mikebellhelo

Date: 01/24/2023 Name: Valley of the Giants near Suches, GA Distance: 3.5 Difficulty: Easy Total Climbing Elevation: 420 Type: Out and Back Notes: A cold start, but a sunny day for this easy hike in the Coopers Creek WMA. With the exception of a few very large blowdowns, and considering the lack of any apparent […]

Date: 01/16/2023 Name: Blue Ridge Gap to Bly Gap on the Appalachian Trail near Hiawassee, GA Distance: 6.4 Difficulty: Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 1,286 Type: Out and Back Notes: With last minute changes to the hike schedule, there were only three of us hiking today. This was a very nice hike on the northernmost section

Date: 01/10/2023 Name: Latham Cemetery and Pear Orchard Loop Distance: 5.4 Difficulty: Easy Total Climbing Elevation: 702 Type: Loop Notes: Another really nice hike with a large group of twenty hikers on a mild and sunny winter day. The main trails were in fair condition, but some of the side trails to the falls and

Date: 01/05/2023 Name: Grassy Knob Loop and Whitewater Falls south of Cashiers, NC Distance: 5.3 Difficulty: Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 971 Type: Loop Notes: This was a great day for hiking with mild January temperatures and sunny skies. This trail is a combination of the Foothills Trail and Round Mountain Gap Trail ending with an

Date: 12/20/2022 Name: Helen to Unicoi State Park Lodge Distance: 6.3 Difficulty: Easy Total Climbing Elevation: 748 Type: Out & Back Notes: Another great hike beating the cloudy and rain- threatening skies with temperatures around 40 degrees throughout the hike. The trail was dry and in very good condition without many rocks, roots or steep

Date: 12/13/2022 Name: Arkaquah Trail from Brasstown Bald to Track Rock Gap Distance: 5.7 Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Total Climbing Elevation: 633 up/~2,470 down Type: One Way 20-min Shuttle Notes: After a brief foggy start, the skies cleared and we had great weather with mostly clear skies, light breezes, and cool temperatures of 40-50 degrees.

Date: 12/08/2022 Name: Trails of Victoria Bryant State Park near Royston, GA Distance: 5.8 Difficulty: Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 702 Type: Multiple Loops Notes: We lucked up with a break in the week-long rain spell with mostly cloudy skies and warm temperatures of 60-70 degrees. The trails were in very good condition, but covered with

Date: 11/29/2022 Name: Chattooga River Trail South from Burrell's Ford near Mountain Rest, SC Distance: 5 Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 587 Type: Out & Back Notes: A beautiful day for a hike with sunny skies and mild temperatures. The trail was in fair to poor condition with the trail showing continued heavy

Date: 11/22/2022 Name: Panthertown Trails from the West near Cashiers, NC Distance: 7 Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 971 Type: Mostly Loop Notes: A very cool and mostly cloudy day on a new trail for some of us. This trail features four waterfalls, Schoolhouse, Granny Burrell, Frolictown and Wilderness Falls. It also has

Date: 11/08/2022 Name: AT – Dick's Creek Gap to Blue Ridge Gap Distance: 6.7 Difficulty: Moderate Total Climbing Elevation: 1,893 Type: One Way Notes: Another one of the great hikes and hiking days we've had during 2022. The weather was perfect with moderate temperatures, mostly sunny and frequent cooling breezes. The trail was in excellent