THE BEGINNING OF GARLAND MOUNTAIN TRAILS

One day in late January of 2007 members of the Cherokee County Saddle Club (CCSC), which is now Friends of Garland Mountain Trails (FGMT), was alerted to an article in the Cherokee Ledger where Cherokee County Commissioner Harry Johnston said that "Cherokee County has a modest program to buy and protect green space before it's all gone." In the article he said they had purchased "one large wilderness tract... at the top of Garland Mountain."

The CCSC heard the message and met with County Manager, Jerry Cooper, who was intrigued with the idea of a public horse and hiker park and took it to the County Commission. The project was unanimously approved on October 7, 2007.

CCSC assembled a GMHHT Committee which included Larry Wheat, Trail Design and Construction Ellen Stara, Parking Lot Design and Assistant Trail Design and Dr. Ken Humber, Trail Master, System Signage and Trail Maintenance and Cindy Young, Assistant Trails. All leaders had incredible credentials for this daunting project and along with other member volunteers who provided their hard work and expertise... the work began!

The Park, originally slated to be a 13 mile trail system, which is now over 25 miles, would include the County's installation of a horse and hiker parking lot, pavilion, picnic tables, an ADA mounting block, bathroom signage, information kiosk, and purchase of trail building equipment. The CCSC would provide all volunteer mapping and labor to install and maintain the trails.

Lead Trail Director, Larry Wheat and fellow Committee volunteers tackled an old forest terrain that had been forever changed by hurricane Opal in the fall of 1995. Larry would design the path of the trails with a topography map and then all would trail behind him over fallen trees and down into unseen holes. Larry in the lead... always!