First Hike Sanity Check

[GooseMan]

First WB post so please bear with me. I have been catching the hiking bug for about a year now. Running was killing my back so I started walking and haven't stopped. I have gotten lots of great info from all the folks on WB and find most of the reading very entertaining. All the hikes I have done so far have been day hikes. I live in Florida so elevation is hard to come by. Before the heat and rain really kicked in I was going to the Wildlife Mgmt areas in central FL and hiking about 15 miles with a day pack with lots of water. I have no illusion about 15 FL miles compared to 15 mountainous miles. I have hiked the AT approach trail from Amicalola to the FS 42 parking area. I have also done a number of day hikes with my kids on the AT and in mountainous areas of Maine, but those are generally shorter. All of these hikes I found to be very easy, but did not have that much weight on my back (~15#).

I am now looking to do something a bit more adventurous. I am leaning towards going from the parking area at Springer (FS 42) or Amicalola and head north for as far as I can go in 4 or 5 days. The end of the hike can be at any drive-able road. I would go in mid November. I'm slowly accumulating gear (based a lot on what I have read here). I plan to do an overnighter to the Ocala NF in October (once it cools down a bit) to get a feel for the gear and being out there.

My question is does this plan sound reasonable for a newbie to the more seasoned folks here? I am a fast walker so I am also interested where I should try to get picked up (Unicoi gap?). My ride will pick me up and we will spend a few days in Blue Ridge at our cabin. Really, I'm just looking for a sanity check if this plan makes sense. Gotta keep the wife from worrying too much. I understand it can be cold in November and I will be prepared clothes-wise. I will make sure I know how all the gear works prior to the hike. I really enjoy the outdoors but don't get out enough so this seems like a great way to find some quiet and solitude and maybe something I want to continue with.

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Gary

[Darwin again]

Your plan is good.
Go for it!

[Darwin again]

...and yes. You are possibly no longer sane.
Enjoy the glorious dissipation...
I've heard that lots of us, well, some of us at least, lead perfectly normal, well-adjusted lives and still hike.
(Though I've never met those people here.)

[Tinker]

...and yes. You are possibly no longer sane.
Enjoy the glorious dissipation...
I've heard that lots of us, well, some of us at least, lead perfectly normal, well-adjusted lives and still hike.
(Though I've never met those people here.)
Don't believe everything that you hear.:D
There are no "normal" (whatever that elusive label means:confused:) people here.
I hiked Georgia in March during a warm spell, so I can only say that the terrain is a lot milder than that of southern Maine, and I'd rather be caught in a sleet storm there than on Old Speck in Maine (yes, I was).

[Yahtzee]

Unicoi Gap is great place to end. Major road. That's about 10-12.5 miles a day depending on how many days you do. Either way, you can do it without too much effort. Another benefit of starting a short trip at Springer is that you have Neel's Gap at mile 30 as a jump off point if need be.

Enjoy and prepare to hear it from the Mrs. for a long time to come 'cos once you start, you won't want to stop!

[Cool AT Breeze]

This type of insanity is good. FS 42 to here or Hog Pen is reasonable in 4-5 days.

[scope]

Depends maybe on how much you hike the first day. Its 7.5 miles to Hawk Mt shelter and there aren't many great places to camp (for a newbie) between there and Justice Creek 6 miles later. My assumption would be that Hawk is your first night, and you might want to make the last day a shorter one, say 8m or less, so you're talking an average of about 12m for days 2-4. If you're planning on a 8 hr day of hiking, 6 hrs of actual hiking with 2 hrs of breaks, that works out good. Quite doable, a little on the adventurous side if you've not been out there before. Stopping at Hogpen is certainly doable and probably a good first goal. If you're getting picked up - not leaving a car to hike to - then you can plan on Hogpen and make Unicoi a stretch goal. That last section is long but a fairly easy one to make up time on. Here's a suggested itenerary:

d1 - Hawk Mt Shelter
d2 - Ramrock Mt (stretch goal... Big Cedar Mt, blue blaze overlook)
d3 - Bull Gap, mile past Neels Gap (stretch... Wolf Laurel Top or Cowrock Mt)
d4 - (?)Gap about 2m past Low Gap shelter (stretch... Blue Mt shelter)

[Tinker]

Here are a few pics from my '06 Georgia hike:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/548798178sXxbQh
Justus (or however it's spelled) creek was a very nice camping spot, though it's probably not recommended by the authorities.

[shoe]

The've rerouted the trail wuite a bit around Justus Creek, tent pads are up the hill on the other side now. That really big nice area along the creek is no more.

[daddytwosticks]

Shoe...does the re-route still go near enough to Justus Creek to get water? If not, hikers will be mighty thirsty after comming from that dry stretch over Sassafrass. :)

[Jeff]

Check out this website for Hiker Hostel:

http://www.hikerhostel.com/

These folks run the best hostel in Georgia. Even if you don't plan to use them, keep their phone #. In case of lousy weather they can pick up up at several locations in north Georgia for a night out of the rain/snow in November.

[bigcranky]

Unicoi is a good goal for a 5 day hike. There are several places to stop before that if you want or need to do so -- Neels Gap, Tesnatee Gap, and Hogpen Gap are all easily accessible by car.

If you start at FS 42 at Springer, I would recommend stopping at Hawk Mountain Shelter the first day. That stretch of trail is relatively flat (for North Georgia), and it's easy to just keep walking, but then you immediately hit a 5-mile stretch of steep up and down over Sassafras, etc. I much prefer to do my bigger climbs in the morning.

Finally, I second the recommendation of the Hiker Hostel. Great place and great people.

[Big Dawg]

:welcome to WB GooseMan!

Sounds like you've done your homework. Your plans sounds good. Have fun!!!

[Yahtzee]

Gooseman, depending on what time of day you get to Springer, I might try for either Justus Creek or Gooch Gap your first day. Big Cranky is spot on when he says the first 7 are relatively flat. However, the rest of Georgia is not. My guess is you'll be pumped up that first day and knock out those first 7 in 3 hours or so. The next five can be a slog, but if you get an early enough start you should be able to finish in good time. The three ups you have in those 5 miles are more hills than mountains. I'd take advantage of the easy 7 miles and first day energy to try and give yourself time for the harder mountains later in the trip. Just another viewpoint. Have fun.

[Lilred]

I've done that hike in November. It will be cold, be prepared for that.

[shoe]

Shoe...does the re-route still go near enough to Justus Creek to get water? If not, hikers will be mighty thirsty after comming from that dry stretch over Sassafrass. :)

It still crosses right over the creek

[hbower]

When was the reroute? We have always had our Ranger encounters there. The last time they gave us ear plugs.

[Blissful]

Definitely prepare for cold (but you can check the weather ahead of time). Have fun!

[GooseMan]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. Sounds like I am in the ballpark with what I have planned. I intend to keep going down this planning path ;). Now need to get out there and do it.

Just need to firm up the travel. I saw another post about parking and leaving a car at Amicalola SP. I may drive up, leave my car at AFSP and have the family fly later, get a rental car and meet me for pickup. Then go back and get the car. Or, I'd fly, and get a shuttle (Survivor Dave?) to FS42. Get picked up at the end by the family. I have read the articles on getting to Springer but the logistics seem challenging. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Gary

[shoe]

When was the reroute? We have always had our Ranger encounters there. The last time they gave us ear plugs.

Fairly recently...one of the ladies I was hiking with ran into a trail maintainer and I believe she said the stairs were done in May.....as far as the rest of the reroute I am not sure.

[kilroy]

Welcome to the forum GooseMan!

Read the forums and become as prepared as you think you can be. Err on the side of caution when considering how to keep warm. November can be very cold in those mountains, and wet as well. You're never really all that far from rescue on this section of the trail. Take your cell phone. If you end up not being able to make Unicoi, it's easy to reroute your ride to another road crossing.

Most of all have fun!

[MkBibble]

GooseMan, I can certainly identify with your situation. I’ve been itching to spend some time on the AT for several years. My wife bought the Bill Bryson book (I think) to pacify me, but it had the opposite effect. This summer when we were vacationing in Virginia I got to spend a little time hiking with the family, but I wanted a lot more!

Survivor Dave will be dropping me off at Springer in about 2 weeks and picking me up at Neel's (or Neel...) Gap 3-1/2 days later. Or, maybe Hogpen or Woody - depending on how things go... I'm not sure about other shuttles, but Dave has been an enormous source of information for me; I'm guessing you've experienced the same.

I can't wait!

[mister krabs]

Gooseman, Consider getting the ride as a shuttle on the first day and then walking *back* to your car. That way there's no waiting for the ride at the end and the possible mixups that come with that are already out of the way. Your car waiting for you at the end is a sure thing.

[GooseMan]

GooseMan, I can certainly identify with your situation. I’ve been itching to spend some time on the AT for several years. My wife bought the Bill Bryson book (I think) to pacify me, but it had the opposite effect. This summer when we were vacationing in Virginia I got to spend a little time hiking with the family, but I wanted a lot more!

Survivor Dave will be dropping me off at Springer in about 2 weeks and picking me up at Neel's (or Neel...) Gap 3-1/2 days later. Or, maybe Hogpen or Woody - depending on how things go... I'm not sure about other shuttles, but Dave has been an enormous source of information for me; I'm guessing you've experienced the same.

I can't wait!

I read the Bill Bryson book. It was very good and entertaining. I've read a lot about the trail and want to now give it a go. I have not yet talked to Survivor Dave. I was waiting for closer to November. Just gathering up gear now. Will do an overnighter to the Ocala NF late Oct or early Nov. Maybe a night in the yard to test everything out. The kids will find that entertaining. Enjoy your hike.

Gary

[GooseMan]

Gooseman, Consider getting the ride as a shuttle on the first day and then walking *back* to your car. That way there's no waiting for the ride at the end and the possible mixups that come with that are already out of the way. Your car waiting for you at the end is a sure thing.

The pick-up part we have figured out. I will be heading to GA on Friday. I will get a shuttle to FS 42. The rest of the family is driving up a few days later. We own a cabin in Blue Ridge. After they're there a day or 2 they will pick me up at Unicoi Gap or some other road. As long as I have phone reception it should not be an issue for them to meet me somewhere else. After a couple of days I should have an idea of how far I will get and can choose another pick-up spot if needed. Since we've had cabins up in that area for a while now we are used to traveling on the Forest Service roads in the area. A pick-up on one of them would not be an issue either. Thanks for the feedback.

Gary

[Dad, I'm cold]

Welcome to the forum. Just watch out for the "Legends in their own mind" types on here, their dedicated worshippers and the overzealous moderators/admins.