Foothills Trail Thru in May.

[CrankyPants]

I'm planning my 2nd attempt at a thru hike of the foothills trail the 2nd week of May. Trying to get an idea of what kind of conditions to expect, and any other advice I might need to know.

[Drybones]

I did this hike last year in Dec. and really enjoyed it, trying to get a group up from the Birmingham area to do it again soon. It's a pretty easy hike, not a lot of difficult elevation change, lots of water and great scenery. As for conditions this far out, only God knows and he's not telling me.

[ippon]

I recall Dogwood saying that there are numerous unmarked side trails to waterfalls not on the map, maybe some are mentioned in the guidebook?

[Dogwood]

Make the most of the Fooothills Trail Conference website by familiarizing yourself with the free information provided.

http://www.foothillstrail.org/

I suppose you have the FHT Map and yellow spiral bound pocket size Guide to the Foothils Trail book. Both offer decent info on thru-hiking the FHT as well. Even after having thru-hiked the FHT twice I still find myself referring to these two worthy on trail and pre-hike resources.

There is also a FHT Forum.

http://thefoothillstrail.com/

Also, there are several posted trip reports

http://www.sctrails.net/Trails/ALLTRAILS/NRT/Foothills.html

[CrankyPants]

I do have the map and guidebook, I'm mostly trying to get an idea of day and night conditions, to get a better idea of what I should pack, Trying to keep my pack weight as low as possible, but still be comfortable without feeling like I am doing without. A big mistake I made on my first attempt was overpacking. My pack was around 50 - 60 lbs. Including around 12 lbs of food. My current configuration I am working with is a base weight of 10-11lbs. Trying to stay around 30 lbs or under combined.

[Dogwood]

I figured you were looking for weather during the time of your anticipated hike. That's why I said get familiar w/ the FHT website which has this info through the Weather Channel site. Go to the FHT Conference site. Click Plan Your Hike. You'll notice a Weather tab. Click it. Click current weather conditions. You get monthly temp avgs - high lows, all time high/lows, monthly precipitation patterns, likely mosquito activity, etc for Table Rock SP. Click More Avgs and Records. This takes ya deeper into the Weather Channel Info where you can access all the meterological data you might need by clicking the Details Tab - sunrise/sunset(which tells ya daylight hrs), UV index, wind speed, chances of rain, etc etc Just be aware of EXACTLY at what elevation this data is recorded for and compare it in relation to the elev for your hike.

[Dogwood]

You're in Spartanburg too which isn't that far from Table Rock SP. I have kin that lives in Greenville SC.

[CrankyPants]

Dogwood- thanks for the info, I have been to the web site several times, but never noticed the weather part. I live in Greenville now, just haven't updated my profile. I work in Easley. The hour one way commute from Spartanburg was killing me. So finally relocated this past Sumner.

[meat803]

I hike this area mainly and I am usually in the rain 33-50% of the time. It is just the area and I hike no matter what. I just hiked Foothills from Bad Creek to Table Rock and it rained on my 2 out of 3 days. I just checked the 10 day forecast for Lake Jocassee and it calls for rain 5 out of 10 days. So take that into consideration including the temps. With this said I would recommend having a double wall tent or if you take a single wall tent, have a camp towel sham wow type to help with condensation. A large percentage of campsites will be near rivers/creeks and condensation along with humidity/rain can be annoying.

I just bought the FTC map but not too impressed with it and wish I would have opted for the guide instead. I have used antigravity gear's pocket map and found it to be simple, lightweight, and effective. The FTC map is just a fancy topo that lacks useful features in my opinion. If I were to get off the trail and lost, the FTC map would be a gem. But the trail is very very well marked and you would have to be special ed to get lost.

The last 4.5 miles of trail heading east from Pinnacle Mountain to Table Rock is ROUGH. My next thru hike I am going Ceasar's because of this. After 50 miles or so I had relatively light fatigue and a slighty sore knee, no big deal. That last 4.5 wore my knees, ankles, toes, and soles out. Washed out roots and exposed rocks galore.

[Foresight]

Well, you are talking about hiking in a rain forest. The only one east of the Mississippi River, in fact.

[Dogwood]

Well, you are talking about hiking in a rain forest. The only one east of the Mississippi River, in fact.
Is that really a fact? I'm asking. Unless the definition of a temperate rain forest is different than a tropical rain forest, > 100 inches of rainfall per yr, I didn't think that area of SC qualified as a rain forest as it typically gets less than that, about 80-90 inches of rain per yr.

[Foresight]

Fact indeed. The Jocassee Gorges area is the only Temperate Rain Forest east of the Mississippi River. Yes, it averages over 100" of rainfall per year.

[Dogwood]

I figured if any part of the FHT was defined as rain forest it would likely be the Jocassee Gorge SP area. Now, I'm thinking I may have even read that somewhere, perhaps, the FHT Guidebook or on the Laurel Valley TH access sign. THX foresight.

[Foresight]

Sure thing. I can't speak for the NC side, but the SC side has been locked up in perpetuity as the State now owns it. Crescent Land and Timber (better known as Duke Power/Duke Energy) sold their holdings to SC. I would like to say that NC did the same, but I'd have to check on that to be certain.

[CrankyPants]

Thank you everyone for the info, and keep it coming. I am very determined to complete this hike this time. Doing several shake down hikes in the next few months in preparation.

[Theosus]

I have done a few little parts of it. Doing the 107 to chatooga river section in a few weeks.
Look at that yellow guidebook... different parts are more or less difficult depending on direction.
I know going east-to west that the climb up from lake Jocassee is pretty damn strenuous, the worst section on the trail, from what I heard.
Doing two section hikes in march and april with a group, we're going to do the whole thing over the two section hikes.
Ive seen a video of a guy who does a thru in four days. Much better hiker than me! I estimate 7 for the trip.

Its a great area, though! good luck to you.

[CrankyPants]

I'm planning on doing my thru hike starting May 10th. Planning on 4.5 days to complete at an average of 17-18 miles a day except for the last 1/2 day.

[CrankyPants]

Going from Oconee SP to TablecRock SP.

[dmax]

I got my map today... I should have bought the guide. Oh well, guess I need to place a new order.

[UberPest]

I'm looking to thru hike it starting May 30. I'm hoping to finish in 5 days, but depending on how fit I'm feeling it might be 6. I know there's no advertised resupply point, but is there anything remotely possible around the halfway point?

[winger]

Bad Creek access would be ideal for someone to drop off supplies to you but there aren't any stores there. If you plan accordingly you should be able to carry 7 days of food for the entire thru hike.

[CrankyPants]

Well, it looks like my thru hike has turned into a section hike this year. I have to go to a wedding on the Cherokee reservation in NC that following week, so May 10-11 I will be hiking from Oconee SP to Upper Whitewater Falls. Then around the end of September, I will be going from Table Rock SP to Upper Whitewater Falls, to finish the whole trail in 2 big section hikes.

[CrankyPants]

Maybe next year I will be able to do a complete thru hike in one trip.

[waasj]

I am headed out next week and will post a trip report.

[Drybones]

I am headed out next week and will post a trip report.

I'm going to make a prediction............you'll enjoy it.

[T-Rx]

My wife and I just returned from doing part of the FHT. We started at Tablerock and ended at Bad Creek access. Great hike, great trail. The trail is in excellent condition. We saw a crew doing maintenance on the trail as well as Duke energy personnell maintaining access roads. Water was plentiful and the water level at Lake Jocassee was probably 30' higher than this time last year. This trail is a real gem with some beatiful waterfalls, streams and views. One of our favorite trails.

[Rain Man]

Bad Creek access would be ideal for someone to drop off supplies to you...

My wife brought me supplies and KFC dinner there! But beware, there is an unmanned gate across the access road. But don't let that turn you back. There is an intercom system to an office miles away and they will buzz you in. While we were there (about an hour), a patrol/guard truck came by and checked on us.

Rain Man

.

[waasj]

Posted a trip report under a seperate thread. Fun trip. Not too hard or heavy. 6-7 days should be more than adequate. Resupply options are scarce. Last day I was out, I ran into someone with a profile map that was way more detailed than the profile in the guidebook. Probably worth the investment.

[Foresight]

I did a GIS profile map of the trail years ago, but alas, I no longer have access to it.....

[The Ace]

Posted a trip report under a seperate thread. Fun trip. Not too hard or heavy. 6-7 days should be more than adequate. Resupply options are scarce. Last day I was out, I ran into someone with a profile map that was way more detailed than the profile in the guidebook. Probably worth the investment.
The map is published by the Foothills Trail Conference, the same folks who publish the little yellow guide book. I recall that you can buy the two together for a discounted price. I purchased the map for my first hike on the FT, but in my opinion it is not necessary.