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[at-l] Neel's Gap to Woody Gap - Trip report
- Subject: [at-l] Neel's Gap to Woody Gap - Trip report
- From: "W F Thorneloe, MD" <thornel@attglobal.net>
- Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 10:55:11 -0400
Saturday I did a small section, with about every change in plans possible.
The original hiking partner wimped out, possible to avoid HATT. POG agreed
to go with me, originally to drive up Saturday and meet me at Woody to
overnight on Saturday. I planned to overnight Friday and try my daughter's
backpack as a day pack, short weekend pack.
I wound up driving up Saturday after POG slept at Dockery Lake in the rain
and after a Chinese dinner at Dahlonaga. I got there late, car overheating,
and drove over to Neels' Gap, leaving her car at Woody. Walasi-Yi told us
the weather was bad and we could leave the car in their lot. Feeling happy
and not pleased with the bulging book bag, I went shopping and got a Dana
Bomb pack, a marked improvement over my TNF Beheamoth pack, I just found
less than 3000 cu not enough for a weekend, and 3500 great and likely to be
my main pack.
We strolled up Blood Mt., beginning 11:30. I enjoyed the pace, but POG was
obviously not having fun and was ill. After sitting atop Blood about and
hour, doing the Gatorade thing, talking to locals and tourists, she
acknowledged she was ill and not making the trip to Woody by foot. About
2:30 I went west and she went east towards the Skankmobile, with the plan
to meet at Woody after 6PM.
The walk was easy off of Blood Mountain. The recent rain had a trickle of
water at Slaughter Gap, and very good water at the spring toward Bird Gap.
I did not check out Wood's Hole, but know that its spring is not likely to
be useable by anything other than yellow jackets. There were a few seaps
west of Jarrad Gap. There was a very good stream east of the trail to
Dockery Lake, but a smaller spring west of that trail. I saw little
wildlife although the birds were making a racket. I saw two turtles,
and.passed one.
There were a few groups of hikers, a couple of camps and boy scouts, 2
church groups. and only a scattering of solo hikers between Slaughter and
Woody. I explored a bit at Woody and found a number of very neat campsites
just off the road. The trail had been well maintained regarding litter, but
appeared a bit overgrown between Jarrad and Granny Mt. The fire damage from
last fall is visible between Slaughter and Bird Gap, with new ferns and
wild flowers, trees in good shape, but everything else between them in size
burned and dead.
It is very dry up in North Georgia this year. I was lucky to be there after
very heavy storms and during 3 showers. Those of us HATTing will be wise to
cache water if possible, and to encourage fire safety (or better, no fires)
until we recover from 3 years of poor rains.
I finally got to Woody by 6:30 and found POG feeling a good deal better,
but still in need of that section for her Georgia patch. The drive home was
easy, but I was a tired hiker for Father's Day.
OrangeBug
Atlanta, GA
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