Abol Bride 2 Polywog-fording Water

[cool breeze]

My family is hiking Abol to Polywog (1 13 year old). We hike a great deal in GA and TN and are not used to fording water. Can anyone tell me what the bodies of water are like (rivers, swamps, etc) between Abol and Polywog??? Are we in for really deep water or creeks?? What is Cedar swamp like? Ankle deep or over our heads?

Any advice on fording?

[KG4FAM]

Any advice on fording?

Leki poles are great because you can release one and grab rocks if needed, but if you don't have them make sure you have at least one walking stick and it is better if you have two.

[The Old Fhart]

"What is Cedar swamp like?"

I've been through the cedar swamp many times and the trail consists of a lot of split log walkways or puncheons (like a lot of New England) so I've never got wet. It is an interesting area, enjoy.

[jnetx]

My family is hiking Abol to Polywog (1 13 year old). We hike a great deal in GA and TN and are not used to fording water. Can anyone tell me what the bodies of water are like (rivers, swamps, etc) between Abol and Polywog??? Are we in for really deep water or creeks?? What is Cedar swamp like? Ankle deep or over our heads?

Any advice on fording?

We came through there in June in the rain. It was boggy and muddy on the flats, and lots of flowing water on the steeper sections, but there were no major fording issues, just a couple of smaller streams running into the lakes. Depending on the timing of your hike you might get a couple of places you can't rock hop across, but nothing wide or swift flowing. I would imagine that if there was anything you were concerned about having a 13yo cross there was nothing so wide that you couldn't just cross halfway yourself and stand mid crossing to give an assisting hand.

The bigger challenge, imo, would be the water running down the trail in the rocky areas on the hills. The trail can be slick underfoot under these circumstances.

Poles are definitely an asset for the muddy or wet conditions in this area.

Hope that helps, have a great hike.