Upon moving to Georgia nearly a year ago, I started thinking about hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail (AT). While I hope to be able to thru-hike the entire 2,200 miles, it's not a realistic option at this point in my life, but hopefully, after retirement I will be able to. That said, I certainly do have free time to be able to hike sections of the trail and the logical starting place was the AT Approach Trail departing from Amicolola Falls State Park.
In addition to the trail itself and the amazing waterfall, the Len Foote Hike Inn was something of a curiosity to me. Several hikers I have met on the trails while living here have told me of this legendary place and I wanted to check it out for myself. Early in the spring, I made a reservation to stay at the Inn tonight and so, now all that remains to do is to get there. Unlike most guests though, I'm going to hike the Approach Trail first and then come back to the Inn, which should be about 12 miles. Most guests of the Inn, hike a simple 5 mile trail to the facility.
After admiring Amicolola Falls for a few minutes, I get my trek underway. I do question whether or not I should have climbed those 425 steps down to and then back up from the base of the waterfall. I guess we'll see how wise of a decision that was in a few hours.
The trail starts out easy enough and obviously well traveled and maintained. Not long after departing the parking lot, the trail splits, with blue blazes indicating the AT Approach Trail going to the left and green blazes representing the trail to the Inn going to the right. While I intend to come out tomorrow on the green blazed trail, my planned destination for today has me following the blue blazes.
I got here early and the time of day in combination with the cloudy skies seems to have frightened away most hikers. I do encounter a few backpackers on my way, though most of them look like first-timers. They're a friendly and eager bunch though, and I answer questions as best as I can when they ask.
The first several miles of the trail undulate with the rolling hills of the southern Appalachian Mountain range. Many warnings indicated the strenuous nature of this trail, but it's really not bad at all. Along they way, I encounter a number of previously used campsites, complete with logs fashioned into benches surrounding piled-rock fire pits. I'm sure lots of people come out here to get away from it all, though no one is out here this morning.
Finally reaching another fork in the trail, the sign indicates that Springer Mountain is another 3.5 miles ahead of me, while a trail going the other direction is 1 mile to the Inn. I'll be returning to this fork in a little while and traveling that 1 mile. For now though, I continue to push ahead to Springer. Almost immediately after this fork, the trail starts a steep downhill section about half-a-mile long. On my return, I will have to remember to take this section slowly.
Once at the bottom of the section, I pop out on a forest road and gravel parking area labeled as Nimblewell Gap. There are a few cars here and I pass several hikers making their way up the trail on the other side of the parking lot. I assume they are also headed to Springer Mountain, though on a much shorter route. As I approach the summit, I encounter even more well laid out campsites and even a hiker's shelter. Again though, no one is here at this time of day.
Finally reaching the summit of Springer Mountain, I take a moment to admire the bronze sign inlaid on a large stone indicating this location as the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. I'll return here someday. In the meantime, I take a few minutes to get a snack and water. There are a number of people here. From what I'm told, there is parking lot just 0.9 miles away in the opposite direction I came up and people often come to visit from that lot. Springer Mountain, at 3,782 feet, is not all that impressive and the views are somewhat obstructed by trees, but it's a popular destination nonetheless and now I can check it off of my list.
Returning the way I came, I make my way slowly up the steep section I mentioned earlier and upon reaching the fork, head down the trail to my left following the green blazes. I'm looking forward to a shower and a comfortable place to relax. That mile, while fairly easy, does seem to take a long time to complete, but eventually, the Len Foote Hike Inn comes into view.
This lodge is somewhat unique in that the only way to reach it is on foot using the trails I have been and will be walking. It has twenty guest rooms, a dining hall, game room, and the most coveted area, the bath house with hot showers available. All around the facility there is ample outdoor seating and guests are encouraged to unplug from technology during their visit.
As I enter the lobby, I'm greeted by a young man who walks me through their procedures (put in place to help safeguard against the COVID-19 pandemic) and provides me with my linens and room key. I make my way to my room which is just outside the lobby and open the door to find very Spartan-like arrangements. A large bunk-bed is the main feature and occupies the majority of the room, but there is also a small closet area and stool. Some might think this was crude, but for me and many other hikers this looks perfect after a long hike.
After doing some basic unpacking of my small pack, I decide to take advantage of the hot showers in the bath house. After hiking 12.25 miles this morning, nothing feels quite as good as a hot shower. Not to mention, I'm planning to take the tour of the facility that is offered at 4:45 and followed by dinner in the dining hall at 5:30.
During the tour, our guide, who is the assistant manager of the Inn, explains a number of things about the Inn, including it's history and efforts to be completely sustainable. Through composting, gardening, solar power, and other efforts, the Inn has earned platinum status from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design organization. While they are proud of their accomplishments they don't preach, but simply try to be an example to others. The thought being that if it can be done way up here on the top of a mountain in the woods, it can be done anywhere. I tend to agree.
Guests are pre-assigned tables and dinner is served in two shifts to help maintain social distancing. My vegetarian option meal consists of an incredibly fresh garden salad, corn, baby carrots, and a black-eyed pea main course. I believe the others are having some kind of ginger-glazed ham. It's quite delicious and I eat every bite, as I'm sure many hikers do. For desert, we are served some kind of blackberry compote with an angel-food cake topping. Again, very tasty.
After dinner, I take a walk around the facility, but as the night air at this elevation has a cold bite to it, quickly decide to head back to my room as the night settles in. I suspect the air temperature is in the low forties, but my room is supplied with several blankets and a hot-air vent. While it does take a few minutes for my body-heat to warm up the sheets, I'm quickly very comfortable in my bed and doze off to dreamland.
I awake shortly before sunrise, and it's a good thing. Today is the autumnal equinox and the inn has constructed a large stone equinox observatory, which we educated on during the tour yesterday evening. I take care of my morning personal matters and then head out to see the sunrise over the green hills to the east. For just a moment as the sun crests the distant hill, a beam of light enters the carved hole of the granite block and illuminates the man-made cave wit the first rays of autumn. The effect lasts only a minute or two before the sun rises to high to enter the hole, but I'm thrilled to have been here on this day to witness it. I hadn't even considered that astronomical significance of this date when I made my reservation.
Much like dinner, our breakfast is basic, but scrumptious. Mine consists of eggs, grits, and biscuits with milk gravy (they made some without sausage just for me). After breakfast, I head back to my room to pack and after dropping off my dirty sheets and returning my key, I'm once again on the trail following the green blazes back to my jeep.
These final five miles are very easy and pass through a number of small valleys and watersheds. As I walk over supported board walks in some sections, I'm guessing this can section can be quite wet at some times of the year, but it's not bad at all today. Arriving back at my jeep, I take a moment to get some water and reflect back on the last twenty-four hours. A total of 17.2 miles hiked (12.2 yesterday and 5 today) and a stay at a hiker's paradise. It has been glorious!
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