May 8, 2018
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Today’s hike was first a short walk through the Sosebee Cove Wildflower trail followed by a loop starting at Lake Winfield Scott hiking up the Slaughter Creek Trail up to the A.T. and continuing up to Blood Mt. then returning to the lake by the Jarrard Gap Trail. HIKERS – Mike Bell, Joe Collins, Renee Corbett, Greta Driggers, Jim Driggers, Pam Euliss, Tim Hale, Jenna Hensley, Bill Hunt, Terre Pratt, Vic Robson, Carole Wintle and Jack Wintle. TRAIL INFO. – The trailhead today was near the dam at Lake Winfield Scott. We followed the Slaughter Creek Trail up to the A.T. and continued up to Blood Mt. The hike up to Blood Mountain is uphill most of the way to the Blood Mountain shelter at the summit. This is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail in GA. at 4,461 ft. Returning back to the Slaughter Creek Trail intersection, we turned left and followed the A.T. to Jarrard Gap and turned right onto the Jarrard Gap Trail and followed it back to Lake Winfield Scott for a total of 8.4 miles for the entire loop. Directions: From Cleveland, GA, travel North on Highway 129 for 21.3 miles and turn left just past Vogel State Park onto Highway 180. Continue on Highway 180 (Wolf Pen Gap Rd) for 6.7 miles and turn left at Lake Winfield Scott Rd to the parking lot. ($5 per car parking fee – seniors $2.50) Another great day for a hike! Mostly sunny and cool. Temperatures in the mid 60’s F warming into the low 70’s. Total distance – 8.7 mi. counting the short Sosebee Cove loop. BLOOMING PLANTS: Flame Azalea, Showy Orchis, Catesbys Trillium, Large-flowered Trillium, White Erect Trillium (Stinking Benjamin), Sweet shrub Wild Geranium, Buttercups, Solomon’s Seal, False Solomon’s Seal, White Baneberry, Yellow Star Grass, Blackberries, Toothwort, Dwarf Crested Iris, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Foam Flower, Canada Violet, Star Chickweed, Bluets, Wood Betony, Umbrella Leaf, Mayapple, Indian Cucumber Root, Squaw Root . BIRDS IDENTIFIED: Black and White Warbler, American Crow, Towhee, Oven Bird, Veery, Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, Junco, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blue-gray Gnat-catcher.
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