Neels Gap

[FIRFTR911]

Is the trail from Hogpen Gap to Neels Gap well marked and easy to follow, or should I still get a map?

[Pedaling Fool]

Ooohhhh Noooooo!

[bloodmountainman]

It is well marked and easy to follow.

[Survivor Dave]

Is the trail from Hogpen Gap to Neels Gap well marked and easy to follow, or should I still get a map?

No map needed. Just hike from Hogpen Gap up Wildcat Mountain down to Tesnatee Gap and up Cowrock Mountain, and it's about 5 miles from there. The Trail is well worn in that location. Great hike! Great views!

SD

[deeddawg]

Just remember that you'll hit the southbound trail on the opposite side of the road from the parking area at Hogpen Gap. Trail is down towards the left end.

Follow the white blazes. When you walk through a stone building, you're at Neel's Gap.

[Bare Bear]

Maps are cheap insurance against unforseen events. I get really irrittated at those I have to go Search & Rescue for that are almost always ill prepared for whatever they got into. Get a map, enjoy the hike. It will be hot there now so watch your water. Enjoy.

[Lone Wolf]

Is the trail from Hogpen Gap to Neels Gap well marked and easy to follow, or should I still get a map?

it's NEEL gap. no S. very easy to follow

[Survivor Dave]

it's NEEL gap. no S. very easy to frollow

Didn't you mean frollows?

[Lone Wolf]

Didn't you mean frollows?

no, follow

[Speer Carrier]

Actually, I think its Neel's Gap

[Bulldawg]

Even with the trail easy to follow, I wouldn't ever set out without a map for unforeseen events. Having a map also helps me with how far along I am.

[Survivor Dave]

Actually, I think its Neel's Gap



No, actually Wolf is correct. But what do I know....:D




http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/5/7/0/0/at_hike_043.jpg

[Lone Wolf]

Actually, I think its Neel's Gap

no, it's NEEL gap

[Survivor Dave]

Even with the trail easy to follow, I wouldn't ever set out without a map for unforeseen events. Having a map also helps me with how far along I am.

Geez Dawg, It's 6 1/2 miles, I'm sure No. 1
wouldn't even need a map for that in the dark!:D:p
SD

[Survivor Dave]

no, it's NEEL gap
That's what I said........

[Footslogger]

I always thought it was Walasi-Yi at Mountain Crossings ...

'Slogger

[Speer Carrier]

When I put up that sign I spelled it wrong. Just kidding. But every map I've ever seen calls it Neel's Gap. The Forest service in Georgia calls it Neel's Gap. The GATC calls it Neel's Gap. So, in my world, its Neel's Gap. Now don't try to talk me out of it or confuse me with facts.

[Bulldawg]

Geez Dawg, It's 6 1/2 miles, I'm sure No. 1
wouldn't even need a map for that in the dark!:D:p
SD

She probably wouldn't. The trail is well marked and/or very well worn in that section. I was just saying that for me, I like being able to pull out a map every time I do a pack off stop and look and say, "hmmmm, that right there is where I am at. xx miles to go." "Or whew, Kelly Knob is coming up I think I will camp right here for now.'

Ya know!!??:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[ChinMusic]

I did a Google search for "Neel Gap" and all I got were links to "Neel's Gap".

OK, what is the story here?

[Survivor Dave]

She probably wouldn't. The trail is well marked and/or very well worn in that section. I was just saying that for me, I like being able to pull out a map every time I do a pack off stop and look and say, "hmmmm, that right there is where I am at. xx miles to go." "Or whew, Kelly Knob is coming up I think I will camp right here for now.'

Ya know!!??:rolleyes::rolleyes:

I'll give you a little hint. When you see the sign NOBO that says Addis Gap, your about to get whooped. LOL

Yeah Dawg, I understand your point.:rolleyes::D

SD

[bigcranky]

When we hiked through there the staff at Walasi-yi very carefully enunciated the name "Neel Gap" without the ess.

[ChinMusic]

When we hiked through there the staff at Walasi-yi very carefully enunciated the name "Neel Gap" without the ess.

Even Moutain Crossing's website calls it Neel's Gap: http://www.mountaincrossings.com/index.asp?PageAction=CONTACTUS

Is this an inside joke?

[Survivor Dave]

Even Moutain Crossing's website calls it Neel's Gap: http://www.mountaincrossings.com/index.asp?PageAction=CONTACTUS

Is this an inside joke?

I think in the spirit of easier pronunciation, it's Neel's. Call Winton and find out. I am still pretty sure the name is Neel Gap. There are conversations every once in a while up there about that and am pretty sure that's what he said. I've been known to have been wrong once before.:D

[Bulldawg]

Even Moutain Crossing's website calls it Neel's Gap: http://www.mountaincrossings.com/index.asp?PageAction=CONTACTUS

Is this an inside joke?

I just call the thing Mountain Crossings, Walasi-Yi, Winton's place, Neel's Gap, Frogtown Gap, the rock store at Blood Mountain; everybody around here knows where I am talking about except the non-hikers don't understand the "Winton's place" nomenclature.

I do confuse my wife sometimes when I don't call it the same thing twice in a row. She prefers "the stone store with cokes and snickers at the top of the mountain" or "the place where my cell phone stops working"

Our Nextel phones lose service just north of the Gap.

[Survivor Dave]

I just call the thing Mountain Crossings, Walasi-Yi, Winton's place, Neel's Gap, Frogtown Gap, the rock store at Blood Mountain; everybody around here knows where I am talking about except the non-hikers don't understand the "Winton's place" nomenclature.

I do confuse my wife sometimes when I don't call it the same thing twice in a row. She prefers "the stone store with cokes and snickers at the top of the mountain" or "the place where my cell phone stops working"

Our Nextel phones lose service just north of the Gap.

You know, I kind of like that terminology and definition better.

[Bulldawg]

I think in the spirit of easier pronunciation, it's Neel's. Call Winton and find out. I am still pretty sure the name is Neel Gap. There are conversations every once in a while up there about that and am pretty sure that's what he said. I've been known to have been wrong once before.:D

The original name was frogtown gap. I read somewhere the Neel was the name of the surveyor of the road through the gap.


The name Frogtown is a perversion of the Cherokee myth about a great frog, Walesi (or Walasi), who guarded Blood Mountain, which the Cherokee (http://ngeorgia.com/history/cherokeeindex.html) considered to be holy. The name Walasi-yi literally means "Place of the Great Frog," and was the name of a small Cherokee village on the slopes of Blood Mountain. The gap above the falls was known as Frogtown Gap, until the Appalachian Trail (http://georgiatrails.com/features/apptrail.html) was built perpendicular to Frogtown Gap Trail, an old Indian path, and became known as Neel's Gap thereafter.

[Survivor Dave]

New developments seen.

Picture is from 2003. I think that the name Mountain Crossings was the name Winton gave the store.


http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/4/1/appalachian_trail_174-med.jpg

[Bulldawg]

New developments seen.

Picture is from 2003. I think that the name Mountain Crossings was the name Winton gave the store.




You're right Winton named the store Mountain Crossings.

[Survivor Dave]

You're right Winton named the store Mountain Crossings.

Shoot, let's call him right now. He's at NOC with Alpine and Princess Brat!
Sorry, major thread swerve. Back to....what was it, maps or something? :D

[Bulldawg]

Tell him to bring me burger from the Restaurant.

[Pedaling Fool]

Triva question: Who the hell is Neel?

[Skidsteer]

Triva question: Who the hell is Neel?

Surveyor. Post 26.

[Skidsteer]

Oooh, I'm good.

[Bulldawg]

Surveyor. Post 26.

I know darn well I have read that somewhere, but for the life of me I cannot find it now. I have just spent the last 30 minutes searching for it on google. Maybe it was a book somewhere, but I know that he was the surveyor for US 19/129 that runs through the gap. I just can't find it now.

[bigmac_in]

The ATC Guide calls it Neels Gap (not Neel's), as does their official map - just checked for myself.

[Survivor Dave]

Surveyor. Post 26.


Oooh, I'm good.

So, in other words, If the surveyors name is Neel, it would be called Neel Gap in commemoration. The only thing is, is that if their name was Neels, that's different. If a native American called Unicoi (if that's a proper name) had a Gap named after him/her, It wouldn't be called Unicoi's Gap, right? Woody's Gap? :-?:D

[bigmac_in]

ALDHA companion calls it Neels gap as well.

[bigmac_in]

This picture supports Lone Wolf's claim -

http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/d5f47679-f9d9-4e8f-bb45-a1af87a929dc.jpg

[Pedaling Fool]

...but real mountainmen call it Neel Gap. It's a mountainman thing.

[Bulldawg]

Maybe his name was Neels. It might take me a day or three, but I will find where I read it. I have tons of books here, my mind is sometimes called a sponge. I seem to remember obscure crap like that. I'll find it though.

[Survivor Dave]

Maybe his name was Neels. It might take me a day or three, but I will find where I read it. I have tons of books here, my mind is sometimes called a sponge. I seem to remember obscure crap like that. I'll find it though.

Unless you like the research, make it easy on yourself, call Winton or Felicity.:D

[bigmac_in]

It appears the USGS thinks it is Neels -
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lon=-83.9375&lat=34.6875

To get back to the point of the thread - no map needed.

[Bulldawg]

I might give ole Cola Monkey a call tomorrow.

[bigmac_in]

From "Walking the Appalachian Trail" by Larry Luxenberg -

http://books.google.com/books?id=rp6RywISXngC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=neels+gap+engineer&source=web&ots=j3i6QVh95I&sig=Wz9tnLw64EoPYCZU8ZAEzwJQcZU&hl=en#PPA4,M1

Not sure if the link will work - but I tried....

[bigmac_in]

From www.georgiaencylopedia.org (http://www.georgiaencylopedia.org) -

Blairsville is the only incorporated http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/media_content/m-8863_thumb.jpg (javascript:newWindow('/nge/Multimedia.jsp?id=m-8863',550,440,'no','no','no','no','no','no','yes') )Woody Lake (javascript:newWindow('/nge/Multimedia.jsp?id=m-8863',550,440,'no','no','no','no','no','no','yes') )town in Union County. Unincorporated communities include Neels Gap and Suches. Neels Gap was named after W. R. Neel, the chief engineer of the survey for the American Scenic Highway, which came through the gap. The Cherokee Indians called the gap Walasi-yi, meaning "the place of Walasi, the Great Frog," which led early white settlers to call it Frogtown Pass.

[Bulldawg]

From "Walking the Appalachian Trail" by Larry Luxenberg -

http://books.google.com/books?id=rp6RywISXngC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=neels+gap+engineer&source=web&ots=j3i6QVh95I&sig=Wz9tnLw64EoPYCZU8ZAEzwJQcZU&hl=en#PPA4,M1

Not sure if the link will work - but I tried....

You're good, I'm not worthy!!:D:D

[Bulldawg]

From www.georgiaencylopedia.org (http://www.georgiaencylopedia.org) -

Blairsville is the only incorporated Woody Lake (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWindow%28%27/nge/Multimedia.jsp?id=m-8863%27,550,440,%27no%27,%27no%27,%27no%27,%27no%2 7,%27no%27,%27no%27,%27yes%27%29)town in Union County. Unincorporated communities include Neels Gap and Suches. Neels Gap was named after W. R. Neel, the chief engineer of the survey for the American Scenic Highway, which came through the gap. The Cherokee Indians called the gap Walasi-yi, meaning "the place of Walasi, the Great Frog," which led early white settlers to call it Frogtown Pass.

And there you have it.

No map needed, but it wouldn't hurt anything to have one.

Any news on that burger SD?

[bigmac_in]

Too much time on my hands I guess. I read Luxenberg's book - I thought maybe that is where you might have seen it. Just to clarify - I like to carry a map as well, but you could easily walk this section without a map.

I think I'll go to bed before I get interested in something else.

[veteran]

[QUOTE=bigmac_in;641577]It appears the USGS thinks it is Neels -

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?lat=34.734996&lon=-83.918212&w=2&s=11&t=2

[Jack Tarlin]

There's a plaque in front of Mountain Crossings which very clearly says "NEEL GAP." If you Google Neel Gap Photos and check out "Images" there's a picture of it. Despite what others have said, Lone Wolf is correct.

[Bulldawg]

There's a plaque in front of Mountain Crossings which very clearly says "NEEL GAP." If you Google Neel Gap Photos and check out "Images" there's a picture of it. Despite what others have said, Lone Wolf is correct.

Isn't he always right?

[veteran]

The Plaque maker made a typo. :D

[bigmac_in]

There's a plaque in front of Mountain Crossings which very clearly says "NEEL GAP." If you Google Neel Gap Photos and check out "Images" there's a picture of it. Despite what others have said, Lone Wolf is correct.


Posted the picture earlier, as support of Neel Gap. My guess is the gap is meant to be Neel Gap, but like other places it has morphed into something similar - Neels Gap. People like to add an "S" to place names for some reason.

Of course, you can't always trust a sign -
http://ts3.images.live.com/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1604670587030&id=97319c0ae9b773571bdc31e3960f08df

http://ts4.images.live.com/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1613933642931&id=175ec68d0fc687770af6bbd2a16d4d1c

http://ts1.images.live.com/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1576332493480&id=a97d056222c96016d4b83f325e2a40be

:D :D :D :D :D

[FIRFTR911]

Holy crap people! I just asked a simple question about a map, and look what I started! Can I get a map of just that section somewhere, or will I have to buy the whole Georgia section of the AT maps?

So is it Neel, Neels, or Neel's?!?!

[Lone Wolf]

Holy crap people! I just asked a simple question about a map, and look what I started! Can I get a map of just that section somewhere, or will I have to buy the whole Georgia section of the AT maps?

So is it Neel, Neels, or Neel's?!?!

It's NEEL gap

[Jack Tarlin]

I think your question was answered quite awhile ago:

The Trail in Georgia is well-marked, but it's always a good idea to carry a current map.

Go the the "Ultimate Trail Store" section at www.appalachiantrail.org for the map you'll need.

[Lone Wolf]

Is the trail from Hogpen Gap to Neels Gap well marked and easy to follow, or should I still get a map?

no map needed. it's only 6 miles and it's very worn and obvious and well marked

[FIRFTR911]

Thanks for all the info.

[Survivor Dave]

Holy crap people! I just asked a simple question about a map, and look what I started! Can I get a map of just that section somewhere, or will I have to buy the whole Georgia section of the AT maps?

So is it Neel, Neels, or Neel's?!?!

I just got off the phone with Winton. It's NEEL GAP. Saying Neels just rolls off the tongue better. He even has them on some of his shirts that way. But it's Neel.
If you wish to speak with the NEEL family, they are still around and visit up there as well.

So to answer your question, again, no you don't need it, but yes they sell them at NEEL GAP. OK? They'll ship your map.


SD

[clured]

no map needed. it's only 6 miles and it's very worn and obvious and well marked

Yeah, sure, easy to sat you little irresponsible fool, but what if this tender hiker slips on a rock, shatters his ankle, and has a heart attack? And no doubt there will be menacing things like fog, mist, monsters, mazes, murderers, and booby traps, all of which are clearly marked on the maps and easy to avoid for the map-equipped hiker.

[rtober]

that section is well marked and clear. bring lots of water though or filtration.

[max patch]

I'm a big proponent of maps. I always recommend, without exception, that thru hikers carry maps and a compasss.

However, there have plenty of times when I'm a trip and I come across a trail and I'll do a dayhike without having a map. Many times maps arn't even available for the hike that I'm doing.

So I guess thats where I am here. You're talking about a 6 mile hike on a well marked trail, with a well worn treadway. Go ahead and hike it if you don't have the maps. Bring some gorp and a couple liters of water per person.

But when you finish at Neels...buy the Georgia Guidebook with maps.

[Bulldawg]

I say there is ZERO reason to be in the woods without a map on a trail for which a map exists. Even if the trail is as it is in this section. It is well established that the trail here, and most other places is well worn through this section and easily followed. But I still say if you can't swing the $12.95 for the GA/NC map set, then you really can't afford to be hiking. Get a map, it will be fun to be able to take a short break every hour or so to check out where you have been, where you are, and where you are going.

I did however run into a couple this past weekend on the Woody to NEEL section that was thoroughly lost. The trail here is also well worn, easily determined, etc. etc. Nonetheless they were lost. I think it had something to do with all the trails that join the AT on the southwest side of Blood, but they were still lost.

[Berserker]

Having gone through there last week, the trail is well marked and it would be pretty darn hard if not painful (poison ivy) to end up off the trail. That being said, I always carry a map.

[Survivor Dave]

As of 3 days ago, there was water on the blue blazed trail between Cowrock and Neel Gap. It's just to the right about 30 feet or so(going SOBO). It's a very small slightly flowing stream. There is also water at Bull Gap, but that's only about a mile from Neel Gap.

SD