Sat, May 21 2011 - Blood Mountain day hike followed by wine tasting (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Ashley W, John T Participants: John T, Ashley W, Angie R, Steve, Linda F, Dan A, Jeff, John, Margaret T. McClain, Laura V, Maureen Maxted, Russell Ahmed, Mike, Greg Walling, Mimi, Amanda B.

Write Up:
This past Saturday could not have been a more beautiful day for a hike. John T. and I led a group of 16 amazing folks up a 4 mile trail to the top of Blood Mountain right outside Dahlonega, Georgia. We started our hike at Lake Winfield Scott. The scenery couldn't have been better and the group was a tough bunch! The trek to the top wasn't easy but hats off to our first time AOC members Amanda Brown and Russell Ahmed for doing such a great job. Also, John S., the most mature member of this trip, was awe-inspiring as he led the pack to the top. Once we passed the Boy Scouts along the way and earned our "hiking badge" we made it to the top of the mountain to the AT Shelter. We enjoyed a quick lunch on the rocks overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. The hike down was a relatively quick 4 miles down and we enjoyed a lot of conversation amongst the group. We made it to the base of Lake Winfield Scott and changed clothes quickly because the trip wasn't over. 

After a 4 hour hike we jumped in the cars at 2:30 p.m. and headed over to Wolf Mountain Vineyards (www.wolfmountainvineyards.com) for a quick wine tasting. We attempted to make ourselves a presentable as possible before arriving to the winery. We figured they would frown over sweaty hikers entering their pristine winery. The Wolf Mountain staff was fantastic. We had made reservations ahead of time, and they set aside a spot in the winery so that we could have our own private tasting. We were all excited about trying the different types of red and white wines and at this point after an 8 mile hike the wine tasted even better! We tried various samplings of cheeses and spreads and walked around the winery for a bit. Wolf Mountain was hosting a wedding 6 p.m., so we had to jet after seeing the bride and groom anxiously getting ready for the big day! 

John and I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who came out and hiked. We honestly had a great group that really meshed well together. I received a lot of feedback from everyone on the trip that they loved the idea of hiking followed by wine tasting. Judging by the amount of people that signed up for the event, it is definitely a trip that I would like to lead again. To all the new members and old--we hope you will join us again on an event in the near future. Thank you for making my first co-lead a memorable one. Also, let me know if you have any preference on trips that you would like to go on and I will incorporate that into the next trip I lead. 

Thanks again,
Ashley W. & John T.

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