Sat, Mar 24 2012 - Arkaquah Trail to Brasstown Bald to Unicoi Gap (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Stefan Participants: Stefan, Warren, Viranuj, Andy, Armin

And 31 miles it is... Warren, Armin, Viranuj, Andy and Stefan made it from Trackrock Gap to the summit of Brasstown Bald, then on to Unicoi Gap and all the way back. 

The day certainly started a bit more ominous as we awoke at 4:45 AM by heavy thunderstorms over Blairsville GA. The sound of thunder was soon followed by the more bothersome sound of the alarm clock - what person right in the mind would get up at 5 AM on a Saturday morning? Fortunately, the thunderstorm moved on quickly and the group arrived at Trackrock Gap to hit the trail at 6 AM sharp. The initial ascent of Roost Ridge in the darkness (with headlamps) was surprisingly quick and painless and most of the group managed to reach the summit of Brasstown Bald just asked the sun started to rise over the horizon. After a quick summit snack, the descent on Jack Knob’s trail to Hwy 180 was the first but certainly not the last beating for the knees. From there, we continued on the Jack Knob’s trail, then took a sharp left turn onto the AT at Chattahoochee Gap. We reach Unicoi Gap between 11 AM and noon, marking the half point of our day hike. The ice-cold Coke, Gatorade, and water in the cooler of the supply vehicle never tasted better (true, Andy? or maybe we should ask Warren who accidentally drank Andy's Coke?) Realizing that we still had 15.5 miles to go, the team soon started to climb back up Blue Mtn and back to Hwy 180 via Chattahoochee Gap. Then upon crossing 180, reality hits: 23 miles done and now 1800 feet uphill for the next 2.2 miles. The switchbacks seem to never end. The good news is that once you reach the Brasstown Bald parking lot, the next 5.5 miles on the Arkaquah trail seem like a piece of cake (except maybe the final descent to Trackrock Gap that really manages to mess up your already really unhappy knees). Either way, the entire team made it back to the cars between 5 PM and 6:30 PM - best of all everybody was feeling well and ready for Mike's all-you-can-eat seafood. The weather stayed almost perfect the entire time with a little sun, a few clouds, and comfortable temperatures.