First Section. GA

[john muir]

So I have been dreaming of an A.T hike for a few years now and I am finally getting my chance this coming april. I have been using my local state parks for training, ive completed about 20 of them now. We are going to do the whole GA section from Springer mountain to hopefully Bly Gap in roughly 5 days allowing for 1 extra day in case, WE will have a mon-sunday time off for it. my questions are as follows.

1. do you all think it is reasonable to do all 78 or so miles of the GA section in 1 week?
2. I noticed Bly Gap Seems to be a good distance away from any roads, how long wuld it take once reaching the NC/GA borrder to find a road to get a ride?
3. what are some of the good resupply points along that section.
4. as always any advice i can get will be well apreciated.

[MuddyWaters]

So I have been dreaming of an A.T hike for a few years now and I am finally getting my chance this coming april. I have been using my local state parks for training, ive completed about 20 of them now. We are going to do the whole GA section from Springer mountain to hopefully Bly Gap in roughly 5 days allowing for 1 extra day in case, WE will have a mon-sunday time off for it. my questions are as follows.

1. do you all think it is reasonable to do all 78 or so miles of the GA section in 1 week?
2. I noticed Bly Gap Seems to be a good distance away from any roads, how long wuld it take once reaching the NC/GA borrder to find a road to get a ride?
3. what are some of the good resupply points along that section.
4. as always any advice i can get will be well apreciated.

1. Easy for in shape with light pack. Not so easy for most.
2. Bly gap is clearing in woods. You arent likely to find a ride on remote forest roads. Make a different plan.
3. Neel gap, helen, hiawassee. You wont make 5 days if get off trail, and you dont particularly need resupply for 5 days either. Neel gap is only resupply you need.

[ScareBear]

`1. It all depends on your level of physical fitness. When you say you have used your local parks for training, have you hiked three consecutive days with a total vertical distance of ten miles each day, with elevation changes of at least 5000 feet per day, with a full pack with 3 nights of gear/food and at least 2 litres of water? If not, can you run 5 miles a day, for three days in a row? If you haven't done the first, and aren't capable of the second, then I doubt you can string together 7 straight 10 mile days in the Georgia mountains. This is a tough section. And, ten miles a day is also weather-dependent. Remember, you aren't giving yourself any rest days and there isn't really any "easy" stretch in this section. Take a good look at an elevation chart for this section.
2. You can get picked up at Blue Ridge Gap. Just pop up to Bly and get a tree photo, if you must, and then back down to the gap for pick-up. There isn't any other good option nearby.
3. You should pack for 3 nights to Neel Gap and resupply there for the remaining 4 to Bly. Again, weather dependent on how much your pack is going to weigh...
4. If you go in early spring or fall, you need to be prepared for wet and cold weather. The possibility of high winds exits and you need to have good campsite selection skills and a good tent that you trust in the wet and windy. If you go in the early spring with the bubble or just after it, you will find the shelters packed and trashed. That said, I prefer to tent in this section as there are plenty of fine sites. Don't underestimate the trail, some of the straight pulls, like the one up Justus, are tough. There is a good reason why the majority of those with thru hiking intentions don't make it out off Georgia...good luck and bring your

[ScareBear]

Sorry, I meant 11 mile days. 7 straight 11 mile days....

[bigcranky]

1. Yes, it's possible to do the Georgia section in a week. Can you do it? Probably, but we can't know that. Luckily there are a dozen places where you can easily get off the trail when you are done hiking.

2. The best place to stop is Dick's Creek Gap, which is a major road crossing. Yes, it's not quite to the state line, but it makes the logisitics much easier, especially when you decide to come back and start hiking where you left off.

3. Neels Gap has resupply. That's three days in, so it's all you need.

4. Don't take too much stuff, don't try to hike the whole thing on the first day.

[ScareBear]

I meant horizontal miles...not vertical.....dang....I need to quit posting when I wake up!!

[FatMan]

I see you are young so I won't count you out, but only the top 10% of hikers are going to be able to string together 5 straight 15+ mile days in GA. You will likely need that extra day and likely all seven IMO. And you say "We". Hiking with a partner makes it more unlikely as both need to be extremely fit.

But don't let that hold you back. There are plenty of exit points here in GA and plenty of shuttle services that can get you back to your car regardless of where you exit the trail. Just get out there and let your body tell you how far to go. Don't over do it on the first day as that will quickly take its toll on the remainder of the hike.

Between now and the next 3 or 4 weeks is the perfect time to hike GA.

Enjoy your hike!

[Gambit McCrae]

1. do you all think it is reasonable to do all 78 or so miles of the GA section in 1 week?
Yes

2. I noticed Bly Gap Seems to be a good distance away from any roads, how long would it take once reaching the NC/GA border to find a road to get a ride?

Deep gap, NC. Just 6-7 miles north of Bly Gap. You should call and have a car prearranged to either pick you up at a certain time or do your shuttle prior to your trip. Ron Brown is my Georgia Shuttle driver, one of best in business imo

3. what are some of the good resupply points along that section.

Neel's Gap(mile 31.7)
Unicoi Gap (mile 52.9-Helen, GA)
Dicks Gap (mile 69.6 TOG)

4. As always any advice I can get will be well appreciated.

The more days you spread it out at the better your success rate will be. If you want to quit, take a half day down in Helen or a hostel and think about it over the day.
I always tell people, if you can run a 5k in appropriate time and feel comfortable after, you should have a good time physically on the AT. If your going to New England, Make it a 10K.

Fun thing-See if you can find all 3 Plaques in Georgia.
Spell check goes a long way.

[Abatis1948]

+1 ScareBear.

The road up to Blue Ridge Gap has been repaired and I have driven to Blue Ridge Gap twice this summer. The Gap is about 3 miles south of Bly Gap. If you plan to pick up where you end this hike, would end at Dicks Gap.

[Gambit McCrae]

I agree I would end at Dicks gap. No, its not touching the state border BUT logistically it makes sense to end there OR say up in NC around Standing Indian CG or WSG

[Uncle Joe]

Isn't there a FSR at Plum Orchard? I know I've seen pics of cars parked somewhere in that area where folks have hiked to the state line and back.

[Lnj]

My husband and I are doing the same section in late May of next year, but SOBO from Deep Gap, NC. We are both in terrible shape, but working hard to condition now and we are giving it 9/10 days, with hopes of ending at the Amicalola approach trailhead instead of Springer. Good luck!

[FlyPaper]

Deep Gap is 7 miles past the border. That may be more emotionally satisfying since you'd be able to go home knowing you did all of Georgia rather than practically all of Georgia. It is reached via 6 mile dirt road, but the road should be easy. Not sure how snow would affect it in April through.

The goal of doing Georgia in 5 days is a stretch. Even if you can do it, you may not enjoy the hike so much. That will mean you have to do long, hard days. When you go to bed at night, you'll rest uneasily knowing you have another long, hard day tomorrow. Most through hikers take about 9 days to finish Georgia.

[Lnj]

Deep Gap is 7 miles past the border. That may be more emotionally satisfying since you'd be able to go home knowing you did all of Georgia rather than practically all of Georgia. It is reached via 6 mile dirt road, but the road should be easy. Not sure how snow would affect it in April through.

The goal of doing Georgia in 5 days is a stretch. Even if you can do it, you may not enjoy the hike so much. That will mean you have to do long, hard days. When you go to bed at night, you'll rest uneasily knowing you have another long, hard day tomorrow. Most through hikers take about 9 days to finish Georgia.

We may not even be able to make it to Amicalola, but if we can get to Springer I will feel like we made it!

[FlyPaper]

We may not even be able to make it to Amicalola, but if we can get to Springer I will feel like we made it!

I was mostly replying to the OP. 9/10 days to reach Amicalola falls seems reasonable. Thru hikers typically take 8-9 days to finish Georgia, but they start out in less than great shape too.

[Tennessee Viking]

1. GA is a bit rugged for novice hikers. If you haven't done a lot of mountain terrain hiking or if you are not in shape. Its going to be a workout.
2. You have two options. Double back to Dicks Creek Gap or continue to Deep Gap in NC.
3. Suches, Mountain Crossings, hitch from Unicoi Gap, Dicks Creek Gap

If you have walked any of the NC State Parks in the mountains (Mitchell, Gorges, Hanging Rock, South Mtn...), you are pretty well off. If you want a good test of endurance, try the MST along the Parkway. The MST at Falls Lake will also be a good stamina builder.

[Stubby]

Hoping my experiences will help in determining the miles.

My regular section-hiking partner is my son. We started when he was 13, and a select soccer player. We started at the base of Amicalola. Stated late morning, did the stairs (ugh) and total miles on day 1 were 11.6. We then did 17.5 miles the second day, and it was hard. I overestimated what we could do, had little choice but to soldier on to the car. That stretch (Stover creek shelter to woody gap) was probably about the best terrain I could hope for in Georgia, and it was still very exhausting. While we were only a little sore on Day 2, neither of us could have hiked a day 3, we were too sore.

We make sure now to plan for 8 to 10 miles per day. Partly because we know we are unlikely to actually get onto the trail much before noon on Day 1.

He's in his late teens now, and ran cross-country. I hold him back some. We usually do 5 miles every 3 hours. If we push hard, we can do 2 miles per hour. We often have to push, we usually only plan for 1 night, and our shuttling seems to always take longer than expected (but its family, so I can't complain).

There was another day that we did high miles. We did Max Patch to Davenport. Yes, my section hikes sometimes (but not always) go SOBO. We had planned one night, but we were finding little water and lots of campers (we like solitude when we can get it) and my son was feeling his oats... we ended up mixing in some trailrunning (with full packs), and did about 15.6 miles of the trail in about 8 hours, inlcuding the plus 2 more to the car... Got there before dark, last two miles were along a road. And we weren't that sore the next day.. But we had been running a lot in the couple of years prior.

I think you can do it. My recommendations:
1. Run a lot between now and then.
2. Do some several-mile day hikes between now and then, with a loaded backpack. (sounds like you have been, great)
3. Lighten your load - it really helped me when I shed 20 lbs from my pack.
4. Start early each morning... I find it much easier to walk longer than walk faster.
5. Take a headlamp... you can extend the hike into the evening if needed.
(side note on this... its dark roughly 12 hours a day... but you only need about 8 hours, right? Sure, its nice to sit around the [small] [pre-existing] fire ring, and sure it takes some time to make camp and cook meals... 2 hours could be enough for that tho, right? If you have some miles to make up, hiking into the evening is easier than I thought it would be.)
6. Take Advil. I find that it relieves muscle soreness a LOT.
7. Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated helps me not feel as tired.

[Lnj]

Thanks TN Viking. I will be doing many small stretches as part of our training. I may be doing the Grandfather Profile Trail sometime this month. I will make a point to do the toughest ones in the NC Ranges.

[Lnj]

Great advice Stubby. We will likely be hiking somewhere every weekend throughout the winter. Some day hikes only to accommodate other obligations and as many overnighters as possible thrown into the mix, and always the hardest ones we can find with a few hours drive of us.

[Uncle Joe]

Isn't there a FSR at Plum Orchard? I know I've seen pics of cars parked somewhere in that area where folks have hiked to the state line and back.

It looks like I was thinking of Blue Ridge Gap and that road can be iffy. I was looking at doing my Dicks to GA/NC and coming back to that road as a finish but not sure how passable it is.