Cherokee County Saddle Club Projects: |
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The Garland Mountain Trail Project, 13 miles of public horse and hiker trails, is the first of its kind in Cherokee County. The Garland Mountain Green Space was purchased in late 2005 by Cherokee County through Green Space SPLOST Funds (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax--a one-cent sales tax which funds a diverse list community projects.)
The County has approved $50,000 of its green space funds for the project and has applied for a $75,000 grant from the Georgia DNR Recreational Trails Program for the construction of the ADA compliant trailhead parking area, restrooms, signage and the purchase of trail building equipment.
The volunteers were Betty Altman, Jim McGarvey, Cindy Young,
Cindy Wiltrout, Joanne Mitchell, Bobby Mitchell,
Ellen Stara, Vonnie Jean, Carolyn Stambaugh, Nancy Foy, Jerry Mims,
and not shown Larry Wheat and Marianne Torchia.
Steve Ralston of CRPA brought out the trail machine and UTV. Kathy Hansen brought her UTV. Chad Wetherington and Kris Maltby did the chainsaw honors on the future Roan trail, with swamper help from David Elkins and Kathy Hansen. Rachael Wetherington, Nancy Foy, Cindy Young, Carolyn Stambaugh, Cindy Wiltrout, and Larry Wheat applied finishing touches to part of the middle loop of the 2.3 mile Chestnut trail (shown in photo), and stream maintenance tasks were completed by Ellen Stara, Steve Ralston, and Jerry Mims. Jerry also began his trail machine operator training.
It is about a two mile hike or ride from the large parking lot to reach Chestnut Trail. The Cherokee Recreation & Parks Agency (CRPA) has graciously purchased a 4-passenger Kawasaki Mule, shown here, that can be used to haul tools, materials, and people. This saved many hiking steps Saturday, plus we had other UTVs supplied by Kathy Hansen and Dr. Ken Humber.
Saturday we enjoyed support from 14 volunteers plus Steve Ralston, CRPA project manager for GMHHT. CRPA provided the mini-excavator and mule. The volunteers were Jerry Mims, Dr. Ken Humber, Kathy Hansen, Cindy Wiltrout, Carolyn Orem, Betty Altman, Cindy Young, Betty Maxwell, Dennis Irwin, Sherry Irwin, Della Morrison, Debbie Jones, Mark Jones, and Larry Wheat. Cindy went the extra mile by baking cookies and sharing them with all volunteers. Thanks Cindy!
Several of the volunteers are shown here enjoying a lunch/snack break, and the warm sunshine.
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On this day we were hauling crushed rock and spreading it on a trail that crosses a small stream. This is done as a preventative measure to protect the environment by eliminating mud and water siltation at all stream crossings within the trail system. Chad Wetherington, shown here with his wife Rachael, provided a tractor end loader to load rock into Utility Trail Vehicles (UTV). | |
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Although we strive to avoid trail switchbacks, there are two designed in the system. One of the switchbacks exists near this crossing, so Rachael Wetherington, Nancy Foy, and Cindy Young constructed some rock structures to encourage riders to stay on the trail rather than cutting across the switchback. Cindy is shown placing a rock near the turning point of the trail.
The volunteers on Oct. 10th were Cindy Young, Nancy Foy, Chad and Rachael Wetherington, Dr. Ken Humber, Kathy Hansen, Larry Wheat, and Steve Ralston with CRPA. Steve provided the trail machine for the day.
September 21, 2009:
Transporting crushed rock from parking lot to two stream crossings and two wet areas
We need some equipment help on our Garland Mountain Horse & Hike Trails project. We want to transport crushed rock from a parking lot to two stream crossings and two wet areas. We are adding rock at the crossings to prevent siltation caused by trail use, thus protecting the environment. We need someone to volunteer their machine and operator time for the day to load crushed rock into UTVs. Most of our equipment is provided by the Cherokee County parks department. However, we still have a need for an end loader and would also welcome UTVs that have dump capability. We will be hauling and spreading rock on Monday, September 21st, starting by 9:00 a.m. What we need is: (1) Critical Need: Some form of small end loader (as a skid steer or farm/stable tractor) and operator for the end loader. This machine would remain in the parking lot and load rock. (2) One or more Utility Trail Vehicles (UTV) that have a dump bed (hydraulic dump best, but OK if hand powered dump). The UTVs would haul loads of rock about 1/2 mile to the stream crossing or wet area, driving on finished trail or an old Jeep road. (3) We will also need a couple of volunteers to help spread the rock at the end locations. The Cherokee County Saddle Club (CCSC) has a small grant that allows us to pay for equipment fuel costs (but not for transportation costs to the Garland area). Please contact me directly if you can and are willing to help by providing equipment on Monday, Sept. 21st. Thanks, Larry WheatGMHHT Project TeamHome phone is 770-977-4783email: L.Wheat@mindspring.com (Note period in name)
September 12, 2009: Spreading Crushed Rock
We had 15 volunteers to help develop the new trail system. Marianne Torchia, Kathy Hansen, and Dr. Ken Humber donated use of their utility trail vehicles (UTVs) to haul crushed rock from the parking lot to stream crossings. Chad Wetherington provided and operated a tractor end loader to load crushed rock into the UTVs. Other volunteers were Ellen Stara, Nancy Foy, Rachael Wetherington, Jeff Geskes, Casey Long, Rich Vigue, Tamma Trump, Denise Silbert, Arthur Silbert, Betty Maxwell, and Larry Wheat.
We divided into three crews. One crew applied finishing touches to the short access trails that connect the parking lot to the main Palomino trail. Another crew hauled and spread crushed rock to harden stream crossings, thus greatly reducing the potential for creating muddy stream banks and siltation. All stream crossings will have rock added to protect our environment. A third group hiked about one mile of trail (the Palomino, Dun, Sorrel loop), cutting any low brush encroaching into the trail and removing some roots and trail debris.
CCSC and the Cherokee Recreation & Parks Agency (CRPA) still have plenty of work to complete before the Grand Opening ceremony scheduled for November 21, 2009. Our next regular workdays will be held on October 10th and November 14th. There will be additional workdays added to complete stream hardening (rock hauling and spreading), Jeep road finishing work, and trail signage installation.
A CCSC Clip-n-Ride is planned for Monday, Oct. 12 to clear any overhanging limbs along the trails.
August, 2009: Garland Mountain Trail Waiting On Crushed Rock
The Cherokee County management has not yet approved a small purchase order for two loads of crushed rock needed to harden stream crossings and two wet areas. Construction of the new trails for Phase 1 of the park have been completed and all we have remaining to do is spread the crushed rock. Work also remains to improve the old Jeep road to be used as a trail, and other improvements being managed by the county.
July, 2009: Garland Mountain Trail Waiting On Crushed Rock
Workday July 21, 2009: One crew will be building new trail, and a second crew will be picking up trash.
Workday July 15, 16, 2009: We have been making good progress on building trails at the scenic, wooded 13.5 mile Garland Mountain Horse & Hike Trails being developed in northwest Cherokee County. On July 15 and 16 we will be hauling crushed rock to cover stream approaches and crossings. This is being done to avoid stream bank erosion and water siltation where the trails cross streams or where there are a couple of potentially wet areas. We plan to work a full day each day, and need a few volunteers to help. Individual volunteers need not work all day, but hopefully we will get enough help that at least a couple of volunteers will be present at all times (probably from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
Rock will be hauled by skid steers and other machines from the parking lot to the various areas to be worked. The rock will be dumped on a fabric ground cover, and then spread and packed with the Vermeer mini skid steer. Volunteers will be needed to lay the fabric and rake any rock that spills off the fabric back onto the fabric. Tools are provided by the Cherokee County Saddle Club.
June 2009: Parking Lot Graded and Endless Trash
The road in is paved, and the parking lot is graded!
Kathy and Steve Ralston, the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency (CRPA) project manager for GMHHT, brought their UTVs and hauled the collected trash to a dumpster. Kathleen Corcoran, Carolyn Stambaugh, and Larry Wheat assisted Steve and Kathy on this final cleanup effort.
A large dumpster was nearly filled with the trash hauled out of the park grounds.
The GMHHT project team is especially grateful to Kathy, Steve, and the other
volunteers who contributed to removing this unwanted trash. Future trail riders and
hikers will have a more pleasant experience thanks to their efforts.
May 2009: Parking Lot, Entrance Road Improvement, Trash Bagging
Construction started on the parking lot
and also the widening of Garland Mountain Road off of Hwy. 140.
| The Garland Mountain trail includes 2.7 miles of an old Jeep road that runs through the entire park. Unfortunately, over the past many years some people found it convenient to dump trash along the accessible portion of this road. This month crew leader Kathy Hansen has led an effort to remove the trash. Other trash baggers were Kathleen Corcoran, Carolyn Stambaugh, and Cindy Wiltrout. They bagged small items and piled the bags along the old road. They also dragged tires, mattresses, and other larger items out of the nearby woods and placed them along the road for later pickup. |
 Yes this is a mattress! |
April 2009: Volunteer Efforts Remove Trash
March 2009:
 Volunteers on the trail |
 Larry Wheat giving volunteers safety instructions |
 Volunteers on the trail |
November, 2008
Steve Ralston on the Vermeer.
October 2008: 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
A lot has happened since October 7, 2007 when Cherokee County (CC) partnered with Cherokee County Saddle Club (CCSC) for construction of the Garland Mountain Horse & Hike Trails (GMHHT) on the County owned green space at Garland Mountain, Waleska, GA.
The Garland Mountain Trail Project began in late January of 2007 when Cindy Young, resident of Waleska, avid horsewoman, and CCSC member, read an article where Cherokee County Commissioner Harry Johnston said that “Cherokee County has a modest program to buy and protect green space before it is all gone”. In the article he said the county had purchased “one large wilderness tract at the top of Garland Mountain” and Cindy, decided to see if she could get the local community involved in the development of a public horse and hiker park on the Garland Mountain land.
Cindy spread the word, got a petition signed and along with then CCSC President, Marianne Torchia, met with County Manager Jerry Cooper. He was intrigued with the idea of a public horse and hiker park and took it to the County Commission and the project was finally approved on October 7, 2007. Cindy is on the GMHHT Committee as Volunteer Coordinator.
CCSC assembled a GMHHT Committee which began working with Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency (CRPA) to start design and installation of the Trails. Each Committee member brings a valuable expertise to the table to help professionally install this public park.
September, 2008: Clearing and Equipment Training
August, 2008
Our Next workday is August 9, 2008. Work will continue clearing brush and deadfall on the trail corridor, and also path building.
July, 2008
Work continues clearing brush and trail building.
June, 2008
Work will continue clearing brush and deadfall on the trail corridor, and also building a narrow tread path.
May, 2008
April, 2008
 Sgt. Stan Icd, Waleska Fire and Rescue, Larry Wheat, Ellen Starach |
 crew in truck |
 Larry Wheat sawing and crew |
March, 2008
Dr. Ken Humber
February, 2008: Clearing Brush, Path Building
 Heading out dogs and all. |
 Garland Mountain Volunteers heading out |
 Bobcat heading out |
 Cindy Wiltrout, Kathy Hansen, Dr. Ava Lambert, Betty Altman off to work on the trails |
December 2007: Clearing brush
October 2007:Garland Mountain Trail Project Started
Working on the old jeep road through the park.