Sat, Dec 26 2009 - Amicalola Falls to Springer Mountain (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Kathy Malone, Stefan Participants: Stefan, Kathy Malone, Scott Looper, Andy, Steve Hinkle, Danny, Marshall, Steve, Jeff Gimpel, David Lloyd, Sandy

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Write Up:
The approach trail up to Springer Mtn, the southern end of the Appalachian Trail, is a fantastic hike, especially in the winter time when one can actually enjoy the many great views. Our crew met up at Mansell Road Park & Ride for an on-time departure to the trail head at Amicalola State Park. Despite the chilly temperatures (or maybe because of it), the group literally flew up the approach trail, reaching the Hike Inn turnoff in just over an hour. Continuing on the path towards Springer, we reached the summit after another hour, just in time to be greeted by the sun which had finally managed to burn off the last few clouds. Nevertheless, the wind made sure that we did not get too comfortable, encouraging us to instead wander down to the AT shelter for a more pleasant lunch break. Now, if anybody thought that it was all downhill from there, they had forgotten about the “little” uphill section after Nimble Gap on the way back. After this cardiovascular warm-up, it was time to head over to the Len Foote Hike Inn for a hot cup of coffee and some cookies. Strengthened by the extra sugar, we then tackled the final 5 miles (6.5 miles for Kathy) back to the cars, reaching the parking lot around 4 pm. According to Andy, we covered 16.89 miles, hiking an average speed of 2.8 miles an hour. More importantly, we all had a really fun day on the trail and managed to burn a few holiday calories (although the stop at the Dawsonville Pool Room for an infamous Bully burger with french fries might compromised some of the latter).

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