A sign at the trailhead explains the name is based on the discovery of a plate of armor in the 1880's, about the time lumber companies began foresting the area. Until 1983 scholars mocked the idea of finding a breastplate intact after 300 years, until an intact sword from deSoto's expedition was found on the King site near Rome, Georgia. Men under Hernando deSoto are known to have been in this mountainous area in 1541.
There are 2 falls that you can hike to, lower falls and upper falls. There are actually 3 falls, but the storms in 1993 and 1995 created serious problems at the former upper end of the trail. The Forest Service now has the old trail marked as being under natural restoration, so highest falls are unreachable and it appears they will not be reopened. However, the 2 accessible falls were worth the hike.
The hike was 2.4 miles round trip and what the "experts" call easy to moderate. It was and it was very shady which also makes for pleasant temps for a hike. We went on a Sunday so there was probably a lot more traffic on the trail than would be during the week. But, it wasn't bad. A lot of people bring their dogs and children. You do have to pay a daily fee to park there. It is a self-service payment but I did see rangers driving through the lots and checking out who had paid. There is nothing free in Georgia.
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| Upper Falls |
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| What almost all of the trail looked like |
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| Lower Falls |
We left De Soto Falls and went to check out Brasstown Bald. Brasstown Bald is the highest natural point in the state of Georgia. According to two Georgia historical markers, the area surrounding Brasstown Bald was settled by the Cherokee people. White settlers derived the word Brasstown from a translation error of a Cherokee word. Sounding very similar to another Cherokee word, settlers confused the word "Itse'yĭ" (New Green Place or Place of Fresh Green) with "Ûňtsaiyĭ" (Brass). Itse'yĭ, New Green Place, is a Cherokee locative name given to several distinct areas in the Cherokee world, including an area to the North of Brasstown Bald in North Georgia.
Cherokee legend tells of a great flood that swept over the land. Everyone that inhabited the land died except a few Cherokee families that sought refuge in a giant canoe. The canoe ran aground at the summit of the mountain. Having no wild game to hunt and no place to plant vegetation, the Great Spirit killed all of the trees on the top of the mountain so the surviving people could plant their crops. They continued planting until the water subsided. Does the name Noah and an ark come to mind to anyone else? Maybe it is just me.
On a clear day, it is possible to see the Atlanta skyline according to one of the shuttle drivers. It was very hazy when we were there. We had a hard time seeing the mountains in the distance much less Atlanta's skyline. The U.S. Forest Service has an observation tower there and there is also a NOAA Weather Radio station that transmits from atop the mountain.
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| One of the 2 clearest pics I could get. |
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| Here's the other one. |
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| Observation tower |
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