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aftershock
12-26-2005, 14:32
Hello everyone, this is my second time hiking the trail. Three years ago, I began at Springer mountain and hiked up around Neels Gap, I think. Since it was my first time, and I was much younger, I didn't pay attention to all the details, I left that up to my friend's parents! Now I'm going with some friends in March and I'm looking to continue where we left off. I'm unfamiliar with the roads/cities in the area - I live in Florida. Can anyone recommend a few places to access the trail around Neels gap or Tray mountain? Of course, we would need a secure place to park our truck, and possibly a motel within a reasonable distance to sleep the night before we begin our hike. Any suggestions?? :sun

Kerosene
12-26-2005, 15:13
Blood Mountain Cabins are just "east" of Walasi-Yi in Neels Gap. They may very well let you park there if you stay the night. Here is a map (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&searchtab=home&formtype=address&popflag=0&latitude=&longitude=&name=&phone=&cat=&address=&city=suches&state=ga&zipcode=) of the area, centered on Suches (a trail town a few miles from Woody Gap and 10 trail miles south of Neels Gap). Neels Gap and the Cabins should be on US-19, right around the Union/Lumpkin county line on the map. Other posters local to the area should be able to give you more specific directions and other ideas.

Burn
12-26-2005, 15:18
i would also suggest the hiker hostel they letcha stay there and or park there

www.hikerhostel.com

for rates...it's about 10 or 15 miles away by road and they'll drop ya north or south so you can get back to yer vehicle

Dances with Mice
12-26-2005, 15:59
Two good choices are the Hiker Hostel, link above, or Goose Creek Cabins very near Neels Gap:

http://www.goosecreekcabins.com/hikers.htm
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=7033&c=665&userid=1030

The owner will let you park your car outside his office.

aftershock
12-27-2005, 02:06
Thanks for the posts everyone! Also, if we begin our hike at Nelson's Gap and head north, we'll miss Blood mountain. I would imagine Blood Mt. is a good part of the hike, right?? It's the highest mountain on the Trail, right? I'd like to begin the hike south of Blood Mt so we can hike it. Where is this Walasi-Yi center? Is it south of Blood mountain?Any motels around there etc??? Does anyone recommend hiking Blood mountain, or is not as important or "memorable" as I imagine?

Dances with Mice
12-27-2005, 02:55
Three years ago, I began at Springer mountain and hiked up around Neels Gap, I think. Since it was my first time, and I was much younger, I didn't pay attention to all the details, I left that up to my friend's parents! Now I'm going with some friends in March and I'm looking to continue where we left off. You need to figure out where you want to start, if starting exactly where you stopped is important. If you stopped at Neel's Gap, then Blood Mtn is immediately south and you had to have walked over it. Blood's a big rock with a two-room stone cabin at the top, can't miss it. If you quit at a road crossing south of there, that could be Woody Gap with picnic tables and a paved road crossing. An possible take-out point in between is at Winfield Scott park, it has a big triangular lake. Any of these places ring any bells?

The Hiker Hostel is close to Woody, Goose Creek is close to Neel's.

Dances with Mice
12-27-2005, 03:01
... if we begin our hike at Nelson's Gap and head north, we'll miss Blood mountain. I would imagine Blood Mt. is a good part of the hike, right?? It's the highest mountain on the Trail, right? I'd like to begin the hike south of Blood Mt so we can hike it. Where is this Walasi-Yi center? Is it south of Blood mountain?Any motels around there etc??? Does anyone recommend hiking Blood mountain, or is not as important or "memorable" as I imagine?
Blood is immediately south of Neel's (not Nelson's) Gap, Walasi-Yi center is a building located directly in Neel's Gap, Blood is the highest point on the Trail in Georgia not the highest of the Trail, views from Blood can range from miles to inches depending on the weather.

aftershock
12-28-2005, 11:17
Ok, I spoke to my friend's parents last night, and they said we made it up to Justis Mountain. It felt a lot farther, and the last map I was looking at didn't have a scale and it was rather low in quality. I'm pretty sure of where we're going to enter the trail. On another topic, although this might not be in the right catagory, what pack do you guys recommend? I used my friend's pack last time, but now I'm going to buy my own. I used a Dania, but many people recommend GoLites... But the GoLite doesn't have an internal frame, right? Any other recommendations? How do you feel about Dania???

Youngblood
12-28-2005, 18:25
Ok, I spoke to my friend's parents last night, and they said we made it up to Justis Mountain. It felt a lot farther, and the last map I was looking at didn't have a scale and it was rather low in quality. I'm pretty sure of where we're going to enter the trail. On another topic, although this might not be in the right catagory, what pack do you guys recommend? I used my friend's pack last time, but now I'm going to buy my own. I used a Dania, but many people recommend GoLites... But the GoLite doesn't have an internal frame, right? Any other recommendations? How do you feel about Dania???
Justus Mountain is 12.2 miles from Springer Mountain (the southern terminus of the AT). It is between two crossings of Forest Service Road 42, which is a dirt road. Cooper Gap, 11.6 miles from Springer, is one of the road crossings and Gooch Gap, 16.4 miles from Springer, is the other. The first paved road crossing is at Woody Gap, 20 miles from Springer and is where GA60 intersects the AT.

You might want to call the folks at the Hiker Hostel. They do shuttles and might let you leave your car at their place, if that is what you want to do. They are located about 5 miles from Woody Gap on GA60, near Dahlonega, GA.

hotfoot
12-28-2005, 19:08
Check this out:

http://www.georgia-atclub.org/description.html

Scroll down to see trail mileage as well as road/highway crossing locations.

Burn
12-29-2005, 06:47
golite sux as much as kmart does...there are many many other companies that have support and strenth. I use 2 different kelty's. Lotsa folks go with mountain hardware i think or mountain smith...

i got the kelty's cause they were mid price range, love em now cause they take a beating and hold enough to get me where i wanna be

PROFILE
12-29-2005, 08:43
There is a acsess point just south of Gooch mtn shelter where the trail borders the creek. It comes off of USFS 42 and it is a bout a half mile walk ot the AT.