AT noob from Nebraska needs advice for 9/2013

[Omaha_Ace]

Hi - I'm a 36 y/o from Omaha, NE and am planning a trip out to visit an aunt in Georgia in September 2013. She has always wanted to do a section of the AT but is concerned about going it without a skilled backpacker, which is where I come in.

Now, my credentials will seem puny by this forum's standards, but here they are: Eagle Scout, 2 50 mile afoot/afloats (Boundary Waters, MN and Rocky Mountan NP), several multiday pack trips including MN, CO, SD, WY, and AR, and approximately 3500 trail miles to date and counting.

Ok - down to tacks - Sept 2013 we're planning a 4 to 5 day on-trail trip with my aunt's husband acting as a support driver (weak....I know. Work with me, folks...he's only driving because he can't trek it alongside us :P ) - they would be picking me up in Atlanta and heading straight for a trailhead to jump on the AT and get to it.

YOU are my first step in research. So, WhiteBlaze junkies - if you were me, where would you start - what 40-50 mile strech in the lower 1/3 of the AT will give us the best show and allow our driver access to camp with us at night?

[CrumbSnatcher]

people from nebraska know about the trail? :-)
welcome to WB

[Omaha_Ace]

Maybe just you and I! Official motto of a Nebraska backpacker: "Anywhere but here" - the folks down at Fontanelle Forest always give me weird looks when I head out with a full pack or in one of our spring typhoons - gotta keep in practice - never know when the chance for an epic trip is going to pop up!

I'm really excited about even hitting 2% of the trail. Hoping to get some solid advice and it looks like I struck gold finding this site.

[CrumbSnatcher]

yeah great place, i had thousands of miles hiked then i came here and everyone helped me out by letting me know i was doing everything wrong :-)
just kidding, alot of great people here

[Airman]

I suggest start at Springer Mtn and hike to Neel Gap. There is a road (rte 42) that parellels the trail for the first 20 miles to Woody Gap. Easy accesses to several of the shelters mainly Hawk Mtn and Gooch Gap.

[Airman]

Also good views on top of Blood Mtn and Tray Mtn.

[moldy]

Here is what I would do, 4 or 5 days in September, Have your uncle drop you off in the Great Smokie Mtn National Park at the parking lot for the Clingman's Dome lookout tower and Hike South on the Appalachian Trail and go either to Fontana Dam if you are slow or to the NOC if you are faster. Be sure to get reservations and a backcountry permit in the park. Now if you are restricted to the state of Georgia I would have him drop you off at the foot of the approach trail to the Appalachian Trail and hike to Neels Gap.

[Omaha_Ace]

So...start at the beginning I was thinking Springer to Blood Mtn at a minimum and shoot for bonus miles so Neels Gap would be very attainable on our timeline. What's the weather going to be mid-to-late September? And the bug situation? I'm guessing hot and insane. Thanks for the reply!

[wiel]

mid-late Sept can still be hot, always bugs; you can have some cool nights. If you can deal with the Omaha weather, GA will be a delight!Springer to Neels Gap a great hike, streatch on to Hogpen for more outstanding views. Enjoy.

[G-FOURce]

Go Dawgs! I thought I'd throw in a little New Year's SEC "hey ya'll" for you. (Just funnin')

Welcome to WB!

[TroutknuT]

Hello Ace and fellow flat lander. I live off Dodge and 144th. In April I did Springer to NOC. This year Noc to Hot Springs. If you need a gear shake down or just info.PM me. I do think getting your legs in shape for the down hill part of the trail is a must. This sight rocks big time.

[Papa D]

I think that you might enjoy the Roan Mountains - - the hiking is not too terribly hard and there are good views so I'd suggest a start a little farther north - - Erwin TN (at the Nolichucky River) might be a good starting spot and head north to Elk Park NC - - you could stay at Mountain Harbor Hostel there which is a really nice place - they have a room over their great old barn and tenting in the yard - - very typical good AT Hostel. This would be 50 miles (almost exactly) which would be 4 days at just over 12 miles per day (fit and ambitious pace for a newbie). If this is too much to bight off you could start slightly farther north at NC226 (Iron Mountain Gap) which would cut the trip to 30 miles (4 days at about 7.5 miles each day). The folks at Mountain Harbor Hostel could / would provide a shuttle for you.
www.mountainharbour.net/

the hiking just north of Hot Springs, NC is also really nice - - there is another hostel that I like there just off of Log Cabin Road with great folks running it (they live in an 1800s farmhouse there - - I think the woman is named Hattie) anyway, they have a hostel and cabins on the creek and it;s really nice (just a little hard to find but not bad) you could hike to Hot Springs (southbound) or north to Erwin. Here is the link to their place (and they'll happily shuttle too)

here is their website (good folks)

www.hemlockhollowinn.com

if you are around Erwin, I cannot recommend a place to stay but there are a few

[Omaha_Ace]

Thanks for the sites and hostel info - planning on tenting, but definitely excellent to have back-up plans in case weather gets dodgy. 12 mile days are probably about right with my aunt along. I'm about a 4 mph hiker at home but will definitely slow it down on the AT to take it in along the way.

[Omaha_Ace]

Hello Ace and fellow flat lander. I live off Dodge and 144th. In April I did Springer to NOC. This year Noc to Hot Springs. If you need a gear shake down or just info.PM me. I do think getting your legs in shape for the down hill part of the trail is a must. This sight rocks big time.

Yeah - YOU are going to come in handy. Gear weight isn't going to be an issue as we have a support driver for tents and bags, but saving ounces in the daypack is going to be important. My 'afternoon pack' I take out now runs about 12 pounds wet, but I pack it on the heavy side on purpose just to have some weight on my back when I go out. I'm hoping to have my AT daypack at around 15-17 pounds wet so that might take a little fine-tuning. Where is the best outfitter in the vicinity to Springer? I'll want canisters for my stove and don't feel great about shipping them. Another disadvantage of being in Omaha - specialty / lightweight gear is hard to come by (most of us Nebraskans are "car campers" and use 17 pound 3 room tests for two people - ugh...)

Also, where do you train / hike locally? I'm just down the road from Fontanelle and it's either there or Platte River SP every couple of weeks for me.

[wiel]

Where is the best outfitter in the vicinity to Springer? ..

Mountain Crossing at Neels Gap or you can stop at one of the several REIs in the ATL metro

[Omaha_Ace]

REI :| It will be like stepping into Heaven!!! Sorry Canfields, looks like I'm going to go two-timing on you while I'm out on my trip

[Papa D]

Thanks for the sites and hostel info - planning on tenting, but definitely excellent to have back-up plans in case weather gets dodgy. 12 mile days are probably about right with my aunt along. I'm about a 4 mph hiker at home but will definitely slow it down on the AT to take it in along the way.

Omaha - 4 miles per hour on the AT is trail running - - I'm considered a very fast hiker and regularly do 20 mile days but a 20 takes me (sometimes) all day - never 5 hours (at least not on the trail) - - only the speed record holders hold down a 4 mph pace. (This of course might be a pace down a road or flat trail in Nebraska but not in the Appalachians) - - - I usually hike at an average of 2 miles per hour (or maybe 3.0 at times) but being new to our trail and "with your aunt along", I would guess that you will move at 1 mile per hour - - 1 mph on the AT is still a decent respectable and probably average section miler pace so for you to do a 12 mile day, I'm guessing you'll hike from 7am to 7pm with lunches and breaks built in. You may indeed be able or want to move a lot faster but if you plan based on this you will have the welcome surprise of being ahead of schedule vs behind schedule which could lead to drudgery. I wish you a good safe and happy hike.

[G-FOURce]

Omaha - 4 miles per hour on the AT is trail running - - I'm considered a very fast hiker and regularly do 20 mile days but a 20 takes me (sometimes) all day - never 5 hours (at least not on the trail) - - only the speed record holders hold down a 4 mph pace. (This of course might be a pace down a road or flat trail in Nebraska but not in the Appalachians) - - - I usually hike at an average of 2 miles per hour (or maybe 3.0 at times) but being new to our trail and "with your aunt along", I would guess that you will move at 1 mile per hour - - 1 mph on the AT is still a decent respectable and probably average section miler pace so for you to do a 12 mile day, I'm guessing you'll hike from 7am to 7pm with lunches and breaks built in. You may indeed be able or want to move a lot faster but if you plan based on this you will have the welcome surprise of being ahead of schedule vs behind schedule which could lead to drudgery. I wish you a good safe and happy hike.

great info here.

[Omaha_Ace]

Thanks Papa D - this is the stuff I need to know. Pictures and videos are great, but boots-on-the-groud intel is priceless. At home I blast it pretty hard on the trails I know by heart - I go for volume because my trail time is limited by work and family stuff. When I take my kids hiking it is closer to 1.5-2 mph so that's likely the goal for my AT pacing.

Is the topography in the GA section similar to north Arkansas or sub-alpine Colorado? IE: a lot of sidehill, rolling elevation gain / loss kind of trail? Or is there a lot more steep (30 degree plus) sections? How about stream crossings, obstacle crossings, etc - much, little, or none of that?

[TroutknuT]

Stream crossing may be a few steping stones or a short hop. A nice rain day and the trail will become a river, no rain on main. Trail runners dry faster than boots or gor tex.