Appalachian Trail: Woody Gap to Gooch Gap (Lumpkin County, Georgia)

The weather has not been cooperative the last couple of weekends and though, I have wanted to some trail miles in, I really don't like hiking in the pouring rain when I can avoid it. That said, today, it looks like I may catch a break. For a while now, I've wanted to start doing some sections of the Appalachian Trail and the next one on my target list is the easy section from Woody Gap to Gooch Gap. I'm going to try to beat the rain and knock that piece out today.

On my drive, I catch a few drizzly rain drops, but I decide to push on and when I finally reach the trail head parking area at Woody Gap, the sun has come out and it's turning into a beautiful December day. Tossing my day pack on my back, I head south from the parking lot along the well maintained trail. The first part skirts along the side of a small mountain, but the grade is pretty level and the going is easy.

At about the mile-and-a-half point, I start a short climb up to Ramrock Mountain, which is really nothing more than a bunch of giant boulders poking out of the top of a hill. It reminds me though of just how out of shape I am. I really need to get back to doing this more regularly. On the descent from this part, I run into a man with an orange hunting vest on and a rifle over his shoulder. He asks if I have seen any deer, but I inform him that I've only seen and heard squirrels bouncing around in the dry leaves. He thanks me an continues along his way. I wasn't aware that hunting was allowed this close to the trail, but perhaps, he is only following it back.

From there the trail continues to rise and fall with a little elevation gain, but overall, it's pretty easy going even with my less-than-ideal fitness level at the moment. When I finally reach Gooch Gap, I find a woman sitting at an obvious campsite, complete with a firepit and logs setting around it for benches. I ask if I might join her to take a short break and she welcomes me. We chat about the trail and the weather for a few minutes, before she heads her own way down the road passing over Gooch Gap. After another couple of minutes and a swig of water, I start heading back the way I came.

I bump into a few more hikers on the way back. All of whom are very friendly. I wish each of them a Merry Christmas as I pass by. The return the sentiment. I'm reminded of how nice it is to be outside with the sun shining down and the trail leading me back to my car. I really miss this and need to get back to doing it more frequently. Finally reaching the car, I take another swig of water and check my mileage. It seems I've hiked almost exactly 7 miles round trip. Not a bad way to spend a Friday.