Colorful Paris Mountain
Paris Mountain, in South Carolina outside of Greenville, is home to many great hikes, including the Sulphur Springs Trail, a 3.5-mile loop. A perfect hike for the fall.
I’ve been on the Sulphur Springs Trail in both the summer and winter, so why not fall? It is my favorite season of the year, after all. So, on a Saturday in October, I headed up to Paris Mountain for another hike. I decided to do the entire trail, not just up to the fire tower and back; this trail is a 3.5-mile loop, and by Paris Mountain standards, it’s one of the most strenuous ones.
Overall, the trip was pretty uneventful, but the autumn color was outstanding. And it’s a good thing, as this is probably the only autumn hike I’ll be able to post pictures for. Another hike in October was Blood Mountain, over in North Georgia, one of my very favorite places around. However, the rain and low clouds over the mountain obscured the view, so no pictures to speak of. I may have one more chance next weekend to get a fall hike in before the winter.
The colors have been pretty fantastic overall, this year. Every morning, as I go into work, I cross over the Seneca river, which provides a lovely view of the trees along the river banks. It starts my day off well. Here, on the Sulphur Springs Trail, the trees around the reservoir were beautiful in their autumn finery, reflected in the still water. This is just as the trail starts to get more difficult, heading towards a waterfall and up towards the fire tower. As I had planned, once I got to where the trail split between continuing the loop and going up the tower, I kept on the main trail. It winds along the ridge, and it was a gorgeous day, with a deep blue sky that framed the trees nicely.
Then, after the numerous switchbacks on the way back down, I got back to the car and headed home. As I say, not very eventful, but very enjoyable.
