The Bent Tree Ice Falls

January 3, 1998

Although Bent Tree gets quite a bit more snow than Atlanta, it is fairly rare for us to get to see it. When the snow occurs, the steep roads are usually impassable, and we can't get there to enjoy it. This week we had quite a bit of snow and cold weather, then it turned warm and sunny for a couple of days to clear the road. Since the house is on the north side of the mountain, the snow lingers on the slopes.

With this unique opportunity on the first RA trip of 1998, Rod and Johnny Huffman took just two boys, Devin Powell and Adam Massey, to Bent Tree to see the ice falls. The driveway was still covered so we had to park the van at the bottom and walk up. We found a type of sled formed from a thick plastic sheet with hand-holds cut in it and the boys enjoyed sledding with it. They got soaking wet, and we wound up putting their clothes in the dryer twice, once after the sledding and once after our trip to the ice falls in the ankle-deep wet snow.

This was certainly a unique view of our Bent Tree house. Only two other times in our history of the house have we had to actually leave the vehicle at the road and walk up.

It was interesting to walk around the house in the snow. We had never seen it like this.

We took the plastic sheet that we had found down to the road and Johnny helps Adam set up for sledding down the top part of Buckskull Court.

Of course we had to get a picture at our standard point by the Buckskull sign, but we had never seen it like this before.

Certainly with this great opportunity, snowballs were flying all morning.

We walked down the snow-lined Chestnut Cove toward the place where we could climb up to the ice falls. It was certainly a great opportunity for snowballs.

Adam is trying to throw snowballs up in the air and catch them on the way down.

As we climbed up the stream bed toward the location of the ice falls, we got this unique view of the steep part of Chestnut Cove Trail with the snow beside it. This was such a great opportunity because the sun had melted the snow off the road, but left it on the roadsides and in the woods.

Johnny with this amazing view of the ice falls. This was indeed a rare blessing.

Johnny hands a long icicle to Adam. It was hard to resist the temptation to sword-fight.

We could walk among the large icicles.

Adam acts like he has been impaled by one of the large icicles.

Adam tries an icicle popsicle.

I don't think Adam and Devin will forget this experience. Nor will Johnny and I. It was a great privilege to be able to share the experience with these boys.