Backpacking Cohutta, A Deeper Exploration
Edition XII
This week’s edition of Field Notes is not a long narrative, but I would like to continue my exploration of the Cohutta Wilderness of North Georgia. See last week’s edition to read the literary account of my backpacking trip there in mid July.
The Southern Appalachian Mountains have a long and stormy history. This wilderness area was once part of the land of the Cherokee Nation. Between 1836 and 1839 the rapidly growing United States forcibly removed the Cherokee people and their slaves from this area, pushing them along the infamous ‘Trail of Tears’ to Oklahoma. While the people may be gone, their presence is written upon the land in the orgin of the place names that exist today.
Cohutta is derived from the Cherokee word ‘ga-hu-ti’ or ‘ga-hu-ti-yi.’ It is translated as a shed roof supported by poles and evidently someone lost to history believed that Cohutta Mountain bore some resemblance to this type of structure.1
The name Conasauga is more complex. The Cherokee origin is ‘ga-na-so-gi.’ This was the name of several different locations across Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Although it could be related to the word ‘kanesga,’ meaning grass, it has no actual translation. The Cherokee themselves are not native to this area, having migrated from lands further north. It is possible that the word was adopted from Native American people who pre-dated them here. The original place name has several different evolutions, one being Kennesaw, now a sizable city in Georgia.2
Chenocetah’s Weblog links to YouTube for the song Amazing Grace, sung in the Cherokee language. Listen to it Here while looking at the sunset photo over the Cohutta Wilderness posted below for a haunting reminder of the venerable past of the world’s oldest mountain range.
Sunset over Panther Creek Falls. I think this is the better version than the one I shared on social media. Other than the preview picture for this Field Notes edition that I share, it will be exclusive to you who read this publication.
I chose f11 and focused 3 shots on the foreground rock, the furthest rock, and the distant hills. As it was getting darker, the exposure was longer, which smoothed out the water. I then took a separate, darker exposure for the sky. All of these were combined in Photoshop.
I’ve been having fun taking short videos as I hike along on my trips and later splicing them together. It takes some extra effort while I’m traveling, and I hate that the only person I have to film is myself. However, I think they give a good overview of the adventure and having a human in the frame gives it some scale and relatable context. I always intend to be primarily a photographer, but I’m actively trying to learn how to create better, more cinematic videos to share. Also, right now I’m using my (very old) cell phone to film these, so they are low quality and shaky. The plan is to one day acquire a GoPro camera and step up the game. Take them for what they’re worth and know that they will improve.
Here is the short version (with music) of the Cohutta trip that I created as a reel for Instagram. My edit ended with a long view of the sunset over Panther Creek Falls, but that part got clipped when I posted it.
And here is the link to the full film on YouTube-
This is the second longer version of a backpacking film I’ve posted. They have only ambient sound with no commentary, music, or other audio narration. I understand how this can come across as boring, but for me it has a sort of hypnotic, meditative effect. My inspiration is the Primitive Technology channel on YouTube.
We leave the Cohutta Wilderness behind for now, as I begin planning for the next trip. I have ideas of places to go, but I would also love to hear suggestions. Would you like to see some of my photographs of places you love? Let me know!
And, as always, if you have found value in this edition of Field Notes, please consider sharing it!
From John Currahee, author of a searchable database of Cherokee words and names at Chenocetah's Weblog
From a list of Cherokee place names transcribed by Don Chestnut at Eastern Cherokee Place Names. Also drawn from John Currahee, listed above.