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The name Hiawassee is derived from the Cherokee word Ayuhawsi, which means meadow. A variant spelling, Hiwassee is used for the local river and some other Appalachian place names. The town has a total area of 2.2 square miles of which 0.45 square miles is water. Hiawassee is about 2,000 feet above sea level.
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(Above quote and location map shown below from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiawassee,_Georgia) |
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Note: Brasstown Bald Tower may be closed in inclement weather at any given time.) |
The two RV Gypsies went to Brasstown Bald on May 5th and found that the shuttle was not running on that date because it was in for repairs. They did not want to walk the hiking trail all the way up the mountain, so they took a couple of quick photos and decided to return the next day. There is a $5 charge per person age 16 and older. The two RV Gypsies have a Golden Senior pass which was usable. But there is also a $2 per person shuttle fee, that is not covered in the Golden Senior pass. |
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 Brasstown Bald is THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE U.S. STATE OF GEORGIA, located in the northeastern part of the state in the Blue Ridge Mountains (which is part of the Appalachian Mountains) on the border between Towns County and Union County, south of the city of Hiawassee, near Blairsville. The peak is divided by the county line.
The mountain is known to the native Cherokee people as Itse'ya but has translated spellings of ENOTAH, and sometimes Echia, Echoee, and Etchowee. The name in English is derived from a mistaken translation of the term for the nearby Cherokee Village of Brasstown, located along the upper Brasstown Creek (named in English from the same error) feeding the Hiawassee River.
The term BALD is common terminology in the southern Appalachians describing mountain tops that have 360-degree unobstructed views. |
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The two RV Gypsies returned to Brasstown Bald the next day, and got much better photos than they would have on the previous day. Plus the shuttle was working, so they did not have to hike up the mountain trail. However, they did have to hike down the trail, because the shuttle stops at 5 p.m. |
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The road up Brasstown Bald which is only used by the shuttle. |
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Below: Brasstown Bald Viewing Tower |
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The upper viewing section shown below was not open on this date. |
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Below: The temperature at Brasstown Bald on this date. |
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Lee Duquette took some nice panorama photos. |
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On a clear day, four states can be seen. |
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As the two RV Gypsies walked around the circular area shown below, they enjoyed the view from The East, West, North and South. There were arrows on the path below the fence so all visitors would walk in the same direction and keep distance from each other. But that did not really happen because many people do not look down at where they are walking. The two RV Gypsies had a fun laugh about this with a nice couple. However, there were not a lot of people here when the two RV Gypsies were here. |
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Below: Brasstown Bald parking area and Lee noticed a car shining as it drove on the road. Great eyesight Lee. Once Lee Duquette saw the car, Karen barely had time to photograph it before it disappeared in the trees. |
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Below: Since it was after 5 p.m., the two RV Gypsies had to walk the trail down. It was amusing seeing all the young people getting so exhausted as they were walking up. That is why the two RV Gypsies did not walk up the trail when they were here on the previous day. Karen Duquette was not happy to see the Rattlesnake sign (as shown below) so she told Lee to always walk in front of her. |
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Below: Near the bottom of the trail, there was a sign about The Wagon Train Trail and the actual Wagon Trail beginning. |
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Below: Inside the museum. The circular building is home to an 8,000 square foot museum featuring interactive cultural and natural history exhibits, films, and a gift shop. |
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Below: Replica of Arthur Moody, a famous Forest Ranger. This amazing piece of art,talked, moved its eyes, mouth, head and arms. He was well worth listening to. The two RV Gypsies wonder if any relatives of his are still living. If so, they must be very proud of this display. |
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Below: Signs outside of the Gift Shop |
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Continue on to Hamilton
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