GA Pinhoti or Benton MacKaye 7-12 day long section hikes

[ednotmilkman]

Just wanted to mention for anybody interested;

I'm looking forward to doing some week long backpack trips any time in the next year that I can arrange to take off and find a buddy or two to go with.  I've already hiked the AL Pinhoti, and most of the AT up to the Smokies, so would like to see these other two trails.  I'm good with 12-18 a mile per day average.  I don't mind hiking in cold weather either, but would need to check into crampons if it's really frozen.

I've met several good buddies from Whiteblaze, but it's getting to be a long trip to hike farther up on the AT, and hiking the whole AT is not my primary goal anyway.  I'd also consider hiking the AL Pinhoti again if the time was right.  If you are a newbie, I don't mind helping you with your gear and any questions. Just please be in shape to walk at least 8 miles a day.  I'd honestly carry 10# of your gear if it would help you walk farther. 
Edwin

[vapor]

I am in the same boat as you as I have finished all the completed sections of Alabama Pinhoti & was hoping to complete Georgia sections this year. Not sure if you have mapped it out yet but there are still quite a bit of roadwalks in Georgia. I am not much interested in road walks & was therefore thinking of doing the 30 mile section(2-3 day trip including sections 28-31 ) that connects to Benton Mackaye & a 57 mile section(5 day trip including sections 20-25). I just missed the mark for the 30 mile trip as I couldn't find anyone that wanted to take 1 day off work to do it with me. I've already scheduled 3 days off for the 5 day trip & can send you more info in a private message if you think you might be interested.

[ednotmilkman]

hey Vapor, 

I'm happy to keep writing here in case others are still interested too. I thought the way Jay Hudson did the Weogufga section of the Pinhoti Challenge Hikes was a great way to handle the 2 GA road walks; do it as a bicycle ride !  If 2 of us could do the GA Pinhoti , we could use 2 vehicles and drop bicycles off for the road "pedal" and still have a vehicle at the end to get back to the bikes and the beginning vehicle.  I'd just lock the bicycles to a tree that was far enough down the trail so they wouldn't be seen from the trailhead.  Bikes would also make resupply easier .

My 2008 Pinhoti Pocket Guide shows, in GA from JacksonChapel Rd to the BMcKaye -

30 miles roadwalk
12 miles railtrail  (near enough to the road that no advantage vs. roadwalk)
58 miles forest trail  ( HighPoint TH to Dug Gap TH )
21-28 miles roadwalk  ( Dalton, Chatsworth, Ramhurst depends on which way you go )
24 miles forest trail  ( Cohutta Overlook TH to BMcKaye )

There are lots of differences between my Pocket Guide and Mr Parkay's maps on which road walk to take and these differences change the places where the forest hikes begin also. You could speed up the adventure a lot from doing a lot by bicycle. With a decent mountain bike, almost all of the GA sections are actually open to riding anyway? 

Best time for me to do a week here would be around Christmas sometime, but could be anytime.
We could pedal 42 miles in 1/2 day, walk 58 miles in 4-5  days, pedal 28 more after a shuttle up and have the rest of the time to walk to and on the Benton McKay.  I don't think there would be a problem riding a bicycle 5 hours with a backpack on with a few breaks ; I've done it once. 

I'm not really interested in just a weekend hike since I'm too far away for that.  If you don't want to do the roadwalks by bicycle either, we could still start from Section 28 or 29 and hike all the way east on BMK to the AT for a good 100 mile trip.

Edwin

[vapor]

I do have a mountain bike but 4 weeks vacation & still not enough time to do all my trips, lol! So this year the 60 mile 5 day will be all I can do of the GA Pinhoti due to other obligations. This will leave only the 30mile+- section that connects to Benton Mackaye for me which I hope to finish in Jan & I am also hoping to do the 70 mile Benton Mackaye stretch that connects to AT later next year & filling in any of the other sections when/if they become official next year.

[camel]

5 Days in the Cohutta may be an option- Camel

[vapor]

I've added an event here --> http://www.meetup.com/Bir...ureGroup/events/40370932/ in the event that anyone wishes to join me on a 5 day 57 mile trip from Summerville, GA to Dalton, GA covering approximately 12-15 miles a day. Departing 11/17/11. Anyone interested?

[Cuffs]

Umm nevermind...

[vapor]

?

[squidbilly]

I've added an event here --> http://www.meetup.com/Bir...ureGroup/events/40370932/ in the event that anyone wishes to join me on a 5 day 57 mile trip from Summerville, GA to Dalton, GA covering approximately 12-15 miles a day. Departing 11/17/11. Anyone interested?

Darn! Wish I didn't have to work. I would join you for sure. Those are the sections I need to complete the Ga. Pinhoti.

[ednotmilkman]

Nov. won't work for me now either as other things have come up.  One being the AHTS workweek this past week on new trail in Coosa Wildlife Management Area (plus others working a section on the Pinhoti). We cleared the whole Coosa Trail of brush and blowdowns but we only have sidehill work finished on 2 of about 7 or 8 sections that need work.  Not sure how long this Coosa Trail is, but I have the GPS tracks of it all if I upload and figure it out.

[vapor]

Kudo's on the trail work.

Anyone is welcome to join me for weekend only if they can't commit to 5 days. Should be easy to break up the sections. Just let me know by Thursday if your interested.