Slaughter Mountain - Elevation 4,338'

View of Blood Mountain from Slaughter Mountain summit.

Open granite outcrop on summit of Slaughter Mountain.

February 23, 2008

Start - Wolfpen Gap - 3,260'el
Trail - Duncan Ridge Trail, with some bushwhacking.
Time to summit - 55 minutes
Time of descent - 42 minutes
Ascent - 1,078'

Parking my car adjacent to Duncan Ridge Road, I grab my pack and walking staff out of the back seat. Across the road, a nearly inaudible conversation is taking place between a couple of bike riders and hikers. Other than this, the two-lane ribbon of asphalt that is Highway 180 is silent in between cars that can appear from seemingly out of nowhere as they round the curves, heading either towards Suches or Vogel State Park. I step in the direction of the trail, cross the highway and begin the steady climb.

The clouds are hanging low and as I look up slope, they can be seen rushing through the treetops, obscuring whatever view of the mountain that would normally unfold. As I look back at my car, two other guys with complete packs and ski poles have come off the ridge from the direction of Coosa Bald. They begin to take a break while I disappear into the woods. The uphill climb is immediate as I step up onto and around small boulders here and there that flank either side of the trail. The goal today is to bag the summit of Slaughter Mountain, the 5th highest peak in Georgia.

About twenty minutes up the trail I begin to hear the metallic click of the ski poles belonging to my fellow hikers. Judging by their increasing volume I know that they are rapidly gaining on me. I always pull of the trail for a breather when I know someone is about to overtake me. It's good hiking etiquette for there is nothing worse than having momentum and coming upon someone ambling along and holding up your progress. They both passed me, in staggered form as one was about three minutes faster than his buddy. At this point, I was sucking air so hard that I was glad to stay put until both of them passed.

The trail finally levels out and the burning in my calves fades with each step. I look up and notice a patch of blue sky. It looks as if the clouds may burn off after all. The patches of blue become larger as I walk on. Finally, the areas not shrouded by trees are flooded with a beautiful sunlight. The contrast of the sun with the remaining low clouds is wonderful.

I knew from studying the topo map before this hike that the Duncan Ridge Trail does not cross the summit,  meaning I'm in for another bushwhacking adventure. As the trail descends, I know it's time to leave it to the right and begin to fight the sparse undergrowth. The goal is simple...to keep walking up until you reach the highest point.

It appears that I have not been the only person with this goal. A clearly visible trail opens up in front of me, then I notice a faded red blaze on a tree. 'What the hell?', I thought. This was not on any of the maps I researched. Why would this be a secret? Is it an attempt to discourage people from entering this area, or simply a forgotten path? I gladly follow this trail all the way to the summit, sparing me from the normal fight with briers. A search for a USGS marker is fruitless.

Like most of the peaks in GA, there is not much of a vista. Like Coosa Bald, there is a small granite outcropping near the summit that provides a small window in the direction of Blood Mountain. The clouds slowly blow through the gap between Slaughter and Blood Mountain, finally revealing the highest point in GA on the Appalachian Trail. I sit on the outcrop and soak up the sun for nearly an hour before retracing my steps back down to Wolfpen Gap.

Coosa Bald, March 15, 2008

Summit Elevation 4,280' - 11th highest in Georgia
Wolfpen Gap Elevation 3,140'
Elevation Gain 1,140'
Time to Summit - 55 minutes

There are a few different approaches to reach this summit. On this day, I chose the Coosa Backcountry Trail at Wolfpen Gap on Ga Hwy 180. Traveling north from this point, you head towards the summit of Coosa Bald. Traveling south you make your way up the steep and rocky trail towards Slaughter Mountain. If you are particularly ambitious, from Wolfpen Gap you can summit Coosa Bald, Slaughter and Blood Mountains all in the same day. The trail at this point is actually a combined trail including the Coosa Backcountry Trail and the Duncan Ridge Trail.

From Wolfpen Gap, the trail rises slightly then turns away from what was obviously the old path, as you could see the blue and yellow blazes continuing straight up the slope. Once in a while, the forest service decides that the old trail is becoming too eroded, thus a new pathway to give the old ground a chance to heal itself. To make sure that no one mistook the old trail for the new, piles of brush or dirt are placed to discourage hikers from following the path. However, at this point, the trees on the newer trail had yet to be adorned with their blazes of blue and yellow to tell me I was on the right path.

After 32 minutes of cutting back and forth (the new path utilizes the natural contour more than the old which appeared to travel straight up and over Wildcat Knob), the new trail re-connected with the old trail on the back side of Wildcat Knob, where the blazes came back into view. Just below this point, the trail intersects with a Forest Road before continuing up the hill to the steepest part of the climb. The trail at this point leaves behind the soft earth which is replaced by loose cobbles. A steady climb of about 17 minutes placed me at the intersection of the Coosa Backcountry Trail with the Duncan Ridge Trail. If you take this right turn, you will wind your way back down off of the slope and end up at W. Wolf Creek Road, heading in a direction toward Sunrise Grocery and GA Hwy 129.

My aim is to reach the summit, so I continue straigh ahead on the Duncan Ridge Trail. From this intersection it only took me 6 minutes to reach the summit, where there is a very small area of granite that provides a view to the west. Most noticeable about Coosa, like the other Balds, is that they aren't really bald. I assume that many years ago, when the names were assigned, the timber was stripped off the mountaintops thus giving them their names.

Currently there are many hardwoods atop Coosa which surely contributes to the lack of a vista in the summer. But, I am here without foliage and enjoy the views that can be seen through the trees. From the granite slab, the view is in the direction of Suches, GA, and to the left I can make out Slaughter and Blood Mountains, with the top of the latter obscured by clouds.

The wind picked up as I sat down on the rock to take a break. I notice a mountainous wave of clouds approaching from the west, covering far off peaks one by one. I knew before I began this hike that a storm front was approaching. I just thought that they would arrive later in the day.  In a matter of minutes, my hike in partly cloudy conditions becomes a near white out.

After quickly eating a banana, taking a couple of pictures, and situating my day pack, I re-trace my steps back down the mountain. Almost simultaneously, it began to lightly rain. A few yards later, I am shaken by a loud thunderclap. Great. I pick up the pace, figuring my car to be a much safer place than a ridge top. Three or four more thunderclaps and the rain intensifies, as my pace does accordingly. In all of natures wrath, I hear the distinct gobble of a Tom Turkey. I guess even a storm doesn't interfere with the task of impressing a hen.

I finally made it to my car, happy to be sheltered from the bad weather. The night before, a tornado interrupted the mens SEC Basketball Tournament by trying to rip the roof off the Georgia Dome. This day was a continuation of that weather pattern which ended up as the most tornado filled day in North Georgia history! Nevertheless, a great day for a hike.

Benton MacKaye and Duncan Ridge Trails

After a day of on and off sleet and snow flurries, the curtain of clouds peeled back far enough to see the ridge tops near Brasstown Bald. The higher elevations definitely had snow and the trees were coated with rime. A good hike before the Superbowl was exactly what I needed before settling into three plus hours of football and commercials.

One of the main trails in this area that I haven't trekked on was the Benton MacKaye Trail. The trail begins atop Springer Mountain and follows the Appalachian Trail before peeling off to the north and west going into Tennessee and North Carolina. A fellow hiker recommended a nearby section so I decided today was as good a day as any to check it out.

My trip began as I parked on the side of Skeenah Gap Road at the border of Union and Fannin County. The trail is easily missed as there are no signs other than the small trail markers to let you know it's there. The parking area consists of a hard shoulder on the south side of the road. From here I headed south on my way to the summit of Rhodes Mountain.

I don't know what the elevation is at this point, but it didn't take long before I found myself surrounded by rime. This direction is mainly an ascent, not terribly hard, but a good workout nonetheless. Not until you get near the intersection with the Duncan Ridge Trail (1.5 miles) do you find some downhill relief. Taking a left at this intersection, it is a short climb up to the Rhodes summit via the Duncan Ridge Trail.

The ice was thick on the vegetation with about an inch of snow on the ground. And, of course, there was a considerable amount of fog and the vistas for the most part remained shrouded. At the summit, there is a nice open area where I caught a glimpse of the opposing ridge (see top photo).

Wildlife spotted: Several Carolina Chickadees; a Raven harassing an unidentified hawk; and, not exactly spotted, but a Bobcat and a rabbit had evidently used the trail that morning. For the rabbit's sake, not at the same time. It was pretty quiet as most creatures were probably bedded down in a warm spot.

I'm definitely gonna do this stretch again. Next time, on a blue sky day.