Hike Sentinel land central…and with loons?
By George Owen

"Sentinel Land Central?" Yes, Lake Chatuge, in the heart of the Sentinel newspapers' coverage.

"Loons?" Those North Woods birds? Yes…right here in Lake Chatuge in winter. Now it's all motorized boats in summer.

Place: The Jackrabbit Mountain peninsula of the Nantahala National Forest located on Lake Chatuge, the TVA lake that shares its waters across the Georgia-North Carolina line.

I first heard (but didn't see) the Chatuge loons in 2006. Then early this year, as I hiked the lakeshore trail (Loop A) just north of the boat launch, there they were in plain sight: loons. Just then a bald eagle flew from a tree beyond the inlet containing loons. My hiking companion Chuck Logan and I went wild.

I had mistakenly thought loons with that strange looney cry did not come to Georgia; I saw my first one at Fundy National Park in New Brunswick, Canada. However, my field guide Birds of Georgia (2002) by Stan Tekiela, page 69, confirms that loons are indeed found in Georgia, most commonly along the coast but also inland anywhere, from October to March. I love loons and their wild call. So I'll be visiting Lake Chatuge often.

Now let's walk the trail where I discovered these. Incidentally, this is a great trail for summer - shady and only a very modest climb of the one low ridge in its center.

To travel there: Take NC 175 (GA 75) between Hiawassee, Ga and Hayesville, NC to just above the state line. There you see the big sign for Jackrabbit. Follow this side road (Rd. 1155) to it's absolute end. (Pass the green-and-white sign for the Jackrabbit Mountain Bike and Hiking Trail on your left; that's another set of trails for later.) At the boat ramp turn right into the parking area, where you find the sign for the trailhead, "Jackrabbit Mountain Trail." Begin hiking clockwise (a sign before the parking area would take you counter-clockwise).

You first traverse a field then enter the woods, crossing a small stream, observing ground cedar covering a bed to your right. Here I met a father-son pair returning from fishing. The only other people I saw on this trek were two women fast-walking the trail.

One soon passes four little side trails to the lake - fish attractor sites. After this you round a sharp curve to the right alongside the lake. A small island to the left sometimes becomes a peninsula in low water. Here in the little backwater after this turn is where I saw the loons and bald eagle on colder days.

As one leaves the immediate lakeside portion of trail, suddenly atop a rise at just before 0.6 mile, there is a trail to the left. Take this less-traveled loop out to a side peninsula ending under a forest of Virginia pines. Here one has about a 275- degree vista of the lake. To the east there is the high main Nantahala Range which includes the Appalachian and Chunky Gal trails. Just northward is the Tusquitee Range above Hayesville. To the northwest is some of the Chatuge damming. Other ranges surround you westward and to the southwest in Georgia, including Brasstown. Now loop back to the main trail; this side loop was just under a thousand feet distance.

Turning left (clockwise) on the main (Loop A) trail, you drop into a cove with mature trees where a 15- foot bridge crosses a spring run. Here you begin slowly and moderately climbing the ridge. In winter the summit affords 360-degree views from this mid-lake perch of high summits all around. Now in summer heat a few benches along the way offer relief and you stay pretty much in shade. The climb up the east side is thick with large, cooling trees.

Just before the uppermost summit, you pass a side trail to the right; this is subordinate Loop B trail that re-enters the main trail (Loop A) just before its terminus.

Finally you begin to drop off the mountain. Several educational signs along the way now inform one about such subjects as the "Southern Appalachian Forest," "Southern Pine Beetle," and "Oak Decline."

On downward you hasten, and at last you are at the road into the parking area, located to your right. You have completed two miles of main trail (Loop A), and another almost 2/5ths mile of the "unofficial" side trail. For a very hot summer day, that will do!

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