Weekend Getaway in Dahlonega

Last weekend, Matt, Tally, and I went away to the mountains for a little hiking and relaxation. We found the Dahlonega Spa Resort on Travelzoo, and Matt negotiated a 20% extra discount off of the all-inclusive two-night package. And by "negotiate", I mean he just asked. I don't know how he does it- guess it's just that charm. ;)

This location lasted about 5 minutes of the drive...

...and then he was here for the rest of the trip. :) He likes to be up where the action is I suppose.

We made a pit-stop at Arby's for Jalapeno Poppers and Mozzarella Sticks... so healthy. But SO good.

The drive was only 1.5 hours. When we arrived, it was really overcast, so it's hard to tell in this picture, but there were 5 deer scampering across the open field as we drove in! If you know me, you know I showed an abnormal amount of excitement over this. Well, abnormal for other people... totally normal for me.

Here's what I'll say about the place and our stay- it was great for what we were looking for- a getaway with hiking, a spa, and dog-friendly housing. If I can be picky, I would call it Dahlonega Spa "Retreat" instead of "Resort" because it was definitely more retreat-y than resort-y. The rooms were nothing fancy, but the bed was really comfy, the food was delicious, and the owner was super sweet. All in all, it was a great getaway for us- with the highlights being yoga, massages, hiking, and the food. 

Saturday looked like this:

Hike

Yoga

Breakfast

Hike

Massage

Hike

Lunch

Drive to Raven Cliffs to Hike

Hike for what was supposed to be 5 miles and turned into at least 9 (oh there's a story)

Drive back to resort

Shower

Dinner

Attempt to use the hot tub but WAY too frigid

Pass out instead

Once Tally knew the path well, he would run ahead, stop and wait for us to catch up, run back if we took too long, and then run ahead again. He's in the middle of this picture just waiting for us to catch up. ;)

Yoga was so great! The instructor was really so good. I was wishing I could start every morning like that. It was one of my favorite parts of the weekend.

Gotta love that at-one-with-my-inner-zen look I'm rocking

The food was all very healthy and delicious. At the end of each meal, you would pick out what you wanted for your next meal so that they had it prepared for you at the time you wanted to eat. 

One thing we loved was how secluded it was. We kept Tally off leash the entire time and very rarely ran into anyone when we were hiking around the property. He loved it!

Matt and I both got massages before lunch- such a treat!

And then we hiked some more and took Tally to the pond to play in the water.

This is when he heard the geese for the first time. He wasn't sure what to think- city dog.

The owner of the resort told us she loved taking her dogs on this trail and said multiple times for us to just, and I quote, "Keep on going... even when you feel like you'll never get there."

Granted, once we were going on the "trail", there were many signs that we were not going the right way, but I kept replaying what she said, and Matt and I just kept trucking along. Later, we rehashed every.single.obvious.sign and kicked ourselves as we trekked back down the mountain...

It all started out well... pretty views, water...

And then it started to get colder, and less "viewish"...

...My we're-way-passed-2.5miles and where-the-heck-is-the-top face 

Right after this picture, a truck drove by and stopped to talk to us. It was in the conversation that we learned we weren't even on the trail, that there really wasn't anything worth seeing in the direction we were going, and that we'd gone at least 4-5 miles. 

The best part was when the guy took out the map and showed us where the trail actually started (as if that was helpful at that point in the evening) ... thanks for nothin, mister.

Actually, the best part might have been the parting words before they drove off:

"Hey, just so you guys know, the sun's gonna set in about an hour and the temperature's going to drop."

So Matt and I waited until we were sure their car was out of sight...

...and then we ran.

Yep. 

All three of us ran down the mountain like we were being chased. I tend to think worst-case-scenario in those situations and was envisioning hypothermia in the dark with animals popping out of the woods- which all proved as great motivation for booking it down to the bottom.

For the record, this is what the trail looked like- it's really not that unassuming.

Conveniently, once we reached the bottom, we found a map of all of the landmarks we should have seen, had we gone on the actual trail.

Tally passed out in the car on the way home, and Matt and I rehashed and laughed at our idiocy in between riding in exhausted silence.

Back at the resort, dinner was waiting for us- soup has never tasted so good.

The next morning, we took pictures on the property (Operation Christmas Card Photo) before heading back home.

There's a lot happening on the blog this week! Be sure to swing by tomorrow to enter a giveaway for this Blue Nile bracelet:

 I'm wearing mine right now and love it!

Also starting tomorrow, I'll be participating in:

Each day, I'll be featuring a different blogger's Christmas-related post. Then, at the end of the 12 days, all 12 bloggers (myself included) will be hosting a cookie exchange blog hop:

On Monday, I'll be sharing some great Cyber Monday Deals.

Tuesday, I've got a super yummy recipe from Maggiano's to share.

Wednesday, I'll be sharing pictures from our trip to Orlando.

Thursday, I'll be hosting an Arbonne online party and GIVEAWAY

And Friday's all about Matt since it's his birthday ;)

Don't forget to make your wish lists and shop the online trunk show through Stella & Dot- you have until December 15th to place your orders!