Springer Mountain to Neel's Gap

Appalachian Trail
Section Hike
Springer Mtn. to Neels Gap
November 7 -10, 2003

November 6, 2003

We drove to Blood Mountain cabins arriving at 10:30 p.m. CST and were given the Squirrel Cabin. The cabin was nice with an upstairs and downstairs bedroom. Spacious living / dining room and a bath, it was plenty big enough for 4 people. It was a good place to stay before beginning our hike early tomorrow. Patsy had motion sickness because of the curvy roads between Blairsville and Blood Mountain cabins.

November 7, 2003

We were up early, ready to go at 7 a.m. Our shuttle, 81 year old Mr. Gene Hamilton met us about 30 minutes early but we were ready to go. He headed toward Dahlonega, GA. at breakneck speeds around the curvy roads. I enjoyed talking with him and he carried us on a drive around the square in Dahlonega, the site of the first gold rush in America, before heading up to Springer Mtn. We arrived at the Forest Service Road 42 parking area in 1 hour and 15 minutes from Blood Mtn. Cabins. He drove just as fast on the FS road as he had on the highway! We bounced and held on while he tried to miss the biggest pot holes in the gravel road, not always succeeding in doing so. Finally we were there and I took his picture before he left us. There was another backpacker standing near the information bulletin board located at one end of the parking lot. We spoke to him and he mentioned he had just finished a south bound thru hike yesterday.

That was enough to make us stop and talk with him for a few minutes. We introduced ourselves and he gave his name as Steve from Tampa, Florida. He said a couple of years ago he and his wife had sectioned hike parts of the AT. Unfortunately a year or so ago she had died and her last request was for her ashes to be spread from Mt. Katahdin in Maine, the northern terminus of the AT. He said on his way he decided to thru hike and now intended to hike the Benton MacKaye trail, continue into Alabama to the Pinhoti and then on to home in Florida. He asked if we were hiking to the Amicalola Falls Lodge on the approach trail and I told him we were going to Springer Mtn. and then backtrack to here before continuing to Neels Gap. He offered to watch our backpacks for us so we wouldn’t have to carry them up and then back the 1.8 mile roundtrip to Springer. He said it had taken him so long to get here he wasn’t in any hurry to leave. I thanked him but declined his offer and we wished him good luck on his hike to Florida. We left after that and headed to Springer Mtn, the southern terminus of the AT, elevation 3782 ft.

Patsy didn’t feel well after the ride with Mr. Hamilton. She was feeling the effects of motion sickness again and it took us about 50 minutes to hike the .9 mile to Springer Mtn. The trail was very wet, just like it had rained the night before. All the leaves were gone from the trees and the ground and trail was a solid carpet of multicolored leaves. It was a nice carpet to hike on and continued that way all the way to Neels Gap. I took several photos of the plaque and surrounding area while Patsy rested and drank some Gatorade. Soon she was feeling better and we headed back to the parking area. I took the side trail to the Springer Mtn. Shelter, took a few pictures and rejoined Patsy on the trail. It was almost 10 a.m. when we left the parking lot headed north on the AT. Steve was gone when we got back. I didn’t even think about taking his picture earlier and both of us wished I had.

The trail to Stover Creek was an easy hike. We covered the 1.6 mile in 53 minutes. The trail follows an old logging road in several places and made for easy walking. The temperature was perfect; about 58 degrees with sunshine. Stover Creek Shelter is located some 200 feet off of the AT and we decided to eat lunch there. Stover Creek Shelter is small and only has one level for sleeping. It is located in a pretty setting with hemlocks and rhododendron all around. Someone had left the shelter journal / register on the picnic table in front of the shelter. After I signed us in I placed it back in the protective plastic bag and inside the shelter. We enjoyed our lunch and after 20 minutes were ready to hike again. As we were leaving we met another southbound thru hiker, Bluegrasshopper. He was a nice young man and we enjoyed talking with him. He commented on the Philmont brand on my hiking stick and said he hoped to lead his scout troop to Philmont in the near future.

Before leaving he warned us of a thief on the trail, a pretend thru hiker who would steal things from other hikers’ packs. He told us he had caught the pretender in several lies and that he couldn’t be trusted. When he described the thief, Patsy and I knew it was our “friend” Steve we had met in the FS road parking lot earlier that morning. We thanked him for the information, congratulated him on his successful hike and as we parted ways, wished him well.

Patsy and I had swallowed Steve’s story hook, line and sinker. It was a good thing we didn’t leave our packs with him. No doubt they would have been much lighter if there at all when we returned. I‘ll admit “Steve” was in my mind the rest of the day. I thought about what I would do if he showed up at the shelter tonight. Patsy and I have made it a habit to hang our entire pack on the bear cables which would make it that much easier for him to pilfer our gear or food. So I hiked the rest of the day with my mind bouncing between Steve and the beauty of the country we were hiking through. I knew Patsy was doing the same by comments she would make from time to time.

Stover Creek runs through what is thought to be the only virgin stand of hemlocks between here and the Smoky Mountains. They are beautiful giants with their own subtropical climate in the hollow and watered by the creek. The whole area is lush with green plants, even in November. The trail follows an old logging road parallel with Stover Creek for about a mile and then crosses the creek. In about a half mile we crossed Chester Creek, another creek lush with greenery. The AT crosses FS Road 58 here at a trailhead called Three Forks. According to the Guidebook, its name comes from 3 mountain streams joining together to form Noontootla Creek. There were several cars parked at this junction. We have hiked the 1.6 mile from Stover Creek Shelter in about an hour, very good time for us.

We crossed FS Road 58 and continued along the old logging road parallel with Long Creek for about a mile. There is a blue blaze trail which leads to Long Creek Falls where the Benton MacKaye, Duncan Ridge, and Appalachian Trail separate. This section of trail from FS Road 58 to the Long Creek Falls trail is heavily traveled by day hikers hiking to see the beautiful water fall on Long Creek. After 28 minutes of hiking from Three Forks we took the side trail to Long Creek Falls, elevation 2740 feet, and marveled at the water fall for a few minutes. It was well worth the short hike to see the falls. Soon we were headed on toward Hawk Mtn. Shelter another 2.6 miles away.

The trail ascended gradually, going through several rhododendron groves and crossed several old logging roads. One of the gravel roads led to Hickory Flatt Cemetery. There is a church with a pavilion that hikers could use there also. We didn’t try to find the church, later wished we had, but continued instead toward Hawk Mtn. Shelter. We finally reached the shelter after a total time of just over 4 hours from Springer Mtn. Our total mileage today was about 8.5 miles including the .9 mile we backtracked to the summit of Springer Mtn. The trail had been a pleasant surprise to us. Someone had told us the AT through Georgia was rough and the scenery ugly. We thought right the opposite after our first hike in Georgia. But we know the trail does get tougher tomorrow.

Hawk Mtn. Shelter, elevation 3260 feet, .2 mile off the AT, is a 2 story shelter and Patsy, much to my surprise, decided we would sleep on the top floor. She later told me that if the thief had showed up we could have kept him knocked off the ladder to the top floor! The shelter was clean with a nice table in front of the shelter. The privy was clean, as much as privies can be clean, and the water source was at least 200 feet away on the other side of the shelter. The bear cables are located very close to the shelter. We cooked supper, cleaned up, hung our packs and thought we would have the shelter to ourselves. But just as it was getting dark, 2 other hikers arrived; one, Anthony, still going strong and the other, Kelly, limping badly. They had hiked all the way from Amicalola Falls State Lodge today, a distance of almost 17 miles. It was Kelly’s first hike on the AT and that distance was almost too much for him. They were welcomed company with the possibility of Steve being in the area. We found out later they were from Jessup, GA.

Patsy and I watched the full moon rise above the mountains for just a few minutes before it was covered by a heavy fog. I had brought a gallon zip lock bag almost full of water from the stream earlier to the shelter and shared what we didn’t use for supper with the late arriving hikers. We went to bed very early as the fog rolled in and the damp air caused the night air to feel cooler than it really was. At 6:30 p.m. the temperature was 57 degrees.

Anthony and Kelly were both sleeping outside the shelter, Anthony in a tent and Kelly in a hammock. Patsy woke me 3 times during the night saying, “Wayne, a mouse just ran through my hair!” I had knocked a couple off my arm as they started climbing up it earlier. It started raining lightly about 9 p.m. and continued almost all night. The rain falling on the shelter roof helped us sleep. It also helped with the mice as they stopped running over us when the rain got heavier. Low temperature overnight was 48 degrees.

November 8, 2003

I slept sound for about 3 hours and then napped on and off till daybreak. The fog was still lying low and very heavy. Everything outside the shelter was soaked. Anthony brought his gear to the shelter to pack up in the dry. His opinion was that it didn’t rain but the fog was so heavy that the condensation fell like rain most of the night. He said that was a common occurrence in the North Georgia Mountains. I got up at 6 a.m. and dropped our packs from the bear cable. Patsy started packing and I starting boiling water for breakfast. We ate our breakfast sitting in the entrance to the shelter. Anthony and Kelly left 20 minutes or so before we did. We warned them about the thief before they left.

We left Hawk Mtn. Shelter at 7:20 a.m. in a heavy fog. There was a group of 4 people camping near the junction of the trail to Hawk Mtn Shelter and the AT. Three of them were from Alabama. It was only a half mile, all downhill, to another road crossing, Hightower Gap, elevation 2854 ft. The trail weaves through Poplars, Oaks, Hickories and Blackgum trees and was very wet. We made it to Hightower Gap in 22 minutes from Hawk Mtn. Shelter. The guidebook said there were garbage cans in the gap but they were not there when we crossed. We had packed in some canned food for supper, something we’ve never done, last night with these garbage cans in mind. So now we’ve got to carry the cans and extra garbage from supper last night on to Neels Gap. Bummer!

The trail started ascending and we finally reached the ridgeline. There were not many switchbacks so the hike was slower for us until we reached the top. While we were on the ridgeline, we met our second southbound hiker, Waldo. He was from Maryland and planned on finishing today. We congratulated him and took his picture before continuing our hike. After a couple of miles and an hour and 30 minutes, we reached Horse Gap, elevation 2673 ft. We decided to take a short break and sat on a boulder near the edge of the Gap. We had noticed this morning on the map that we had 6 or 7 mountains to cross today. Our worse one was coming up, Sassafras Mtn, elevation 3336 ft. We gained 663 feet in about a mile, all of it almost straight up with very few switchbacks. We saw two huge rolls of old barbed wire lying beside the trail near the summit of Sassafras Mtn. Apparently some of this area had been fenced in days gone by. Interesting.

The trail doesn’t stay on the top of Sassafras Mtn. very long and descends steeply to Cooper Gap, elevation 2828 ft., losing 508 ft in .6 mile. It took us an hour and twenty minute to hike from Horse Gap to Cooper Gap over Sassafras Mtn, a distance of 1.6 miles. The trail doesn’t stay in the Gap long and we were climbing to the top of Justus Mtn, elevation 3224 ft., a gain of almost 400 ft. in .6 mile, immediately. One difference in the trail over Justus Mtn. though was the switchbacks. The switchbacks made the hike up a little longer but easier.

About half way up Justus Mtn. there was evidence of a strong storm that had come through this area in years gone by. Literally hundreds of huge trees had been blown over, all in the same direction from here to the other side of Justus Mtn. Seems like there was a lot of trail damage from a hurricane through this area years ago but I’m not quite sure. I know the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club had an enormous job in clearing this portion of the trail whatever caused the blow downs. We stopped for lunch amidst some of the blow downs and took a break. When we crossed Justus Creek, elevation 2580 feet, we saw Anthony and Kelly taking a break.

In less than a mile we crossed Blackwell Creek, elevation 2640 feet, and ten minutes later Patsy saw a shelter. I didn’t think we had gone far enough to reach Gooch Gap shelter so this one had to be the new Gooch Mountain Shelter. I wasn’t for sure if the new one had replaced the old one because it wasn’t shown on my map. We had planned on staying at Gooch Gap but this one looked so new we decided to spend the night here. It had been almost 5 hours since we left Hawk Mtn. shelter and had hiked about 7 miles.

There was a blue blazed trail behind the shelter which splits to the water source and privy. The water source was a spring on the downhill trail and the privy was located on the uphill trail. Yep, that’s right; the privy was located uphill from the spring! But in spite of that or maybe because of that, the water was the clearest we had the entire section. Just as I got back to the shelter, we heard a group of scouts coming up the trail. Several of those in the front turned off the AT and checked out the shelter. They soon returned to the AT and continued with several more scouts behind them. They were just the first wave as it turned out as 3 more groups came by in the next hour or so. I tried for a couple of hours to find news of the Alabama – Mississippi State ballgame and finally heard the 3rd quarter score of 24 – 0, Bama’s favor. I found one station that was already playing all Christmas music.

Kelly hiked in to the shelter in about an hour later to stay the night. His partner had decided to continue on and bring the car back to Woody Gap to pick up Kelly tomorrow. Kelly is still having problems with one of his ankles. We prepared supper, cleaned up a little and gathered firewood. Patsy had been looking forward to building a fire and there was ample wood around the shelter to do so. Usually the area around the shelters has been picked clean and it’s hard to find enough wood for a fire. The three of us sat around the fire and talked. Just before dark, two other hikers came in, Brad and Patrick, from Atlanta. They started supper preparations and soon joined us by the fire.

I had hoped we would have clear skies tonight as there was going to be a lunar eclipse starting around 5:30 p.m. But the clouds were thick and low and we actually sat by the fire in a slow drizzle of rain for over an hour. No eclipse visible tonight from the North Georgia Mountains. We talked and enjoyed the fellowship that only backpackers can share around a campfire. It was a nice ending to a good day. We all went to bed around 7 p.m. The temperature was 52 degrees with a light rain falling. Kelly was sleeping in his hammock again and the rest of us were in the shelter. One of the guys from Atlanta took a picture of the other guy and the flash caused Kelly some concern. Just as soon as he saw the flash he asked. “Was that lightning?” He was ready to abandon the hammock if a storm was coming up.

November 9, 2003

I woke up at 11:15 p.m. and the sky had cleared. The full moon illuminated the ground around the shelter so much that we could have easily hiked the trail without a flashlight. It had gotten colder too. By midnight the temperature had fallen to 42 degrees and finally bottomed out at 38 degrees just about daybreak. We all got up about the same time and while Patsy packed, I got some water boiling for breakfast. It was chilly and the hot cocoa tasted good. All of us ate at the table under the shelter and I took a group photo before Patsy and I left. I told them when we met here in ten years for our ten year reunion, I would bring the marshmallows. Patsy gave Kelly a Vioxx for his ankle pain. She told him from his description of the pain that she thought he might have a stress fracture. Patsy advised him to have it checked out when he got home.

We left the shelter at 6:45 a.m. and headed toward Woody Gap. The trail climbed and then descended gradually. About 30 minutes later we met our third south bounder, Flash. He planned on finishing today also. He was excited and had that determined but happy look in his eyes. I took his picture, congratulated him on the thru hike and wished his well. He had not been like the other two south bounders. They were willing to talk awhile but Flash had something besides talking on his mind and who could blame him.

We saw the blue blaze trail to the Gooch Gap shelter after 30 minutes of hiking and there was a sign on the trail that said “Shelter” with an arrow pointing up the steep trail. Apparently the old shelter is still there, we didn’t leave the AT to find out. In 12 more minutes we were at Gooch Gap, elevation 2784 feet. There were several people camping around the gap. As we crossed the road, FSR 42 I believe, there were garbage cans behind the parking area. We dumped all our garbage and headed up the trail.

From Gooch Gap the trail ascended for over a mile and a half but it was gradual so it wasn’t that tiring. We hiked through huge groves of tall and straight Poplars on the way to Rimrock Mtn. The climb up Rimrock Mtn. from Jacks Gap was brutal. The elevation gain is 200 feet in about .1 mile. Rimrock Mtn., elevation 3200 feet, has an outstanding overlook to the south. While there was no water on top there are some fantastic camping spots. We took a break before dropping off Rimrock Mtn. I took a picture for a couple of ladies who hiked up from Woody Gap as we were arriving. As we were hiking off of Rimrock Mtn., Black Mtn. loomed very high ahead. Luckily the trail turned and went around the side of Black Mtn. until it reached Woody Gap, elevation 3150 feet. It took us 3 hours to hike the 5.3 miles from Gooch Mtn. Shelter to Woody Gap.

There wasn’t a parking spot anywhere in the parking area at Woody Gap. There were cars parked on the sides of the highway and a Forest Ranger busy writing ticket to all who hadn’t paid the $2 parking fee. We stopped for a snack at the FS Information Board across the road. The temperature was chilly so we put our fleece back on while we ate. There is a good size boulder near the information board with “Woody Gap - Appalachian Trail” carved in it by a professional. It was a nice landmark I thought. Our friend Kelly hiked over to where we were sitting and said his ankle / foot felt much better and thanked Patsy for the Vioxx tablet. He went back across the road to wait for his hiking buddy who was supposed to pick him up later that day.

After 20 minutes we started hiking again. The trail gradually descends for about a half a mile and then abruptly starts ascending, climbing Big Cedar Mtn., elevation 3737 feet. At the one mile point there is a rock overlook with more spectacular views.

About a mile from the overlook, we reached the top of Granny Top Mtn. As we started our descent we saw a unique White Oak. Actually 2 White Oak trees had grown together. One had been bent over by nature or man, and had grown into the other one, forming an arch of about 8 feet. It was very unusual and had been done long ago, whatever caused it. The trail continues through oak, poplar and hickory stands and the trees are straight and tall. The ground was a solid carpet of fallen leaves, almost all brown now. Looking through the trees to the hollows beneath the trail as it wound around the ridges and sides of the mountains was a beautiful sight.

We made the 5.3 miles from Woody Gap to Jarrard Gap, elevation 3250 feet, in 3 hours and 20 minutes. The trail climbed from Jarrard Gap to Bird Gap, elevation 3650 feet, was a long 1.4 miles but not hard to do as we made it in about 50 minutes. Wood’s Hole shelter is about .5 mile to the left of the AT at Bird Gap. The water source for the shelter is about half way to the shelter and was the slowest we have seen yet. It was barely trickling out of the rock and it took us 55 minutes to catch 3 liters of water and purify 2 more.

Wood’s Hole Shelter is located on a point in a beautiful hollow. The shelter was built in April 1998 and dedicated to Roy and Tillie Wood of Roswell, Georgia for their service to AT hikers. It is a nice shelter which gets lots of use from the looks of the fire ring and privy, both almost completely full! We gathered some wood for a fire and after supper built a small fire. The warmth felt good as the night air was chilly. Patsy tried to dry her socks. The sky was very clear. We recognized several constellations and could even see the Andromeda Galaxy very clearly. Supposedly it is the furthest object visible to the naked eye, 2.2 million light years away.

Sitting around the fire was fun and we enjoyed looking at the stars. Venus was visible through the trees for a short time just after sunset. The wind picked up and began blowing sparks from our fire into the air. We didn’t want to start a forest fire, which could easily be done with all the dry leaves, so we let the fire die down and went to bed soon afterwards. The wind blew strong all night and after the full moon came up, I could see our bear bag swinging back and forth on the cable system. We could hear some mice scurrying around as we settled in our bags around 6:30 p.m. It was going to be a cold night, especially with the wind blowing. The temperature when we went to bed was 39 degrees and with the wind chill, felt much colder.

November 10, 2003

It was a cold, windy night. I couldn't tell if it was by design or if the boards had shrunk after they were installed but the shelter's sleeping area has a 1/4" gap between the boards. The wind blew hard all night and would actually pick our pads up as it came through the cracks in the floor. It was 36 degrees when I got up at 6 a.m. We had several mice visits last night also but no harm done.

I got the water boiling and Patsy did her usual morning packing. We ate bundled up, as the wind chill had to be below freezing. As the morning wore on the wind died down and the temperature improved quickly. When we left at 6:50 a.m. the temp was 42 degrees and no wind. Patsy set a brisk pace as we left the shelter. I took the side trail to get a picture of the water source and she was almost to the AT when I caught back up with her. The sky had high mackerel scales clouds, usually a sign of rain.

We stopped for a short break after 30 minutes before starting the ascent to Slaughter Gap. At Slaughter Gap, elevation 3800 feet, we took off our outer layers and headed up Blood Mountain, the summit about a mile away. To our surprise, the trail weaved back and forth through several switchbacks making the climb to Blood Mountain easier than several mountains we had climbed already. There are several viewpoints along the trail to the summit that are outstanding. The trail itself, as it has been along the whole route, was in good condition. It turned into a rocky trail as we neared the summit. We made the hike from Wood’s Hole shelter to Blood Mtn. Shelter, about 2 miles, in 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Blood Mtn. Shelter, elevation 4461 feet, a stone building with wood shingles on the roof, was built in the 1930s by the CCC boys and refurbished in the 1980s by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club. All the windows and doors are just cased openings and the rumor has it that the mice are terrible in the 2 rooms of the shelter. It is clean and because of the no campfire zone, the fireplace has been sealed with rocks and masonry. We climbed up on the huge boulder in front of the shelter and the view was great.

After about 30 minutes we started down the trail. The trail leaving Blood Mtn. Summit is all rock and the descent is steep. The white blazes were painted on the rock itself. It would be terribly slick with a little ice or snow. We stopped at several of the overlooks and enjoyed the views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After a quarter mile or so the trail entered the woods again and the switchbacks began. But the descent was much worse even with the switchbacks. There were several other day hikers on top of Blood Mtn. when we left and each one of them passed us on the way down.

We met a family at Flatrock Gap, elevation 3452 feet, planning on hiking the Freeman trail around Black Mtn. and then use the same trail we used through Slaughter Gap to reach the summit of Blood Mtn. They wanted to avoid hiking up the trail we just hiked down. There is also a side trail here that goes to the Bryce Reece Memorial Parking lot. Another 100 yards or so there is a unique "Balance Rock" just to the right of the trail. Perched on top of another giant boulder, Balance Rock is supported by a narrow support in two or three places.

Not far from Balance Rock we passed 2 women and a man hiking toward Blood Mtn. They asked us to give “Martin” a message that they were waiting on him. He was behind them coming this way. We never saw “Martin.”

The trail was level for the most part with only a gradual descent into Neels Gap. The trees are beautiful, tall and straight without any limbs on most of them for 30 or 40 feet. We finally reached the part of the trail where we could see the highway. Before long, Neels Gap was visible and the end of our section hike. Just before the AT crosses Highway 19 / 129 there is another Springer Man plaque just like the one on Springer Mtn.

We paid $3.50 for a shower and towel, (only $2.50 without the towel) and thoroughly enjoyed the hot water. It's a little awkward as the shower is in the same aisle as the Ladies restroom. Someone had kicked the door leading to the shower open and tore out the door jamb so it wouldn't stay shut, much less stay locked while you were in your birthday suit in the shower. But we showered on and finally felt clean again.

We shopped in the store, bought some Ben & Jerry's ice cream, a Coke Classic for Patsy and sat outside enjoying the view toward Dahlonega. It was a beautiful day. With our backtracking on top of Springer and the other side trails we hiked, we covered about 33 miles this trip.

__________________
Uncle Wayne