Indian Trail Tree Discovered Along Chattahoochee River In Georgia

Next time you go hiking through the forest keep an eye out for strangely-shaped trees. These trees are unique because they are bent in very unnatural angles. Some trees are just weirdly-shaped, but there's something special about these bent trees. Mysterious bent trees are actually Native American trail markers.

While exploring the woodlands along the Chattahoochee River in Georgia, this man came across an abnormally bent tree on the hillside that was possibly made by the Creek Indians over 200 years ago as a trail marker.

Native Americans would bend trees in order to create trail markers that formed an early routing system, which served multiple purposes, from indicating that water and food was nearby, to warning travelers of rough country ahead, these landmarks were important features in navigating the early Americas.

Trail trees are hardwood trees throughout North America that Native Americans intentionally shaped with distinctive characteristics that convey that the tree was shaped by human activity rather than deformed by nature or disease. One unique characteristic of the trail marker tree is a horizontal bend several feet off the ground, which makes it visible at greater distances, even in snow.

There are many mysteries lurking in the forest, always take you camera and be prepared to record anything you might encounter during your next hike, and beware.