Brace yourself for Booger Hill

Some people (like Brian Stewart) get really excited about Christmas and start celebrating it as early as possible. For me, swap out Christmas and put in "Halloween" and you've got my expectations for autumn in a nutshell.

 

The weirdest part about my love for Halloween is that I don't care for the scary parts. Haunted houses, maybe, but gore-y movies, scary costumes, Netherworld? Not my style. I like smiling black cats and happy witches filling cauldrins with candy, gleeful children stuffing their faces while trick or treating, and of course, my favorite, black cat merchandise everywhere.

 

Halloween means haunted stuff, and while I enjoy a good ghost story year round, most people start thinking haunted stuff is neat around October. Some people go in with the idea that they need to mess stuff up and bother "ghosts," which I don't understand. Maybe I'm overly-empathetic but if I was a ghost, I wouldn't want some punk kid come and bother me. I probably wouldn't do any cool ghost stuff for you.

 

But from what I understand, not all alleged spirits are Casper the Friendly Ghost. In fact, there are probably plenty out there, if you believe it, are here because they're mad. Unfinished business, if you will.

 

Take Booger Hill - Booger Mountain if you're a local - near Cumming (took me long enough to segue here), where in the 1850's, two slaves accused of murder were reportedly hung on two oak trees, where Booger Mountain Road reportedly passes in between.

 

Supposedly, the ghost of the hung slaves don't want you stopping there, so they'll push your car up the hill. Or, they want to drag you back with them, and your car will get pulled backwards, depending on what way you travel the road. 

 

There is a scientific explanation, but that's not as thrilling as the local legend. The road is one of few gravity hills, which allow your car, in neutral, to roll up the hill.

 

But there's one weird part about Booger Hill that can't be explained. If you put flour on your bumper or hood, supposedly, you'll see little hand prints.

 

So I decided to check it out. In the rain. In the dark. Don't worry, I learned from last week and brought a trusty sidekick.

 

It took us about four or five trips up and down the road to figure out where the heck we were supposed to stop, because it was dark, really dark. Someone on RoadsideAmerica suggested checking it out at night and going back in the dark. Following our experience, I second that notion, or at least suggest driving it once in the light.

 

The two big aak trees are HUGE but they weren't easy to see in the dark. So when we finally found the spot, near the gate and trees, we put on our flashers (safety first!), put the car in neutral and tested it out.

 

And, it worked. We went about four miles per hour, and first rolled forward slightly, and then rolled backwards UP A HILL! We didn't move very far, but we did move, and that was really cool.

 

Some people on RoadsideAmerica and other sites have reported going much faster, like 15 miles per hour. There was also one person on some random internet forum that claimed if you rolled back a certain distance, it was an omen that you would die on the way home. I didn't see anyone else reporting that legend, however.

 

So we went back maybe five feet, at four miles per hour, in neutral, with my feet off the pedals and no need to steer the wheel. I wasn't freaked out, honestly, I thought it was just really neat. The pink clouds over the fields, whistling winds through trees and post-rain smell actually made the trek really peaceful.

 

It was probably more peaceful because I did not try the flour trick. With all the rain and occasional drizzle, I knew flour on my care would turn in to a pancake, and if it started pouring, any evidence of handprints would be washed away before I could see. Another reason to go back later!

 

It's a little off the beaten path, but the road is busy, so be careful. We took 400 South and hopped on 306, then got off at Dr. Dunn Road. It was on our right almost immediately (but we drove past it several times.)

 

Make sure to put on your flashers to warn other motorists that you're experimenting. I think I was more worried about rear-ending some unsuspecting car while rolling backwards than I was about anything else.

 

And, join me next week as I take on another adventure somewhere in the North Georgia mountains. Fall festival season is upon us!

 

Until then, stay curious.