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Quote of the Week - "Summertime is always the best of what might be.
-Charles Bowden
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The Progress
Editorial
June 3,2021
From the Staff
Roll out to discover the
Peach State this summer
It’s finally summertime.
The summer of 2021 is looking a lot
different from last year. Perhaps a lot
closer to normal, anyway. In June of
2020, there were still so many unknowns
as we awaited word on how to safely pro
ceed with life in a pandemic. An avail
able vaccine was still six months away
and our full summer of vacation plans,
parties and social gatherings were uncer
emoniously cancelled.
Suitcases collected dust, airplanes sat
parked and we gathered via FaceTime
and Zoom.
Fast-forward 12 months, and Ameri
cans are back to old tricks. There’s traffic
on the highways and the security lines at
Hartsfield-Jackson are long, as once
again as people are traveling. As of this
writing, there are still imposed entry re
quirements for some destinations, and to
get back into the United States, travelers
over the age of two are required to pro
vide proof of a negative COVID test. If
that doesn’t appeal, perhaps an explo
ration of the Peach State would? (No
testing required.)
Georgia is home to 49 state parks.
Compared to our neighbors in Alabama,
who have about half that, and Florida,
with over 100, the plentiful Georgia
parks have something for everyone. With
a single tank of gas, one can make it from
the mountains to the sandy beaches of the
coast. Luckily, for residents of Pickens
County, there are some outstanding parks
in our area.
Amicalola Falls State Park, just over
Burnt Mountain, is about 20 miles from
downtown Jasper. Amicalola Falls has
two attractions unique to the park. The
tallest waterfall in Georgia at 729 feet,
the falls are an impressive sight to be
hold; stairs and trails provide viewing ac
cess.
Besides the lodge, cabins and camp
sites, Len Foote Hike Inn offers accom
modations for those willing to put in a
little work. Hike Inn is accessed only via
hike, so it’s best to pack light. It’s a beau
tiful bunkhouse in the woods with stun
ning views, a common room and dining
hall for sharing meals. After checking in
at the visitor’s center at the park, the path
is an easy-to-moderate 5-mile trail
through nature. From the inn, many seek
out the southern terminus of the Ap
palachian Trail, just an additional 4.4
miles. Reservations are required at hike-
inn.com. Kids are welcome, but no pets
are allowed. This is a cool experience
anytime of year, but fall is particularly
spectacular.
Unicoi State Park in Helen offers
lodging from campsites to a hotel-type
lodge. Unicoi has archery and a gun
range, as well as an introduction to fly
fishing class. Mountain bike trails wind
through the scenic property. Helen is
about an hour and a half from Jasper,
making an easy day trip. Tubing in Helen
is another fun adventure, enjoyable for
kids and adults. Both Helen Water Park
(helenwaterpark.com) and Cool River
Tubing (coolrivertubing.com) offer tub
ing on the Chattahoochee. Helen Water
Park—as the name implies—also has a
modest water park with slides and a lazy
river. This is a more manageable option
than the larger water park in Marietta,
which can be a lot for little kids (and par
ents of little kids). Helen also has several
miniature golf courses ... always a hit
with families.
Cloudland Canyon in Rising Fawn
offers 64 miles of hiking trails and 30
miles of biking trails. On the western
edge of Lookout Mountain, the views are
breathtaking. Accommodations range
from cottages to campsites to yurts.
Cloudland Canyon is about two hours
from Jasper.
The Georgia State Park website, gas-
tateparks.org, is a super resource with
links to all state parks. All the informa
tion a visitor could need, along with ac
cess to lodging reservations, trail maps
and GPS coordinates.
Georgia state parks are only the tip of
the iceberg. There is plenty to see and do
within the Peach State that won’t cost
more than a tank of gas. From the
beaches to our beautiful mountains, there
is something to do for every activity level;
and budget.
Enjoy the summer!
Tell us your thoughts with a letter to the editor. E-mail to news@pickensprogress.com
See letter submission guidelines on the Letters to the Editor page or call us 706-253-2457.
Ponderings of a Simple Man
Py Caleb Smith
Couch
Camping
Memorial Day weekend is
a time Americans set aside to
remember those we’ve lost in
defense of our freedoms. It
takes a more hardened heart
than my own not to be
touched by the sea of flags
along the roadside, names of
the fallen proudly displayed
below.
Most Americans chose to
take the extended weekend
and enjoy our hard-won free
doms. Camping trips, bon
fires, and, of course,
cook-outs. Personally I used
to love all of these things.
Setting up your tent along
side a lake somewhere, cook
ing s’mores over a open
flame while fending off mos
quitoes the size of dachs
hunds. It was a little slice of
paradise.
And then I got married,
and it all came to an end.
Don’t get me wrong, my
wife didn’t tell me I couldn’t
go. She simply opened my
eyes to the reality of camping
a bit. Those s’mores I was so
happy to munch on? There’s
a reason my parents only
made them after dark. In the
full light you can see just
how many bugs and cinders
are mixed in with the choco
late and marshmallow.
“Maybe we can just camp
then?” I asked after I got
done shuddering. “Nothing
like going to sleep with the
sound of waves in the back
ground.”
“That’s all well and good
until the sound of water
makes you get up 10 times a
night to go to the bathroom.”
She sighed, “And do you
remember what loves to be
around lakes?”
“Nope-ropes,” I said, my
mouth suddenly dry.
She nodded seriously,
“Snakes. Do you really want
to stumble through the dark
to use the bathroom and risk
stumbling over one?”
The more I thought about
it, the more I understood her
point. Camping was a young
man’s game. When I was a
teenager, I thought nothing
about eating greasy hotdogs
with unevenly heated canned
chili poured on top. Now, just
the thought has me reaching
for the Turns.
Sleeping on the ground at
15? Sounds like an adven
ture. I’ll be just like Daniel
Boone or Davy Crocket.
Sleep on the ground now?
I’m trying to imagine how
many paramedics it would
take to get me back on my
feet. I’m at the age where, if
I drop something, I won’t
even bend over to pick it up
again if it cost less than 10
bucks.
But the final kicker was
the weather. Teenage Simple
Man was svelte and skinny.
He could work construction
in the Georgia heat all day.
Modern day Simple Man has
a bit more padding and uses
his A/C in F ebruary.
So this Memorial Day we
decided to celebrate our own
way. Takeout food and mid-
afternoon naps from the
safety of our own home.
[Caleb Smith is a long
time, award-winning, colum
nist for the Progress.]
(USPS 431-820)
Published by Pickens County Progress, Inc.
94 North Main Street, Jasper, GA 30143
(706) 253-2457
www.pickensprogressonline.com
DAN POOL
Publisher/Editor
Published each Thursday at Jasper, Pickens County, Georgia. Entered
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TO TRUMP
OR
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QUESTION.
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DESTINY HE IN HIS OWNHftNDS.
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OTHER VOICES
Tweens n’ Teens should get COVID-19
vaccinations, say health experts
Submitted by
Jennifer King, Public
Information Officer
N. Georgia Health District
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
is approved for youths ages
12 to 17, and public health
officials in North Georgia
strongly recommend that
they get their vaccine as soon
as possible this summer to be
fully vaccinated before the
new school year begins.
Health departments in
Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer,
Murray, Pickens and Whit
field counties offer Pfizer
COVID-19 vaccine, but
some health departments are
capable of maintaining only
a limited number of doses, so
it is best to call the health de
partment ahead of arrival to
confirm Pfizer vaccine is
available that day (please see
phone numbers below).
The health departments
will also conduct special vac
cine clinics to make it easier
for young residents to get the
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
that is approved for them.
Public announcements about
these vaccine clinics are
being posted online in North
Georgia Health District News
at https://nghd.org/news.
Printing
The Pickens Progress
can handle all set up
and printing for
everything from
business cards
to flyers.
706-253-2457
COVID-19 vaccine is no-
cost at the health depart
ments. No appointment is
needed. No identification is
required.
Minors must have the
consent of a parent or legal
guardian to be vaccinated
(access the COVID-19 Vac
cine Consent Form in Eng
lish or in Spanish).
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Pre
vention (CDC), research has
shown that the Pfizer-BioN-
Tech COVID-19 vaccine is
100% effective in preventing
the COVID-19 virus in chil
dren ages 12 through 15. Pre
vious research has shown
that the vaccine is 95% effec
tive in preventing the
COVID-19 vims with symp
toms in people aged 16 and
older.
Children are considered
fully vaccinated two weeks
after the second dose of the
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
They can resume activities
without wearing masks or
physically distancing, except
where required by federal,
state, local, tribal, or territo
rial laws, rules, and regula
tions, including local
business and workplace guid
ance.
In the U.S., children who
are fully vaccinated do not
need to quarantine or get a
COVID-19 test after a known
exposure if they don't have
symptoms, with some excep
tions for specific settings.
Health officials urge
young people to get vacci
nated now for a safer, more
enjoyable summer, to get
ready for the new school year
and to protect themselves and
the community from
COVID-19.
For more information
about COVID-19 vaccine, go
to Questions About COVID-
19?..
WEATHER
By
William
Dilbeck
HI
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RAIN
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82
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68
49
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May
30
69
49
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May
31
73
55
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