The Lost Treeclimber Mine is still lost somewhere along the wild Etowah River in the north Georgia mountains. Somebody, it seems, forgot to check on the opening day for deer hunting in the area.

The gully where the mine is supposedly hidden, and where there are several dozen very, very large white oaks and beeches, was full of potbellied, camouflaged old men armed with their favorite crossbows and other instruments of mass destruction.

We climbed, instead, in a very nice white oak on a mountain ridge a few miles farther north. It had a fantastic view of the surrounding wilderness. We then explored along an old mountain trail and found dozens of excellent trees that would be worthy of a future expedition to the area.

Stay tuned to this station, uh website, for info on the next climb.