Three Trailheads Hike Island Ford, Recall Their Harvard Days, And Refuel At Morty’s Meat & Supply Co.

You couldn’t imagine a more idyllic day for a hike, but go ahead and try. Close your eyes (remember to open them later!) and picture your perfect hiking weather. Well, we had that day, and Trail Master chose the Island Ford Trail in Sandy Springs as our destination.

The parking lot was jammed because of a ceremony to swear in K. Lynn Berry, the new Superintendent of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, who has extensive experience in the National Park Service in California and Illinois.

They looked like The Council of Elrond in Rivendell, nestled among the trees. As the crowd settled, Trailheads stepped away, fearing they would be spotted and urged to speak. Although we avoid the limelight, we always travel with a prepared speech and a teleprompter, just in case.

Trail Master Guy led Steve and Patrick down to the riverside, where a kids’ summer camp was underway. Fio took a dip while Guy (of course) spoke with the camp leader. We quickly departed before the kids peppered us with questions about what life was like “back in your day” and “can we grow up to be Trailheads and superheroes like you?” Again, we didn’t want to be the center of attention.

We hit the trail, protected from the bright sun under a thick canopy of trees. If you’ve never hiked Island Ford, lace up your boots and get going. She’s a beauty, with few exposed roots (back in his hiking days, this was one of Roy Tumbles favorite trails), excellent views of the Hooch, interesting rock formations, and enough elevation to get your heart pumping like an angry tugboat.

Patrick told his compatriots about his recent trip to Manhattan. He was disappointed he could not get backstage at Town Hall because of its outrageous, restrictive policy.

But he marveled at how clean the city was. The hikers compared notes on visiting New York City in the 1970s versus today. Back then, Times Square was filthy, with porn shops, strip clubs, drug dealers, booze stores, hookers, and flimflammers playing 3-card monte, prying money from out-of-town suckers.

Patrick is almost done paying off his debt from a bad luck streak in ’78 (he could have sworn the red queen was in the middle!).

Patrick and his lovely wife Donna did some serious hiking in Manhattan, saw a couple of plays, did some cultural things, ate well, and had a wonderful time. Keep up the good work, Mayor Mamdani.

Patrick is still waiting for the key to the city he expected to receive. His patient wife suggested it was probably in the mail. She knows he’s delusional and rarely bursts his happy bubble with harsh reality.

Guy and his charming bride, Patty, recently visited Boston with some family members. He said they were in Cambridge and visited the Harvard campus. We discussed how anyone we’ve ever met who attended that prestigious school lets you know it within four seconds of starting a conversation.

“Nice day,” you say.

“Yes, it reminds me of when I was at Harvard and…” they reply.

Or you’ll ask the person to pass the salt, and they’ll say, “The salt we had at Harvard was incredible. I believe it was from France.”

We decided that since all of us had also visited the Harvard campus, Trailheads could legitimately start saying things like “When we attended Harvard…” or “At Harvard, we used to…” or “Back in our Harvard days, we would often…” Or, for those with hair, we could say we were legally blond.

This new association would give Trailheads more street cred with brainiacs. Not bad for a bunch of lunkheads. Fortunately, we weren’t held back by the two downmarket Auburn boys today.

It was getting to be our feeding time, but first, Guy commanded us to lap around a pond. “It’s not far,” he said. That usually means at least another mile or two. If you look closely, you can almost hear our bellies roar.

We sent out the Bat-call to the missing Trailheads for lunch, and Roy responded that he’d join us. George was busy with work, and Brad was under the weather. The weather has been quite heavy these days.

Roy was patiently waiting for our arrival at Morty’s Meat & Supply Co. in Dunwoody, or as it’s called here–FunWoody. Read about our last visit here. He sat with his trusty guitar by his side, ready to draw six strings of fury on any varmint who broke the laws of common decency and decorum. "I came to rock." he declared. "Politely."

His next stop was to visit Sam, his guitar teacher at Maple Street Guitar. Roy's playing never improves and the lessons are more of an annuity for Sam.

Morty’s Meat & Supply is a Trailheads favorite, and the patio was the place to be on a gorgeous day. We sat down, and our old friend Tyler, the manager, came by. He has a great sense of humor and tolerates our silly antics. We especially like that he hardly ever hits us. That’s what we call friendly service.

We got straight to business and placed our orders. 

Steve had the smoked turkey and devoured it. We believe that translates to, “This gobbler’s good.”

Roy went for the pulled pork sandwich. He likes the tender meat and its hint of smoke. He dressed the meat with slaw and delicious Morty’s barbecue sauce, and went to town.

Guy and Patrick enjoyed the Funwoody Philly Cheesesteaks. Guy asked Tyler whether the sandwich was as good as a genuine Philly Cheesesteak, and the manager, known for his honesty, said it wasn’t up to the level of the very best ones, but it was damn close.

The man doesn’t lie. We loved our sandwiches, made with chopped smoked beef brisket, gooey cheese, and flavorful peppers and onions, all tucked inside a toasted Philly Cheesesteak roll. As we bit into the peppers, they bit back. The babies had a little heat to them. We liked.

But wait, Morty’s has even more cowbell––their side dishes.

The coleslaw is cool, crisp, creamy cabbage love. 

Creamed corn with bacon bits is sweet, rich, and decadent. Grab a fork or spoon and get to shoveling.

There are many other sides, but we kept it simple today.

We finished our meals, and Tyler refreshed our Arnold Palmers (the man makes a mean Arnie). Roy and Patrick are fanboys of the Apple series Widow’s Bay, starring Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, and Stephen Root. It’s a fun horror show with excellent acting and production values. You’ll love it, or you won’t, but we believe you will because you have such great taste. We certainly do.

Roy had to go to his guitar lesson, while the rest of us were headed for showers and siestas.

It felt just like reliving our halcyon Harvard days.

Rating: Four Ribs*

Morty’s Meat & Supply

5509 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road

Dunwoody, GA 30338

(770) 525-3443

mortysmeatandsupply.com

*About Our Barbecue Rating System

Trailheads do not claim to be food experts, epicureans, or sophisticated palates. We are hungry hikers who attack a selected barbecue venue and ravage our way through whatever smoked fare and fixings they're dishing out. nj Ounr reviews feature what we believe are the highlights of the menu we sampled. So our intent is not to trash talk the saintly folks who tend to smoldering smokers on hot, humid summer days. They are sacrificing themselves in the noble art of smoking meats and feeding the drooling masses. Many are independent entrepreneurs who are the backbone of this humming American economy. Now that you know our standards, you may wonder why every barbecue place gets a four-ribs rating. The answer is easy: our group has acclaimed designers, and they think the ribs graphic looks cool. Who are we to argue? Enjoy.

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