed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) since this point is within the Hiawassee River Basin, a tributary of the Tennessee River.