Yesterday's visit was to Providence State Park in Lumpkin, GA which lies on the southwestern border with Alabama. We were surprised to learn that much of the canyon formed due to poor farming practices by early settlers. Soft soil began washing away in the early 1800s when trees were cleared to plant crops. By 1850, ditches 3-5 feet deep had been cut into the land. Today, some of them are as deep as 150 feet, and there are 16 canyons over 1,108 acres.
The day was very warm, and very humid, so we took lots of water on our hike. In many places we could see the erosion taking place. We saw trees perched precariously at the edge of the canyon, just waiting for a few more big rains to wash the soil away the holds them on the canyon rim. In one area, we saw a number of rusty old 1950s cars being swallowed up by the forest around them. Due to the environmental damage that removing the vehicles would cause, park officials have decided to leave them alone.
Erosion in the park is ongoing. We could see that the fence that once marked the edge of the trail was now on the edge of the canyon in spots. To keep the trail intact, the park has put down heavy mats and gravel in erosion heavy steeper spots.
More photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/28xCcTKMMAx2QzEq8
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