AT Backpacking journal/hiking record John Ausema

Narrative description of hikes – geographically arrived from South to North.

Dick’s Creek Gap to Amicalola Falls March 2005 Mileage feet climbed

Fri 3/25 Tray Mountain shelter 10.6 3775

Sat 3/26 Low Gap shelter 14.9 2935

Sun 3/27 Neels Gap hostel 10.6 2714

Mon 3/28 Gooch Mountain shelter 15.6 2676

Tues 3/29 Springer Mountain shelter 14.7 3077

Wed 3/30 Amicalola Falls 9.0 1335

This hike was a backpacking trip during spring break. We had two weeks off, and spent the first week touring historic sites and natural areas in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. Then we drove to Amicalola Falls State Park, which serves as the gateway to the trail, and were driven by a local guy with a truck up to Dicks Creek Gap, on US 76.

Terrain map of the Georgia route | another map of the Georgia route | Elevation profile of trip

Fri 3/25 Tray Mountain shelter 10.6 Elevation profile

The trailhead at Dicks Creek Gap is at a small roadside picnic area. As is typical in the southern Appalachians, the trail loses elevation to cross the road, which in turn is at a local high point, the top of a pass. A bunch of other hikers were at the picnic area when we started, but they were all heading north. One of them had a bicycle folder up and strapped to his pack. We later learned that he had ridden from his home in Minnesota, and planned to carry the bike to Maine and then ride home. I am not sure how it worked out. Weather on our 6-day hike was decidedly schizophrenic: it was either really nice or really bad. Today was one of the nice days, with temperatures in the 60s and clear blue skies. As we started south on the trail, one feature of the late March landscape that struck me was the lack of leaves on the trees. Although the forests at lower elevations were already sporting greenery, along the mountain ridges the trees were bare. The unexpected result was that even in moderate temperatures, we warmed up quite a bit on sunny days, hiking in the sun. The trail was a pleasant stroll, and seemed well-graded. Many hikers bemoan the difficulty of the AT in Georgia, but I think this is mostly because for many out of shape would-be thru-hikers, the definition of difficult is different that for someone who hikes a lot. The lack of vegetation meant there were frequent views off the ridge towards distant peaks. Though not far from Atlanta, the mountains of northern Georgia, protected as the Chattahoochee National Forest, are extensive and largely undeveloped. We eventually reached Tray Mountain Shelter, a high spot where a fairly large number of hikers had already gathered. They were all hiking northbound, as most of the hikers we would be seeing were doing. A few people had set up tents, so there was still space in the shelter.

Sat 3/26 Low Gap shelter 14.9 Elevation profile

The next morning the mountaintop was wreathed in a sort of ethereal fog – as seen in the picture here, taken at Tray Mountain Shelter. Temperatures remained cool as we set off down the trail. The woods took on a very different feel, the contrast with the sunny atmosphere of the previous day stark. At Unicoi Gap there were some food for hikers left by a “trail angel”, next to one of the famous bronze plaques – similar to the one on top of Springer that we would see in a few days. I was hiking ahead of Tatiana, waiting every now and then for her to catch up. Although the hills were not overly demanding, they still provided enough challenge to separate us. Eventually we decided that I would keep hiking toward the shelter, in order to try and secure a spot for us to sleep. When I arrived at Low Gap Shelter, thunder was rattling the air and rain seemed imminent. I quickly discovered that not only was the shelter packed full, but most of the good tent sites had been taken – at least 10 tents were scattered about. I found a spot next to the trail, and began to set up when I realized that Tatiana had the ground cloth in her pack. Not wanting to wait, I set up the tent anyway, and hurried in as the rain began to fall. Perhaps 20-30 minutes later Tatiana arrived, and we spread the ground cloth inside the tent for extra protection from the rain. We ate cold food in the tent as night settled in and the rain came down steadily. We eventually felt compelled to emerge in order to hang our food bag on the available bear cable, so we braved the rain and got soaked in the process. The rain continued all night, accompanied by a howling wind that convinced Tatiana a tornado was coming.

Sun 3/27 Neels Gap hostel 10.6 Elevation profile

By morning the rain had stopped, but the weather was still damp and cold. We stayed in our tent until most of the hikers had moved on, then took down our wet tent and packed up. Tatiana’s pack had gotten soaked as well, because her hastily applied rain cover acted as a funnel for water instead of shedding the water. The rain continued on and off through the morning, and temps remained cold – probably no more than 50 degrees, perhaps only mid 40s. It did not seem like appropriate weather for Easter morning. There was more trail magic from one of the local hostels at a road crossing, and we got some Cadbury Cream eggs. When we arrived at Neels Gap, the prospect of making the steep climb to Blood Mountain and staying in a shelter on top of the mountain many people described as unpleasant was not a good one. We decided to get bunks at the hostel there instead. Neels Gap is an interesting place. The trail passes through the building – or really, beneath an overhang that connects two buildings. The structures are of rustic stone construction of the CCC era. The primary business is an outfitter, which is well situated to capitalize on thru-hiker traffic. Neels gap is approximately 30 miles from Springer Mountain. Many new hikers start hiking north on the AT each year, and find within the first few days that they need to replace or dispose of gear in order to make hiking more comfortable. The Neels Gap staff specializes in addressing such needs. The adjacent hostel was a bit dark and musty, but it was a great place to get out of the cold and wet. Winds howled mercilessly, and we were very glad not to be on top of Blood Mountain. We made macaroni and cheese in the microwave, and enjoyed meeting other hikers. The hostel was full, and several people set up tents outside as well.

Mon 3/28 Gooch Mountain shelter 15.6 Elevation profile

When we emerged from the dungeon-like confines of the hostel the next morning, the blue skies had returned. Cold temperatures still gripped the mountains, however. The climb up Blood Mountain, highest point on the trail in Georgia, was the toughest of the hike by far. There were many rocky and steep sections. Upon reaching the top I spread out our tent and some other gear to dry in the sun while waiting for Tatiana to arrive. I was glad we had not stayed in the shelter. Although an interesting building, it would have been a crummy place to spend the night. The shelter was an old stone building that was probably constructed as a firewarden’s cabin, or something similar. The windows were broken, and animals are reported to frequent the shelter, startling some sleeping hikers. We enjoyed the view from the top. Once our gear was dry we moved on, descending a gentler trail through stately forest on the other side. Because we had stopped early yesterday, we needed to cover a lot of ground today, so we were quite happy when we came up an impressive “trail magic” (Wingfoot would call it trail catering) setup at Woody Gap. I local couple had set up chairs, brought sandwiches and other food, as well as cold drinks. We rested for quite a while before continuing on through the pleasantly sunny woods. Eventually we crossed the clearing a Gooch Gap, where an old shelter was recently torn down. Another mile or so of hiking brought us to the newly constructed Gooch Mountain shelter. The shelter had a spacious sleeping loft, as well as an overhang area where food could be prepared. We met a number of through hikers, and were a bit surprised when we realized that although they were attempting to hike the entire trail, we had actually been hiking for longer, on this trip, that some of them had. One of the hikers was a guy called MacGyver because he had a lot of gadgets. I see him occasionally at the REI in College Park, near our house, where he works.

Tues 3/29 Springer Mountain shelter 14.7 Elevation profile

Blue skies again greeted us in the morning, and we set off down the trail on another beautiful day. The favorable weather seemed to have brought the hikers “out of the woodwork” as well, and we passed dozens of northbound hikers. Some were carrying a huge amount of gear, and – based on brief conversations – appeared rather unprepared for the challenges ahead. The trail wound through rhododendron thickets and crossed rushing streams. Sometime in the afternoon we reached Long Creek Falls, a beautiful cascading waterfall flanked by greenery. Hikers seemed to be all over the place, as family members accompanied thru-hikers down their first few miles of the trail. Eventually we reached Springer Mountain Shelter, which thankfully was not as full as I had anticipated. The shelter had a loft like the one at Gooch Mountain, but was lacking the overhang – although this was not a concern because the weather was dry. We walked a bit further to the top of Springer Mountain, and enjoyed the view for a while. We also got our picture taken next to the iconic plaque embedded in a rock, and signed the register that is stashed in the rock. That evening, we thought we could hear screams from somewhere on the mountain, which was a bit haunting.

Wed 3/30 Amicalola Falls 9.0 Elevation profile

In the morning the rain returned, although the temperatures were still mild. We delayed starting our hike for a bit, hoping for a break in the steady precipitation – but no such luck. The 8 mile hike to Amicalola was at least rather easy, given that it was mostly downhill – but the rain did not let up and we were beyond thoroughly soaked on reaching the bottom, where the approach trail passes through a stone arch near the park visitor center. On the way down the trail pass the top of Amicalola Falls, which are in impressive high falls. We showered and changed into dry clothes, and enjoyed browsing through the AT-themed visitor center and gift shop. We then drove up to the lodge, which sits above the top of the falls, and enjoyed watching the clouds clear and reform as we ate a hearty lunch. We drove a short distance to the small trail town of Helen, Georgia, which is a tourist-oriented town designed to look like an Alpine village. We drove up to Brasstown Bald, where a parking area and short trail brought us to the highest point in the state of Georgia. The bald lies on the next ridge west from the AT, and is reachable by a side trail. We also stopped at the South Carolina high point on the way home the next day.