It's been a while since I've led any hikes for the meetup and I've been trying to get back to organizing a few. For today's hike, I'll be leading the group up to Brasstown Bald (4,784'), the tallest point in Georgia, from Jacks Gap. We'll also pass over Wolfpen Ridge (4,561') along the way, which is actually the fifth highest point in the state. I had set up this hike a few months ago, but due to a very wet weather forecast ended up cancelling it. I'm glad we'll get the chance to do it today.
I arrived at the Jacks Gap parking area about twenty minutes before the scheduled start time and after getting my day pack on, I headed over to the trailhead sign. After standing there a minute, a couple of people call out my name (which they knew from the event posting) to confirm that I was today's organizer. I acknowledge them and they introduced themselves. I explained that we would wait until the scheduled start time of noon and then do a quick round of introductions before heading up the mountain.
By the start time, there were seven of us, including myself. We circled up and I asked each hiker to tell us their name and their favorite trail within the US. It's always fun hearing the diversity of hikers we have in this large group. Some have traveled and hiked all around the world, while others have not even left Georgia. Hopefully, the discussion and this hike will inspire some of them to further adventures. I provided a little information on the organization of our meetup and then began to remind them of what to expect from today's hike, which I had already laid out in quite a bit of detail in the event description.
This is the shortest and least challenging of the three trails to the summit of Brasstown Bald. I have hiked the other two in the past, the Arkaquah and Wagon Trail Trails. That said though, I still wouldn't consider it easy. We will be gaining a lot of elevation over a short distance. Everyone acknowledge what they were getting themselves into and soon we were on our way.
The first two miles are pretty steep, as we make our way up to Wolfpen Ridge. I'm just getting myself back in shape after a pretty light summer, but even I was out of breath climbing this section. The trail is obvious though, even covered with the fallen yellow, orange, and red leaves of mid-autumn. As we continue up, I'm forced to stop for a minute due to some lower back pain. I tell the group to use this opportunity to strip a layer off if they are so inclined. We're working pretty hard coming up this steep section and by now, I'm sure all of us are sweating pretty good.
After a couple of minutes, we continue on toward the first high point along our way. The fall colors in this yellow wood are outstanding. I don't think we could have chosen a better weekend to do this hike. Originally, I had planned to do this hike and then continue up into Tennessee to do some kayaking tomorrow, but some incoming weather forced the organizer to cancel tomorrow's activities and so, I'll have to make the most out of today. As we reach Wolfpen Ridge, there is really no doubt, as the trail obviously reaches a high point and then begins to descend again toward the Brasstown Bald parking area.
As we pop out of the woods into the large parking area, a couple of the hikers take a minute to absorb the view ahead of us. The parking lot opens up to the towering Brasstown Bald above us with it's observation tower setting on the very top and over the crowning trees. We quickly walk across the parking area and then begin making our way up the paved trail towards the top. This section is heavily trafficked, but quite steep.
Once we reach the top, I tell everyone to take about fifteen minutes to take in the views and eat a snack before meeting back a the point I designate. Myself, I eat a granola bar and then head up to the ring around the observation tower to get a few pictures of the surrounding landscape. I think this is probably my fourth trip up here, but it's still a pretty spectacular view. The rolling green hills so lush in spring and summer are now blanketed with a palate of autumn colors, providing a spectacular visual.
At the agreed up on time, we reconvene and begin our trek back down the mountain. Down should be much, much easier. We will need to be cautious on the leaves though. They are not wet, but still will make it easy to slip, as one of our hikers finds out. On our way down, we keep a pace of nearly 4 mph, which means we make quick work of the return trail and are soon back at our cars after hiking a total of just about 6.4 miles. Everyone thanks each other for a great hike and we each go on our respective ways. I always get some personal satisfaction from leading hikes like this and exposing interested people to new trails. I hope to see them again on future events.
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