Georgia AT Section

[tawa]

Strongly considering doing the Georgia --AT Section at the beginning of 2011. How many days would you think I should plan on to complete this section and the best possible way to do it? In other words--would it be better to go N or S or S to N and suggestions on how to get back to my vehicle or get picked up.
Had thought about starting from the approach trail on Dec 31st and going North but not sure about the end location and getting back to the Park.
Any suggestions or thoughts on doing this section during this time of yr and what I might encounter would be appreciated.
Thank you.

[stumpknocker]

One option is what I have done a few times and enjoyed. Park at Amicalola and walk to Bly Gap, then walk back to Amicalola.

It can be done at a very easy pace in two weeks....but can be done quicker, even in winter.

I love the Georgia part of the AT!!

[Lone Wolf]

i would park at Amicalola state park (small fee, safe) and get shuttled north to Dicks Creek gap which is 9 miles short of the GA/NC line and hike south back to your car. no road access at the line. it's 67.5 AT miles plus 8.8 approach trail miles.
www.hikerhostel.com for shuttles etc.

[generoll]

another option if you want to do ALL of GA and see the funny tree is to get your shuttle to Blue Ridge Gap and then do an up and back to Bly Gap and spend your first night at or near Plumorchard. Some added miles to get to the end of GA, but it's possible and if you park at Springer then your total miles won't be more the if you skipped the last 9 miles and hiked the approach trail instead.

[max patch]

another option if you want to do ALL of GA and see the funny tree is to get your shuttle to Blue Ridge Gap and then do an up and back to Bly Gap and spend your first night at or near Plumorchard. Some added miles to get to the end of GA, but it's possible and if you park at Springer then your total miles won't be more the if you skipped the last 9 miles and hiked the approach trail instead.

Unless you're in a jeep I'm betting that the road to BRG is impassable.

I'd take the KCT to Deep Gap NC and hike to Amicalola.

[Praha4]

park at Amicalola Falls SP, safest place to park your car in GA along the AT.

a possible itinerary:

Day 1: AFSP to Springer Mtn Shelter (approach trail)
Day 2: Springer Mtn shelter to Gooch Mtn Shelter
Day 3: Gooch Mtn Shelter to Neels Gap (Walasi Yi hostel)
Day 4: Neels Gap to Low Gap Shelter
Day 5: Low Gap Shelter to Tray Mtn Shelter
Day 6: Tray Mtn Shelter to Dicks Creek Gap (hitch into Hiawassee)
Day 7: Dicks Creek Gap to Bly Gap/NC line (tent)
Day 8: hike out south to Dicks Creek Gap or north to next road xing
shuttle ride back to AFSP where your car waits

these are the shortest days of the year, so you have to hustle to get in 15 miles per day, or just bring a good headlamp. have fun

[generoll]

The road to BRG is bad for the last mile, but I've been to it and through it several times in my Element.

[Cookerhiker]

Georgia is a very well-maintained section. Have a great hike!

[Rain Man]

How many days would you think I should plan on to complete this section and the best possible way to do it?

Hope this doesn't sound wrong, but your question is a bit like asking "how fast will it take me to sing a song?" Well, that all depends on you. Not just your ability, but your purpose and your "attitude."

Some hikers seem to think the goal is speed. Others seem to think it's how much they see and absorb (and "see what they see"). And so forth. So, we need to ask you, what kind of hiker are you?

Personally, I think 15 miles a day in Georgia is a lot in the short winter days, unless a hiker is in really good shape and likes to get up early and hike late and maybe bypass some "views" and forgo leisurely lunch stops, but that's me and my attitude.

I'd recommend 10-to-12 mile days in Georgia in the winter.

Main thing (I think) is to hike your own hide and to enjoy your hike.

If you are set on doing all of Georgia, then you might want to finish at Deep Gap, NC, and arrange a shuttle there. You'll have to check to see if the access road (FS 71) is open. The local hiking club can tell you that: Nantahala Hiking Club

RainMan

.

[scope]

I agree with RM on average mileage... the colder it is, the more you sleep in and the slower you get going, at least for me anyway, so even shorter days as a result.

Here's my thought on direction... Nobo is net elevation gain, and Sobo is net loss. The trail is up and down and, therefore, a lot of folks say its no difference, but I maintain that Sobo would be slightly easier and, therefore, you could cover more mileage. To me, the major ups are mostly in different places but very similar both ways, but the overall trend is down going Sobo.

And of the places you might consider leaving your car, Amicalola would be best even though they charge for it. So, hiking Sobo to your car might be the best bet. As MP suggested, get shuttled to the Standing Indian backcountry parking lot where you can pick up the Kimsey Creek Trail for 4m where you pickup the AT 7m north of the Ga line. I'd rather walk the additional 11 in NC than double back on the 9 in Ga IF you have the time. OR, just leave the last Ga section for your next section hike to Fontana and hike south from Dicks Creek.

75m from Dicks Creek to Amicalola, so 6 days doable, 7 days gracious plenty. Going from the KCT, add 20m, so another 1.5 days - the same if you do the double back from Dicks Creek to Bly Gap and back.

[Ladytrekker]

park at Amicalola Falls SP, safest place to park your car in GA along the AT.

a possible itinerary:

Day 1: AFSP to Springer Mtn Shelter (approach trail)
Day 2: Springer Mtn shelter to Gooch Mtn Shelter
Day 3: Gooch Mtn Shelter to Neels Gap (Walasi Yi hostel)
Day 4: Neels Gap to Low Gap Shelter
Day 5: Low Gap Shelter to Tray Mtn Shelter
Day 6: Tray Mtn Shelter to Dicks Creek Gap (hitch into Hiawassee)
Day 7: Dicks Creek Gap to Bly Gap/NC line (tent)
Day 8: hike out south to Dicks Creek Gap or north to next road xing
shuttle ride back to AFSP where your car waits

these are the shortest days of the year, so you have to hustle to get in 15 miles per day, or just bring a good headlamp. have fun

This site is a great one to use to know distances from shelter to shelter this looks like a good plan. But check out this website for more info on the shelters and mileage.

http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/

Mountain Weather website:

http://www.mountain-forecast.com/pea...forecasts/1360

[ChinMusic]

park at Amicalola Falls SP, safest place to park your car in GA along the AT.

a possible itinerary:

Day 1: AFSP to Springer Mtn Shelter (approach trail)
Day 2: Springer Mtn shelter to Gooch Mtn Shelter
Day 3: Gooch Mtn Shelter to Neels Gap (Walasi Yi hostel)
Day 4: Neels Gap to Low Gap Shelter
Day 5: Low Gap Shelter to Tray Mtn Shelter
Day 6: Tray Mtn Shelter to Dicks Creek Gap (hitch into Hiawassee)
Day 7: Dicks Creek Gap to Bly Gap/NC line (tent)
Day 8: hike out south to Dicks Creek Gap or north to next road xing
shuttle ride back to AFSP where your car waits

these are the shortest days of the year, so you have to hustle to get in 15 miles per day, or just bring a good headlamp. have fun

IMO this is a very aggressive plan for January. Two days from Springer to Neels is an aggessive plan for most folks ANY time of the year. You would have to be a strong hiker to be comfortable with this.

[mikecordes]

Gooch Gap to Neel's Gap is pretty strong hike in one day..We did it in 2007 an Mar 3 and made it just before dark..

[restlesss]

I did ga in 1995, we planned 10 mile days, easy hiking we ended up being done in 5 days because it rained most days and had equipment failure I recommend n to south

[tawa]

I agree. I should have been more precise as you don't know my daily mileage rate. My reason for asking the question had nothing to do with wanting to see how fast I could cover the section. It had to do with not knowing what the trail is like in that area and also not knowing if you guys would recomend staying at --avoiding certain shelters and hostels. Also about which direction would work best in your opinions since I need to consider leaving my vehicle and taking a shuttle one way or the other. Also, what the weather may be during that period on the trail.
I realize that its a wide open question but received some great ideas and suggestions and possible options.
Although I have hiked 15 miles a day before I would say I'm more comfortable around 10-13 miles per day and thus not hurried or stretched. My attitude is positive and strong and my purpose is that I have the time and if the weather is within reason acceptable why not go ahead and do the first stretch rather than waiting around until March ist when I plan to start my NOBO. Im getting antsy and tired of hiking local trails around this area and ready to get going.
Thanks again for all the great suggestions and please offer advice now that u know my thinking.

[generoll]

whichever way you go the idea of hiking to your car is the soundest of all suggestions. When you're done you don't want to have to wait for your shuttler.

[Mtn Scout]

FWIW we did dicks creek to standing indian the 1st weekend in oct. we had an average group and maintained 10-12 miles per day. i can tell you the last section in GA has the most elevation change and it was a heck of a climb. we left the parking lot on Hwy 76 at dicks creek at 7:30 am on friday evening and sunday we hiked out to a vehicle at 3:00pm at tate city. and we hiked up to standing indian and backtracked back down. i will offer this, if you decide to finish in rabun county i can find you safe place to park your car. i live in rabun and would not mind one bit to give you a ride back to your car if you leave it in rabun. pm me if you have any questions

[Tinker]

It took me 11 days in 2006 with a zero and a nero thrown in (maybe that should be nearo). I wasn't in the best of shape but was prepared for the terrain mentally having done most of my hiking in the White and Green mountains in NH and Vt. I didn't find the terrain to be as tough as I had expected (the exception being the approach trail from Amicalola SP).

[Tinker]

Sorry, should have read your entire post. January is probably a whole different ballgame than March. I'm sure it would have taken me at least two to three more days if I had to deal with snow and ice.

[Trailweaver]

You're going to have to be prepared for snow and ice conditions to hike this. . . and there are a lot of slick rocks to scramble over in GA. Also, it's probably going to be colder than you think here. Check weather conditions on the trail for Jan.

No one has mentioned it, but I think you could leave your car at the Hiker Hostel if you use them to shuttle you. In other words, come in to GA, stay at the HH, get them to shuttle you to Dick's Creek, and hike back to Springer, call the HH for your pick up. Car problem solved, and no fee for parking. You might also want to use Joyce and Sally for shuttle (the northern section of GA) if you need an earlier pick up due to bad weather or something. They're in Hiawassee, GA. Joyce and Sally as well as the HH contact info is on this website, and both are good as well as reasonable. There are others as well, but these are the two I've used.

The forest service road to Blue Ridge Gap is not possible to drive up in the winter. It's barely useable in the summer with 4 wheel drive. You might be able to hike up there in winter, but not drive up. It's one mile from where they can let you out up to the trail.