Trailheads Embrace Hip-Hop Hiking, Check In On Cyborg Patrick and Get Cued At 'cue.

Trailheads rode north of the city to the distant, mysterious land called Peachtree Corners to kick off 2025. We wanted to check on Trailhead Patrick, who lives there and speaks the native language. Last week, he had a total knee replacement two days after Christmas. Although we thought Santa delivering him a new knee was an odd gift, it was necessary since the hard-driving Trail Master had worn out Patrick’s original equipment. 

The total knee replacement was done as outpatient surgery. He was in at 6 a.m. and tossed out at 1 p.m. Soon, we imagine the procedure will be done in the surgeon’s drive-thru window, and you’ll suture yourself at home. This surgery completed Patrick’s complete set of two fake hips and two fake knees. He got his frequent surgery card punched and earned a meatball sub at Subway. Having arthritis does have its benefits.

Our Jones Bridge Trail hike began with a big surprise. As we parked our cars, a friendly man named Scott pointed and said, “Hey, you’re the Trailheads, aren’t you?” He told us he was a fan and followed our misadventures on this blog. We were flabbergasted. We thought our followers were vivacious, athletic young women (yes, we’re delusional; it helps us get through the day).

Scott lives in nearby Berkeley Lakes and is part of a three-man hiking group called “Three Guys From Cisco,” the friends worked together at the tech firm. The Cisco crew hikes many of the same trails we do and eats barbecue afterward. We encourage more people to start hiking groups. We’ve written the simple instructions for how to do it––get free your copy here. Since Scott was hiking solo, we invited him to join us. 

Steve was absent because he was in Cabo celebrating his birthday. The last time we hiked this trail, Steve got busted by The Man in Johns Creek (read about his desperado tale here). We were down two Heads but joined by George's lovely wife, Carole, and our friend Dina and her two dogs, Mia and Jac. The dogs got along swimmingly with Fio (who turned 10 years old yesterday) and Elvis. Fio is starting to consider Botox, but we urged her to age naturally.

We began hiking with our new buddy Scott and discussed, dissected, and solved many world issues. This year has kicked off with the usual bad, terrible, evil, pretty good, pretty awful, funny, and touching moments, so we focused on the best parts. Trail Master Guy led us on a straightforward journey with the usual ups and downs, bridges, and riverside pathways. It was a chilly but not too frigid day. As long as we kept walking, the temps were fine.

We came upon several trees blocking the trail. Roy screamed, "Danger! Danger! We must turn back. If we don’t, we’re all gonna die!!!" But petite Carole looked like Olympian Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and demonstrated how to defeat a tree blocking your way.

George told us about the music he is working on for his documentary. He has written some Hip-Hop rhymes for one piece. He recited the first two verses as we made beatbox sounds, and guest hiker Scott dubbed him “The Hip-Hop Hiker.” Perhaps the guest hiker was blowing smoke, but George swelled with pride. 

At one point Guy scrambled up a hill to a rocky outcropping. He took a somewhat heroic pose and kept looking down at us (nothing new there). Finally Trail Master shouted: "For crying out loud, would one of you shoot a photo of my heroic pose!?" Fio and Elvis joined him in The Hero Society.

Fio mentioned to Elvis that she thought we were there to hike and not to pose. Elvis said he didn't much care. He just wanted to jump in the water to irritate Brad and hang around for the table scraps at lunch.

There were many dog walkers, and Elvis ran up to a fierce-looking German Shepherd who was fortunately friendly and greeted him with a cheerful "Guten Tag! Perhaps you would care to share a stein or six, yes?" We returned to the trail before they could skedaddle for a few dozen steins of Berliner Weisse or Elvis' favorite, Roggenbier.

Carole picked up a walking stick to better navigate the treacherous exposed roots around the riverside. She reminded us of Galadriel, who gifted Gandolf the White with his wizard's staff. Except at the end of the hike, Carole unceremoniously tossed her wizard’s staff in the woods—so perhaps maybe it was only a stick.

Mia and Jac ran circles around Elvis and Fio. Their short legs never stopped, and they seemed to delight in their woodland adventure.

We reached the point where we either had to turn around and retrace our steps or continue on a longer journey along the Jones Bridge Trail. Because we were meeting Patrick and his wife, Donna, for lunch, we decided to reverse our steps. It was slow going until a passerby suggested we didn't have to walk backward. Walking forward was much faster.

In the parking lot, we distributed coordinates for lunch and took off. Today's destination was 'cue Barbecue in Peachtree Corners. We've been here several times and always enjoyed it.

As we pulled into the parking lot, Patrick and Donna arrived in her cool new car. We fawned over the vehicle and almost missed Patrick emerging from the passenger side. He was on his trusty cane and in high spirits, considering he’d had surgery six days ago. We wondered if his jovial nature was the result of seeing us or the effects of chemically induced painkillers.  

While we usually eat outside with the dogs, Patrick needed the comfort and warmth of inside seating (wimp!). So, the dog Trailheads gathered at a table in the sun outside, and the non-doggers ate inside. We went back and forth to check on each group. 

Our server was John, an Elon theater graduate. When we asked him about acting, he said, “Acting is the truth.” Since Trailheads are always searching for truth and barbecue, we ordered. We’d found both in one place. Nice.

John brought our plates, as we ooohed and ahhhed. The food looked good enough to eat, so we did. Being a Texas girl, Donna ordered a beef brisket sandwich with a side order of fried onion strings. Why don’t more places serve these? They are incredibly tasty and probably healthy since onions are a vegetable.

Patrick tried the sliders, running the bases with all the smoked meats: beef brisket, chicken, and pulled pork. They were all exceptional.

Roy got the chopped pork sandwich with ‘cue Barbecue’s unique Pittsburgh Slaw–it's yellow and very good. He had a side of fried okra, which the many hands at the table pilfered.

Carole ordered the chicken sandwich, which looked like half a hen on a bun. She and George had lots of leftovers for dinner.

George, our rib expert, got ribs and declared them moist, tender, and delicious to the bone. They were George-approved. For his sides, he had the Brunswick Stew and traditional 'cue Barbecue slaw. He was a happy man.

Dina went for sauced chicken, slaw, and fries and loved them all.

Guy ordered the double meat platter. He said both the beef brisket and the pulled pork were delicious. He loved his fried okra, officially declaring it, “Yum.” And Trail Master said, "Yes, yes, yes " to his balsamic tomato cucumbers. He is an eloquent reviewer.

Brad was not to be one-upped. He also had the two meats platter with fried okra and his usual collard greens. He quickly fed himself into a meat coma.

Trailheads had a good day in the woods, and it was remarkable to discover a fan (thanks, Scott, we enjoyed hiking with you). Patrick is on the mend and will return to the trails soon––unless he decides to get something else replaced. If anyone has any suggestions for him, please send them in. He's always looking for ways to meet his deductible. 

It was a great start to a new year, and we wish everyone the best in 2025. We’ll see you on the trails, hike well, and mind those joints.

Rating: Four Ribs*

'cue Barbecue - Peachtree Corners

5260 Peachtree Industrial Blvd

Peachtree Corners, GA 30071

470-299-5117

cuebarbecue.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. Our 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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