Blood
Mountain
It was a long time since I had my last trek back in India. For some
reasons I had not got into trekking (or hiking as Americans like to
call it) in
the US. But come July 4th, and we were keen on spending the weekend
with some adventure. So that was how Blood mountain was decided. The
Blood mountain is a part of the great Appalachian Trail.
Getting There
The blood mountain can be
reached
by various ways. We went by the Neal's Gap to the top. I referred
the
book Hiking trails of north Georgia. It gives a
great
information about the whole region. We parked our car at the Byron
Herbert
Reece parking area and started the trail from there. From there the
trail
is pretty much straight forward and not that difficult.
The Trek
As I mentioned earlier, since
the
trail was already marked by blazes it was not that difficult. But
living
upto my reputation, I again misled my friends at an intersection and we
actually
went round the blood mountain and got on top of it from the other side
:).
Nevertheless it was a fun experience.
(Pics soon to come).
The next day we we didn't want to stress out much and hence went to
DeSoto falls which is about 10-15 min drive from the Neal's gap.
It was a good place to relax after previous days hike (can't see long
hike,
but sine w took the round way, it was long :) )
Places to See
There is nothing much at
blood
mountain except the trek itself. At the top there is a Blood Mountain
shelter
and a big rock from which you get a scenic view of the surrounding
wilderness.
Final Verdict
With a height of 4,461 feet,
it
is a good trek to end your trek hibernation. Also a good day hike for
people
who can drive down there within and hour or two.