The Georgia Loop: extreme weekend edition

The Georgia Loop is a 57 mile trek through the Chattahoochee National Forest. It combines the Appalachian Trail, Duncan Ridge Trail, and Benton MacKaye Trail to show off north Georgia's finest mountians. An interactive topo map of the loop can be found here.

We will be meeting at Woody Gap parking lot on Friday afternoon at 3:30pm (carpool option at 2:00 in Alpharetta) and hiking 7 miles into the AT to the Woods Hole shelter area for the night. 

On Saturday and Sunday, we will hiking by 7am and crushing 25-30 miles each day to bring us back to Woody Gap on Sunday evening.

This hike will be strenuous, not a leisurely stroll, and paced at about 2.5 miles per hour. This translates to 10-12 hours of hiking each day to complete the loop. We will be hiking ALL day (snacks about every 2 hours / 5 miles, 1 hr lunch max, breakfast and dinner at camp)

No dogs, please.

Someone else was crazy enough to do this in 2.5 days also. Read about it here.

Terrain: The BMT and AT are both well maintained trails that see lots of traffic. The DRT is less frequented and will most likely require more techincal hiking over fallen trees, branches, and rocks.

Water: Topo maps show that water will not be on-trail along the DRT for a good portion of Saturday morning until the Toccoa River, although there appear to be sources slightly off trail. It is recommended to carry 3-4 liters of water. On Sunday, water will be more plentiful and 1-2L should be plenty.

Previous Experience: Because this is a difficult hike into a remote backcountry area, I will be contacting anyone who does not show D5+ or backpacking history to make sure they will be prepared for this event.

From Alpharetta, take GA-400 / US-19 north all the way through Dahlonega (there are several turns). Take GA-60 straight/left when it splits from US-19 after passing through Dahlonega. Woody Gap will be marked with a Chattahoochee National Forest sign.