Coosa Bald Scenic Area Hiking Log
November 2001
by Christopher Burk
Day 1
Our first group hike outside of West Virginia and our first hike with women. Dana and Kelli were going to be in the Atlanta area so we decided to meet up and hike in the northern Georgia mountains. Since Grace and I were the farthest away, we volunteered to drive and pick up Jeff on the way down. Jeff's wife, Amber, had elected to sit this hike out and wait for next year (in hindsight, not a bad choice). We scheduled to meet him at a popular rest stop on the West Virginia turnpike around 5:30 in the morning. Jeff ended up being about 35 minutes late but he did have a good excuse. Apparently there was a huge fire along the side of I-64 that caused his delay.
We transferred Jeff's gear to our car and we headed south. The drive down was pretty uneventful. In fact we made really good time and thought we were going to reach Vogel State Park about an hour early. That was until we stopped for lunch.
We got off the main highway and drove about a mile or two down a divided road until we reached Arby's. Lunch itself went fine. It was when we were leaving Arby's that the trouble began. Like any Outdoor Travels trip, somewhere along the way, the pure excitement of just being out takes over and the brain ceases to function properly.
As we pulled out of Arby's, I wasn't thinking. All I saw was a divided road that looked the same as the other road we were on, so rather then turn right to go back to main highway, I turned left. The only person who thought this was odd was Grace but she didn't say anything.
It wasn't until we passed the state line between NC and GA that I realized we had to have made a mistake. Of course I hadn't realized the actual mistake so in my mind, we must have missed a turn somewhere back. As we were heading back looking for our turn, Grace finally asked the question, "Don't we have to get back on the other highway first?"
After a good laugh, an "I am moron," quote and a 30 minute drive back to the correct road we were once again headed in the right direction. The only other near-mishap wasn't caused by stupidity; our directions caused it from the Internet.
We knew we were headed south and our final location was to the East but according to the written directions, we were supposed to turn right. As a picture is worth a thousand words, we turned left and got to Vogel State Park with no problems whatsoever. And even with our lunch detour we still beat Kelli and Dana there.
Because we were arrived first, I went ahead and took care of getting our backpacking permit and a trail map although I wouldn't call it much of a trail map. It was a copy of the same topographical map I had with the trails highlighted but it had been copied so many times that it had lost most of its clarity several generations ago. Fortunately, I had my version and Dana had the trail book. Although neither did a good job of preparing us for what lay ahead on this hike.
Dana and Kelli arrived shortly there after. Following the customary how-do-you-dos and transferring the post-hike beverages from their car to our cooler, we set off. According to the guidebook, the best direction to hike the loop we picked was to go counter-clockwise. Otherwise you face the steepest part of the entire hike within the first couple of miles. Not being a glutton for punishment, we followed the book's suggestion.
The first part of the hike took us up from Vogel State Park, across Route 180 at Burnett Gap and around Sheriff Knob. Because of the time of year, there were no leaves on the trees so we had a good view of the surrounding forest.
The trail is mainly up-hill from Vogel to Route 180. But considering the fact that it was the beginning of the trip and we were all excited to be out, we had no problems. Before we knew it, we were already on the other side of Route 180 and starting the gentle drop down to the West Fork of Wolf Creek.
About 2/3rds of the way down we started thinking about where we should camp for the night. Up to this point we had not seen any area that would have remotely passed as a good spot but according to the map, the trail "bottomed out" right around the creek.
And the map was right, up to a point. There was a nice flat area, complete with a fire ring and plenty of open space to pitch the tents. What the map failed to show was the access road running right next to the campsite. Oh well, two out of three wasn't bad.
After our assessment of the area we started setting up camp. I was excited because this was my first trip with my new tent. I had retired the old $5 special for a tent with a rain-fly and more room. Of course I was smart enough to set up the tent a couple of times at home before taking it out into the wilderness. Besides, I knew I would never hear the end of it from Dana and Jeff if I had trouble setting up my tent.
Anyway, camp was set up so we started working on dinner. Dana and Kelli had discovered a store near their house in Tampa that sold an entire assortment of dried meals, so they supplied the food. We had a choice of tomato basil tortillas with chicken and Spanish rice and corn or soup, chicken pasta, mashed potatoes and green beans, but if we had done the math, the choice should have already been made for us. (More on that topic a little later.) We chose the tortillas.
Once dinner was finished and the dishes were cleaned Dana, Jeff and I set out to hang the food. After several attempts and a comparison between Dana's and my throwing styles, we finally got the food hung up.
Now I don't know whose idea it was. It could have been Dana's, it could have been mine, heck even Jeff could have suggested it. But regardless of whoever came up with it, it just goes to show how cruel a group of guys' sense of humor can be. We thought it would be funny to sneak back to camp and scare Kelli and Grace. Of course, none of us being ninjas, our sneak attack only worked so well. The biggest thing working against us was the fact that there was a creek between them and us (not to mention the dried leaves crunching under our sneaking feet), so therefore the last hundred feet or so we had to run across a bridge.
We did manage to startle them, but not really freak them out. Which, looking back now, is probably a good thing. Of course Jeff had diplomatic immunity because neither of the women were his wife. But had we actually scared them, Dana and I would probably be sharing a tent because the girls would have kicked us out.
Day 2
Overnight was uneventful. We had no wild animals, cars or anything else for that matter come through our camp. We all slept well and awoke refreshed and ready to go.
As we enjoyed a nice breakfast we started preparing for the day's hike. It was at this point we realized our error in meal selection. Between the two dinners, one required about two cups of water while the other one needed well over six. Here we sat right next to a stream but which dinner did we eat? The one that required the least amount of water. Now we had to fill up every possible contain with water just to make sure we would have enough for dinner that night. As I said earlier, had we done the math, we would have realized that we really didn't have a choice of which dinner to eat where.
Carrying the extra water wouldn't have been that big a deal if it weren't for the merciless terrain ahead. The elevation of our campsite was around 2000 feet. Little did we know that in the next six miles we would go from there to an elevation of well over 4000 feet. I guess we should have known if we looked at the topographical map closely but of course we didn't.
The first couple of miles weren't that bad. Ignorance is bliss. But the major factor that made the first part of the hike fairly easy was the fact that the trail runs along the side of the mountains and climbs gradually. But almost three miles into it, the gradient changed. We were under the misunderstanding that once we passed along side of Ben Knob and through Locust Stake Gap we would be going downhill for a while. Wrong, we kept going up, up, up.
About an hour later we were all beginning to drag and certainly not enjoying the fact that every part of the terrain in front of us was higher then where we were standing. It was time for lunch and a mental adjustment. While we ate, I re-evaluated the topo map and discovered where our misconception came from. I also discovered that we still had another 1000 feet to climb before we ever started back down again.
Armed with our new knowledge and food in our stomachs, we started our trek upward again. We did have one small respite from the constant climbing as we passed through Calf Stomp Gap. An area we all agreed was aptly named since the backs of all of our legs felt like someone stomped on them.
A little farther up the trail we arrived at our last chance for water. It was a small stream about 100 yards below the trail. We had two choices: we could either hike on and see if the trail would come any closer to the stream or we could climb down and back up from where we were. We decided a definite was better than a maybe. Of course, after Dana, Jeff and I hiked all the way down and back up to fill the water bottles, we discovered that we did indeed pass much closer to the stream a little farther up the trail. Oh well, lesson learned.
As we moved on from the stream, we figured we had one more big climb before we would be near the top of Coosa Bald. Wrong, that one climb turned into more like five or six. If I didn't know any better I would swear that whoever blazed the trail in the first place was looking for the best view of the valley below. The trail pretty much goes from knob to knob to knob. Not around them mind you but up and over every one they could find.
After what seemed like forever, we finally reached the top of Coosa Bald, or at least near the top. The Coosa Backcountry Trail actually ends here and the Duncan Ridge trail continues up to the very top and down to Route 180. We debated going to check out the view for about 2 seconds and opted for the downhill route instead.
About this time we also started thinking about where we wanted to camp. We hiked past several nice campsites but passed them up because it would still leave us with over six miles to hike the next day. Not necessarily a long distance but Jeff, Grace and I still had to drive back to West Virginia so the earlier we got back the car, the better. Besides the fact that we suddenly had this new burst of energy because we were heading down hill.
On our way down the hill, we also encountered other people for the first time. We passed two different groups, one was a family actually heading up to the top of Coosa Bald and the other group was three guys hiking the entire loop in one day. It was apparently a 50th birthday challenge for one of the guys and the other two were tagging along to witness his feat or to drag his body out of the woods, whichever came first.
After one more small uphill section around Wildcat Knob, we finally descended all the way back down to Route 180. We were now faced with another tough decision; because of the distance back to the car and the steep terrain, we didn't find a suitable place to camp. We could either look for a place to camp away from the road, or continue on and see what was ahead of us. Each had its pros and cons but the biggest one was staring us in the face: The next section of the trail had an elevation change of over 700 feet in just ½-a-mile! Jeff ventured ahead and scouted out another trail across the road but found nothing in the way of campsites. We finally decided to rest for about 30 minutes then go ahead and knock out the steep section rather than having to face it first thing the next morning. Unfortunately, our rest was cut short.
For the last day-and-a-half, we had passed or seen a total of six people. And now, suddenly, we were invaded by a troop of 15 Boy Scouts and their leaders hiking down the trail. After a quick discussion, we discovered that unlike the guys who passed us before, they planned on camping for the evening. Now I have nothing against kids or Boy Scouts, however, my idea of backpacking is getting away from it all. And camping next to a large group of people - regardless of who they are - is not getting away from it all. So we quickly put our packs back on and started up the mountain to get a headstart on them.
We had a pretty good pace going in the beginning but one by one we began to drop back. Grace and I were the first to slow down. Dana was next but his pace was still quicker then Grace's and mine. The only ones who kept their pace up the entire time were Kelli and Jeff. In the end it paid off. Although several of the kids passed Grace and me, I guess Kelli and Jeff were far enough ahead because when we finally reached the top of the hill, the other scouts kept going. Who knows, maybe they knew of a better one a little farther down the trail. I was too tired to really think that much about it.
It was definitely worth the hike up the mountain. Just off the trail but not obvious was a nice flat area with cushy leaves with enough room for three tents. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset as we set up camp and started dinner. In fact, as darkness fell, we sort of felt like the Grinch staring down on the valley below and the lights of the town. The other thing we were treated to as the sun went down was a rather strong breeze. It felt nice in the beginning but made things a little chilly as the evening progressed.
Our dinner was equal to the view as well. While it required almost a gallon of water to prepare, we thoroughly enjoyed a creamy chicken soup, mashed potatoes and green beans. We were even treated to a wonderful chocolate cow pie mousse dessert even though we were all too full to eat much of it. (The one drawback: the desert left a gelatinous chocolate mess in the pan).
After dinner, as we were sitting back and enjoying our wine, Dana started noticing several shooting stars. He must have seen about five or six of them. Of course no one else saw any but we agreed with him anyway.
Our final task before calling it a night was making sure the fire was out. Normally, it's an easy thing to do but, because of the wind and lack of water, we were forced to use some drastic measures. Dana almost cried as we used the last of the wine to make sure the fire was out.
Day 3
With the exception of the wind, we had a peaceful night, or at least most of us did. Grace kept waking up in the middle of the night concerned that a tree was going to be blown over in the wind and fall on us. Granted, that is a possibility, but in all my times sleeping in the wilderness, worrying about a tree falling on me has never crossed my mind. Obviously, no trees fell on us overnight.
Because it was still really windy, we had to forego building a fire. Fortunately, we all brought enough clothing to stay warm as we fixed a quick breakfast. We all commented about how sore our calves were but were looking forward to the day's hike since we only had one small uphill section over Slaughter Mountain then the rest was all downhill. Yee Haw.
It's amazing how quickly the mind and the body forget things and how quickly the memories can come back. The uphill section only had a rise of about 200 feet but as we started up my body immediately thought, oh no, not again. My body got over it, but it had no idea of the pounding it was about to suffer going downhill.
As we started down the backside of Slaughter Mountain, we finally realized why the guidebooks tell you to hike the loop counter-clockwise. Trying to hike up the trail would have been exhausting. We had to deal with steep declines, rock ledges and boulder fields. There were several sections that would have probably been easier to rappel down then climb. If it weren't for grabbing onto nearby trees, a couple of us would have gone careening on down the mountain.
After a couple of hours hiking down serious mountain goat terrain, we finally reached the level section of the trail. Our calves may have been killing us yesterday, but it was our knees and ankles that were sore now.
About a mile further, we were back at Vogel State Park, although where we ended was not where we started. Our starting point was in the middle of the park just past the welcome center. But now we were way at the end where all the trailer and car camping spots were located. As we walked back to the car, you would think the people camping had never seen backpackers before by the way they were all staring at us. Maybe they had just never seen such a vibrant, young and good-looking group of hikers as us. But regardless of why they were staring, we didn't care. We were just happy to be hiking on level ground.
As we got back to the cars we were also surprised to discover that the wind was still blowing strong. We pretty much figured it would have either die down by the time we got back to the cars or not be blowing as strong on the leeward side of the mountain. We were wrong. It was actually blowing strong enough to force us to take shelter in or behind the cars as we ate lunch and enjoyed our post-hike beverages.
After a couple more beverages, a change of clothes and a visit to the washroom, we packed everything up, said goodbye and started our long drive back to West Virginia. We were envious of Dana and Kelli flying back to Tampa but because their flight had a late departure time, we still beat them home.
