Turning fifty can push a person in strange directions. For one college professor from Chicago, it meant walking away from his job and disappearing into the deep woods of Georgia.
He and his partner built a brick home with their own hands, complete with stained glass, a gazebo, and even a drawbridge. Today, the ruins sit quietly on a hillside, slowly being swallowed by moss and trees.
The hike to reach those crumbling walls turned out to be half the fun, winding through forest that feels like it has been keeping secrets for decades. Georgia holds this strange and beautiful story in its hills, waiting for curious travelers to find it…