View Full Version : New guy in north GA
walkthewoods
06-27-2007, 03:16
Hello everyone! In about a week I will be getting my feet wet with my first overnite trail hike. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the North Georgia section, specifically between Amicola Falls and Woody Gap. If so what can I expect as far as terrain, where I can get ahold of maps, and if that stretch of the trail is too much to try on my first outing.
Two Speed
06-27-2007, 06:30
First, :welcome to WhiteBlaze.
Trail guides, which include the maps, are available at any REI. Mountain Crossings (http://www.mountaincrossings.com/home.html), at Neel's Gap is probably one of the best outfitters on the AT in Georgia, well worth a stop if you're in the area. Mountain Crossings carries the trail guides and much more.*
Lots of folks on this site that are familiar with that section. Yes, you will find terrain on that section.
OK, that was a little on the snarky side. The Amicalola to Woody Gap has plenty of long grades, some steep. Frankly, much of how you percieve the difficulty will depend on your condition. Couch potatoes swear it's torture. Marathoners eat that section like cake.**
*Personally I prefer Mountain Crossings over REI any day, but sometimes REI is more convenient to get to.
**Mild torture for me. Too much time desk time and not nearly enough quality time with my hiking boots.
Welcome to Whiteblaze. (I'm too lazy to do the waving smiley thing.)
That's a great section for a first overnighter. A lot of novice backpackers frequent the area so the trails are well marked, there are lots of shelters, and chances are good you'll meet up with the Ridgerunner, who can answer questions about what to do and how to do it (with emphasis on Leave No Trace and keeping your food away from wildlife). I see that you're 19 and I'm assuming you're active (XC, Ultimate, soccer?) and won't find the hiking too painful.
Make sure you're got plenty of water with you--if I were you, I'd err on the side of caution this time out. In the summer heat, I'd also bring some sports drinks along. You can bring a couple bottles of Gatorade or whatever, and then refill the bottles with water later on. If you haven't done much camping, you might be surprised at how much water you'll need in 24 hours.
I second the recommendation to visit Mountain Crossings. They'll have everything you need and lots of stuff that you'll want. Their specialty is supplying AT hikers. But, as TwoSpeed said, REI will also have maps, etc.
Have a great hike!
Marta/Five-Leaf
Dances with Mice
06-27-2007, 12:33
If you start at Amicalola's Welcome Center and hike the Approach Trail to Springer, you'll know how difficult the rest of the trip will be. Some days will be easier than that portion and some will be about the same, but none will be any harder.
gold bond
06-27-2007, 13:13
Non will be any harder.....really! I thought Sharpe Top and Court House was a real lung buster! Either that or I was at the back end of a 14 miler!!
Dances with Mice
06-27-2007, 13:24
Non will be any harder.....really! I thought Sharpe Top and Court House was a real lung buster! Either that or I was at the back end of a 14 miler!!I don't remember those ... sre they between Amicalola and Woody?
Hello everyone! In about a week I will be getting my feet wet with my first overnite trail hike. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the North Georgia section, specifically between Amicola Falls and Woody Gap. If so what can I expect as far as terrain, where I can get ahold of maps, and if that stretch of the trail is too much to try on my first outing.
Welcome to WB! :welcome
I think this is a pretty aggressive section to do for a first hike, but is doable... As stated by others, your experience and view of it's difficulty will be determined in large part by your fitness level and the weight of your pack... My 11 y.o. and I did 3-Forks to Woody Gap over a 48 hour period over Spring Break: trip report is here:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=349933&postcount=5
You may want to consider a shorter hike (an overnighter) for your first trip out...there are plenty of opportunities for that on the AT, in the Cohutta, and on the Foothills Trail / Chattooga River Trail. Maps of all of these areas can be picked up at REI. There's a great short hike on the Chattooga River Trail where you start on hwy 76, east of Clayton, going north, have about a 3 mile hike and come to a great campsite on the river....we take our 1st year Boy Scouts on this hike to do a gear checkout, etc.... probably not as challenging as what you're looking for, but there are several opportunities for a 2-day, 12-15 mile weekend trip along the Chattooga that would be a good trip to do a gear check hike....
Have fun! Let us know how it goes!
Steve
gold bond
06-28-2007, 08:37
DWM, you are correct sir....that is between Dicks Creek and Deep Gap!
My bad!!
If you start at Amicalola's Welcome Center and hike the Approach Trail to Springer, you'll know how difficult the rest of the trip will be. Some days will be easier than that portion and some will be about the same, but none will be any harder.
I'll be doing this section in Sept southbound (technically westbound) for the reasons DWM states above. I've done Woody Gap to Gooch shelter and its pretty easy. A very experienced hiker who routinely does 20-mile days in GA told me not to underestimate the section between Gooch and Hawk Mt. shelters, especially due to lack of water. I did see a post the other day about water down the road at Cooper Gap, and that seems like a good way to split up this section. Just buy the AT map for $20 at REI or High Country.
My wife and I did Springer to Woody as our first section hike last year. It was definitely a good hike, but there are some serious climbs in there. I've done the approach trail before as a dayhike, and it has a pretty decent elevation gain also. My big advice is to get the Georgia/NC AT trail map kit. That map with elevation guide is great to have with you. It also lists water sources and shelters.
Planning on hiking solo or with someone? Total mileage from Amicalola to Woody is going to be around 27-28 miles. If you've backpacked before with good weight and are comfortable with 14 mile days, go for it.
Nearly Normal
07-04-2007, 20:00
Springer to Hawk Mountain will be the easiest day you have for a while.
Nearly Normal
aka pete56
walkthewoods
07-10-2007, 02:36
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your advice! unfortunatly the hike turned out to be a total bust! First my friend who is an experienced backpacker apparently misjudged the amount of water that we would consume on the trip, and our supplies were low by late afternoon of the first day! So after sitting at nimblewill gap arguing for an hour and a half about what to do about water, i hiked about a half a mile down what i think is USFS 28 to a stream that i was not sure existed (all i knew was that the little blue line representing the road had a smaller blue dashed line crossing it haha) so when i finally made it back, my friends decided that we would not be pushing on to springer due to one of my friends very bad blisters. So we turned back and camped on top Frosty mountain (i think). To say the least it was a hectic trip, but many valuable lessons were gleaned from the chaos which will make the next one much smoother i think.
Rain Man
07-10-2007, 11:34
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your advice! unfortunatly the hike turned out to be a total bust! .... To say the least it was a hectic trip, but many valuable lessons were gleaned from the chaos which will make the next one much smoother i think.
I like the fact that you looked at it as valuable lessons! Also, do not forget the Georgia AT Club, which maintains the trail in Georgia. They are "the horse's mouth" of trail info when it comes to the Georgia AT section. I have found them to be very, very willing to help hikers with info and advice. You can Google for them.
Best to you.
Rain:sunMan
.
Too bad about the trip. At least it is good for a bit more respect for good ole Mother Nature. It'll just make you smarter and better prepared for your next trip.
Dances with Mice
07-10-2007, 21:06
unfortunatly the hike turned out to be a total bust! ... So after sitting at nimblewill gap arguing for an hour and a half about what to do about water, i hiked about a half a mile down what i think is USFS 28 to a stream that i was not sure existed (all i knew was that the little blue line representing the road had a smaller blue dashed line crossing it haha) .... my friends decided that we would not be pushing on to springer due to one of my friends very bad blisters. ... To say the least it was a hectic trip, but many valuable lessons were gleaned from the chaos which will make the next one much smoother i think.That trip was anything but a total bust. A total bust is when you come back thinking "Screw this! What a waste of time! I must have been crazy to try something like that! Never again!" BTDT and that's why I'll never go caving again.
You learned a lot. Just look:
- Next time you won't spend 90 minutes arguing about water, you'll pull out your map, make a plan then walk straight to the damn water. Right?
- Next time it won't be so hectic. It gets smoother each trip. Really. Pretty soon you'll get to the point where you can grab your pack, look through it once, throw it in the car and stop at Kroger for a few bucks worth of food on the way to the mountains. Whatever you forgot, and there will always be something, won't be all that important.
- The guy with blisters learned something too. Hopefully. I learned to carry sports tape, the stuff used to tape athlete's feet. I never get blisters but some of my partners did. That stuff has saved a couple trips for me.
- And most important: You learned you want to do it again.
That's what really counts.
Chaco Taco
07-12-2007, 13:34
Best thing to do is get back out a soon as you can.
Oh yea, welcome:welcome