Foothills Trail Backpack - Sat, Apr 28 2018

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Foothills Trail Backpack


The Basics:
Event Type:Backpacking
Event Location: Frozen Creek Trailhead: 3395 Frozen Creek Rd, Brevard, NC 28712
Date(s) & Time:Sat, Apr 28 2018  7:00 am >> Sun, Apr 29 2018 3:00 pm  (Carpool Departure: 7:00 am   *log in for location*)
Registration Opens: Thu, Apr 19 2018 8:00 pm
Registration Cut Off: Thu, Apr 26 2018 8:00 pm
Event Duration:1 Days 8 Hours
Difficulty Rating:D6: Advanced
Distance:26 Miles
Pace:Moderate
Trip Leader(s):
Myra Kincaid
John
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Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:8
Minimum Group Size:3
Number Registered So Far: 7 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:
Join us for a weekend backpack on the Foothills Trail. The Foothills Trail is an approximately 77-mile National Recreation Trail in South and North Carolina. It extends from Oconee State Park in the west to Table Rock State Park in the east.   Backpacker Magazine has rated it one of the best long distance trails in the country.  The Foothills Trail truly packs in the best of hiking in the east coast in its relatively small trail length. The Foothills Trail is blazed with a white rectangle like the AT.

This will be a rain or shine event and will only be rescheduled for dangerous weather. 
 
We will meet at the carpool location at Indian Trail Park at 7:00 AM. Please be there 5 minutes early to make introductions and set up the carpool.  We will leave Indian Trail Park and Ride and head to Laurel Valley trailhead (35.050945, -82.812757 or just passed 525 Moorefield Memorial Hwy, Sunset, SC 29685). We will leave a car or two here and shuttle back to Frozen Creek Trailhead to begin our hike. 

Hike Overview:
 
This trip includes two different trails. We will be accessing the Foothills Trail via the Auger Hole Trail. The trailhead for Auger Hole Trail is 3395 Frozen Creek Rd, Brevard, NC 28712. Alternatively, if you type this (35.108555, -82.883164) into google maps, it will take you directly to the trailhead. From the trailhead, we will take Auger Hole Trail in North Carolina's Gorges State Park. Auger Hole Trail is 7.2 miles of mostly downhill hiking until we reach the Foothills Trail. Two, generally knee high or less fords will be necessary to reach the Foothills Trail.  At the intersection, we will turn left on the Foothills Trail. The trail eventually descends towards Lake Jocassee and eventually reaches the Toxaway River. Here the trail crosses the river on a massive 225 foot suspension bridge. Shortly after the suspension bridge, the Foothills Trail begins a steep ascent followed by an immediate steep descent over many wooden steps. This is often called "Heartbreak Ridge." The Foothills Trail continues going east with many views of Lake Jocassee in the background. The trail eventually crosses the NC-SC state line and leaves Gorges State Park. The Foothills trail continues to Laurel Fork Falls. We will have two views of this falls. One from the trail and another from a campsite at the top of the falls. We will make camp here for the night. From the campsite, we will have less than 8 miles to Laurel Valley and our cars, but before we reach the cars we will also pass Virginia Hawkins Falls.

Day 1: ~ 18 miles (~ 2,600' elevation gain and ~2,100 elevation loss). Elevation gain and losses are approximations.
We will begin at Frozen Creek Trailhead and follow the orange blazed Auger Hole Trail 7.2 miles to Foothills Trail. (Note: there are 2 water fords that can be up to knee high).  We turn left onto Foothills Trail and continue approximately 11 miles to where we will make camp for the night at large campsite at the top of Laurel Falls.  We will decide where to eat lunch as a group en-route.
 
Day 2  ~ 7.5 miles ( ~ 1,300' elevation gain and 800' elevation loss). 

From the campsite at Laurel Falls, we continue our hike on the Foothills Trail to our cars approximately 7.5 miles away. I anticipate reaching the car no later than 1:00 pm.

Lunch in town is an option and will be made as a group decision.

Required Items to Bring:
  • Hiking Boots / Shoes
  • Backpack
  • Tent / Tarp / Hammock 
  • Sleeping Bag
  • Sleep Pad
  • Food and Snacks (2 days worth)
  • Water and Filtration / Purification device, Drops, or Tablets
  • Headlamp and spare batteries
Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.
  • Camera
  • Hiking Poles
  • Sunscreen
  • Bug Spray
  • Stove
  • Matches/Lighter
  • Change of Clothes and Towel for Drive Home
  • Maps/GPS
  • Harmonicas, flutes, cards, etc.

How to Get There:
Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):280Mile(s)
Carpool Departure Time: 7:00 am
Carpool Location:   Log in for location
Carpool Directions:   Log in for directions
Carpool Cost: Estimated cost per vehicle for this event is $112.00 using a reimbursement rate guideline of $0.400 per mile. The total amount should be divided by the number of people in the vehicle, including the driver. This is a guideline, not a rule, for drivers but the cost should not be higher unless there are extenuating circumstances.

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


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