As I will be leaving Georgia in a little more than five weeks, I’ve begun making my last forays into the north Georgia mountains. This past Saturday, I and five other friends drove up near Helen to make the 2.5 mile hike to Raven Cliff Falls. Now Georgia’s mountains are full of waterfalls, but I was particularly keen to see this one, because Raven Cliff Falls has literally cut its way through a cliff face. It was a beautiful sight to behold. The picture, as usual, cannot do it justice.

The hike itself was only moderately strenuous, except for the part we tacked on at the very end. The official trail ends at the base of the falls, but we decided to scramble up the slope and climb up a handy system of exposed tree roots to reach the top of the cliff and get a top-down view of the falls. All the effort was certainly worth it, but by the time we returned to the car, our legs were so sore that we decided to reward ourselves by stopping in Helen on the way home.

Helen, Georgia, for those who have never been, is an enterprising little town in the north Georgia mountains that decided some years ago to re-brand itself as “Alpine Helen.” All the building exteriors have to look Bavarian now, and the tiny downtown is full of German-themed restaurants. One of these restaurants is Hofer’s Bakery and Cafe. They are, hands-down, the best eatery in Helen. They have a cafe in back that serves the usual German meals of brats, sauerkraut and reuben sandwiches, but the best part is the bakery and deli in the front. On a previous trip, I bought bread, ham and cheese from the deli and made my own packed lunch to take hiking with me. This time, I only wanted sweets, so I treated myself to a cannoli and a linzer square. They were, as expected, delicious.

If you ever take a hiking trip anywhere near Helen, I highly recommend that you end or begin it with a stop at Hofer’s. Fair warning, if you make Hofer’s your end-of-trip-treat, you’ll need to end your hike a bit early, as they close at 5 pm. And, if you’re planning to hike anywhere in north Georgia, I recommend that you make use of an excellent guidebook entitled “50 Hikes in the North Georgia Mountains.” I’ve used this book for every hiking trip I’ve done in the past year, and I have never been disappointed. The author, Johnny Molloy, gives good directions to each trailhead, and I’ve found his assessments of the difficulty and time taken for each hike to be accurate. Better yet, his book includes a variety of hikes, most of which aren’t in a state park. This is particularly helpful to me, since I can easily find detailed trail information if I’m going to a state park. If you live in Athens, and you’re interested in Molloy’s book, there will be a copy available tomorrow whenever I decided to return this one to the library (hah!) If you don’t live in Georgia, he has written dozens of other books about 13 other states. See if yours is on the list!