Arkaquah Trail to Brasstown Bald (Union County, Georgia)

For quite a while now, I've been reading about and wanting to hike the Arkaquah Trail, which starts at the Track Rock Petroglyph Site and climbs up to Brasstown Bald, the tallest mountain in the state of Georgia. This is suppose to be one of the most challenging hikes in the state, but scheduling a trip has been an issue until now. As I've been leading some more challenging hikes for the Meetup group, this seemed like a great opportunity to allow some folks to check off a bucket list item. 

With rain predicted towards the end of this week, I've been debating on whether or not to cancel the hike. There are several reports of a large blow down and washed out section that is very difficult and dangerous when its wet. If I were on my own, I likely wouldn't hesitate to do this, but bring others along for the ride causes me some reservation. As of last night, when I am suppose to make the official call to cancel or proceed, there is only a 20% chance of rain. I decide to push forward with the hike.

Meeting the eleven other participants, many of whom I have hiked with before, at the trailhead, we pack our vehicles into the small parking lot as best we can and when the designated time approaches, we do a quick round of introductions. I remind the group that this is a strenuous hike and of the expected pace. I also remind them, once again, to bring gloves for the scrambling section where the blow down occurred. And with all of that, we're off.

The trail starts just across the highway and immediately begins to ascend the ridge-line. The first mile and a half or so is suppose to be the most challenging and as I find myself getting a bit out of breath, I have to agree. That said though, a couple of us open up a large gap between the lead group and those behind. I had warned the group both in the original posting and at the trail head of the pace we would be maintaining and that we would not slow down for those unable to keep up. This is a pretty standard warning for the advanced hikes that I lead. I always want to help people, but I also want to ensure that those on the hike are capable of completing it in a timely manner. I do my best to scare beginners off from the hikes, in a nice way of course.

Reaching the top of the ridge, things start to level off a bit. The trail is muddy with a few smaller blow downs here and there, but well worn and easy to follow. The group has splintered into several different pace sub-groups by this point and the lead group and I continue to push our way along this knife's edge ridge. While I've hiked many ridges like this before, where there is a steep drop off on either side, this is the first time I've found one in a deciduous forest. The trail on top of the ridge is plenty wide enough to not be dangerous, but it's still interesting to hike through this section.

Around 2.75 miles in, we reach the blow down/washed out section and it's not really as bad as I had been lead to believe. Three large trees that probably once stood alongside the trail have been blown down and now force hikers to scramble their way up a steep wall of mud and rock. Someone has tied a thin rope from a large root above to act as a guide line. I climb up a little ways to get the rope and test its strength. It seems strong enough to hold an adult. Knowing that this section will be challenging for all of us, I want to wait and see everyone safely up the hillside before moving on. A couple of the faster hikers ask if it would be okay for them to continue on and I not in agreement. I ask them to wait at the summit for me, as I don't know exactly how far back the others are. I do take note of the path they take up the slippery, muddy hillside as they climb up. It doesn't seem all that terrible. After waiting a few minutes for the slower hikers, they finally arrive and I demonstrate the path up the hill and then guide them verbally from the top. Everyone makes it without any injuries and I then start hiking again at my pace toward the top. 

This is in no way a race, but I am doing this as both an adventure and as a training hike, and so, I want to keep a strong pace. I quickly build up a lead over those I just helped up the hill and before long, the trail pops out onto the visitors center parking lot, just below the summit. As the tallest peak in the state, Brasstown Bald sees many visitors and an observation tower and visitors center has been constructed on the top. I've been to the top before via the half-mile paved trail leading up from this parking lot, but today's trip will be much more rewarding as I will have really earned the summit this time. 

After having hiked nearly six miles to get here, this paved section is actually pretty challenging. It's all up hill at roughly a twenty degree grade. I force myself to push through without stopping for a break, but by the time I reach the top, I'm pretty winded. Some of my hikers call down to me from atop the observation deck as I reach the summit. After climbing the stops up to the round deck, I meet up with my faster hikers and begin to take a few shots of the view. It's foggy and the panorama is largely obscured, but the longer we are up here, the clearer it gets. We take a few minutes for snack break and to allow the others to catch up. Once they do and have a few minutes to enjoy the rewards of their efforts, we start heading back down the mountain. Some decide to stay a bit longer, which is fine, but I want to get my legs moving again.

We make good time down the mountainside and once we reach the blow down/wash out section again, we carefully make our way down the slippery surface. I think each and every one of us in the lead group slips at some point, but luckily we all fall onto our rumps and the only damage beyond our pride is a bit of mud on our clothes. Carefully using my poles to help support my descent, I thought I was going to get down unmarked, but just as I reach the bottom, I step on a flat rock that slides out from under me in the muddy muck and I go down as well. Oh well, luckily no one was hurt. I tell the others to continue on towards the cars and that I'm going to wait for the others to guide them down the hazard.

It feels like I'm here for fifteen to twenty minutes, but eventually, we get everyone down the hillside and to safer ground. From here, I take off again and quickly start catching up with lead group. With the recent rains, the muddy trail is somewhat treacherous on the steep way down. It would be very east to get going too fast, step on a section of mud, and find yourself on the ground once again. I'm careful to position my poles in front of me and to push into them, distributing my weight between my feet and the poles. Luckily, I make it safe without falling again.

I reach the parking lot just a few minutes after the others and tell them that I will be waiting for everyone to return. In the meantime, a couple of cars have gotten stuck in the mud. The first, three of us are able to push out by hand, but the second is a larger 4x4 truck and he seems to just be getting more and more buried in the muck. I tell him to hold on a minute while I grab the tow rope from my jeep and get set up to drag him out. While I'm getting set, I get a call from one of the other hikers who had elected to stay at the back with the slower folks. She's also an organizer for this Meetup and an accomplished hiker. She tells me that one of the hikers at the back had stepped off trail for a communion with nature and has failed to catch back up and isn't responding to calls. Not good. I let her know the situation here and that once I get this truck pulled out, I will check back with her for status.

It's kind of funny watching my little, but mighty, Jeep pull a large truck out of the mud, but we get the job done and the gentleman thanks me and suggests that he owes me one. I wish him well and return to my other potential crises. As I get my pack back on and check to see how much water I have left, I get word that the group still on the mountain has made contact with our lost hiker and while he is okay, he's out of water and struggling. Near the end though with only downhill between us, I decide to let him come out on his own, but I do get some water prepped for him when he arrives. I was willing and able to hike back up the mountain to find and help him, but I can't say I was looking forward to that steep climb again. Thankfully, he emerges from the hillside a few minutes later and I greet him with a bottle of water. After talking to him, I think he just pushed himself a bit beyond his current capabilities. He had actually brought quite a lot of water, but it wasn't enough.

As some folks have already departed and the slower hikers have all now safely reached the parking lot, I feel my obligation has lifted. I say my goodbyes and wish them all well. It was quite a day of adventure. We managed to hike 13.5 miles with an elevation gain/loss of around 3,850'. While I can't say with any certainty that his is Georgia's toughest trail, it is definitely one of the more challenging ones I've found in this state. I may try to do this again in the fall when the leaves have started changing. The views could be quite spectacular. For now though, I'm heading home to relax.