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Blue Mountain: Georgia AT 4000 footer




The Basics:
Event Type:Hike
Event Location: Blue Mountain Shelter   Hike: Blue Mountain: Georgia AT 4000 footer  National Weather Service Forecast
Date(s) & Time:Tue, Dec 14 2021  9:00 am >> Tue, Dec 14 2021 3:00 pm  (Carpool Departure: 7:00 am   *log in for location*)
Registration Opens: Fri, Dec 10 2021 5:00 pm
Registration Cut Off: Mon, Dec 13 2021 7:00 pm
Event Duration:6 Hours
Difficulty Rating:D5: Difficult
Distance:14.4 Miles
Pace:Moderate
Trip Leader(s):
Gary 'L'
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Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:10
Minimum Group Size:3
Number Registered So Far: 6 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: Yes

Itinerary:

 

 

UNICOI GAP SOUTHBOUND FEATURING BEAUTIFUL BLUE MOUNTAIN 


Join us on this section of the Appalachian Trail for a rare weekday D5 hike.

This hike provides around 3100 feet of elevation gain with a distance of 15 miles.

Get to see the start of the Chattahoochee River, which will make you wonder how it becomes so wide so quickly.

We will stop for lunch near a beautiful stream and then head back the way we came. 

Recent D5 experience is a must for this group to stay together and finish on time.  If your profile does not reflect adequate experience to be able to enjoy the hike, you will be contacted to provide further background to let us know if you can stay with the group.

2.8 mph pace to meet our target timeframe for this "in and out" 6 hour hike and up to 3.4 mph at times.

1.4 mile 1076 foot ascent of Blue Mountain to begin hike

3156 foot total climb for the hike and 402 feet per mile grade

3.5 miles passing over several rock slides and through rocky areas  to begin and finish hike

Fine views from Blue Mountain shelter at 4025 feet elevation (possibly the best AT shelter view in Georgia)

Blue is one of the five Georgia AT 4000 footers (you probably know Blood and Tray already)

 

100th Birthday of the Appalachian Trail (part of a series of historicals for our AT hiking series)

The year was 1921.  Military veterans had returned from war to American cities they did not recognize.  More than a half-million Americans 

had died in a worldwide pandemic.  Two summers earlier, many cities, north and south, had been rocked by race riots.  That was the

climate of the nation when the idea for the trail was born.  In an essay headlined "An Appalachian Trail:  A Project in Regional Planning"

published 100 years ago, Benton Mackaye first proposed creating the trail.  One of Harvard's first graduate students in forestry, Mackaye

devoted himself to influencing the shape of what he called "the Wild East".  His article proposing an Appalachian Trail was both practical and

poetic, the small start from "a retreat from profit" -- a kind of sabbath break from America's frenzied urbanizaation and mechanization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Required Items to Bring:

3 liters of water minimum

lunch and trail snacks

Strong and sturdy hiking shoes that are well broken in!

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

sunglasses, sunscreen

rain gear

wide-brimmed shade hat

Hiking poles

Electrolyte (chews or bottled)

Comfy shoes for your ride home


How to Get There:
Event Directions:

Here is a link to Google Maps that will take you to the trailhead at Unicoi Gap:

https://goo.gl/maps/DqYdqiUnQhfxRFVB7

 

Plan to be ready to meet at 8:30am at the trail crossing.

The trailhead has ample parking but no privy or services.

The shelter at the top of the mountain has a compost privy 1.4 miles into our hike.

Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):147Mile(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 $58.80 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.
*Note:

AOC Policy