Located in the spectacular Track Rock Valley of Georgia
Choestoe Hideaway is a charming cabin on a hillside overlooking Track Rock Valley, Brasstown Bald, and the tallest mountains in the state of Georgia. At 2100 feet of elevation, the cabin puts you up in the clouds where the breezes are fresh and cool, even in the hot Georgia summers.
Choestoe is an old Indian word meaning "Land of the Dancing Rabbits." However, if you ask any of the locals you will know it is synonymous with one of the most beautiful areas in the North Georgia mountains. Before you even arrive at the cabin, you will know you are some place special. No matter which direction you come from, the drive up to the cabin is incredibly scenic with mountains in every direction.
When you go on vacation, you want to be close to everything, and that is exactly what you get when you stay in this cabin. A short drive will put you in Blairsville, Helen, Young Harris, or Hiawassee. The Hideaway is literally surrounded by mountains, meaning no matter what direction you head off in, you will be greeted by the beauty and grandeur of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Choestoe Hideaway is privately owned and comes with personal touches that you might not find at other locations that are managed by large rental companies. We invite you into our little piece of paradise, and we are certain that as soon as you step out on to the front porch and soak in the majestic views, you will feel right at home.
Jan 11, 2012
Our little area has been the subject of a great deal of internet buzz and controversy over the past month. The symbols, rock sculptures, and drawings at Trackrock Gap (just a few miles from the cabin) are theoried to be the remnants of a Mayan civilization from 1,100 years ago. The picturesque Arkaquah Trail goes right through these sculptures and caves, so it might be worth checking out on a pretty day. I will try to go up and get some photos the next time I am up there. Here are some links to the various stories about the controversy:
Internet Buzz
Mayan DNA in local residents?
AJC article over the squabble
The debate continues
Jan 4, 2012
Happy New Year to everyone! Haven't updated in a while, but not for lack of using the cabin. We just spent well over a week up there and it was cold, but beautiful. Winter is in full effect, and we watched Brasstown Bald get coated with a nice layer of snow before New Year's Eve, enough of it to close down Richard Russell Parkway as well. There is still plenty of animal activity, especially with the birds who have stuck around for the winter. We hiked quite a bit, showing some friends one of our favorite trails near the cabin (the Whitely Gap Shelter trail at the top of Richard Russell) as well as visiting some waterfalls. All in all, 2012 should be a great year as we have even more improvements planned for the cabin (including redoing the master bathroom so that it is tiled and has a better sink). As always, here are a few pics from our last visit.
A beautiful rainbow greeted us one afternoon, and I guess the cows are the pot o' gold!
Helton Creek Falls has some trees down, however it is flowing nicely after all of the rain.
Dick's Creek Falls is a special place, and I never get tired of the sound and the view.
Oct 12, 2011
Spent several days up there and the leaves were just spectacular. The weather was cool and crisp, and everything just felt like Fall. The new central heat/air system works great and keeps things nice and comfortable throughout the cabin, which will be ideal for the cold winter months. Snapped a few photos as well!
The view from the top of Cowrock mountain was spectacular!
The leaves are really beginning to change
Dick's Creek is one of my favorite spots
Sep 18, 2011
Just got back from another weekend up there, the central heat/air installation has been moving steadily and should be completed this week or the beginning of next. It will make the cabin much more comfortable, regardless of the weather outside. Speaking of the weather, it was absolutely beautiful up there with highs around 70 and lows around 50. Along with the weather, we had some friends pay us a visit:
We looked off our porch to find 4 black bears in one of our trees. There was a mom and three cubs!
One of the cubs was extremely curious, and cute!
Aug 22, 2011
Sorry for the lack up updates, we were out of the country for much of the summer. We spent the last two weekends up at the cabin and it was simply magical. Even though the highs in Blairsville sometimes hit 90 degrees, our porch remained a consistent 84 degrees throughout the hottest parts of the day, and then things cooled down into the 60s each night. We hiked Bear Hair Trail out of Vogel last weekend and saw a momma bear with a cub on the trail. This past weekend, we were sitting on the porch and watched a momma bear with two cubs walk right through our property and up into the woods next to us. It was amazing to see, and my only regret was not being able to grab my camera fast enough! Fall is coming soon, which means cooler weather and beautiful colors! Only snagged one image this weekend; the cows looked so peaceful grazing in the field across the road.
The cows will usually serenade you with "moos" throughout the day
June 19, 2011
Just got back from an extended stay. The weather was spectacular, in fact the highs were regularly in the mid 70s at the cabin with lows in the 50s. We did a lot of hiking as well as a lot of improvements inside of the cabin. Here are a few shots!
We got some rain, and the mountains were so peaceful after it passed through.
A hike to the top of Blood Mountain netted this wonderful view.
The rains gave way to a gorgeous sunset over the Baptist Church.
The new split rail fence has added some charm as well as made it easier to park.
May 23, 2011
Spent the past couple of weekends working on various projects, including a new split rail fence, a new front door, a new screen door, and upgrades in the kitchen. The weather has been beautiful and cool, although there are certainly times in the summer when it warms up. Managed to snap a few pics around the property:
Everything is green and lush, courtesy of the north facing slope of the property and the occasional showers that pass through.
Even when it rains, things are beautiful. The clouds love to cling to the mountains, sometimes obscuring the peaks for days on end.
Brasstown Bald sits just below the clouds in the late afternoon.
April 26, 2011
Headed up for a nice Easter weekend and to take care of a few things after having renters for almost a month. The weather was spectacular and made for great hiking and photography. Spring has sprung and the trees, ground, fields, and mountains are green (except the highest elevations). I took a ton of pics, and here are a few highlights:
There are perhaps 20 dogwoods on the property, and all were in full bloom.
The field in front of the cabin was teeming with several varieties of wildflowers.
This creek, near Desoto Falls, provided a tranquil setting for a relaxed hike.
Desoto Falls were flowing quite nicely after all of the spring rain.
March 28, 2011
Ran up for a night to get things ready for an extended renter, and it was simply beautiful. Spring was beginning to make its presence known, and some wildflowers were beginning to pop up all over the property. Monday night it stormed something fierce with powerful winds and lightning, which is a pretty common occurence during spring.
The Bloodroot was springing up everywhere, ushering in springtime!
The morning after heavy rains, Brasstown was shrouded by clouds and fog.
March 13, 2011
Had a beautiful weekend up at the cabin, and it marks the end of our first year of ownership. Looking back over the year, it is hard to believe all of the things we have added and changed since purchasing it. The weather started out cold, windy, and snowy, but ended up with brilliant sunshine and 70 degrees. Such is springtime in the South! Got another estimate for a central heat/air system (one will be installed this year), had high speed Internet installed since it is requested often by our renters, and we also got Netflix streaming set up on the Wii. This means you all now have almost 15,000 movies and tv shows to choose from in case the weather is inclement or you just want to veg out for the evening. We have a ton of renters coming over the next two months, but it looks like we are all set! On to the photos!
We had two massive tree stumps removed from next to the driveway. I think the worker was as impressed as I was at how strong his truck is!
Friday morning greeted me with cold temps and a dusting of snow on our deck. The higher elevations received more than just a dusting.
After all of the rain over the past week, Helton Creek Falls was flowing much more than normal. The sound was almost deafening!
Here you can see the cabin towards the bottom middle of the photograph. Sometimes it's hard to see all of the mountains that suround it!
A few horses were grazing on a hillside overlooking the postcard perfect Fain Branch Road.
Even late into the afternoon, the snow stuck around at the higher elevations.
While drinking coffee on Saturday morning, we spotted two deer making their way across Fain Branch Road and into the field in front of the cabin.
We hiked High Shoals Creek Falls over near Hiawassee, and it was spectacular! Well worth the exercise.
Before leaving on Sunday, we took a walk on Fain Branch Road. This horse was surely enjoying the glorious weather as much as we were!
Feb 22, 2011
Went up last week to deliver supplies, evict some flying squirrels from one of our walls, and get an estimate on a new central heat/air system. Hopefully it will be in place sometime this summer and will make winters much easier to cope with. Frozen pipes are never a good thing! The weather was spectacular, with a high in the mid 60s and plenty of sunshine. No signs of spring just yet, but the birds were active and the air smelled so fresh and clean. Hated to leave but we are booked up almost every weekend so it looks like weekdays are going to be our best bet for resupplying and taking care of maintenance. Looking forward to spring!
The Richard Russell Scenic Highway was deserted on this Thursday, but the weather was perfect!
This greeted me from the master bedroom on Friday morning. It was difficult to leave!
Jan 25, 2011
Headed up this past weekend to replenish some supplies and check on everything. It is cold up there, especially at night! Once warmed up, the cabin was quite cozy and it was nice to just sip on some coffee and watch the changing clouds above the mountains. The water pump in our fridge icemaker gave way on Friday night, resulting in a bit of cleanup on Saturday morning, but all is well again. A brand new water heater is being installed this week and should provide plenty of piping hot water to our guests. We have a bit of a lull in rentals until February, when things start to pick up as spring approaches. We are ready for the warmer weather!
Jan 2, 2011
Happy New Year everyone! The cabin stayed rented over the holidays and one set of renters got more of a white Christmas than they could have ever imagined. Approximately 1 foot of snow fell over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, resulting in a winter wonderland (as well as some incredible sledding on the hill out in front). A big thanks to the Marshalls for the pics!
The cabin was covered in powdery snow after a storm rolled through on Christmas Day.
The field looks a lot different under snowcover!
Dec 12, 2010
Went up for another long weekend and enjoyed the beautiful beginning of winter. Temps were cold most of the time and it sleeted/snowed on us this morning while we were packing up to leave. The top of Blood Mountain had a lot of snow, but we rolled over it before things got too bad. Even though the temperatures are cold, the animal activity is still constant. Our bird feeders are surrounded by all kinds of birds every morning, and we fell asleep the last two nights listening to coyotes howling (and quite close to the cabin as well!). We have several renters coming in for the holidays and I hope they get to experience some snow...the mountains change constantly and are beautiful regardless of temperatures or sunshine!
It was sleeting when we woke up this morning.
Dec 7, 2010
Spent the weekend up there getting things prepared for the cold winter ahead. It was VERY windy, with a constant wind of around 20 mph and gusts above 40. Woke up Sunday morning to a cold fog, and when it lifted there was a coating of snow on the mountain peaks across the valley. It was beautiful and a perfect welcome to winter.
Brasstown Bald got quite a bit of snow
Nov 18, 2010
We spent a long weekend up at the cabin, taking care of several small things and one big thing. Yes, we finally got a new roof put on the cabin. The old shingles were actually quite new, however they were installed incorrectly so high winds would blow them off and leave behind an eyesore. The metal roof should last for decades and should also sound pretty nice when it rains! The weather was spectacular and we hated to leave on Sunday.
The cows came for a visit on Saturday morning. Note the frost in the shadow of the old barn.
The new roof has definitely improved the look of the cabin. Now it's time to paint those doors!
Looking up from the hammock.
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