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REGISTRATION & PAYMENT REQUIRED: Once you've reviewed the event details, and decided you'd like to join us, you MUST sign up at the bottom of this page. This is a paid event with payment managed through the AOC. Please read the event description carefully for details; you will be given payment instructions after you sign up. Late payments are NOT accepted for this event, in any circumstance.



Slackpack the Entire Georgia AT




The Basics:
STATUS: Cancelled - Hide from Calendar
Event Type:Adventure
Event Location: Georgia Appalachian Trail   Adventure: Slackpack the Entire Georgia AT  National Weather Service Forecast
Date(s) & Time:Fri, Oct 13 2017  6:00 pm >> Sat, Oct 21 2017 10:00 am
Registration Opens: Mon, Feb 20 2017 8:00 pm
Registration Cut Off: Sat, Jul 1 2017 6:00 pm
Event Duration:7 Days 16 Hours
Difficulty Rating:D5: Difficult
Distance:82.3 Miles
Pace:Moderate
Trip Leader(s):
John Stirman
Stacey Johnson
Beth Ash
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Member Cost:$330.00/Person (See Detailed Cost Info Below)

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:2
Minimum Group Size:2
Number Registered So Far: 13 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:

     Ever dreamed of hiking the entire 78+ miles of the Georgia portion of the Appalachian Trail (GA AT)?  Perhaps (like me) you don’t have the backpacking gear yet and want to look at other options. Come join Stacey, Beth and myself as we Slackpack the GA AT.  Slackpack? What is slackpacking? Simply defined, it is hiking a section of a trail without a fully loaded backpack, i.e. just using a daypack. It gives you the option to carry only what you need for a typical day hike.  We’ll be staying each night in bunk rooms at the wonderful Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, GA.  Each morning they’ll cook us a hearty breakfast and then transport us to the trailhead – later that evening, they’ll pick us up and return to the Hostel.  Tripadvisor.com gives the Hiker Hostel an incredible 5 out of 5 stars with perfect marks in every category – and this from 80+  reviewers !  

We have secured the entire Hiker Hostel for the grand adventure (up to 20 AOC members) and hope you'll join us for this wonderful time!

     The daily hikes are individually listed as Moderate to Difficult with steep elevation gains on some days.  Including breaks; our pace will be 1.5 MPH and we’ll keep our group together while hiking.

NOTE:  We will schedule several meetings to answer questions and organize ourselves for this event.  

Here is the basic itinerary for our GA AT adventure…

Check in by 6 PM on Friday October 13th - there will NOT be a group meal this first evening but we will have final instructions at 6 PM that evening

Day 1 (Oct. 14th) Springer to Hightower Gap:  9.5 miles (included backtracking the 0.9 miles to the official start blaze from the Springer parking lot) *We will also take a short side trail (Blue Blaze) to Long Creek Falls midway through this hike

Day 2 Hightower Gap to Woody Gap:  12.4 miles

Day 3 Woody Gap to Neel Gap:  10.7 miles *Includes a visit to Mountain Crossings Outfitter

Day 4 Neel Gap to Hogpen Gap:  6.9 miles

Day 5 Hogpen Gap to Unicoi Gap:  14.3 miles

Day 6 Unicoi Gap to Dicks Creek Gap:  16.7 miles *Blue Blaze to a wonderful vista near the end of the hike

Day 7 Dicks Creek Gap to NC and back to Blue Ridge Gap:  11.8 miles *Celebration pizza dinner and presentation of the Georgia Thru-Hiker Patch at the evening meal!!

Check out by 10 AM on Saturday Oct. 21st

These are rain or shine hikes with the only exception being taken for extreme weather (heavy rain is not considered extreme, strong lightening storms are).  In that case, we'll make up the additional miles over the next few days.  Any decisions concerning extreme weather may not be made until the morning of the scheduled hike. 

Evening Meal Plans

The cost does include the evening meals.  We are responsible for preparing these and it will be a group effort. The Trip Leaders will plan out a menu and prepurchase almost all the ingredients.  The evening meal prep/clean up will be divided up between all attendees.  Each evening there will be 2 cooks and 2 (different) clean up persons.  As we get closer to the actual event and have a more final list of hikers, we will work out who cooks and who cleans.  Again, this will be spread out over many people and is not difficult at all.  As a benefit - whoever is on cooking and cleaning for each evening will have first shot at the showers!   Please note:  The kitchen is not large and there is not room for individuals to do their own meal prep - there cannot be exceptions.  The only people allowed in the kitchen during meal prep time are the 2 assigned cooks for the evening.

Attending the evening group meals is not required to give some flexibility for folks deciding to travel into town and dine at a restaurant.  However, there is no partial refund of the total you paid in to register for the event as all food is prepurchased.


Required Items to Bring:

Proper Hiking Shoes

A good Day Pack

Refillable Water Containers (if you do not have a hydration system with your day pack)

Daily lunch or snack items

Emergency Rain/Cold weather gear

A great attitude and ability to expect the unexpected.

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

Trekking Poles

Camera

Headlamp

Inexpensive Trail Magic items to hand out to AT SOBO thru- hikers we may meet along the way. (I'll explain more about this during our planning meetings.)

Comfortable casual clothes for evenings

Toiletries and other items you'd normally bring for a multi-night stay at a B&B

Money for incidentals and purchases made either at the Hiker Hostel or at Mountain Crossings!


How to Get There:
Event Directions:

Directions to the Hiker Hostel

Located about 6 miles north of the metropolis of Dahlonega, GA, which is the closest town to the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Head north on Highway 19/60.  They are the first paved drive on the left after Mile Marker 18 (just past McDonald Road). Look for the Hiker Hostel sign at 7693 Hwy 19N.

If you use GPS, you can also put in 34.61362374291087, -83.964596 38362806 and it will direct you right to the Hiker Hostel!


Notes:

Registration Requirements to Participate in this Event:

1. You must be either an AOC Trip Leader, be recommended by an AOC Trip Leader, or personally be known by the TLs hosting the event.  This requirement is in place to verify that you have the necessary level of fitness and, as importantly, that you are a sociable person who will get along with the rest of the group and will not engage in disruptive behavior.  Please put yourself on the waiting list.  We will check whether you qualify, and, if you do, will move you to the list of participants on March 31st, provided the maximum number of participants has not been reached.  People that put themselves on the waiting list before you and are otherwise qualified will have precedence.

2. After I move you to the list of participants, and only then, should payment be made to the AOC. If your payment has not been received by July 5th, I will move you back to the waiting list. 

 

There is no Carpool for this event!


Because there is not a local place where it is safe to park a car for slightly over a week, there is no carpool for this event.  However, many folks work out riding in with one another based on where they live.  Personally, I have picked up another hiker at their home and they helped chip in for the gas to and from Dahlonega.  We will do what we can but the Hiker Hostel has plenty of parking for hikers, so even if almost eveyone brought their own car, their would be enough room for all.

 


Important information for paid events in which payment is managed through the AOC:

     - Payment must be received by the payment due date and prior to participation in the event.

     - Some paid events require a minimum number of registered participants. If that number is not met, the event will be canceled and refunds will be issued to those who have already paid.

     - Third-party vendors often require damage deposits. Each registrant agrees to be liable for and required to reimburse the Atlanta Outdoor Club for any withheld deposits due to the actions of or damages caused by that registrant.

     - No partial payments. All registrants must pay the posted Member Cost regardless of any agreement you may have with any party involved in the event.

     - Read the event description carefully for additional information, and contact the trip leader(s) with any questions.


* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cost & Payment:
Member Cost:$330.00/Person
Cost Includes:

8 nights at the Hiker Hostel

Breakfast each morning we hike

Shuttle Service to and from our trailheads each day

Evening Group Meals (Saturday Oct. 14th - Friday Oct. 20th) *See notes in the itinerary

80 Miler GA AT Patch (for those successfully completing all the hikes).

Payment Cut Off:Payment must be received by the AOC on Sat, Jul 1 2017.
Make a Payment:Click here for the details. PLEASE PAY AFTER YOU HAVE SIGNED UP BELOW.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.
*Note:

The cost of $330.00 is fully refundable until July 31st, 2017.

Refunds after the July 31st, 2017 are only possible if a (suitable )  replacement person will take your place.

The deadline for replacing participants is August 15th, 2017; i.e.  someone (approved by the trip leader) replaces you from the wait list and pays in full. If you are replaced, you will receive a full refund after the replacement has made their payment.

To implement the change both the old and the new participant must send me (John)  an email confirming the change.

No refunds will be issued for cancellations after August 15th, 2017 - with the excpetion of late replacement participants, who will have an additional 2 weeks from the time they were added to the event.