Chickamauga Battlefield- Hiking the Day After Severe Weather

Because I travelled this week, I hadn't gotten in as many hikes as I normally have each week so after attending a beautiful wedding Saturday morning I decided to take on the Ramble Trail at the Chickamauga Battlefield. It's a loop trail that is little over 6 miles. Secret and I headed out to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia to get our hike on. I was expecting it to be crowded because it not only is a tourist attraction but a great place to be outside. Almost as soon as we started on the trail I realized this was going to be a messy, muddy day for my new hiking shoes! It was so beautiful on Saturday that I forgot about the Tornado Watch the night before and the crazy amounts of rain that came down in our area. Alas, puddles and downed trees were abundant. I decided on a different tactic and decided to walk along the paved roads in the park. Not near as "hike-y" but exercise nonetheless.

After taking a side road, I immediately saw a wide trail that didn't look quite as muddy so Secret the Wonder Pup and I went that way. We weren't 20 feet along the trail when I looked up and saw a young deer with spots staring back at me. We played the stare down game for a while as I took a few photos and watched Secret looking perplexed back and forth from me and the deer. As I started walking closer it bolted off for the woods and my day was officially made! It wasn't surprising to see deer in the park. It is known for it's abundance. In fact if you drive through the battlefield in the evening you can easily see many deer grazing in the fields along the way. It's always a majestic sight.

As Secret and I came up to where the deer was standing I realized I was in an old campground that wasn't currently being used. The upside was that there were not many people and the pathways were paved. Secret and I meandered around these camp sites and did several large loops that brought us back through the fields and to our car multiple times. I always felt like I was pranking Secret because we would just pass the car and keep on walking. Even the campground area was muddy but it was a good sweaty workout that we both enjoyed! I will say it was a great quick place to check out but coming on a less muddy day would probably have been better. It is a great place to learn about Civil War history though! And once again, the hikers were all nice!

If you are going to visit the battlefield, go to the welcome center first- it's worth it. Also, if you are in the area, check out Sears Shoe Store. It has been there forever and worth the visit in Fort Oglethorpe.