Duncan Ridge Trail
I'm back from a circuit of the Duncan Ridge Trail, the Benton MacKaye (which was concurrent with the DRT on the section I hiked) and the AT from Long Creek Falls to Bird Gap, and the Freeman Trail around Blood.
Great trip! I started last Saturday. The weatherman said to expect cooler than average temps and a bit of rain so I threw a fleece vest and some extra plastic bags in my pack and drove up to Goose Creek Cabins. Keith let me park my van there, then I hitched a ride with some bicycle race fans who'd stayed at GCC to watch the Tour de Georgia. I started at Wolf Pen Gap about 11 am, and made my way to a campsite at Mulky Gap.
Lots of wildflowers were out, I'll post them in the gallery after I do some identifications. I've already added a photo of Keith, the owner of Goose Creek.
The trail was littered with blowdowns, with one of the blowdowns being parallel to the trail at a turn. Know how when you interrupt a line of ants they kind of wander all around searching for their trail? I felt just like an ant, searching in ever-widenening circles for the next blaze. Finally I spotted one. I think the blowdown also had the double-blaze indicating a turn, but I didn't flip over the huge oak to check. Usually blowdowns on the DRT are no problem, the trail is right on the ridge so you just walk around the tree, back up to the ridge, and continue either up or down. This happened to be at an intersection with an old forest road and I didn't know which way the trail went.
I pitched my hammock at Mulky Gap and settled in for the night. I had a great night's sleep. I woke up Sunday to -- A SNOWSTORM!! Not just a flurry, not a snow shower, a SNOWSTORM! OK, maybe to you northerners it might have been just a sprinkle, but when I can leave tracks in the snow here in Georgia, it damn near counts as a blizzard, you know?
Heading back up to the ridge warmed me up. But a large patch of Ladyslipper Orchids in full bloom were wilted by the cold snap. All the flowers were face-planted. Kind of sad, seeing them is one of the highlights of my hike each spring. The skies cleared after the storm and the temperatures stayed in the 60's. It was a great day for hiking.
I camped Sunday night beside Licklog Mountain on the Benton Mackaye. I took better notes of the trail this year than last, I had remembered the campsite being closer to a mountain still on the DRT. Licklog Mtn is after the DRT joins the Benton MacKaye Trail.
Monday was beautiful - clear blue skies with clouds creeping in later in the day. I made my way down to GA-60 and walked the quarter mile to a little store. The store had expanded since I'd last been there, now there was a short order grill. I had a nice BBQ sandwich and bought a few supplies for the trail. I headed for the swinging bridge over the Taccoa River where I met a couple out trout fishing. They'd caught a nice couple of trout for their dinner. I continued on to Bryson Gap for the night. I was saddened to see the area around the spring at Bryson was pretty trashed. I always pick up the stray candy wrapper, tent stake, or can at my campsites, but I would have needed a wheelbarrow to haul the trash out of Bryson.
The DRT south of GA-60 was much better maintained than the section north of the road. Blowdowns had been recently removed, and someone had also been recently installing or updating erosion control structures along the trail.
My original plan was to hike until Monday, then turn around and head back since I needed to be at my van Thursday to drive up to S. Carolina for the Southeast Foot Trails Conference. But, damn!, my legs were so sore. Taking the AT back would be longer but much easier. I thought about it that night and decided if I could make it to Gooch Mtn Shelter on Tuesday, I could be at Woods Hole on Wednesday, and easily finish at Neels Gap on Thursday morning.
Tuesday I woke up in rain. And it continued to rain all day. I slogged on down to Long Creek Falls to hit the AT, then headed north. Just before Hawk Mtn I stopped at Hickory Flats Cemetery to take a picture of the merry-go-round. The picnic shelter there was occupied by a group of local hunters. I got called over to get dry by their fire and have some hot food! Yes! I got a big plate of grits, creamy sausage gravy, coffee, and dried off a little by their fire. The hunters were a group of local retired law enforcement agents, they asked if I'd heard any turkey calls. I hadn't, though I'd flushed a few on my walk. The only Wild Turkey they had was in a half-gallon bottle that they were killing shot by shot. A real nice bunch of good ol' boys. I took their picture and got an address to send them a copy.
I continued onward, stopping at Hawk Mtn to chat with other hikers, then sloshed on northward on the AT. Since it wasn't my objective to hike the AT, I didn't feel bad about taking the road from Horse Gap to Cooper Gap, I've climbed Sassafrass enough times before to skip it this time in the fog and rain. I didn't even feel bad when a trout fisherman on his way home gave me a lift to Cooper. Justus Mtn was still there, I skipped on past Gooch Mtn Shelter since I knew a lot of hikers were headed there and stopped at Gooch Gap. The rain stopped and I started a little fire, then scrounged up a couple of nice oak logs to get a good blaze going. I don't usually make campfires, but at the end of a cold wet day, this was really nice. I had everything dry, even my socks and shoes, had supper, and was swinging in my hammock sipping Bacardi when the rain started again. I smiled, the weather sucked, and I'd changed plans in the middle of my hike, but I'd hiked a little further than my objective and the day ended on a real nice note.
Wednesday's goal was Woods Hole Shelter. Clear skies again! I played tag all day with a group of three section hikers from Ohio. They hiked faster than me, but stopped for breaks more often. So they'd blow past me, I'd pass them as they caught their breath on top of a mountain, then they'd pass me again, this went on all day. I got to Woods Hole at 3PM and decided not to stop. So I turned right onto the Freeman Trail and rock-hopped the 2 miles around Blood Mtn, then went down to Neels Gap. I called Goose Creek and chatted with some other hikers until Keith drove up to get me.
I'd started this hike intending to just sorta mosey along, taking photos of wildflowers. Instead I ended with two days of beating feet, going a little further than I'd intended. But when it's raining, what else is there to do but walk? And when it's nice out, why not spend a little more time walking? Both of my last two days were good days to hike, though the weather on each was completely different. I ended just a little sore, but nothing that a good nights sleep and a couple good meals wouldn't cure.
I got a cabin, showered, washed my clothes by hand in the shower and spread them near the gas stove to dry. Then I drove to Blairsville for a meal at the Cookie Jar. I got a steak to go from the menu, and drove back to sit by the trout pond as the sun set and feed french fries to the ducks.
Thursday, all clean and rested, I heated a steak breakfast in the microwave, packed, then headed to South Carolina for the Foot Trails Conference.
A very, very nice hike. I've got a load of photos to go through, I can now compile a photogaphic description of the Duncan Ridge Trail.
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Originally Posted by Dances with Mice
