Second backpacking trip of 2024 … March 16 – 17, 2024
Included … Caitlin, myself, and Sally
The initial plan was to backpack up and over Brasstown Bald then reconnect with the AT to Hogpen Gap over 2 nights 3 days – but due to forecasted thunderstorms we decided to do an overnight from Woody Gap to Hogpen Gap instead.
Day 1 … March 16, 2024
After an early wakeup to hit the road and make the 2-1/2 hour drive to Hogpen Gap and dealing with stomach issues along the way – I enjoyed the drive especially through the german themed town of Helen, GA with it’s rooftops all illuminated with lights. Then enjoying the sun coming up – before disappearing as I got into the clouds/fog at Hogpen Gap – where we met up with Caitlin! We left one car at Hogpen Gap and made our way to Woody Gap (about 35 minutes). We arrive at Woody Gap – which was packed with lots of cars and I grabbed what seemed to be one of the last parking spots. Finally, it was time to hit the trail and uphill we go! It’s still early spring/late winter – so we had fantastic ridgeline views most of the day. Along the way, we got to see the view from Preachers Rock (where there were several day hikers) – this was about 1 mile into the hike - and we continued making our way through the Blood Mountain Wilderness Area. There were a lot of people out on the trail it seemed like – especially one group of like 8 people who was just oblivious to us 3 that were moving a bit faster than they were. So, we took a snack break to give ourselves some space from that group (and their music!) before carrying on down the trail – thankfully that group had taken a break further down the trail and we were able to pass them! As we continued climbing up and down over various ridges … the views were very enjoyable with less people. Finally, after 8.4 miles we made it to the summit of Blood Mountain – where everyone else seemed to be as well (they’d taken the shorter 2 mile way up!). After exploring around the old stone shelter and scrambling around the rocks – we found ourselves a nice spot to sit and enjoy the sun for a little while.
After a nice break and realizing that if I wanted to explore the shop at Mountain Crossings - we needed to get on the trail! Thankfully after Blood Mountain – it was almost all downhill – but the views didn’t stop – so I was struggling with wanting to get to Mountain Crossings versus enjoying the views! But – the downhill was technical on this side with more rock scrambling and some wet areas. But it wasn’t long until we could here the motorcycles from the road out for a ride enjoying the beautiful weather. And then – through the trees – there was our goal – Mountain Crossings. It was a very busy area – with people driving by, some thru-hikers, and other day hikers … but it was a great place to sit for awhile. The store was very nice with a great variety of things … they even carried brands like Gossamer Gear and Montbell – and Sally was able to come into the store too! But we just grabbed a couple of Cokes, a jerky stick (for Sally), and of course a couple of stickers! We grabbed a picnic table … and I decided to go ahead and make my dinner there – so I didn’t have to do it once we got to camp. It was nice to have a table to cook on … the meal was good but it was A LOT of food (Firepot was the brand). After all that … it was time to head to camp – up a hill of course! I started questioning myself – hiking up a hill with a full stomach – but we made it to camp at Bull Gap at 12 miles – and I was grateful that I’d eaten so all I had to do was to set up camp and just enjoy watching the sun set behind the ridge!
Things to note … overall the trail is very nicely maintained and the for the most part the climbs are moderate. There were some sections that were a little more technical – but most people didn’t seem to have any issues. Blood Mountain was cool but the view coming down from Blood Mountain was better I thought – and there were less people. The shelter was stone, cold, and dark – not really something I’d personally want to stay in but it was cool to see. Definitely recommend Mountain Crossings … they’re basically an outfitter and they’ll even do pack shake-downs for a fee. The campsite at Bull Gap had a lot of dead looking trees … so just be mindful and look for any widow makers before setting up camp. Also, if you’re a group hiking along a trail – be mindful of fellow hikers/backpackers that come up on your group and let them by – don’t hog the trail please. Overall, a great first day!
Second backpacking trip of 2024 ... March 16 - 17, 2024
Included . Caitlin, myself, and Sally
Day 2 w. March 17, 2024
The winds had kicked up during the night and I’d decided to take my tarp down so I could just enjoy the night sky - because according to every weather app/forecast there wasn't SUPPOSED to be any rain! Well, about 7am I was awoken to what seemed like raindrops falling onto my hammock netting and onto my face! I jumped up real quick and threw up my tarp ... thankfully I've had practice and had it up in under 3 minutes then spent another couple minutes fine-tuning the setup to make sure I'd stay dry-because of course I brought the tarp without doors! And while I was up - I got Sally out and battened down her dog tent - so our packs would stay dry! Then, Sally & I got back in the hammock to chill for another couple of hours ... spending time reading, napping, and listening to fellow backpackers packing up their camps and the rain hitting my tarp. Thankfully, the rain was never really heavy and it had finally quit about the time we were ready to pack up and hit the trail.
After packing up camp, getting snacks for the day, and taking one last look around ... we were ready to get out of Bull Gap and start the first climb of the day. It was a relatively short climb to the top of Levelland Mountain where it was clear looking west, north, and south ... but east (the direction we were headed was foggy. It was so cool to see ... but it didn't last long. The sun came out with occasional cloud cover ... we enjoyed more ridgeline views - while passing some nice campsites! We took a final snack break at Cowrock before making the descent into Tesnatee Gap. Where we looked ahead and saw the upcoming final climb ... a doozy of a 500' climb in about a ⅐ mile. Caitlin crushed it... while well I struggle on hills but I huffed and puffed my way to the top! And shortly after ... we saw the car where we'd left it the day before at Hogpen Gap! There were people doing trail magic there and several people were enjoying the magic! Sometimes, I think the nicest people are trail people!
Things to note ... as I'd noted for the first day - the trees at Bull Gap were kinda worrying for me personally. Just be sure to look for potential widow makers. The views from Green Cliff Top & Cowrock are worth taking some time to enjoy - great snack breaks - there were also some really nice campsites too! There were a couple of water trails that I saw - one wasn't far off the trail (Sally utilized it) and there was a small stream at Tesnatee Gap. Utilize FarQut - it shows water sources, campsites, and all that fun stuff. All in all ... a great overnight along the Appalachian Trail!
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