The movement of two continents against each other produced an intense pressure from the direction of what is now southeastern Georgia. Over millions of years, the forces of nature have worn as much as 5 miles off the mountains, shaping them into the peaks, cliffsides, and valleys we see today. The changes that have gone on for millions of centuries continue today. For example, the Eastern Continental Divide running through much of Georgia, separating the waters that flow into the Gulf of Mexico from those that flow into the Atlantic, is currently moving northward at the rate of 3,000 feet every million years.
Rivers continue to change course.
The Savannah River, gradually cutting a path northward, eventually intersected with the Chattooga and diverted its flow southeastward into the Savannah and eventually into the Atlantic. Visitors to the foot of Toxaway Dam can see how the flood of 1916 wiped away the topsoil down to bare rock in a matter of minutes. Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains, with their rich geological history and diverse recreational opportunities, are surprisingly undiscovered. But few people have discovered the upper portions of the wild and scenic Chattooga River, much less explored the hundreds of scenic logging roads, or, even less, walked the unmarked hiking trails known mostly to hunters and fishermen. The information on the Eastern Blue Ridge in the following sections is designed to help readers get off the main roads and onto the back roads and trails and to discover the diversity, beauty, and surprising fragility of these ageless mountains.