[Lengthy post warning]
Hey all, I'm trying to get in a practice/shakedown hike in prep for my 2018 NOBO. I'm planning a section from either Amicalola Falls or Springer (undecided on start yet) thru to Neels Gap starting on October 7 to take advantage of the Columbus Day holiday. I understand some people could probably knock that section out in 3 days but in my case, I'm 200+lbs and will be taking it SLOW and I mean slow. So, I'm anticipating more days out there. I've got 2 friends that are going to join me just for the holiday weekend Sat-Mon so I need to put together all the logistics for the trip in terms of car drop-off, shuttling to our starting point, determining a likely exit point for when they leave, a shuttle for them from that point back to their cars, other things I need to take into consideration, etc.

Right now the plan would be to drop off the cars at Mountain Crossings, take a shuttle from there to our start point and to essentially hike back to the cars (with the friends getting a shuttle there instead). If we choose to start from Amicalola Falls, this is the über-conservative itinerary. I could be selling myself short here but I'd like to consider it a worst-case scenario of speed & fully respecting the climbs to come:

Amicalola Visitor Center ~~~~~ Frosty Mountain Campsite (4.7 miles)
Frosty Mountain Campsite ~~~ Springer Mountain Shelter (4.4 miles)
Springer Mountain Shelter ~~~ Hawk Mountain Campsite (7.7 miles) // Friends exit? //
Hawk Mountain Campsite ~~~ Cooper Gap (5.1 miles)
Cooper Gap ~~~~~~~~~~~ Gooch Gap (4.9 miles)
Gooch Gap ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lance Creek Restoration Area (7.0 miles)
Lance Creek ~~~~~~~~~~~ Slaughter Creek Campsite (4.3 miles)
Slaughter Creek Campsite ~~~ Neels Gap (3.1 miles)

Where the above itinerary poses a problem is I don't know where/how my friends could get off-trail around the Hawk Mountain Campsite area. They would need time to drive back home so it might actually mean they get picked up before arriving at the campsite. Either way, I would have to figure that out. Using the same itinerary but starting at Springer would look like this:

Springer Parking ~~~~~~~~ Springer Mountain (1.0 miles) ~~~ Hawk Mountain Campsite (7.4 miles) [8.5 miles total]
Hawk Mountain Campsite ~~~ Cooper Gap (4.9 miles)
Cooper Gap ~~~~~~~~~~~ Gooch Gap (4.9 miles) // Friends exit? //
Gooch Gap ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lance Creek Restoration Area (7.0 miles)
Lance Creek ~~~~~~~~~~~ Slaughter Creek Campsite (4.3 miles)
Slaughter Creek Campsite ~~~ Neels Gap (3.1 miles)

I'm leaning more towards the Springer-start itinerary just to eliminate even the possibility of having to carry 8 days of food or any other hiccups. Otherwise, are there any issues that I could be missing with the above? The stopping points are based off Guthook's mileage (incl. the off-trail miles to campsites) and notes of tent spaces at those spots. Also, in case our speed is more or less than the above, does anyone have a list (even if another thread) containing all the possible shuttle pick-up points along this stretch that I could keep handy while we're out there?

As for other considerations besides pick-up locations, is there anything I should be mindful of for this particular time period or stretch? Would there still be a bear canister requirement at Slaughter Creek during October or is that just during spring/summer? I understand that it's bow hunting season during that time and while my pack is bright orange, are there any other precautions or clothing I should wear? I will definitely need to pass that info onto the friends who might not have any orange items planned right now. Should we pack particularly warm clothing/sleeping gear for an early October in GA? (again, I'm in charge of getting a packing list to them) Lastly, does Georgia or at least this stretch have any fire bans that I should be aware of? I would like to test out my alcohol stove in a real-world setting though I'm going to see if a friend will loan me a canister stove as backup and to compare the two.

Thanks for your patience with this post and any information anyone can provide! Also, if anyone would like to join up with us that is always welcome!