this seems to be the preferred way up and down the mountain for everyone who isn't walking on the AT for the sake of walking on the AT.

i have to say, even though i havent walked the fire road, given that the AT through that section is a bunch of PUDs running along the side of the hill i wouldnt exactly want to walk it either. the fire road appears to e in the obvious spot that a trail through there should be in.

it makes me wonder, was the AT once on the fire road or where the fire road is? why isnt it any longer? is my guess that the fire road is a much more pleasant walk accurate?

the whole ridge from 220 to 311 in general fascinated me. very narrow corridor, i could see into people's backyards at time it felt like. the weird and very consistent arrangement of campsites and shelters (near each other but yet deliberately separate from each other also) and with the campsites all seeming to have picnic tables and grills... what is the story behind all of that? the whole place felt sort of like some odd town or maybe small state park, yet it curiously eems to, as far as i can tell, have no official designation of any kind?