Spring is here. Well . . . almost. Officially it is March 19th. But since all the groundhogs in the world didn’t see their shadow back in February, early spring is upon us. So saith says the two days in a row of upper 60s temperatures. In order to get us all prepared for the best season in the world, we are sharing our five reasons on why we believe spring is the best season in the world to visit North Georgia.

Like really green. Like you thought you knew what green was but you didn’t know because you had never stood in the middle of a forest with green moss growing out from under your feet in every direction while fresh leaves popped out of tree buds in real time all around you like something out of a Disney movie. Maybe it’s the sun being lower to us but the light seems to amplify the green so much stronger in the spring. We are sure there are some scientific reasons about chlorophyll rushing to the tips of the plants or something about photosynthesis being at it’s peak. But for now just trust us on our unscientific declaration . . . Everything. Is. Greener.

Ok. Admittedly winter has less crowds. But that’s for good reason, it’s hard to find the motivation to hit the trail when it’s freezing out there. But summer and fall are definitely packed.

During the summer all the kids are out of school so parents take their week long vacations. Everybody heads to their lake house or cabin to enjoy the cooler air. And the days are longer so the weekends become a blur of activity with everyone trying to take advantage and squeeze a few more hours into the day before it’s all over.

And fall . . . you know that whole thing where the leaves explode into color and fall all around us like a melted crayon box of oranges and reds and yellows? Try driving one of our famous mountain roads during that time without being tempted by a fit of road rage from the rubber necking traffic. And that’s before we even talk about busy weekends, full campgrounds, and booked cabins.

But spring . . . oh glorious spring . . . the woods are virtually all yours. Sure the crowds are starting to trickle in. But we think the ratio for maximum North Georgia enjoyment divided by potential crowds is at it’s peak in the spring.

You know how when animals come out of their hibernation they are a little nicer? Same for all of us locals. We have been cooped up in our houses and cabins for months waiting in the cold for something to do besides chop wood and read. So we are infinitely nicer to be around. And because the crowds haven’t overrun us yet (see above) we are much more conversational, patient, and forgiving when a bunch of kids trash a campsite with beer cans. Actually, we never forgive that. Don’t do that. As an aside, we are convinced that there is no way the dude in The Shining goes postal if the hotel was in these mountains and the movie took place in the spring. 

Yay for the good animals gracing us with their presence. The turtles. The salamanders. The deer. And the birds -the sweet, sweet sound of birds. You are telling me you don’t like birds singing? But seriously . . . the animals are at their most active in the spring. They seem to like the weather as much as we do and after months of being exposed to sub-freezing nights and cold days, we can certainly understand why. As the woods come alive with the crickets and cicadas at night and the mornings become filled with woodpeckers and sparrows, we are reminded that we are not alone. Plus the mosquitos and snakes aren’t as active yet. Which is always good.

The weather is GREAT!!!!! We believe it is better than the fall because the nights don’t get as cold. You still get the same great temperatures in the day but without all the cold at night. There is absolutely nothing better than being in a hammock when the temperature is in the low 70s and you have a nice breeze. Nothing. But let’s not forget about those April showers. The ones that blow in out of nowhere and catch you by surprise in the middle of your 4 mile hike. We will try not to think about those pop up showers that leave you cold and wet on your hike back in the rain and instead think about all the hammock opportunities. Plus, how are we going to get rid of the thin layer of yellow pollen that covers everything?

Welcome to spring. Welcome to spring indeed.