Summer Break 2021
This hike and the previous hike were carried out during week-long breaks from my studies at Athens Tech. With my final semester ending in only a few weeks, this hike provided an opportunity to decompress just before the academic home stretch.
At the last minute I changed my mind about leaving Millie at home and ultimately decided to include her with the stipulation that if she struggled too much I would turn around and conclude the hike early. Fortunately, Millie successfully made it through all 40 miles of this trip.
We left the car at Woody Gap on Hwy 60 and commenced hiking South at 5:30pm on Tuesday, July 6.
Approximately 1.5 miles into the hike is a gorgeous vista. If I stood in the right spot I could hear the radio station on my old 7th Gen iPod Nano. There were several spots on this hike where I was able to hear it.
Whenever we hike the dogs are initially energetic and attentive.
A closer zoom of the vista
Gooch gap is approximately four trail miles from the starting point at Woody Gap. Since I was planning on hiking 20 miles to Springer Mountain and then 20 miles back, I decided to continue hiking.
There are several streams on the trail, and the dogs enjoy them.
The campsite from the first night.
We hiked until it became dark, and then I used my headlight to hike in search of the perfect campsite. At around 10:00pm we arrived at a clear and flat site at the top of a mountain. While I was hoping that good radio reception of the radio station would be possible from this high altitude, this was not to be do to cochannel interference from WVFJ. It was late, so I threw down my sleeping pad and bag. Any time I can avoid setting up my tent I do. Fortunately there was no rain.
Never one to sleep adequately while on the trail, I started listening to Oldies music on prerecorded broadcasts of Solid Gold Sunday Night until well after midnight. I was glad to have Millie on this hike because she is an excellent overnight watch dog unlike Mabel who immediately falls asleep and starts snoring.
Another view of the campsite.
The following morning I was low on water and there were no streams to fill up for several miles. Upon reaching the first spring (just below the viewing area of this photo) it started raining. While the rain soon passed the high humidity causes wet items to stay that way for a prolonged period of time. Most importantly my boots remained dry.
An area free from tall vegetation.
We eventually reached the intersection of the Benton Mackaye Trail and Duncan Ridge Trail...
...This is the same spot where the short trail leading to Long Creek Falls is.
We ultimately decided to hike the short distance to the falls for lunch - which consisted of a tube of crackers with tuna pouches.
The last mile before Springer Mountain.
The dogs and I reached Springer Mountain at 2:00pm on Wednesday. This historic location is the Southern terminus of the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail. I was expecting there to be a bit more scenery at this location, but there were only a couple of plaques affixed to rocks and a lackluster view.
Since we don't normally take many breaks, I allowed 30 minutes rest at Springer Mountain. This seemed appropriate.
We turned around and stopped back at Long Creek Falls on the return trip at around 5:30pm.
30 minutes later the rain started.
Thank goodness for the rain jacket my mom gave me earlier this year. This was the first time I used it, and it worked well. The dogs don't have rain jackets.
The rain continued. I was pretty sure that this "shed" was really a pavilion that I had encountered on previous trips, but I never went there because I didn't know how far off the trail it was, and I wanted to go further before setting up camp.
Something about that eerily scrawled-out sign didn't do it for me. Heck, it looks like the sign from the 1989 horror film "Pet Sematary" and that awful song by The Ramones.
It started getting dark and the rain continued so I decided that we would hike until we found a shelter. I knew that there would be one further along the trail, but I couldn't remember how close it was. Either way, I was committed to hiking there because I wasn't about to willingly set up camp in the rain. Experiences like this "build character" and offer a remarkable distraction from every day stresses. This was especially true when I saw a black bear on the side of the trail.
Around this time I was completely ran out of drinking water. There was eventually a super-long side trail leading to a small trickle of water. While I filled up my containers the dogs waited patiently.
The small trickle of water I reached at 7:15pm.
Shortly after filling up my water I saw a welcoming sign indicating a shelter just off of a short side trail. There were a couple of New York City girls camping in the tent they set up inside the shelter. We had a delightful conversation while I was preparing to sleep. Once we stopped talking I switched on the earphones and was delighted that I cold hear the radio station. I switched between that and the oldies music.
While the rain stopped shortly after I arrived at the shelter, a subsequent brief downpour in the middle of the night helped me realize how grateful I was to be under a shelter.
The next morning, when this photo was shot, I packed up and started hiking just after 8:00. I estimated that I had approximately 12 miles to cover before reaching the car. Fortunately I was able to start the day with a dry set of clothes.
The signs at important gaps help gauge the distance I have traveled.
A sign's depiction of Smokey Bear setting a fire. Interesting.
The dogs enjoy a drink at the creek depicted before.
The 12 miles on the final day were strenuous but enjoyable. This view is from a mountain top very close to the scenic vista depicted earlier.
Toward the end of our hiking trips the dogs tend to lie down and rest at any opportunity.
This photo is from the original scenic vista - approximately 1.5 miles from the car. Shortly after this photo, the rain started and continued until the end of the trip.
We reached the car just after 3:00pm. The jogger seen in the photo had just completed a 16-mile trail run.
He helped me shoot this photo, and shortly thereafter we drove back home.
Map of the hike
