Appalachian Trail Hike - 9.3 miles

David and I had a great hike on the Appalachian Trail.  We were in the area where the Tellico fire was last fall and the hike started at the Wayah Bald Observation Tower which was constructed by the CCC during the Depression - the roof was burned off but the tower itself is fine - this was mainly a ground fire that only occasionally reached the canopy.  The AT is primarily a ridge trail and it was interesting to see areas where the fire burned to the ridge, but did not cross over.  Mother Nature is busy restoring the burned area and i found it interesting to see the difference in areas that were burned and those that were not - the burned areas appeared open and had great views - the areas that did not burn appeared junky and cluttered.  I will look forward to going back at some point to see the area as it recovers.

This hike will be approximatly 6 hours in length at a moderate pace. The hike will begin at its highest elevation (5342 ft.) and begin with a decent of 1400 ft. There will be two ascents on the trail, one of about 400 ft. and one of about 1000 ft. There will be several vists along the trail.

At the Wayah Bald trailhead there is an observation tower.

This will be a one way hike, south to north, and will require a shuttle. We will meet in Franklin, NC at the Burger King (130 Westgate Plaza Road) at 8:00 AM and will LEAVE at 8:30 sharp to drive to the trailheads . Approximatley 1 hour of driving will be needed to accomplish the shuttle.