My son and I. Springer Mountain July 2012. Need info.

[IKBM]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and although I did a lot of searches here, I couldn't find answers.
However, I hope I didn't put up a new thread for things listed already here :-?

My son (14) and I (49) plan to do a 2 weeks hike starting at Springer Mountain going north (obviously, I guess) this July. The plan is to start sections and hopefully complete the AT together some time.
We are both new to hiking (well, we did a couple of 2 or 3 day trips, but nothing like the planed 2 week trip). I kind of read all the books about the AT out there, but of course, these are just books, so I wonder if someone could help me with my questions

I'm really looking forward to do this with my son (who is also very committed) as this is great father-son quality time, before he gets older and leaves for colleague ;)

My questions to the Pros here are:


What kind of temperatures do we have to expect?
Is half a gallon/person water enough while hiking?
Both of us are magnets to mosquitos and the like. How bad is July on the AT in Georgia
What is the best rhythm to do refills in towns in Georgia (3 days? 5 days? anything else?)
What other tips do you have for us?


Thanks for your help

[rocketsocks]

Hey IKBM,:welcomeThere are members here more qualified than i to answer questions about that area,but I'll tackle one.Don't push to hard,if your not in good trail shape,spending time with the boy is far better than having a heat stroke,which leeds to the second point and that is water.From what 'i've heard in that area is that the water levels are down,and maybe could be in a drought this summer,pray for some rain.1/2 a gal is not bad if water is plentiful,but if it is scarce,you may want to carry more.It's late and there will more members out tomarrow,I supect your questions will be answerd then have a great hike.Papa D is from that area,send him a Personal message he'd be glad to help i'm sure.cheers

[chip2012]

I wouldn't worry so much about the mosquitoes but more so about the ticks this year. Never really had a problem with mosquitoes in north georgia. Water should be flowing pretty well. I use a gravity filter and sometimes have to press it against boulders to collect the water dripping down the face... Time consuming but its water. Expect 100% humdity.

[MkBibble]

I am CERTAINLY not a pro, but here are my thoughts.

It will be hot and humid by north Georgia standards, but probably not for you. My first section was in early September and I was surprised by the heat; I’m from Texas and I thought the mountains would be cooler... I believe you can expect mid 80s to low 60s.

Get a good guide book that shows water sources. Sometimes they get low in the summer, so keep an eye on how much you have and where the next source is. I usually max out at 2L in a bladder and a small .7L bottle. That works out to about .7 gallons.

I didn’t notice any mosquito (or other bug) issues, but they usually don’t bother me. I did get some chiggers once, but I attribute that to an off-trail jaunt to avoid some very upset hornets.

I’m guessing you will resupply at Neels Gap (30.7 miles) and Dicks Creek (67.5 miles).

Start slow, don’t rush, and take frequent breaks even if you don’t feel like you need to. I pushed too hard the first time out – really wanted to do the miles – and I had some knee problems. It seems that they weren’t used to the hills…

Have fun. It sounds like a great adventure!

[Moose2001]

I'll echo what the others had said especially the part about starting slow and building. The one thing I recall most about my first hike in GA was how big the mountains are! I was living and hiking in Vermont and was shocked by the climbs in GA and NC. I've seen many hikers blow out knees because they start off fast. 8-10 mile days would be my suggestion. The shelters and camp spots are available to let you do that.

[Whack-a-mole]

All of the advise above is good. Neels gap is a very cool place to resupply. Just don't buy 20 lbs of AT souvineers (sp?). Hiawassee is a short ride from Dicks Creek, and they have a few stores to resupply from. If you are in good hiker shape, you may be able to make it to Winding Stair Gap near Franklin, but if you are not in good shape, it would be better to not be so ambitious. I did this section back in Feb, and there was a lot of water, but it wasn't July either. I would drink big everytime I passed water, as I'm sure you'll be sweating it out. Don't plan on an early start on day 1. It is a pretty good drive up to the parking lot at Springer. Leave your packs in the parking lot and hike up to the summit, turn around and come back down, get your stuff and head out. Take a moment to see long creek falls about 4mi in. Very beautiful, and you might want to take a dip there. Don't worry about Blood Mtn. It's not the big deal everyone makes it out to be. Take mousetraps for the shelters. If you hate killing little animals, you will get over it after they chew holes in everything-your pack, your sleeping bag, your food etc...mice must die! I'm thinking about posting a bounty on them myself !! You guys should have a great time. I wish I could have done this stuff with my dad. Your son is very blessed, but he may not know it yet.

[4dogHiker]

We hiked Unicoi to Dick's Creek last summer. It was HOT. We were spent after the climb out of of Unicoi because of the heat and humidity. Ditto what everyone said here about taking it easy. Get water where you can, and stop and drink, then fill up. Try to take a nice break between 2-4 every day; plan on lunch or a nap. You can start early and hike later as you'll have daylight on your side. GA is a gorgeous section of trail! You guys will have a great time!

[IKBM]

Leave your packs in the parking lot and hike up to the summit, turn around and come back down, get your stuff and head out.


Thanks for all the replies ! We do appreciate it a lot.

@Whack-a-mole
Looking at the map, I don't get it. I thought it all start at Springer Mountain? Could you please elaborate on this?

Thanks to everyone.

[bigcranky]

What kind of temperatures do we have to expect?
Is half a gallon/person water enough while hiking?
Both of us are magnets to mosquitos and the like. How bad is July on the AT in Georgia
What is the best rhythm to do refills in towns in Georgia (3 days? 5 days? anything else?)
What other tips do you have for us?


Thanks for your help



Hot in July. Afternoon thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s, lows maybe in the 60s.

I carry 1.5 to 2 liters of water leaving camp, and stop and get more many times along the way. So, yes, it's enough to start, but not near enough for the entire day.

Lots of skeeters and ticks. Permethrin works.

Starting at Springer, resupply at Neels Gap at mile 30, then in Hiawassee from Dick's Creek Gap at mile 67, then at Franklin at Winding Stair Gap. Neels is on the trail, the others are easy hitches. You can get a night in a hostel or motel at each place, too.

Other tips. The most important one is to underestimate how far you can hike each day. 8 miles doesn't sound like much in Florida, but it's a lot when humping a pack up and down mountains in 90F temps with lots of humidity. Start slow, take lots of breaks, etc.

The second most important tip is to avoid overpacking. For a mid-summer hike in Georgia, it's not hard to have total pack weights under 25 pounds each. (And be careful of your son's pack weight. Try to keep it below 20% of his body weight assuming he is in the normal weight range.) You don't need giant cook sets, or a bomb proof tent, or tons of warm clothing, or a 20F sleeping bag, or a 2 pound sleeping pad. Lots of threads here on WB about what to pack in the summer.

Have a great hike.

[mhurley]

What whack is talking about is there is no road directly to Springer. USFS 42 gets close though. It has a parking lot where the trail crosses it. From that crossing, it is about 1 mile out to Springer. That one mile is a very easy mile, but there is no real reason to carry your pack out there.