GA Hike

[carter_cc]

Im looking to hike the from Springer mtn to Hiawase (sp?) in mid july like the 19th . This is my second hike on the trail and since its a bit of a distance I was looking for a partner to go with. I ultimately wanna hike the whole trail but feel this would be a good test for me.

[flemdawg1]

A friend and I will be going AFSP to Franklin the 16th thru 25th. Maybe we'll see you.

[carter_cc]

cool cool. whats a good mileage per day to average??? I was thinking 10 miles per day or so....

[Cool AT Breeze]

10-12 a day.

[carter_cc]

how much further is franklin nc to hiawassee?? thinking ill leave either friday the 16th or the 19th still

[hailstones]

Will be plenty of ppl on trail during that time if you can't find a partner,never alone on the At. Most of the time everyone hikes their own pace anyways and you will spend moments solo even with a partner, you'll see them off and on during the day and meet up with them during the evening.Good luck with your hike and will see you out there,planning on hitting the trail around same time frame,just doing a 250 mile section this year

[carter_cc]

what time in the am is best to leave springer??

[Cool AT Breeze]

Leave as early as you can so you can take the hottest part of the day off, then hike till after dark.

[Lilred]

and never pass up water in July. It may be getting dry. Even if you have full water, camel up and fill up at every opportunity

[carter_cc]

appreciate it thanks

[carter_cc]

How far off the trail is the actual town and places in franklin nc? i couldnt find any solid info on that?

[Cool AT Breeze]

About 12 mi.

[carter_cc]

cheap shuttle services or what??

[flemdawg1]

Ron Haven, he owns the Budget Inn in Franklin, NC. He's allowing us to park a car there also.
(828) 524-4403

[flemdawg1]

I'm out. My hiking partner couldn't get the time off and my wife wants me to go camping in OH w/ her and the kids. Good luck to you though. Stay cool.

[Preacher Dude]

Have hiked the Georgia portion of the trail often. In fact I even camped out at Addis Gap a few years back and fed "thru hikers" during the month of April.

Are you planning to start at Amicolola or at Springer? The Approach trail from Amicolola State Park will add another 8 miles to your hike ...but is a much better place to leave a vehicle and is more easily assessible than taking the FS road up to Springer ...which would also mean you would have to backtrack .9 miles from the parking lot...back to the starting point ...Southern terminus of A.T. on top of Springer Mountain. So from the Southern terminus on top of Springer to the Hiawasse/Clayton Highway (U.S. 76) at Dick's Creek Gap is 66.8 miles plus .9 backtracking if you go to Springer parking lot for a total of 67.7 miles. If you start at Amicolola , it would be another 8.1 miles tacked onto the 66.8 or a total of 74.9. So it should take you 6 or 7 days if you average 10 miles/per day...which is even doable for an old man like myself.

If you decide to go on to U.S. 64 west of Franklin ...plan on another 3-4 days...since its about 30 more miles...8 in Georgia and the rest in NC

There are some beautiful sites along that portion of the A.T. .....so be sure and take a camera (360 degree views on top of Blood Mountain and Tray Mountain in Georgia and a fire tower on top of Mount Albert in NC)

Be glad to answer any questions you might have about shelter locations and water along the way...(or of course you can check out these in the A.T. booklets).... or any other questions you might have.

Hope you have a wonderful hike

Preacher Dude

[Country Roads]

Hey Preacher Dude, I have hoped that I could someday thank you for the most wonderful orange I have ever eaten! Got to Addis Gap in the early afternoon late April 2006. You had gone into town for supplies, but left a note for hikers that stuff was in the coolers. Nine Lives had a couple of bolony sandwiches on the spot. I took a nice orange and put it in my pocket for the climb ahead. I ate that orange like an animal at the top of Kelly Knob. It was the best!

You fed a group of hikers earlier in the day, A couple hiking with their 4 kids. The womans trail name was Japanese Lady With 4 Kids. I spent that night at the Blueberry patch with them. Nice folks.

Stuff like this is why I love the AT and AT folks.

Again, thank you. It really made my day.

[Preacher Dude]

Glad you enjoyed the orange. The time I spent on the trail during the month of April that year was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding of my entire life. And the reason was just as you pointed out ...the niceness and appreciativeness of those in the hiking community. It still brings a smile to my face and gives me goose pimples whenever I remember some of them. All of them have made a lasting impression upon me and I always wish I could have found out more about those who didn't leave journals ...I often wonder how many made it to Katahdin. By my estimate , I fed more than 500 hikers during that time frame and met most of them. it is always humbling and gratifying to hear from folks like yourself whom I didn't meet. I made a point of following those hikers who had journals on trail journals.com ....at least 20 made it all the way to Katahdin.

I remember the family that you spoke of. They were collectively known as the "samurai hillbillies" the father from Tennessee and the mother was Japanese with the children ranging in age from 17 down to 6. They were planning to go as far as Harper's Ferry that year and complete the journey the next year. I know they made it as far as Damascus, because The Only Wanderer started a thread about them.

A humorous story about them..... When they (Samurai Hillbillies ) were approaching my campsite at Addis Gap the father told the children that what they were seeing was a phenomenon that often happened to hikers who had been on the trail as long as they had been....and the campsite (mine) was not real but actually a "mirage". I wondered why the kids just kind of mealed aimlessly around the gap and didn't go to the cooler to get drinks. The father then told me about his joke and we all laughed and the kids and the parents and I shared some wonderful moments of fellowship. What a wonderful bunch of folks....as I said before ...another lasting memory.

Thanks again for your remembrance and your appreciation...It really means a lot to me.

Preacher Dude

[Praha4]

hey Carter,

I just hiked Amicalola Falls SP to Neels Gap this past week, the heat/humidity made it tough in the afternoons, like Cool Breeze recommended, start early in the morning.... take a break midday, and then hike late afternoon/evening when it cools off a bit. Water is getting harder to find at some springs. Creeks were flowing well.

I recommend doing the Approach Trail to Springer Mtn also.

If i was to do Amicalola Falls to Dicks Creek Gap (Hiawassee) again, this would be the hike:

Day 1: Amicalola Falls SP to Springer Mtn - 9 mi
Day 2: Springer Mtn to Gooch Mtn Shelter - 15 mi
Day 3: Gooch Mtn Shelter to Neels Gap (Mtn Xings Hostel) - 15 mi
Day 4: Neels Gap to Low Gap Shelter - 10 mi
Day 5: Low Gap Shelter to Tray Mtn Shelter - 14.5 mi
Day 6: Tray Mtn shelter to Dicks Creek Gap - 12 mi

If you can hike 15/day, you can cut this trip to 5 days, but in July heat, it's tough if you haven't hiked much in those mountains, and you will need to carry more water.

good luck

[jesse]

I recommend eating the breakfast buffet at Amicalola Falls before starting out.