November 27, 2007
| Today’s hike was on the Bartram Trail in Rabun County from Courthouse Gap to Windy Gap and back. Access to Courthouse gap was from a .6 mile connector trail off of Courthouse Gap Rd.Total hike 8.2 miles.
HIKERS – Phil Brownrigg, Chuck Crisp, Dick Metzgar, Donna Presley, Tony Presley, Dan Ross, Pom Sinnock, Dave Standard, David Whitaker, Geri Whitaker. TRAIL INFO. – This is a very nice portion of the Bartram Trail. We took the connector trail .6 miles up to the Bartram Trail at Courthouse Gap and then we turned left on the Bartram and continued 3.5 miles to Windy Gap. Directions: Take Warwoman road out of Clayton for .8 miles, and you’ll see a sign for Pinnacle Camp. Take a left turn off Warwoman Road onto Pinnacle Dr. Follow that road all the way, 1.1 miles, passing the camp, to Courthouse Gap Road. Take a right, and go .2 miles until you see a gravel road, with parking areas beneath power lines. Park there, and walk up that road about a tenth of a mile, over one culvert, until you see the trail heading left, up some steps, just before a second culvert. Another great day for a hike! Cloudy to partly cloudy, windy, cool.Temperatures ranged from the low to upper 40’s. Hiking distance – 8.2 miles – Difficulty – moderate with some hills but nothing extreme. WILDFLOWERS IN BLOOM: Witch Hazel, Blue Aster, Black-eyed Susan. BIRDS IDENTIFIED: White Breasted Nuthatch, Pileated Woodpecker, Hawk, Crow |
 Sign at the start of the connector trail to Courthouse Gap. |
 New sign at Courthouse Gap. |
 Mountain views all along the trail. |
 We pass some nice rock cliffs along the way. . |
 This area is thickly populated with Rhododendrons producing a spectacular flower show during the Summer. |
 For some reason, Squirrels love chewing on these aluminum wildlife boundry markers! |
 Almost continuous views along the trail. (winter season) |
 We met up with John Ray, author of the Bartram Trail Guide Books. John was out doing some trail maintenance (see the red handled trail implement). John is frequently found out on the trail making it better for hikers to enjoy. |
 Taking a short break. |
 Engraved rock at Windy Gap. |
 Another great day for a hike! |
 The OFHC gang for today’s hike. (l-r) Chuck Crisp, Donna Presley, Dick Metzgar, Geri Whitaker, Phil Brownrigg, David Whitaker, Dan Ross, Pom Sinnock, Dave Standard, Tony Presley. |