To the Factory and Beyond

We hiked to the old Factory, after which Factory Shoals were named. Formally known as Manchester Mill, it was burned by Sherman on his march through Georgia during the Civil War.

Dorothy Watts joined us for the hike to the factory, so Brenda, Rod, Sherry and Jeff, led by Jordan, made the trek.

After exploring the Mill with Jeff, Jordan spent some time with Grandma Brenda.

The water of Sweetwater Creek was high and turbulent, but still the sound of the water was soothing and peaceful as we walked along it.

We followed the trail past the factory to the overlook of the falls on Sweetwater Creek. There were lots of folks on the trail. Jordan enjoyed leading the way as we traveled over the steep trail where there were cable guides.

We were clowning around with hanging Jordan so that she looked like she was over the rapids. She was all in favor of it, even the upside-down hanging part, until she lost the rocks and shells that she had so carefully collected along the way. Since they fell out of her pocket on the upside-down hang, we had to scramble around and help her recollect her treasures.

Jordan wanted to poke into every cave and hollow, and we figured it was safe at this time of year. The trees were mostly still bare except for the tiny redbuds we saw about.

Darla and Ashleigh caught up with us as we returned from the factory and the shoals.