Clinch County Highpoint Trip Report
Date: February 19, 2005
Author: Bill Jacobs
Clinch has three 215-foot contours and a multitude of higher manmade mounds
shown on the topo that we resolved were no longer there. Clinch was
devirginized in the company of Georgia's most celebrated highpointer,
Kevin Williamson.
From the intersection of State Routes 168 and 221, near the Lanier and Clinch
County border, head southeast on 168 for 0.7 mile. Turn left at Chester Lee
Road and then take the first right. About a third of the mile down the road is
an open field which is the eastern most sector of the 215 contour. This is a
convenient place to walk west into the field and then turn south toward the forest.
We followed a fence-cut trail heading south into the forest but it
tended to veer too far to the western edge of the area. We made some forays to
the east to ensure adequate coverage. We purists don't leave any stone unturned.
Returning back to SR 168, continue south another 1.0 mile. The two areas are on
either side of the road. They are small enough and have so slight a rise that
no doubt the larger area to the north is the highest. The area on the west side
is has a new metal-framed structure.
Three miles to the east of these areas and two miles east of Bee Pond Flats,
the topos show, but not mentioned in Andy martin’s book, several 40 foot mounds,
25 feet above the 215 foot contours described above. Their shapes and sudden rises
on otherwise very flat land would lead you to conclude they are manmade.
Even the creek running between them looks unnatural with straight lines of flow
interrupted by perfect geometric angles at the bends.
We decided to check these out and ended up hacking our way through some of the
ugliest swamp bushwhacking Georgia has to offer. Not only that, some locals
warned Kevin later that afternoon there were three varieties of rattlesnakes to
be on the lookout for in these here swamps: the big eight-footers as fat as
Jose Canseco's arm (which as a former resident in the region I know exist),
the more dangerous pygmy rattler, and a species that sits in the bushes at eye-level
preying on birds. Moreover, snakes don't hibernate in southern Georgia.
We whacked our way to two of the depicted mounds and found only watery swamp depressions.
We concluded the mounds were probably buildups from diggings that
were later hauled away for other use.