Realizing What He Was Doing

Today is the last day of summer according to the standard Julian calendar, what with the autumnal equinox tomorrow and all. Those of us on the Universal Solar Calendar have been enjoying Fall for weeks now, since August 7.

Anyhow, seeing as to how summer's almost gone, however you define it, I took a hike up in the North Georgia mountains today. Specifically, I hiked the Jarrard Gap-Slaughter Creek-Appalachian Trail loop, a moderately challenging 5.9-mile loop trail.  

The trail starts at Lake Winfield Scott, named for a reprehensible U.S. Army General who rode to fame on the basis of his involvement in Indian wars and the Trail of Tears expulsion of the Seminoles and Muscogee. But the lake's not to blame for who it's named after. It's actually a lovely lake. It's. Not. Your. Fault.

From the parking area at the lake, the Jarrard Gap Trail runs 1.2 miles up the unpaved Jarrard Gap Road to, well, Jarrard Gap on the Appalachian Trail. Apparently, at some point the trail leaves the road but I must have missed the marker because I took the road nearly the whole way until it finally gave way to a hiking trail. Also, it's all uphill from the lake to Jarrard Gap and for the first half mile or so of the Appalachian Trail to the peak of Gaddis Mountain (3,540 feet). And, yes, to my readers out West who will point out that 3,540 feet wouldn't qualify as a "mountain" on their side of the Mississippi, but what can you do? 

Hiking west on the AT, in the direction of Neel Gap, one first crosses Gaddis Mountain, drops down to Horsebone Gap, and then skirts the peak of Turkey Stamp Mountain (3,773 feet). From there, the AT descends again to Freeman Gap, where it crosses Freeman Trail. At 0.4 miles past Freeman Trail, the AT climbs a steep rock staircase to begin the ascent toward Blood Mountain, the highest point (4,446 feet) on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. But fortunately for me, I didn't have to climb that staircase, because the Slaughter Creek Trail departs the AT to the left, leading 2.7 miles back to Lake Scott.

The Slaughter Creek Trail is downhill almost all the way back to the lake, which is a relief after crossing Gaddis and Turkey Stamp Mountains. But especially in the upper stretches, the trail is so rocky and uneven it feels like it was designed purposely to make you trip or lose your balance as you resist the pull of gravity leading you down the valley of Slaughter Creek. After a while, though, it levels out a little and runs through a rhododendron tunnel after leaving the Blood Mountain Wilderness Area and before rejoining the Jarrard Gap Trail near the lake.

The trails weren't particularly busy for a weekend. I encountered other hikers about four or five times on the AT, and only once on the Slaughter Creek Trail. 

The drive up from Atlanta was almost exactly 90 miles but took me almost two hours (I did stop for gas and to buy a takeout sandwich for the trail). 

One more note: the parking fee at Lake Scott is $5, cash money - there's no attendant, you leave the money in an envelope. I had to leave a $20 because I didn't have change and I didn't want to ride back to town to break the bill. Plan for that if you're thinking of heading up.